Mike and the Mechanics: Much more than Genesis

The first time I heard Genesis was when their song “That’s All” seemed to be playing on the radio on the bus to school every morning. Soon after, I heard this amazing song that became and remains one of my favourites of all time – “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)” by Phil Collins. Not too much after that, my friend and neighbour Mike told me Phil Collins was the lead singer of Genesis.

I thought it was pretty cool a lead singer of a band could have a solo career at the same time. Then I discovered, through a profile on the radio, that Peter Gabriel had been the lead singer of Genesis.

That was when I heard the other two members of Genesis were Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford.

It didn’t surprise, in the Spring of 1986 that Mike Rutherford would also strike out on his own side project while still part of Genesis.

It was called Mike and the Mechanics and they were really good.

They announced recently they are going back on tour, and that reminded me of the run they had for a three-year period in the 1980s.

The album cover for the 1985 album "Mike and the Mechanics".

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org

(May be subject to copyright)

Formation
I had a fascination with Mike and the Mechanics from the time I heard they had formed. I had always thought Mike Rutherford was a great guitar player with Genesis. Now he was striking out on his own with a band much different from his regular trio.

I think I first heard about Mike and the Mechanics on a show LA-107 FM broadcast from the States called “Rock Line”. It was part interview, part phone-in and had a lot of information.

I was listening to “Rock Line” one Monday night in my bedroom on our farm, and learned Mike and the Mechanics was made up of Rutherford, lead singers Paul Carrack and Paul Young, keyboardist Adrian Lee, and drummer Peter Van Hooke.

There were two interesting things of note. It was made very clear this Paul Young was not the same Paul Young who, around that time, was tearing up the charts with his re-make of the Hall and Oates song “Everytime You Go Away”. They talked a lot about this Paul Young’s time as lead singer of a band called Sad Café.

The other thing of note was the hosts pronounced Paul Carrack’s last name with a soft-c like in city. In fact, and this would become apparent as he became more well-known, Carrack is pronounced with a hard-c like in cookie.

They released their debut album, simply titled “Mike and the Mechanics” in 1985, and it was awesome.

Running
The debut single was “Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)”, released in early November of 1985. It remains my favourite song by the band, both for the music and for the amazing lyrics that tell a story that resonated with me. It is a haunting song, sung by Paul Carrack, that addressed themes of war, nationalism and religion.

Wikipedia reveals a couple things I did not know. One was that the “On Dangerous Ground” extension was added because the song was used in a 1986 film of the same name. It was called “Choke Canyon” in the United States, starring Stephen Collins. The other is that Mike Rutherford named the song after the movie “Silent Running”. I never saw it, but read about it and its use of agricultural domes in space to grow a food supply.

“Silent Running” went all the way to number six on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and number one on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

It also appeared on the daytime soap opera “Day Of Our Lives”, in a scene on the waterfront. It was the perfect setting.

Miraculous
The second single released was “All I need is a Miracle”. This song was more upbeat, with Paul Young taking over at lead vocals. “All I Need is a Miracle” peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. “All I Need is a Miracle” was also nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

A third single, “Taken In” also sung by Paul Young, was released and peaked at number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100.

“Mike and the Mechanics” – the album
I ended up purchasing the album “Mike and the Mechanics” on vinyl from Columbia House, and had my sister record it onto a tape.

I learned several things at that point. I loved the album cover art, which actually had parts of an engine superimposed on a face screaming – or at least that’s what it looked like to me. It was very unique.

Only after I purchased the album, did I learn about some of the great songs that never hit the air waves. The best for me was the ballad “You Are The One”, which is just awesome. I recall listening to that tape quite a lot in the Fall of 1986 when I was waiting for the school bus.

The song “Par Avion” had an interesting sound including what sounded like crickets. “A Call to Arms” is also really good, and the name just reminds me of “Brothers in Arms” by Dire Straits.

I actually had heard some of these songs once before on an album highlight on LA-107 FM, when they would devote 15 or 20 minutes at the top of the hour to a new album.

Solo sensation
Paul Carrack released a solo album in November of 1987, and it sounded a little like Mike and the Mechanics. The first single was “When You Walk in the Room”, which was okay but I did not hear it very much. The second single, “Don’t Shed a Tear”, was awesome and peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100.

I recall hearing it as my best friend Chris Vining and I were coming out of the TD Bank across the street from res. He pointed out Carrack was pronounced with a hard-c sound like cone.

“The Living Years”
I always thought that Mike and the Mechanics would be a one off, like other super groups. It was my second year of university when I heard they had actually released a new album in October of 1988. It was called "The Living Years."

Again, I heard about it on “Rock Line”, this time while listening to the radio in my wingmate Lorne’s room. The first single released was “Nobody’s Perfect”, which I liked well enough, but did not perform that well on the charts. The song peaked at number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The next song made up for that in spades.

The title track “The Living Years” went all the way to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in March of 1989. It is a poignant song about the relationship of a man and his father. I recall sitting in the lounge on 5K, the floor I lived on that year, with my friend Dave Turnbull. The song came on MuchMusic and, after it finished playing, Dave talked about how that song made him think about his own relationship with his dad.

“The Living Years” was nominated for Grammys for Record of the Year; Song of the Year; Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals; and Best Music Video, short form.

A third single, “Seeing is Believing”, peaked at number 62 on the Billboard Hot 100.

At Christmas of 1988, we all chose names for Secret Santa. The person who chose my name was Lorne, that same wingmate, and he bought me “The Living Years” as the final Christmas present.

It was such a thoughtful gift.

Parting thoughts
I did not realize Mike and the Mechanics kept recording and performing until 2007, dissolved, and re-formed in 2010, continuing on to this day.

I lost track of them after “The Living Years”, but they will be forever frozen in time in the Spring and Summer of 1986 with “Silent Running” and “All I Need is a Miracle”. Those songs bring back memories of what I was doing and who I was with.

That first album “Mike and the Mechanics” is a classic, and I continue to listen to it.

It shows that Mike Rutherford was far more than just a member of Genesis.