Customer Reviews

Acting Very Strange

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Acting very strange, indeed. This is far and away the most "fun" album anybody from Genesis ever did. Rutherford decided to let his hair down and have a ball, and his enjoyment shines through from the first note. This is not the mild-mannered upper-class Englishman we're familiar with. This is a Mike Rutherford who, knowing he can't sing to save his life, sings anyway with reckless abandon. The music is lively and toe-tapping, with hooks to grab the listener and not let go. If you're looking for the polish of Mike and the Mechanics, or the creativity of Genesis, you won't find it here. If you're looking for a great time and a lot of fun, you won't do any better.

Who cares about commercial success? Damn. If there were ever a band who didn't have to worry about commercial success, it's Genesis. They proved themselves decades ago. Mike Rutherford, too, has proven himself over and over. Acting Very Strange is a gift for those of us who don't necessarily want the same old same old. Acting Very Strange the song rocks, plain and simple. Hideaway is the equal of any other ballad released around the same time. Maxine! What else do you need? If you liked and are aware of Mike's solo album Smallcreeps Day, this isn't that much of a shock. Yes, it's more "pop," but after the intense prog of SD, it makes sense. This is a musician who isn't content to repeat the past over and over...it's what makes the Mechanics music work. I think Mike's a damned fine singer, at least the equal of anybody singing pop or rock today. No, it's not Genesis, and it's not Phil, but Genesis is not really Phil. Genesis is Mike and Tony, and neither of their solo albums receive the credit they deserve. If you're looking for something with more balls than your average "pop star" Genesis album, try this out. It rocks. Plain and simple.

I think Rutherford should have taken over from Collins on vocals when Phil left. He's rough sounding but so was Gabriel anyway. He is kind of like Gabriel singing 'Back in NYC'

This album is basically 80's pop. However, one track, A day to remember, is very progressive. I also like Halfway there, the title track and the album closer, kind of touching and heart on sleeve.

Following "Smallcreep's Day" this was Mike's second solo attempt.
It is a surprisingly different and unique sound with Mike displaying a hitherto unheard rough "heavy rock" sounding voice and allowing his always beautifully produced guitar sound to wander in directions previously unchartered! The other musicians are excellent, especially Stewart Copeland's drumming and Daryl Stuermer's excellent guitar work. Standout tracks are "Halfway There", "Maxine" and the beautiful "Hideaway". Vastly different to both Genesis and the Mike and the Mechanics sound, this was a one off which Mike sadly never repeated

...you would have been pretty freakin' disappointed, right? I mean, the progressive-pop that comprised the comeback album (90125) for Yes just wouldn't have compared to the quintessential prog album (CTTE) against which all others are measured. (I still genuflect whenever I refer to the sacred CTTE!)

So you see, "Acting Very Strange" is not really a bad album. It was just a huge disappointment to the progger in me after his extraordinary debut solo release "Smallcreep's Day" (the undeniably BEST solo album from ANY member of Genesis EVER!).

Very tight playing, as one should expect from the quality musicians that he surrounds himself with here again. Lots more guitar (frequently distorted), and not much in the way of keyboards. Count me IN as one of the few who think Rutherford's vocals are good. They weren't what I was expecting at all, and really sound a lot like Peter Gabriel on some songs.

But personally, I only desire to hear "Halfway There" and "Hideaway" these days. The other songs can tend to get a bit tedious and repetitive, especially in the fading outros. I can't condemn the guy for doing a rather fun, poppish album; it's just not my cup of tea.
Fans of Genesis and prog best look elsewhere.

I value interesting music that is played and recorded well. This cd's rating was based on:
Music quality = 6.6/10; Performance = 7/10; Production = 7.5/10; CD length = 6/10.
Overall score weighted on my proprietary scale = 6.8 ("2-1/2 stars")

Fittingly titled. "Acting Very Strange" is quite an off-the-cuff 1982 album from Mike Rutherford, and it's joltingly different from his previous solo album, his '80s Genesis work, and his subsequent Mike & the Mechanics work. It seems that Mike clearly didn't give a damn about commercial success with this album. It's certainly interesting, and less polished than what Mike typically delivers, and the guitars dominate the album opposed to keyboards, which, you know, tends to not be the case when there's Tony Banks around. Plus, Mike, just this once, handled the lead vocals himself, which are very ragged and at times sound like a rough-voiced Ian Dury, and at times sound extremely similar to '70s Peter Gabriel (when Mike reaches for high notes), and on the album's best tracks, they really work well, but it's not hard to see why he didn't handle lead vocals on record ever again (just imagine Rutherford singing "Silent Running", "All I Need Is A Miracle", or "The Living Years"). Also interesting is the appearance of Stewart Copeland (Police drummer) on the album. One thing that really works against this record is that certain material is so overly-repetitive, it runs itself into the ground, especially the stomping, corporate rock-style "Maxine"--you'll be burnt out by the time it finally ends after having tediously chanted the title seemingly a zillion times. However, there is a solid, catchy pop-rock tune with "Halfway There"; the title track has catchy verses (although the chorus, with its mock-gorilla intonations, is annoying); and there are a couple tunes--"I Don't Wanna Know", & the bouncy, riffy "Couldn't Get Arrested" (with a grinding guitar sound)--that are irresistibly fun and have naggingly catchy choruses. The album closing ballad "Hideaway" is another in a string of sick-from-loneliness ballads like "Alone Tonight" and "Like It Or Not", and it's quite good in its own right, and it's really interesting to hear the song get Mike's own incredibly sincere, touchingly emotional (though admittedly off-key and painfully hoarse) vocal treatment as opposed to having it sung by Phil Collins. Overall, although the album is at times annoying and tedious, it offers up a good dose of fun and is a refreshing change of pace worth checking out--it's more than just an item to merely complete the collection.

I went out to find this record in a used record store, and decided to take a chance with this, having never having heard Mike Rutherford sing before, and being the Genisis completist I am. Upon listening to it, I was quite surprised that pretty much all the songs on it I liked. Mike isn't the best singer in the world, and this was the first and only time he vocals were on record, but he has a decent, rough voice.

The chorus of "Couldn't Get Arrested" is addictive, despite it's silliness...in fact, the whole record is pretty much lighthearted and silly, except perhaps for the album closer, "Hideaway", an orchestrated ballad that's a good closer.

Not bad. If you can find it somewhere....

I Recommend buying from this seller. I received my purchase promptly, actually befrore the stated arrival date. Very satisfied with service and product.

Genesis bass player/guitarist Mike Rutherford released his second, and to date last (proper), solo album entitled Acting Very Strange in September of 1982.
On Acting Very Strange, Rutherford decided to do an about face from his superb first solo album (1980's masterpiece Smallcreep's Day) and decided to sing all of the lead vocals on this album for the first (and turns out only) time in his recording career. Rutherford stated in the band's official biography "Genesis : Chapter and Verse" that he hated his singing on the Acting Very Strange album and afterward chose not to sing lead on his solo albums again (hence why he formed Mike and The Mechanics and would let Paul Carrack and the late Paul Young (not the 1980s British pop star but the other one) sing on those albums). Rutherford's too hard on himself about his singing voice. His singing in my humble opinion reminds me of the late John Entwistle in his later Who period which is not bad (he could have had worse, like a Tom Waits-ish voice). Also for the Acting Very Strange album, Mike is helped out by Police drummer (and then fellow polo player) Stewart Copeland and Genesis' long-time touring guitarist Daryl Stuermer (who shares guitar duties on many of the tracks here) plus Noel McCalla (who did all of the singing on Smallcreep's Day) sings backing vocals on the album and also Gary Barnacle adds his saxophone to several of the tracks.
We open with the punchy title cut which was a great rocker which had some New Wave influences but a great song. The next track "A Day to Remember" is a good tune but is the most 80s sounding on the album with the dated Linn drum machines. Next is arguably the album's heaviest rocker "Maxine" which is a great song. The first half closed with the catchy excellent rocker "Halfway There" which was in fact released as a single but it sadly tanked (in fact, this was the song that sent me looking for the album after I heard a snippet on an MTV documentary from 1986 called Genesis : From the Beginning that a friend dubbed for me).
The second half begins with another poppy tune "Who's Fooling Who" but is not by means a bad tune though some scoff. We follow with the punchy sing-along number "Couldn't Get Arrested" which is a better song than what some remember it to be. Next is the punchy and excellent "I Don't Wanna Know". The album closes with the beautiful ballad "Hideaway" which is a great song and reminds me of some of his other great ballads he has written. The piece has some great orchestrations and a superb ending slide guitar solo from Rutherford.
Acting Very Strange flopped BIG TIME upon its release and is frowned upon by many Genesis fans but is a solid, excellent (and sadly underrated) solo effort from Mike. The album is currently out-of-print, so grab yourself a used copy while you can and see it's better than those who claim it's terrible.
Recommended!

Mike Rutherford's 2nd solo album, 1982's "Acting Very Strange," finds the Genesis bassist/guitarist singing lead vocals for the first and *only* time in his recording career. Rutherford says his singing on "Acting Very Strange" was basically a one-shot deal, and, since he doesn't care much for his own singing voice, he will not sing lead on his albums again (he has let Paul Carrack and the late Paul Young sing lead on his subsequent albums with Mike + The Mechanics ever since). But I do think Rutherford is being too hard on himself. His singing, while not brilliant, has a rough, throaty edge to it that serves the rock songs on "Acting Very Strange" just fine. And as for the songs themselves, they're excellent, catchy rockers with great hooks, as Rutherford dishes up some very crafty guitar work throughout. Several of these songs could've easily been big hits: the fun title song, the awesome arena rock of "Maxine," the catchy "Halfway There" (which WAS released as a single but went nowhere), the punchy sing-along "Couldn't Get Arrested," the great groove of "I Don't Wanna Know," and the beautiful ballad, "Hideaway." And I'll say it one more time: Mike Rutherford CAN sing! Mike would hit solo career paydirt with the self-titled album by Mike + The Mechanics in 1985, but "Acting Very Strange" is a solid, excellent solo effort from Mike. Considering that the album is currently out-of-print, grab yourself a used copy while you can!