Customer Reviews

Living Years

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4 star:		(7)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'm dedicating this review to the late, great Paul Young, one of the two lead singers for Mike & The Mechanics, who sadly died from a heart attack in 2000 at the age of 53. He was a brilliant singer, with a full, rich, powerful voice, and he was an amazing performer, too. I had the very good fortune of seeing Paul Young live with the Mechanics three times in the late 80's, and I'll never forget Paul's enthusiasm, his energy, or the way he commanded the stage in front of the band. He was a marvelous talent, and he is definitely missed. Some of Young's best vocal work is found right here on "Living Years," Mike + The Mechanics' second album, and also one of their best. Besides Paul Young's amazing vocal work throughout (and Paul Carrack's, too, of course), what strikes me about "Living Years" is how wonderfully crafted each and every song is. Whether rockers, ballads, or mid-tempo stuff, Mike Rutherford and the boys have made a pop-rock album that simply glows. I know that the band have been slagged in the past for their "slick" sound, but, polished as their albums may sound, there's incredible musicianship, songwriting, and vocals to be found on every record they've made. There's nothing wrong with "slick" as long as the heart of the material beats strong, and I've always found Mike Rutherford's albums with the Mechanics to have great heart. "Living Years" is no exception.The album immediately gets your attention with the striking "Nobody's Perfect," sung marvelously by Paul Young. This is followed by the classic title song, sung beautifully by Paul Carrack, about losing someone you love before telling them everything you wanted to say to them. I DARE you to not have a tear in your eye after hearing this gorgeous song. "Seeing Is Believing" is very catchy and is another great vocal showcase for Paul Young, "Nobody Knows" perfectly captures the mood of reminiscing over someone you've let go in a relationship, and "Poor Boy Down" is a strong, punchy tune that again allows Paul Young to strut his stuff at the mike.The band go into rocker-overdrive with the powerful "Blame," showcasing Mike Rutherford's furious attack on the guitar during the bridge. "Don't" is another album highlight, with great vocals by Paul Carrack in a song about a guy whose girl won't let him "go too far" with her. "Black & Blue" is a cool sledgehammer-rocker with a fine cameo from Phil Collins (on sampled drumloop), and the exuberant "Beautiful Day" is a soaring, gorgeous track, with a fantastic vocal by Paul Young, that has "SMASH HIT" written all over it---I'll never know why this fabulous tune was never chosen as a single. And finally, the album closes with the dramatic "Why Me?," a stirring song about staying strong inside no matter what, brilliantly sung by Paul Carrack. Besides their self-titled debut & "Living Years," Mike & The Mechanics have released four more top-notch albums, with Rutherford & Paul Carrack putting the Mechanics to bed with their final album, 2004's "Rewired." It's a terrific album, but Paul Young is obviously missed, and Rutherford & Carrack, feeling Young's loss, decided that they had taken the group as far as they could go without him. As his work on "Living Years" alone proves, Paul Young was an incredibly gifted singer, a man who could move mountains with his amazing voice, and I miss him greatly. God bless you, Paul.

Today I was driving away from the State Capitol, in Madison Wisconsin where my father Gerald D. Lorge was a State Senator for 35 years, and I was thinking about him, and things he had said, he had just passed away on Valentine Day, February 14, 2001, when the song by Mike & The Mechanics came on the radio: "The Living Years". The lyrical phrase and chorus repeating, "Sing it Loud, Sing it Clear", "You can Listen if you can Hear", "In The Living Years" really struck me hard, because one of my father's favorite phrases was "LISTEN" even when we were listening, because he knew the difference between you hearing what he was saying or trying to tell you, and whether you were really "LISTENING". As I thought about the lyrics, and how even though we worked together, luckily, for many years including right up to the night before he died in the same law firm, I all of a sudden realized that even though I always did listen to him and not just hear him, there were many things that he said while he was alive, that now have a much deeper, much more profound meaning that I realized they had at the time I was hearing his words, or even trying to pay attention and "LISTEN". It made me realize how lucky I am, how lucky I was to have been able to share so much with my father during his "LIVING YEARS", and my advice to everyone out there is to make the most of it, because you will miss those times when your parents are gone from these "LIVING YEARS". Cherish every moment, cherish every word you spend with your parents, make them all moments to cherish. So we carry on.

This is a very inspiring album by Mike Rutherford and company. For sure, the title track is the one big hit on the album (went to # 1, in fact) and is beautiful and brilliant with its deep lyrics and choir-backed chorus. I also remember hearing "Nobody's Perfect", a nice anthem, and "Seeing Is Believing", a spirited rocker, for a short time on the radio. Both are great songs. "Nobody Knows" is a beautiful, sad ballad about a breakup that should have become a big hit. "Poor Boy Down", "Blame", and "Black And Blue" are all rockers the likes of which "radio only" fans of the band have not experienced. Yes, this band does beautiful music but they also rock--not in a "heavy metalish" kind of way but just straight ahead, mainstream rock. "Don't" is a kind of mystical song that many young men can relate to in regards to "girlfriend frustration." "Beautiful Day" is a fantastic, powerful, happy anthemic tune, and "Why Me?" closes the album on a slower, although still somewhat anthemic, note.

In summary, give this album a listen. This band belongs right there with the best of '80s pop/rock. The critics have a field day lambasting artists like this, which is another reason you absolutely should listen to it. A very enjoyable listen for those of us who like stong vocals and melodies in our rock music.

A trend that emerged in the mid 1980s was the emergence of the Supergroup. The term Supergroup refers to a group that is formed by multiple members that have achieved success in other groups. Probably the most popular of the Supergroups was The Power Station (Robert Palmer, Tony Thompson of Chic, John and Andy Taylor of Duran Duran). Other examples included Asia and the Traveling Wilburys. However for all practical purposes, it was The Power Station that put the term Supergroup on the map. Supergroups are formed for many reasons: Supergroups such as The Power Station and The Traveling Wilburys were basically formed to be (originally) one time efforts. Other groups such as Asia were formed following the demise of other bands. And yet others are formed as "side projects". Some people tend to forget when it comes to Mike + The Mechanics that they are a Supergroup. The band was formed as a side project by Genesis Guitar and Bass player Mike Rutherford. This side project would lead to commercial and critical success. Mike + The Mechanics first album, the self-titled album "Mike + The Mechanics" would have some commercial success - including three Top 40 hits. While some thought that Mike + The Mechanics would be a one-time effort, the success of that debut album would lead to a follow-up album called "Living Years". While it is the title track, "The Living Years" that garnered song of the year consideration, this is a solid album top to bottom. This album gets my pick for 1989's co-Album of the Year (the other album was Tears For Fears' "The Seeds of Love")

The same band lineup returns for Mike + The Mechanics' second album. This includes the co-lead vocalists of Paul Carrack (formerly of Squeeze) and Paul Young (formerly of Sad Cafe), Keyboard player Adrian Lee, Drummer Peter Van Hooke, and of course, Mike Rutherford himself on Guitar and Bass. Christopher Neil returns again to co-produce the album with Rutherford. Once again Neil hits pay dirt with alternating Young and Carrack's lead vocals - as he did on the debut album. In addition, there is an even stronger portfolio of songs for "Living Years". B.A. Robertson and Neil once again team up with Rutherford on songwriting chores. In addition Paul Young has some songwriting contributions. While the first album had more of a classic rock feel, this album seems to strike a balance between Adult-Contemporary with some harder edged Rock.

As for the lead vocals, the rule of thumb for the first album was that Carrack delivered the intense vocals while Young focused on the passionate vocals. On "Living Years", this rule of thumb continues. In addition Carrack focuses on the softer songs while Young takes up the harder edged tracks. Here is a song by song review:

"Nobody's Perfect": has a bit of a harder edge to it. Young delivers trademark passionate vocals. This song deals with a fact of human nature that people are not going to be perfect during their life on earth.

"The Living Years": This is the well-documented tribute to Rutherford's father. Carrack delivers the intense vocals in this tribute. Often overlooked on this song is the King's House School Choir on the chorus. The lyric, "you can listen as well as you hear" is a simple one, yet one of the great pearls of wisdom that applies to everyday life.

"Seeing is Believing": Another harder edged song and Young comes across with some very intense vocals. The song deals with someone believing everything that is put before him. This was an underrated song.

"Nobody Knows": This might be the best track of the collection. This is one of those songs that completely blows you away. It's Carrack on vocals this time and the intensity is high. More of an Adult-Contemporary song, this song is a passionate reflection on what has gone wrong in a relationship.

"Poor Boy Down": Young delivers perhaps his most passionate vocals on any "Mechanics" album. The deals with someone who faces adversity, but never quits and keeps coming back.

"Blame": Young continues the passionate vocals on a another harder edged song. This song has a feel like the first Mechanics' album.

"Don't": Although there are no bad tracks on this album, this is one of the weaker tracks. This deals with a man looking to open a heart to a woman as opposed to just a physical relationship - yet he seems stymied by the woman.

"Black and Blue": Young delivers very passionate vocals on the track that has the "Genesis" influence. This song features a riff played by Rutherford and Phil Collins. It also was recorded by Tony Banks.

"Beautiful Day": This song is also right up there with the best of any Mechanics' songs. This song deals with the positives that a relationship can produce. There is a terrific guitar solo by Rutherford in this song. Young's vocals are outstanding, but there are some nice background vocals that compliment him.

"Why Me?": This song is almost the polar opposite of "Beautiful Day". It is a very intense (and dark) song and Paul Carrack does a great job at delivering that intensity. This song could have a lot of interpretations, but I think it deals with someone fighting for a cause. The ending that says "Now you may try to break my body; Lock me up and throw away the key; But you'll never, never break my sprit; I'm Free!" really sums it up the story.

The liner notes include the lyrics for all of the songs. While Mike + The Mechanics didn't maintain their commercial success throughout the 90s, they have managed to keep this side project going for nearly two decades. Overall, this is one of the great albums of the 1980s. It clearly has more than just the well-known title track. Whether you are a Genesis fan, 80s fan, or just a music fan - this album has a lot to offer. Highly recommended.

I bought this album after hearing the title track on the radio, my dad passed away in '87 and the song hit me as hard as any song before or since. I remember bawling my eyes out listening to this song while holding my newborn daughter in December of '88 because I "wasn't there that morning that my father passed away". Every once in a while I put this disc in and have an unforced, healthy cry over all my dad and I left unsaid, and how proud I know he would be of my three children (all born after his death). If this song gives you nothing more than a true appreciation of what you have/had or didn't have with a parent, then it's worth the purchase. The rest of the CD unfortunately never received its due attention from me because of the impact of the title cut. It is an excellent pop set sprinkled with the terrific voice of Paul Carrack (Squeeze, Ace, etc.).

Alan, what a well-written and insightful review on this wonderful CD. I was saddened to hear about the death of Paul Young; wonder why it never made any of the entertainment venues? No matter, you have summed up my feelings about this CD, too. "The Living Years" is a song that hits home to me, as I had a non-existent relationship with my father, and much of the song reminded me of the years of bitterness I spent wanting to hate my father. Fortunately, I did get a chance to tell him those things I needed to tell him before he passed away. What a classic song. How it lost the Grammy that year is a mystery to me. "The Living Years" is one of those classic productions of the nineties. Savor it and let's all remember Mr. Young and wish Mike and Paul Carrack much success in the future.

Michael Butts

This is one of my favorite albums by one of my favorite bands. I really liked Genesis throughout my school-age years, and paid a little attention when the first M+M album came out. But Living Years' first single hooked me... "Nobody's Perfect" didn't make much of a splash (especially compared to the title track) but it really hooked me, particularly Paul Young's powerful vocals.

Overall, like many of my other favorite albums, the tracks I like most are the ones that weren't big singles. though I have occasionally heard "Nobody Knows" on adult contemporary stations, I really believe that it had a chance to be a big hit, as did "Beautiful Day"... lotta emotion in the vocals, good tempo... but my favorite song on the album (and one of my all-time favorite songs period) is "Why Me?" a song that tells an interesting story (well, sort of tells it) but has tremendous impact once the first chorus begins... the mighty impact of the instrumental really goes with the emotional impact of the vocals... one of Paul Carrack's finest moments.

This is good stuff! If you like Genesis (especially the 80s pop Genesis) then you will almost certainly eat this up.

I thought nothing could top the original Mike and the Mechanics album. I was wrong. In ever way the original was great, Living Years is better. If your a Mike and the Mechanics or Genesis fan, this album i a must have.

"The Living Years" is probably the best Mike & the Mechanics album, thanks mostly to the title track. For years, I've known the song but could never figure out who the band was until I read a few reviews here on [...] and then I went ahead and got it. After a complete listen of the album, I can say this is one the best albums of all time.

Of course, the self- titled "Living Years" is the standout, the soft rock song sung by Paul Carrack with that unforgettable choir that comes in during the chorus. Carrack also contributes to the "Sledgehammer"-like "Don't", "Nobody Knows," and the dark yet powerful song "Why me?" Good news if you're a Paul Young fan, because he does much more of the singing on this album. From "Nobody's Perfect" to "Beautiful Day," each song is hard-edged rock (compared to the first album) and demonstrates the talent of Paul Young. "Poor Boy Down" "Blame" and "Black and Blue" are some of the best songs ever made. If you like 80's music or just adult contemporary in general, these songs will make your day. From beginning to end, I enjoyed this album and have no negatives to say about it.

In addition to "The Living Years," I recommend their first self-titled debut, "Beggar on a Beach of Gold" and "Word of Mouth." Try them all and you just might surprised what you're missing. "The Living Years" is a must-have for every fan of music.

Mike Rutherford and Paul Young will forever live with their touching tribute song, "The Living Years."

The beautiful vocal harmonies, the lyrics blend in with your soul (At least it did mine), and it made me realize how special living with the people you care about really is. You have to appreciate the people you care about when you have the chance, and I have to say, thanks to this song, I am a better man.
I appreciate my loved ones, more so now than ever before, and whenever I play "The Living Years", it will always make me glad I stumbled onto this song when listening to Casey Kasum's top 40.