Customer Reviews

Rewired

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

[...] As for the album,Vocalist Paul Carrack is still in fine form,as is the songwriting of Paul Carrack,Mike Rutherford and collaborator B.A. Robertson,but the album's arrangements are the problem.Clearly attempting to target a new,younger audience,we get a totally computerized,programmed,robotic dance music sound with scarcely a trace of Mike Rutherford's guitar or any actual hand-played instrumentation.Lots of synthesized burps,stutters,noises etc. do a disservice to the songs.No wonder the group's U.S.A. label balked for a year before releasing it here.The group's unreleased in America 1999 album "Mike & The Mechanics"(A.K.A. "M6") was superior.Buy it instead.

I didn't expect Mike and the Mechanics to release another cd after co-lead vocalist Paul Young died a few years ago. So it was with curiousity that I bought the import (as I had to do with their last cd, 1999's "M6" because American audiences are too damn fickle). What I heard on "Rewired" was definitely an electronic sound, not unlike previous Mechanics cds, but also the start/stop technology that's overused in many of today's popular hip-hop songs. I felt that this cd is well played and well produced, but was it as good as the band's debut from 1985 (after all "Rewired" is the only other Mechanics cd to follow the 9 song structure of their debut), or 1988's "The Living Years" or even 1995's "Beggar On A Beach Of Gold"? Well, of the nine tracks there are two instrumentals--"Rewired" and "Underscore"--a first for a Mechanics cd and reminiscent of what Genesis used to do. I preferred "Underscore" with its wobbley synthesizer effects and methodically driven beat. Of the other seven tracks, "One Left Standing" is easily the most likely to be a hit with its pulsating beat and boingy guitar echoes. "If I Were You", "Perfect Child", "I Don't Want It All" are all great Mechanics ballads with human interest themes similar to "The Living Years", "Beggar On A Beach Of Gold", "My Little Island", etc. I found "How Can I?", "Falling" and "Somewhere Along The Line" to be album filler and indistinguishable from the rest of the cd.

But wait, there's also a dvd included that has videos for each song on the album compiled by band member Peter Van Hook. I felt this was a great idea and the selected footage for the videos worked well for the songs as a whole. I liked the videos for "One Left Standing" single version, "Perfect Child", "I Don't Want It All", "How Can I?" and "Underscore". I think more artists should give their fans this extra feature.

So, with all of these things I give this new Mechanics cd four stars because it's well played, produced and packaged, but I still felt that this isn't really the Mechanics anymore--I mean what started out as Mike Rutherford, Paul Young, Paul Carrack, Adrian Lee and Peter Van Hook is now Mike Rutherford and Paul Carrack with a sprinkle of Peter Van Hook. I liked this new cd but I didn't feel that it was the band's best work. It is definitely one of the better cds released in 2004, and I am glad I bought it as a fan. I don't believe that kids will be interested in this music, so I don't know what the other reviewers are thinking. This is definitely adult contemporary with and edge production-wise, but kids are listening to rap, hip-hop, alternative metal/grunge and bubblegum pop these days. I work with kids ages 6-12 and they are not listening to this kind of music. I wish they did though, because it's better than Eminem, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Jessica Simpson, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Nelly, Usher and all that garbage. If your a fan of the Mechanics then certainly look into buying "Rewired".

Mike Rutherford & Paul Carrack---I salute you! Mike & The Mechanics have just released a *stunning*, *astonishing*, *magnificent* brand-new album called "Rewired." It's the first M+M album in five years, and the first M+M album since the untimely passing of singer Paul Young in 2001, with co-lead singer Paul Carrack now handling all of the vocal duties. But if you live in North America, don't bother looking for this CD at your local music stores, 'cause it's not available on this side of the pond. Thank GOD then that Amazon.com has it available as an import, because this album is worth *every single penny* of the import price. I received my copy in the mail the other day, and from the very first song, I was instantly floored. FLOORED, I tell you! The album isn't called "Rewired" for nothing---it's practically a *reinvention* of Mike Rutherford's side-project outside of Genesis since 1985, and it works magnificently. Even though Paul Young's vocal presence is greatly missed, and the Mechanics will never be quite the same without him, Mike Rutherford & Paul Carrack have nonetheless created what is quite possibly the best Mechanics album to date, and I tip my hat to both of them with the utmost respect & admiration. "Rewired" is a truly special album.What you'll discover on "Rewired," along with the Mechanics' trademark, first-rate dramatic pop-rock, are the brand-new *sounds* Rutherford has brought to the band with this album. There's elements of techno, funk, and DJ-style scratching on this album, and man, does it rock. You've NEVER heard M+M like this before. "One Left Standing" is groovy with a capital G. "If I Were You" and "Perfect Child" are both beautiful songs. And then comes one of the most daring tracks the group has EVER recorded, the title track for "Rewired." This rip-roaring instrumental is nothing short of thrilling. The creativeness behind this track, with killer guitar riffs from Rutherford, the heavy percussion, ominous piano & synths, tape loops, and the occasional vocal drop-ins from Carrack, is simply astonishing. Another pair of lovely, well-crafted pop songs follow with "I Don't Want It All," and "How Can I?". "Falling" is a fabulous song, with it's catchy grooves and it's clever mixture of techno, pop, rock, and even the occasional dash of *orchestral* soundbites, all in one amazing tune. "Somewhere Along The Line" is a sparkling, radiant number. And finally, for the ultimate encore, there's the towering "Underscore," a rough-and-tough instrumental cousin of "Rewired," with some more delicious beats, samples, guitar & keyboard riffs, and vocal cameos from Carrack. A fitting end to a total powerhouse of an album. And it certainly goes without saying that the album's sound quality & production is fantastic, the musical performances are top-notch, and Paul Carrack, who is more than up to the challenge of becoming the band's sole lead vocalist from now on, sings brilliantly.And if that wasn't enough, this edition of "Rewired" comes with a bonus DVD of music videos for every single song on the album, created by students from Britain's National Film And Television School. Alas, the DVD is in the PAL format, so chances are you won't be able to watch it if you live in North America. I tried loading it into my DVD player anyway to see what would happen, and all I got was a rolling picture and no sound (*sniff sniff*). So yes, I'm disappointed that I can't watch it, but no biggie. It's the *album* I'm interested in, and that plays on my CD player just fine. Shame on you, Atlantic Records (the US label for Genesis and the early M+M albums), for not giving this new masterpiece by Mike & The Mechanics a release in North America. For now, it's the import route or bust. But if you're a diehard fan of Mike Rutherford's, the decision is obvious---BUY THIS ALBUM. And be prepared to be amazed. Without question, "Rewired" is an outstanding and exciting new chapter for Mike & The Mechanics. Congratulations, Mike & Paul, and welcome back.

I keep hearing these great songs inside my head all day - I even hum them at work. I am so glad and grateful that Mike and Paul Carrack (who is one of my all-time favorite artists) decided to create a new CD.

I would recommend purchasing this CD from Amazon.co.uk instead - you'll save yourself about eleven dollars over the USA import price, and the air mail shipping worked just fine for me. Just search for it using the ASIN code: B00021Y9BI

I highly recommend this CD - it is really great.

Wow! This is a great album. It is really an updated version of Mike & The Mechanics (with Paul Carrack) because they have really emphasized the high tech sound. It has a really good beat too. I'm sure this will appeal to a lot of younger people as it has a really fresh and modern sound. Has a bit of a Peter Gabriel influence (slight) and the music is really multi-layered.
The best tracks are "One Left Standing" and "Underscore".
I would really recommend buying this album!

It is true that the DVD is in PAL format, but my Toshiba SD3805 DVD player played it just fine, while my 5-year old Toshiba player gave back a "Not NTSC" error and refused. I also had success playing it in my computer using PowerDVD - no problems at all.

The movies are very "interesting" - kind of like modern art for music.

Also note that the music on the DVD is just straight 2.0 stereo just like on the CD - they didn't go all out and make a 5.1 remix that would have been AWESOME. Oh well, it's still great.

It is hard to believe that it was some two decades ago when Mike + The Mechanics were formed. The group was considered a supergroup as it was formed as a side project by Genesis Guitar and Bass player Mike Rutherford and featured vocalists Paul Carrack (formerly of Squeeze) and Paul Young (formerly of Sad Cafe). This side project would lead to commercial and critical success in the 1980s, but in the 1990s, their commercial sales would decline. By the time their fifth studio album "Mike + The Mechanics - M6" was released, it would only be available as an import and not distributed on a U.S. label. The 1990s also saw Mike + The Mechanics go through lineup changes, but the nucleus of Rutherford, Carrack, and Young would continue to be maintained. At the same time, the band continued to produce high quality albums. When 2001 came along, the nucleus of Mike + The Mechanics would be disrupted when Paul Young would pass away unexpectedly. For the first time, the band would be without one of their co-lead vocalists. To the credit, Rutherford and Carrack would carry on and release another album in 2004 - "Rewired". Since Rutherford and Carrack would be the only members of the nucleus left, the album would be released under the banner of "Mike + The Mechanics + Paul Carrack". The title of the album is very appropriate. Not only did the band need to "rewire" themselves following Young's death, but they also rewired their sound. I give the band a lot of credit a lot of credit for getting back together and reinventing their sound. I wish I could say that the end product was up to the high standards that were previously delivered by the band - unfortunately I cannot.

The loss of Young was an enormous blow to the band. Much of the unique appeal of Mike + The Mechanics is the two headed vocal approach that Carrack and Young bring to the table. I always felt that Carrack focused on delivering the intense vocals while Young focused on the passionate vocals. Now without Young, the band made the decision to carry on with just Carrack. To some extent I question the move of not bringing in another vocalist, but I can understand that it would be very difficult to replace Young.

The big change is that Mike + The Mechanics introduce a Synthesizer-laden keyboard and mix it with a lot of Adult-Contemporary-styled songs. Today, much of the new music is falling into a cookie-cutter style guitar-laden sound (just ask Bryan Adams, even his "Room Service" album falls into this category). In fact, I give Mike + The Mechanics a lot of credit for doing this because they weren't afraid to move away from the norm and do something different. However the end product just wasn't all that interesting. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that you don't have those passionate Paul Young vocals that became a Mike + The Mechanics staple. But on top of that, even Paul Carrack's vocals lack the three-dimensional intensity that existed on previous works. The move toward this Techno sound should not be a complete surprise. There were hints of this on the "M6" album (just listen to the sound "Now That You've Gone").

From a personnel standpoint, it is worth noting that longtime Mechanics drummer Peter Van Hooke is back (after an absence from the "M6" album). Van Hooke also helped co-produce the album with Rutherford. Rutherford and Carrack contribute songwriting on all nine tracks. Longtime Mechanics songwriter B.A. Robertson contributes to the songwriting on three tracks. Despite this strong "Original Mechanics" nucleus, things still don't pan out. I think the big problem is that the album, while not a bad album just didn't have enough to hold my interest.

It is also worth noting that the band brings in a synthesizer programmer in Will Bates. Bates contributes to songwriting on two instrumental tracks "Rewired" (limited vocals) and "Underscore". Instrumental tracks are not exactly a staple of this band, but perhaps without Young's presence, it made sense to go in this direction. These are probably the most "Techno" sounding songs on the collection. The song "Rewired" does have some limited vocals. "Underscore" is the better of the two tracks - it has the passion and intensity that is lacked in the vocals. The techo sound isn't limited to these tracks, but tracks like "One Left Standing", Falling", and "I Don't Want It All" will also have this influence. Even the track "How Can I?" which starts out with a more classic sound will have the techno influence.

The other place where things change are the higher dependence of background vocals. Songs such as "One Left Standing", "If I Were You", and "Perfect Child" demonstrate this use of the background vocals.

Perhaps the best strong from a lyrical standpoint is "Perfect Child". This song has a lot of the emotional feel that "The Living Years" had. It has an adult-contemporary sound to it. The song deals with the emotions one has in wanting to bring a child into this world. "I want a perfect child; to live a perfect life in this world...They say when we have children; It changes how we live". This is a great song with Carrack showing his best stuff. Where was this song on the adult-contemporary radio playlists? This is really good stuff and deserved to be heard by the general public.

The liner notes include all of the lyrics and songwriting credits. It also lists the musicians. I personally would have liked to have seen something as a tribute to Paul Young. Overall, I think I have to give "Rewired" an "A" for effort, but more like a B- for overall music. The band should be applauded for carrying on and making a change in direction, but ultimately they need to be judged by how strong the end product is.

It is great to hear The Mechanics again. This album is an import and did cost more but it is pretty amazing. It has a bit of Techo sound to it. I really enjoyed the last album, "Beggar on the Beach of Gold" which was pretty non-existent in the USA. This album is better in MHO and will appeal to young people who have never listened to the Mechanics.

I must admit at first i did not like this album the first time i heard it, this was partly due to the fact that i'd sort of gotten comfortable with the Mike & The Mechanics "Sound" on show on the album "Begger On A Beach Of Gold" & to a lesser extent on "M6" & the fact that i've never been all that partial to computer generated sounds & coming from bands i considered "Real" i.e played their own guitars, bass, drums etc. As a big fan of Mike & The Mechanics i decided to give this album another chance, because if there's one thing i've learnt from following competent musicians over the years is that it's very rarely a good band makes a truely terrible album, more often than not it's the audience who fails to connect with the vision the artist has in mind (this in my opinion is not a credible critisism that can be leveled at any sucessful artist). This i think is the main problem "Rewired" has had (judging from some of the reviews).
This is not a bad outing at all, if you come at it from a completely fresh perspective. The songs on this album are indeed very "Electric" by a lot of people's standards but that doesn't make them bad, I think they have done a good job of updating their sound without going overboard. The songs are still very catchy & well structured, "One left Standing" springs to mind, with a chorus you can sing forever. There is no shortage of songs reminiscent of the "Beggar On The Beach..." "If I were You" & "I don't Want It All" being just two examples.
On the whole i think the mixture of acoustic & computer generated sounds just about hits the right balance on this album, Paul Carrack's in fine form & Mike Rutherford does well to play his guitar for the songs, nothing more nothing less.
This is a good album with a good variation of songs, i cannot fault it in any way in terms of it doin' what it says on the can, from the album design you know that it's not your usual guitar, bass & Drums affair. It however doesn't get the 5 Stars as i think that an album needs to transcend it's time to be granted this priveledged status. I would recomend this record to anyone wanting a break from the usual, if though one wants to get a flavour of what this talented band is all about i think the place to start would probably be "Living Years" & "Beggar On A Beach Of Gold"

This newer stuff is fresh and exciting.I wish these guys would go on making music forever. Never get enough of these guys.