The Living Years

Mike & The Mechanics

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1988
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Atlantic / Wea
• ASIN: B000002INC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #11,872 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Nobody's Perfect

2. Living Years

3. Seeing Is Believing

4. Nobody Knows

5. Poor Boy Down

6. Blame

7. Don't

8. Black and Blue

9. Beautiful Day

10. Why Me?

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In Memory Of Paul Young, July 24, 2000

By	Alan Caylow (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Listen while you can Hear in the Living Years, March 16, 2001

By	Robert Gerald Lorge (Madison, Wisconsin USA) - See all my reviews

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.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 1/2 stars for some very inspired pop/rock, July 10, 2002

By	Brad (CT) - See all my reviews

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.