Mike And The Mechanics is a British rock/pop band formed in 1985 as a side-project of Mike Rutherford, a founding member of Genesis. It is best known for its hit songs "Silent Running", "All I Need Is a Miracle", "Taken In", and "The Living Years". The other lineup included Paul Carrack, the late Paul Young (formerly of chart band Sad Café and not to be confused with the solo singer Paul Young), keyboardist Adrian Lee and drummer Peter Van Hooke.
Mike + the Mechanics found themselves with faltering sales for
Word of Mouth and for good reason, too; much of the album was filled with formulaic ballads and mediocre writing. With
Beggar on a Beach of Gold, released in Feb 28 1995, Mike Rutherford helped confront this problem by extending the songwriting duties, writing with Paul Carrack and producer Christopher Neil, as well as continuing his collaboration with B.A. Robertson. The two releases off this album were "Over My Shoulder" and "A Beggar On A Beach Of Gold". "Over My Shoulder" was a big hit in the UK.
The Band At The Time:
Mike Rutherford: Guitar/Bass/Keyboards
Paul Carrack: Lead Vocals/Keyboards
Paul Young: Vocals
Peter Van Hooke: Drums
--- The Review Of Beggar on a Beach of Gold by Mike And The Mechanics---
"A Beggar On A Beach Of Gold" starts off the album with a very uplifting tone. The swaying keyboard and classic drums really draws your attention in at the start of the song. Paul Young's vocals on the track is simply amazing on the chorus with so much emotion trying to put out the message of the lyrics on the chorus:
"Oh lord I'm a poor man,
With all the riches I can hold,
I'm a beggar,
And I'm sitting on a beach of gold."
The chrous is the highlight as it really has so much impact on the whole body of the track and the vocals really shine through. The keyboard solo is actually great as it really has that victorious sound of overcoming something and it really ties in with the style of the song. Overall, the song is a magnificent opener and a great, great song.
"Another Cup Of Coffee" shows this time Paul Carrack's ability to sing. And yet again, he has a truly amazing voice. The song starts with some "drip drop" effects on the keyboard and some depressing chords then becomes a very jumpy verse and the vocals is very calm and expressive. The chorus then turns to a more emotional note as Paul's voice becomes more dramatic and the music picks up the climax and it sounds excellent. The lyrics are about mainly relationships always have a fluctuating sense and the lyrics really expresses that. This is another magnificent song for the strong start of the album.
"You've Really Got A Hold On Me" is one of the cover songs out of two on this album. This was originally written and performed by William "Smokey" Robinson in 1963. This starts very soulful with some electric drums and some relaxing angelic chords in the background. The vocals consist of the two Pauls and they both really harmonise so well here. Their voices really connect with the music as they this time sound serious but also emotional at the same time. The music can be a bit bland but I reckon that this song is all about the vocals as they really do shine here. This is a great cover song and they really make this song into their own.
"Mea Culpa" is more of a dark song and more of a a rock feel compared to the recent three songs. The main body is very dramatic with some really overdriven effects on the keyboard and the guitar being very classic here. The vocals by Paul Young is very strong and especially on the chorus. His voice blows you away with some flawless shouting on the word "fall". The end of the second chorus brings us to the most dramatic part of the song which is the bridge. It consists of angelic sounds of the keyboard and Paul's voice becoming more stronger and it sounds so perfect. The guitar on this song is very screechy and very unstable, which connects to the style of the song well. This is such an epic song and it still keeps the momentum of the album going as the first 4 songs (including this) is nearly a perfect start to an album. This is possibly the best on the album.
"Over My Shoulder" is a released song in the UK and it was a hit there. This song brings us back to the uplifting part of the album with some very bright acoustic at the start and some light drums. When it gets to the verse and when Paul Carrack sings, you can really tell that this song is a classic. It has perfect vocals and the music is very energetic with some lovely moments. Also the lyrics are very emotional with the vocals:
"I don't mind everybody laughing,
But it's enough to make a grown man cry,
Cos I can feel you slipping through my fingers,
I don't even know the reason why."
The solo is suprising Paul whistling the main riff of the song, and I think that that was the best option to choose as it really bulids on the emotion of the song. Overall, this song is a classic off this album and deserved to be.
"Someone Always Hates Someone" starts very quietly with some warping effects on the keyboard and some vocals by Paul Young. His vocals are again flawless and he really bulids on the climax on this song. The song is basically about social injustice hence the title of the song and the lyrics represent this very well. When the song progresses to the second chorus, the music picks up and then explodes after the chorus to a very distorted melody and it actually sounds scottish to me what the guitar is playing, besides that it is rather brief but it really is emotional. The overall performance of the song is great but it really isn't something special, but great to listen to either way.
"The Ghost Of Sex And You" is a very romantic song with some driving keyboards here. You expect a very emotional song and you are really guarenteed here as Paul Carrack is singing here. His voice performance is just unbelieveable as it is so emotional and he doesn't go over the top, it just sounds flawless. The music is very dramatic all the time and it really has a boiling climax throughout. The chorus is very dramatic as Paul's voice is getting stronger as he goes along. The guitar in the background is very direct and very mesmirizing. This is the longest song on the album but it really isn't repetitive at all, it is so epic and the vocals is the highlight here, it really is just an amazing performance. This is an amazing song that pushes the boundaries of emotional songs to another level.
"Web Of Lies" is back to the direct and rock style of the album. This song starts very bland with just keyboards but after that brief moment, it picks up to a very classy rock style with the guitar shining through here on this song all throughout. The vocals by Paul Carrack is just amazing again with so much devotion and passion on the pre-chorus and the chorus. The riffs are also great on the guitar as it builds up emotion with the vocals and it works so brilliantly. We are also thrown in with a guitar solo which is really great and shows how great Mike Rutherford is and how underrated he is. The song sounds awfully the same as "The Living Years" (the band's most famous song) on the verse but that is actually a good thing, it still has that band's style after 8 years. This is yet again a great song and there is a amazing pattern on the album's very strong lineup up to this point.
"Plain And Simple" is very stellar at the start with some very engrossing keyboard effects and it is dramatic until it explodes to yet again a rock style guitar driven song. This time it is Paul Young's turn to sing. The vocals are still amazing and the song is very different compared to the recent songs as it is the heaviest song on the album and the style is more simple and more engrossing. The lyrics are very direct on the verses:
"Don't want my life to be anxious,
Don't need my life to be tense,
I'd like to see my existance,
Making sense, making sense,
Making sense sense sense."
It has a very strong presence this song and the music really connect with it, so as the vocals play the part of being serious and emotional at the same time. Overall, this song is great and is energetic, but I don't call it as special as the recent ones.
"Something To Believe In" starts very dramatic with some very dark keyboards and some very calm vocals by Paul Young. The verses are very tense in a way that you expect some explosion at some point but the music fades in very blissfully. At this point, you realise that this is one of the ballads by the band. The vocals are again excellent and it keeps calm and very direct all throughout. The song doesn't really pick up at all expect the very overdriven guitar at the background. I would say that this song is a break from the heavy 2 songs that were before this. It is a good song but it doesn't really spark up the greatness that was before this song.
"A House Of Many Rooms" is a very relaxing song at the start with some very dramatic keyboards but then goes to a very palm-muted guitar and some tense vocals by Paul Carrack. His vocals are yet again, just amazing all the time. His emotion and passion he puts on the songs is very truthful and very direct and it really stands out like it is a one-man show at some points, this shows you how excellent he is. The song is very calm on the chorus but it keeps that dramatic factor there with some keyboards still making that relaxing sound. The bridge picks up to a very emotional part with some very blissful background vocals and Paul's voice becoming very strong, this is the peak-climax and it is very rock based and this is kind of like a power ballad. The guitar is very classic rock with some amazing lead guitaring until the end and it really puts on emotion. You are left with after this song a mighty improvement to the recent song and it is a showcase of Paul Carrack's amazing voice and Mike Rutherford's brilliant guitaring.
"I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)" was originally written and performed by Stevie Wonder in 1972, as you guesses it, this is the other half of the covers in the album. The song is straight into the vocals by Paul Carrack and it sounds again perfect as always, it consists of his voice and some very blissful keyboards at the start. When it gets to the chorus, it picks up to some anthemic vocals and some very powerful drumming. It plays down again when it gets to the verses. The song just repeats it's logic again ending very nicely. It is a rather a brief song that isn't as good as the other cover but nonetheless, it is a good song.
"Going, Going ..... Home" is the last song here on this album and it starts with some brass instruments. The vocals are very relaxing and great by Paul Young that retains that strong voice when he is calm. The backing vocals are very deep and very slick which accompanys Paul very well. The song is very different compared to the others as it seems very "boy-bandish" to me and it really doesn't showcase the true style of the band. The song only picks up at the ending which where the drums come in and that's it basically. It is rather an average song to me and it really doesn't end the album as expected so that let the album down by quite a bit.
--- The Overview ---
Ratings:
1. A Beggar On A Beach Of Gold -5/5
2. Another Cup Of Coffee - 5/5
3. You've Really Got A Hold On Me - 4.5/5
4. Mea Culpa - 5/5
5. Over My Shoulder - 5/5
6. Someone Always Hates Someone - 4/5
7. The Ghost Of Sex And You - 5/5
8. Web Of Lies - 4.5/5
9. Plain And Simple - 4/5
10. Something To Believe In - 3.25/5
11. A House Of Many Rooms - 4.5/5
12. I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever) - 3.25/5
13. Going, Going ..... Home - 2.5/5
Overall, this album has such a very strong start and it maintains that 2/3rd's of the way through until it reaches "Something To Believe In" where it struggles to live up to the recent songs and the songs after this (except "A House Of Many Rooms" which is just as godd as the songs at the start of the album) seem to follow this pattern as well and they are seemed as fillers. If they cut out tracks 10,12 and 13, the album would have been such a magnificent one and would have got more critical success. Besides that, the two Paul vocals are just amazing all the way and Mike Rutherford's leadership of writing the songs are just brilliant and he is a top-notch guitarist as well. This album is so underrated and anyone who likes Rock with a hint of Pop and power ballads would simply adore this.
Final Rating: 4/5
