MIKE & THE MECHANICS – Living Years 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (2014)

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One of my most beloved rock&pop records from the second half of the Eighties – MIKE + THE MECHANICS 1988 album “Living Years” – is being reissued in a remastered, double-CD Deluxe Edition.
This late-in-the-day 25th Anniversary issue (it was planned for Nov. 2013) does of course feature “The Living Years”, a massively successful hit single for Mike Rutherford’s band that reached number one in the US Billboard charts in March 1989.

Formed in 1985 by Genesis founding member Mike Rutherford, Mike + The Mechanics released their first album the same year and have gone on to achieve an enviable string of hit singles but it was with “Living Years” that the band had the biggest success of their career.
“Living Years” was the group’s second album and the one that put them on the map worldwide. The record peaked at number 2 in the U.K, 13 in the U.S. and 10 in Australia and contained the title song which topped the charts in the U.S., Canada, Ireland and Australia and reached number 2 in Britain.

This 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition celebrates this musical milestone with a whole host of special extras.
Along with the original studio album featuring an exquisite remastering (you’ll be surprised by the incledible sound), the 2-CD set features a bonus disc.
It starts with a new recording 2014 of the title song “The “Living Years”” with Andrew Roachford on lead vocals (replace Paul Carrack) along with the South African Isango Choir. It’s an enthusiastic new take on the classic song with a polished vocal job by Roachford.

Then we have ten previously unreleased live cuts from the 1989 Living Years UK tour, and here comes the interesting thing. For many listeners, specially rockers, Mike + The Mechanics’ sound was too much light, polished, keyboard-drenched.
Well, that’s could be for the studio sessions, because ‘Live’, Mike + The Mechanics rocks, and rocks hard.
Many of the live recordings feature quite hot guitar solos, not too over the top, don’t go for too long and they add to the feel of the songs: three of my key criteria for good guitar solos.
The vocal performance is rawer and powerful – just listen “Don’t (Live)”, or “Silent Running (Live)” which is very slick with a catchy chorus. Another good feature of the live tracks here are that they often start with a vocal intro where the vocalist talks over the intro to the song or shouts something. Those kinds of moments always feel like treats to me.
Mike + The Mechanics live, if you ask me, sounds like John Farnham, and that’s a good thing in my book.

Mike + The Mechanics “Living Years 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition” is a highly recommended purchase for every ’80s music lover.
The original album sounds great with a pristine remastering treatment, and you have the live tracks to discover a ‘rocking’ side from Rutherford & Co.
A 0dayrox exclusive.

CD 1:
01 – Nobody’s Perfect
02 – The Living Years
03 – Seeing Is Believing
04 – Nobody Knows
05 – Poor Boy Down
06 – Blame
07 – Don’t
08 – Black & Blue
09 – Beautiful Day
10 – Why Me?

CD 2:
01 – The Living Years 2014 version
02 – Seeing Is Believing (Live)
03 – Don’t (Live)
04 – Black & Blue (Live)
05 – Silent Running (Live)
06 – Par Avion (Live)
07 – Take The Reins (Live)
08 – Nobody’s Perfect (Live)
09 – A Call To Arms (Live)
10 – Beautiful Day (Live)
11 – Hanging By A Thread (Live)

Mike Rutherford – guitars, bass, backing vocals
Paul Carrack – vocals (lead: 2, 4, 7, 10), keyboards
Paul Young – vocals (lead: 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9)
Peter Van Hooke – drums
Adrian Lee – keyboards

The Living Years 2014 version;
Andrew Roachford – vocals, keyboards
Anthony Drennan – guitars, bass
Luke Juby – keyboards, backing vocals, bass
Gary Wallis – drums

BUY IT !
www.amazon.co.uk/Living-Years-Mike-The-Mechanics/dp/B00GYJM3LA
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