JDIZZY's 365 # 126: The Living Years

The Living Years - Mike + The Mechanics (1988)

Poor Tony Banks! As the keyboardist for Genesis, he is essentially responsible for their sound. As a solo artist....well, Bankstatement is awesome if you're one of the 8 people who've heard it. Anthony Phillips had new agers, Steve Hackett had aging proggers, Peter Gabriel had art schoolers, Phil Collins had everyone and Mike Rutherford had our attention with The Mechanics, which gave us one of the finest number one hits of the 80's. Listening to it now, I am kind of shocked at how much Mike's guitar playing has been looked over. While synthesizer heavy like every thing else from this period, his licks are both tasty and tasteful, making you wish he would try the solo album route again, now that the Mechanics seem to be put to bed (Smallcreep's Day, his first solo offering, is a surprising gem.). The story in today's song is what grabs you though, and those masterful vocals by Paul Carrack. See Tony, all you need is a surprisingly good guitar player, a lead singer who was in Squeeze for one album and great lyrics and that solo hit you've been waiting for is just around the corner!



Here's Fergie Ferg singing it on Kids Incorporated back in the diz-ay!