Hits, by Mike & The Mechanics

In looking at an album like this one has at least two questions to answer. Are the songs any good and are they actually hits? Released in 1996 after the band lost two of its original members and being reduced to a trio of Mike Rutherford, Paul Carrack, and Paul Young alongside side musicians, this album contains music from the group’s first four albums. Most casual listeners from the United States will know the three top ten hits and possibly a few others. I knew and enjoyed the vast majority of the album without having heard the album but that is mainly because I have sung The Living Years for a church variety show, love every track from the group’s debut and have heard most of the other singles from the Spotify and YouTube algorithms. If you are so fortunate you will know if you like this album before you listen to it.

The album begins with a re-recorded version of “All I Need Is A Miracle,” which was a single from this collection but is nowhere near as good as the original from the self titled debut. “Over My Shoulder,” the first single from the fourth album, follows with thoughtful reflections on a breakup. “Word of Mouth,” the stellar title track from the third album and a minor hit in the United States, follows. “The Living Years,” the biggest hit the group ever knew, which hit #1 in the US and #2 in the UK and was the title track of the second album, and “Another Cup of Coffee” from the group’s fourth album, then follow after that. Next comes the surprisingly angular “Nobody’s Perfect,” a minor hit from the second album, the top ten US pop smash “Silent Running,” from the debut and “Nobody Knows,” a moderately successful hit in the UK from the second album. “Get Up,” which barely charted in Australia and “A Time And Place,” a reflective breakup song, both from the third album, come next. After this comes the third single from the debut, “Taken In,” “Everybody Gets A Second Chance” from the third album, and the last song on here, Beggar On A Beach Of Gold,” the title track from the fourth album.

Is this a good album? Yes. Is it complete? Almost. The album misses a few minor singles including one of the seven songs from the group that charted in the lower rungs of the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. Every song on here charted somewhere though so every song is at least barely a hit. I certainly would have added either or both Par Avion and/or Call To Arms from the debut to the songs included here to make this a true best of but those are minor quibbles. This album does what it sets out to do in demonstrating the craft and skill of a mostly anonymous group in producing some of the finest AOR music of the period from 1985 to 1996 and that is enough as an introduction to the group. Mission accomplished.