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Word of Mouth (Mike + The Mechanics album)

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Word of Mouth
Album cover
Studio album by
Released2 April 1991
Recorded1990–91
StudioThe Farm, Surrey
GenreRock
Length45:44
LabelAtlantic, Virgin
ProducerChristopher Neil, Mike Rutherford, Russ Titelman
Mike + The Mechanics chronology
Living Years
(1988)
Word of Mouth
(1991)
Beggar on a Beach of Gold
(1995)
Singles from Mike + The Mechanics
  1. "Word of Mouth"
    Released: 4 March 1991
  2. "A Time and Place"
    Released: 1991
  3. "Everybody Gets a Second Chance"
    Released: 1991
  4. "Get Up"
    Released: 1991
  5. "Stop Baby"
    Released: 1991

Word of Mouth is the third album by Mike + The Mechanics, released in 1991.

The album did not chart as well as their previous album Living Years (1988), charting at No. 11 in the UK, while the lead single "Word of Mouth" got to No. 13 in the UK and No. 33 in Australia. The follow-up singles "A Time and a Place" and "Everybody Gets a Second Chance" both became minor hits in the UK, peaking at No. 58 and No. 56, respectively.[1]

There was some overlap with the marketing of the album and the making of Genesis's We Can't Dance, with Mike Rutherford being committed to both. As such, there was no tour for Word of Mouth.

The song "Get Up" was used in the 1993 film Rookie of the Year, as well as in the Baywatch episode "Nightmare Bay: Parts 1 & 2".

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Chicago Tribune[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[4]
People Magazine(favorable)[5]
The Windsor StarB+[6]

AllMusic suggested that the album was inferior to its predecessors, writing, "The new record led off with two killer pop songs...But within a few months of its release, Word of Mouth had already been banished to the discount racks and budget bins of nearly every record store in the English-speaking world."[2]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Get Up"Paul Carrack, Mike RutherfordChristopher Neil, Rutherford, Russ Titelman4:23
2."Word of Mouth"Neil, RutherfordNeil, Rutherford3:55
3."A Time and Place"BA Robertson, RutherfordNeil, Rutherford, Titelman4:52
4."Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow"Robertson, RutherfordNeil, Rutherford4:37
5."The Way You Look at Me"Carrack, RutherfordNeil, Rutherford, Titelman5:09
6."Everybody Gets a Second Chance"Robertson, RutherfordNeil, Rutherford3:57
7."Stop Baby"Neil, RutherfordNeil, Rutherford3:54
8."My Crime of Passion"Carrack, Adrian Lee, RutherfordNeil, Rutherford, Titelman4:56
9."Let's Pretend It Didn't Happen"Robertson, Rutherford, TitelmanNeil, Rutherford5:35
10."Before (The Next Heartache Falls)"Carrack, RutherfordNeil, Rutherford, Titelman6:38

Personnel

[edit]

Mike + The Mechanics

Additional personnel

Production

[edit]
  • Tracks 1, 3, 5, 8, 9 & 10 – produced by Christopher Neil, Mike Rutherford and Russ Titelman.
  • Tracks 2, 4, 6 & 7 – produced by Christopher Neil and Mike Rutherford
  • Engineers – Rob Eaton (Tracks 1 & 3–10); Mike Punczek (Track 2).
  • Assistant engineers – Mark Robinson, Jeremy Wheatley and Shaun De Feo.
  • Recorded at The Farm; Technical Assistants – Geoff Callingham and Mike Bowen. Olympic Studios, London, except Track 2 at Living Years tour, US 1989.
  • Equipment – Dale Newman, Steve Jones and Angela Jewel.
  • Mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound (New York, NY).
  • Cover design – Icon
  • Photography – Mike Owen

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[17] Silver 60,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Mike + the Mechanics UK charts history, The Official Charts. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  2. ^ a b Cater, Evan (2011). "Word of Mouth – Mike + the Mechanics | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  3. ^ DeKnock, Jan (16 May 1991). "Home Entertainment: Recordings". Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
  4. ^ Eddy, Chuck (26 April 1991). "Word of Mouth". Entertainment Weekly.
  5. ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Word of Mouth". People Magazine. 3 June 1991.
  6. ^ Shaw, Ted (20 April 1991). "Record Review". The Windsor Star.
  7. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 188.
  8. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Mike & The Mechanics – Word of Mouth" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1509". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  10. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Mike & The Mechanics – Word of Mouth" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  11. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Mike & The Mechanics – Word of Mouth" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  12. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Mike & The Mechanics – Word of Mouth". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  13. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Mike & The Mechanics – Word of Mouth". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  14. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  15. ^ "Mike & The Mechanics Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  16. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  17. ^ "British album certifications – Mike & The Mechanics – Word of Mouth". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 March 2021.