Star Trek Salutes Challenger

The cast and crew of the original Star Trek television series and films dedicated their fourth motion picture, 1986's The Voyage Home, "to the men and women of the spaceship Challenger whose courageous spirit shall live to the 23rd century and beyond . . . ."

--Raj Manoharan

The Living Years (1988), by Mike + The Mechanics

The sophomore effort by Genesis guitarist/bassist Mike Rutherford’s other band is just about as good as their first, with such standout songs as the title track, “Nobody Knows,” “Don’t,” “Beautiful Day,” and “Why Me?”

This second album definitely turns up the volume a bit more, but its loudness is of the good kind, especially as it synthesizes the sounds of Genesis and The Police, as well as solo Phil Collins and solo Sting.

Rutherford also stretches his typically minimalist and atmospheric guitar textures and branches out into more adventurous lead playing. Vocalists Paul Carrack and Paul Young also take more chances with their singing, yielding pleasantly soulful results.

“The Living Years” is the crowning achievement of this collection and perhaps Mike + The Mechanics’ entire repertoire, becoming one of the biggest hit singles of the 1980s with continuous play on MTV and radio and remaining timeless and memorable to this day.

--Raj Manoharan

Mike + The Mechanics (1985), by Mike + The Mechanics

What a contrast from the rough-around-the-edges vocal rock of Mike Rutherford’s 1982 solo album, Acting Very Strange!

The Genesis guitarist/bassist goes from acting very strange to acting very slick, giving his regular band a run for its money in terms of both quality and commercial success.

The first thing he does right is stick to his four- and six-strings and keyboards and relegate the singing to Paul Carrack and Paul Young.

Also, his songwriting is markedly improved, with searching lyrics and lush arrangements and sounds that combine Genesis, The Police, and other pop-synth sounds of the 1980s, resulting in a timeless new age rock sheen.

The obvious hit here is “All I Need Is a Miracle,” which was all over radio and MTV. However, the real standouts are the cinematic tour-de-forces “Silent Running,” “You Are the One,” "A Call to Arms," and “Taken In,” the latter two of which presage Mike + The Mechanics’ 1988 hit title track, “The Living Years.”

This was the beginning of a long and successful second musical life for Rutherford, who continues to perform with The Mechanics.

--Raj Manoharan

Acting Very Strange (1982), by Mike Rutherford

Strange. Very strange indeed.

That voice does not go with that face.

On his last solo album before reassigning lead singing duties to others in his hit band Mike and the Mechanics, Genesis guitarist/bassist Mike Rutherford belts out raw and throaty vocals on eight art rock/pop oddities that exude quirky but compelling weirdness.

The compositions and musical instrumentation are unsurprisingly very similar to Genesis, with a bit of Oingo Boingo and The Police thrown in for good measure. The latter comparison is not so much of a stretch, especially considering that one of the drummers is Stewart Copeland and that Acting Very Strange sounds like a distant cousin to fellow 1980s superstar guitarist Andy Summers’ one and only rock vocal record, XYZ, but jacked way up.

As for Rutherford’s earthy singing voice, it sounds like a mix of Peter Gabriel, Keith Richards, Joe Cocker, Ray Charles, Joe Elliott, David Lee Roth, etc.

This is not for every taste, but the title track, “Maxine,” and “Hideaway” (future shades of the Mike and the Mechanics hit “The Living Years”) are definite must-listens.

--Raj Manoharan

The Very Best of Peter Cetera (2017), by Peter Cetera

The last career retrospective that Peter Cetera released was 1997’s You’re the Inspiration, but the singles included on that album were rerecorded, and “Glory of Love,” the theme song from the film The Karate Kid Part II and one of the biggest hits and music videos of the 1980s, was glaringly omitted.

Now, 20 years later, we finally have a proper greatest hits collection from one of the most recognizable and popular singers of that decade, featuring the original recordings. In addition, “Glory of Love” is here in all its power pop and power ballad – ahem – glory.

My favorite tracks are “Glory of Love” (obviously), “Stay with Me,” “The Next Time I Fall” with Amy Grant, “Feels Like Heaven” with Chaka Khan, and “Restless Hearts.”

Regardless of whichever are your favorites, they are all gems. If you remember the voice and the songs, this will definitely take you back. This is a trip down memory lane worth taking.

--Raj Manoharan

Happy Birthday, Andy Summers!

On New Year's Eve, Monday, December 31, 2018, Andy Summers – my favorite guitarist and musician of all time – turns 76 years old.

I first became acquainted with the music of Summers in 1983 at the age of 10 in a Catholic elementary school classroom when I heard a hypnotic and futuristic-sounding pop/rock song emanating from the radio of Candy, my substitute teacher. When I asked what the song was and who recorded it, I was promptly informed that it was “Spirits in the Material World” by The Police. I was instantly hooked, so much so that that Christmas, my parents got me a vinyl copy of Synchronicity, The Police’s fifth and final studio album and one of the biggest hits of the year. The Police have since remained my favorite rock band of all time.

Summers was the guitarist for the mega-popular group, who were active in the late 1970s and early 1980s and reunited for a 30th anniversary tour in 2007 and 2008. Being a good decade older than his bandmates Sting and Stewart Copeland, Summers began his professional recording career in the early 1960s, playing for Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band (which later became the psychedelic but short-lived Dantalian’s Chariot), Eric Burdon’s New Animals, and Soft Machine. After formally studying guitar at Northridge University in California from the late 1960s to the early 1970s, Summers returned to England and plied his trade as a session guitarist for Joan Armatrading, Neil Sedaka, Kevin Coyne, and Deep Purple’s Jon Lord before achieving monumental success and international stardom with The Police.

After the dissolution of The Police in the early 1980s, Summers scored some Hollywood films (Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Weekend at Bernie’s) and recorded one rock vocal album before establishing himself as an acclaimed and accomplished contemporary instrumental guitarist across a variety of styles, including jazz, fusion, new age, and world music.

I was privileged to interview Summers by telephone in Fall 2000 for the January 2001 issue of DirecTV: The Guide. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that Summers posted a notice of the interview in the news section of his Web site. Later, I met Summers in person during his book tour in Fall 2006, just a few months before The Police reunited for a 30th anniversary reunion tour, which I was fortunate to attend twice in August of 2007 and 2008.

For a good overview of Summers’ solo work, I highly recommend the following albums: Mysterious Barricades, A Windham Hill Retrospective, Synaesthesia, and The X Tracks. My personal favorite Summers albums are XYZ, Mysterious Barricades, The Golden Wire, Charming Snakes, World Gone Strange, Synaesthesia, Earth + Sky, Fundamental (with Fernanda Takai), Circus Hero (with his rock band Circa Zero), and Triboluminescence.

--Raj Manoharan

Happy Birthday, Michael Nesmith!

On Sunday, December 30, 2018, Michael Nesmith of The Monkees (the one with the green wool hat) turns 76 years old.

Of all of The Monkees, Nesmith has had the most prolific and successful solo career. He pioneered the country-rock music format in the early to mid-1970s, founded the music and video label Pacific Arts, and basically created the concept of MTV. In addition to producing films and music videos, Nesmith also won the very first Grammy Award for Best Home Video for Elephant Parts, which later led to NBC’s short-lived Television Parts. In an interesting side note, Nesmith’s mother invented liquid paper and sold it to Gillette for a substantial fortune, which Nesmith inherited.

For a good overview of Nesmith’s solo music career, I recommend The Older Stuff, The Newer Stuff, Tropical Campfire’s, Live at the Britt Festival, Rays, Movies of the Mind, and Live at the Troubadour.

More information about Nesmith is available on his Web site at www.videoranch.com.

--Raj Manoharan