Customer Reviews

Beggar on a Beach of Gold

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

1995's "Beggar On A Beach Of Gold" was meant to be Mike + The Mechanics' "comeback" album, and while it didn't sell much better than it's predecessor, "Word Of Mouth," this is arguably the best album from Mike Rutherford's band away from Genesis. The songs are fantastic, the production is crisp & polished like a brand new car, and the lead vocals by Paul Carrack and Paul Young (of Sad Cafe) are wonderful. Song for song, "Beggar" is brilliant pop-rock: the joyful title track, the driving acoustic pop-rock of "Another Cup Of Coffee" and "Over My Shoulder," the glorious atmospheres of "Mea Culpa," "The Ghost Of Sex And You," and "A House Of Many Rooms," the lovely "Something To Believe In," and the powerful "Someone Always Hates Someone," a song that's *very* relevant with the state of the world today. And for the cherry on top, there's two excellent cover songs of Smokey Robinson's "You've Really Got A Hold On Me," and Stevie Wonder's "I Believe." It's pretty obvious that Mike, Paul & Paul had a great time making this album, as the joy of the music comes through on every track. "Beggar On A Beach Of Gold" is a fantastic Mechanics album, and quite possibly the finest "solo" album Mike Rutherford has ever made. A winner through and through!

if you love Genesis, drum machines, great ambient and rithm guitars and keyboards, good perfomances all and more in just songs and ballads, if you are in love, if you like good music less complicated to hear but with the taste of A BIG in music like Mike Rutherford is With great perfomances of Paul Carrack Paul Young,and the rest of the band and will To learn how to make good songs and arrangements this is the record you must to buy, unfortunately i have a cassette record of it because in Argentina this CD never appears, South america miss it. i'm a Genesis Fan and drummer since 1976 and this record never dissapoint me, and every friend who heard it want it, sorry about my english

Mike Rutherford has assembled two nearly perfect albums in his 23 year career. Beggar, with 1988's Living Years, stands out as a prime example of what good music is all about. The title track kicks the album off with a story of our inability to realize the blessings we have in our quest for material wealth, and there is no looking back from there. There's "Another Cup of Coffee," with its powerful yet subtle images of domestic violence. There's the remorseless "Mea Culpa," with its simple yet somehow menacing guitar riff. "Over My Shoulder" has to be one of the funnest, most whistlable track to ever come from a Genesis man. "Web of Lies" is a rocker, with lyrics to make anyone involved in the criminal justice system proud. "Plain & Simple" features a cameo from Bill Clinton ("Well, I'm still alive and nobody's shooting at me"), and the album ends on a peaceful, melancholy note with "Going, Going . . . Home." The two Motown remakes, "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" and "I Believe" feature the two Pauls at their best.

Towering above all of the other excellent tracks is "A House of Many Rooms." It has lyrics to rival the best of Tony Banks or Peter Gabriel, using the rooms of a house (well, mansion, really) as a metaphor for the human personality. Stay away from me, the protagonist warns his would-be lover, for I am a house of many rooms . . . . There is a slow-build up of the music to mirror the tension in the lyrics, and at the end of the song we get a whirlwind tour of the house, with a whirlwind guitar to accompany us. Brilliant, simply brilliant.

I first heard cuts from this album while on a European vacation when the CD first came out. Very suprised it is relatively unknown in the US (no radio airplay). Could very well be Mike and The Mechanics finest release. It is probably my very favorite Mechanics CD.

"Beggar on a Beach of Gold" is really a very good album, marred only by a couple of misses in the cover of "You Really Got a Hold on Me" and the lame title song. Other than that, though, what a nice collection. "Mea Culpa" is a great song, haunting and melodically beautiful. "Another Cup of Coffee" explores lost relationships in a very unique way, and utilizes the percolating effect of a coffee pot quite nicely. "The Ghost of Sex and You" again offer a haunting look at lust/love relations. The remake of "I Believe" is done nicely, too. The two Pauls (Carrack and Young) are excellent vocalists. In essence, I think some people thought Phil Collins was the heart of Genesis. While Phil was certainly good, Mike Rutherford's influence was overlooked and under-appreciated. I hope we can get some more albums from Mike, now that Phil has left Genesis for good.

A very complete and rewarding pop album with hints of pomp and progressive,this endeavor demonstrated once again Mike Rutherford's exceptional musical skills and his abilities of choosing outstanding vocalists and top-notch side musicians.A winner!

Although Mike Rutherford does a great job with the musical arrangements and the very creative lyrics, the voalists is what makes this album superb. Paul Carrack and Paul Young do an excellent job. They are able to bring out the lyrics in a way they were meant to be sang. With Paul Carrack's and Paul Young's vocals, there is nothing that can not be done vocally. Unfortunately, I had to cut a star do to the remake of "You Really Got a Hold on Me", not that it is a bad song, but Mike Rutherford and company are so good at writing their own lyrics why make a remake? GRADE: A-

Mike + The Mechnaics are one of my favorite all time bands. This album is a good example why. Although "A Beggar On A Beach Of Gold" and "You've Really Got A Hold Of Me" are lame songs, the rest of the album is AWESOME! "Another Cup Of Coffee", "Web Of Lies", "Plain & Simple", "Mea Culpa", and "I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)" and the best tracks!

This is an average album. The first five songs are excellent, probably among the best of the band. Mea culpa, Over my Shoulder and the Robinson's cover ( You really have a hold on me )should be included in a greatest hits collection. Only Over my shoulder was. Excluding the first five songs, the rest of the songs are not good. Not only the melodies, but also the lyrics are kind of boring. Only Web of lies deserves attention in the last part of the album. If you are a Genesis fan like myself you will probably enjoy the album. Mike shows a small part of his quality. He does a good job with the guitars and arrangements. So does Paul Carrack as vocalist.

I think this is a gorgeous album. Not a misstep on the record. I love Paul Carrack's voice and would buy pretty much anything that he sings on. The track that prompted me to write this was the last one, "Going going .... home." Reminiscent, to me, of the Beach Boys' harmony. My husband and I listened to this CD on a road trip, and we kept coming back to it. Very enjoyable.