Word of Mouth is the third album by Mike + The Mechanics, released in 1991.
The album did not chart as well as Living Years, 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.
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 the Baywatch episode "Nightmare Bay: Parts 1 & 2".
Reception
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."
Track listing
Personnel
Mike + The Mechanics
Mike Rutherford – guitars, bass
Paul Carrack – vocals (lead: 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10), keyboards
Paul Young – vocals (lead: 2, 4, 7, 9) Adrian Lee – keyboards Peter Van Hooke – drums
Additional personnel
Steve Piggot – keyboards
Ian Wherry – keyboards
Tim Renwick – guitars
Pino Palladino – bass
Martin Ditcham – percussion
Phil Todd – saxophone
London Community Gospel Choir – choir (10) Kitson Hall Audience – crowd (2)
Production
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