Acting Very Strange

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Acting Very Strange

Studio album by Mike Rutherford
Released	1982
Recorded	1982
Genre	Progressive Rock
Length	38:43
Label	Atlantic (US & Canada)/ WEA (Rest Of World)
Producer(s)	Mike Rutherford
All Music Guide link
Mike Rutherford chronology
Smallcreep's Day (1980)	Acting Very Strange (1982)	Mike + The Mechanics (by Mike + The Mechanics) (1985)

Acting Very Strange is an album by Genesis guitarist Mike Rutherford. It was released in 1982 and was the only solo album by Rutherford that featured him on lead vocals. Unlike the previous album Smallcreep's Day, which was a concept album, Acting Very Strange comprises individual songs with a much more commercial sound. It is currently out of print and not easy to find. It may, however, be finally re-released by Rhino Records in the United States and Canada, and Virgin Records worldwide. It shall contain bonus tracks, such as rare 12" remixes of the title track and "Couldn't Get Arrested", and maybe even "Making a Big Mistake", which was one of three Genesis solo tracks on the soundtrack to Against All Odds. Management firm hit & run have yet to make an announcement.

1 Track listing
2 Personnel
- 2.1 The band
- 2.2 Production Crew

[edit] Track listing

All songs by Mike Rutherford, except where noted

"Acting Very Strange" – 4:58
"A Day to Remember" – 4:59
"Maxine" (Mike Rutherford/Pete Bellotte) – 5:24
"Halfway There" (Mike Rutherford/Phil Palmer) – 4:11
"Who's Fooling Who" (Mike Rutherford/Phil Palmer) – 4:47
"Couldn't Get Arrested" (Mike Rutherford/Pete Bellotte) – 3:50
"I Don't Wanna Know" – 4:36
"Hideaway" – 5:58

There are three known non-album tracks from these sessions - the rare b-side "Calypso" (which is a calypso and sounds very unfinished, but is interesting for Mike's Latin-style guitar licks during the outro), and two remixes: a remix of "Acting Very Strange" and one of "Couldn't Get Arrested" called the Nix Mix.

[edit] Personnel

[edit] The band

Vocals—Mike Rutherford
Guitars—M.R., Daryl Stuermer, John Alexander
Drums-—Stewart Copeland, Pete Phipps — "The Linn"
Keyboards—Peter Robinson, Paul Fishman, M.R.
Bass—M.R.
Backing vocals—Steve Gould, Noel McCalla, Dale Newman, M.R.
Saxophone—Gary Barnacle
Trumpet—Luke Tunney
Strings—Arranged & Conducted by Martyn Ford

(According to most accounts, Stewart Copeland was involved in this recording because he and Mike were on the same polo team. Copeland did session work very rarely during the time he was in The Police. The fact that the drums were recorded at The Farm, gives them a sound his drums never had anywhere else.)