Collecting Mechanics - TWR takes a look at some of the items any collector of the band might wish to have in their collection. Memorabilia: TWR archive.

The collecting bug will not be anything strange to any readers of this feature. We all have our passions for this item of memorabilia or that and here I will have a brief look at some of the areas that any collector of Mike & The Mechanics‘ material may visit.

The obvious place to start is with the recorded output of the band. As with any band whose career has spanned such a lengthy period there is much to collect here. Even some of the albums are collectable; the US Audio Fidelity gold edition of the band’s debut for example is quite hard to find these days especially as it was a numbered limited edition! Then there are the promotional editions of albums which latterly have been released on CD for radio play etc. These are usually limited in number and sometimes, in the case of the CD single promos, contain edits not available elsewhere.

Singles themselves too are a big area of collecting endeavour and the Mechanics have had their share of interesting items. Overseas singles for example, although not often coming with different couplings of songs from their UK counterparts, often sport different and, it has to be said, more colourful sleeves than the UK versions. Promo singles, white label editions, radio edits, all feature prominently in this area and are very collectable as they too often feature material (B sides) etc which are not available elsewhere.

As for the more ephemeral items of memorabilia, there is also plenty to collect and they have been particularly well served by tour programmes, a standard item for collectors. From the 1989 postergramme for the Living Years tour, right the way through to the band’s current tour each outing has usually been documented by a tour brochure. They all follow the same format - large size with a mixture of photos and text but unlike many bands’ efforts, the Mechanics programmes have usually been of excellent quality with as much in them to read as there is to look at. Several of the earlier ones are now quite hard to find but a bit of diligent digging will usually turn one up for a decent price.

Another area which some fans are dedicated to is album/single/tour poster/flyer collecting. These items of advertising for either album, single or tour are plentiful at the time they are being used but soon become scarce afterwards as the remnants are usually discarded. I have had to “rescue” several concert posters which would have been consigned to the dustbin had I not done so! Several items of these can be seen in this feature and they are always worth looking out for.

Finally of course, there is the humble tour merchandise, which apart from the previously mentioned programmes also includes the usual range of t-shirts, Sweatshirts and latterly, hoodies etc all emblazoned with some design connected to the band, as you can see from the examples shown here, there is plenty to be going on with for the avid collector!

One final area is one which usually only the most diehard of collectors will even bother with is that of press cuttings and press releases. Over the years the band have generated a fairly large amount of such material with adverts for albums/singles appearing in many music magazines as well as the mainstream press. Interviews and reviews have also featured and are all equally collectable Press releases are even more so as they are usually not available to the general public and are usually quite highly sought after.

So, there you have it in a nutshell. Whatever area you choose to pursue, there is plenty to keep you occupied as far as Mike & The Mechanics are concerned. Happy hunting!