Mental as Anything

Mental as Anything, 2007

Mental as Anything, 1983

Mental as Anything is a new wave and rock band from Sydney ( New South Wales , Australia ), called Mentals by their fans .

Band history

The students Reg Mombassa, Martin Plaza, Andrew "Greedy" Smith, Peter O'Doherty and Wayne Deslisle formed the band in 1977 in Sydney, ostensibly to get free drinks by performing. The musical result was better than expected, so Mental as Anything became more and more popular and there was a very long pub crawl.

On August 16, 1977, the night Elvis Presley died, the band first performed at the Cellblock Theater (East Sydney Tech.). This was followed by a one-year engagement at the Unicorn Hotel in Sydney, where a pool table served as a makeshift stage. In 1978 the Mentals stayed in town, but moved to the Civic Hotel for another year.

In 1979 the single The Nips Are Getting Bigger ( AU # 16) and the album Get Wet (AU # 19) entered the top 20 of the Australian charts for the first time. After its release in Great Britain, the single was placed in the top 40 of the independent charts .

The extraction Come Around (AU number 18) from the 1980 album Espresso Bongo could well in the Australian singles chart placing as (Just Like) Romeo and Juliet (AU 27th place), which, however, was to be found on any album. In 1981 the platinum album Cats and Dogs was released . The extracted songs If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too? (AU place 4) and Too Many Times (AU place 6) were the band's first top 10 hits.

In 1982 Mental as Anything went on tour in the United States for the first time . There the single I Didn't Mean to Be Mean (AU place 25) was created, which was produced by Elvis Costello . With the long player Creatures of Leisure and other extracts, e.g. B. Spirit Got Lost (AU 20) and Working for the Man (AU 20), a cover version of the Roy Orbison hit from 1962, went on a concert tour in Canada as well as the USA .

The first art exhibition with works by the band members was in 1983 at Watters Gallery, Darlinghurst (Sydney). The buyers also included Patrick White and Elton John . White later gave one of Reg's work to the Art Gallery of NSW .

With Apocalypso (Wiping the Smile off Santa's Face) (AU place 37), the Mentals released a Christmas single in 1984. The following year, the platinum album Fundamental as Anything was released with the singles You're so Strong (AU 11th) and Live It Up (AU 2nd). For Live It Up there was an APRA Award for Most Performed Work and a countdown Award for best single. Through its use in the soundtrack for the film Crocodile Dundee , the title also became popular in Europe at the end of 1986 and, around a year and a half after its release, reached high chart positions in Scandinavia , Germany , England , the Netherlands , Spain and Italy , where Mental as Anything from Italian television coveted Telegatto was awarded.

The album Mouth to Mouth was released in 1987. The band's success was again limited to Australia, where the singles Let's Go to Paradise and He's Just No Good for You reached the top 20 (both number 15). A cover version of Elvis Presley's Love Me Tender was not included on any album, but was available as a single (AU number 34). In the same year the band toured with Robert Palmer through Great Britain, Canada and Nebraska (USA).

The 1988 hit Rock & Roll Music (AU place 5) came from the soundtrack by Einstein Junior (original title Young Einstein ). Cyclone Raymond was the name of the 1989 album, which should be the last for the time being.

Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Paul Keating opened the second Mental-as-Anything art exhibition in 1990, which featured works by all five band members. Because of its great success, the exhibition toured across the continent.

The next studio album Liar Liar Pants on Fire was not released until 1995. After that, the musicians retired to the studio to work on a new album. They played at the Mountain Rock Music Festival in Woodville and toured Australia and New Zealand with Chris Isaak .

The LP Garage was released in 1997. The third art exhibition, which then traveled through Australia until 2002, was opened by former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam . In 1999 the songwriter Peter O'Doherty left the band to work professionally as a painter. He later won many art awards and organized exhibitions at home and abroad. The new Mentals member was David Barraclough.

On Australia Day 2000 the band played in Ho Chi Minh City , Vietnam . Various other national and international tours and several album releases followed in the next few years, e. B. 2009 Tents Up . In 2009 the band was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame .

Founding member Andrew "Greedy" Smith died on December 2, 2019 in Sydney of complications from a heart attack .

Members

Current

Martin Plaza (Martin Murphy) - guitar , vocals (since 1976)
David Barraclough - bass , vocals, guitar, keyboard (since 2000)
Mike Caen - guitar, vocals (since 2002)
Robbie Souter - drums (since 2004)
Martin Cilia - guitar (since 2014)

Former

Greedy Smith (Andrew Smith) - keyboard , harmonica , vocals (1976-2019; † 2019)
Reg Mombassa (Chris O'Doherty) - guitar, vocals (1976-2000)
Steve Coburn - bass (1976-1977)
David Twohill (Wayne de Lisle) - drums (1976-2004)
Peter O'Doherty (Yoga Dog) - bass, vocals (1977-2000)
Mike Gubb - keyboard (at concerts) (1986–1987)
Murray Cook - guitar (2000–2002)

Discography

Studio albums

year	Title music label	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, music label , placements, weeks, awards, notes)	Remarks
year	Title music label	AU	Remarks
1989	Cyclone Raymond CBS 465645	AU34 (4 weeks) AU	First published: September 1989 Producers: Mark Moffatt, Mark Opitz, Robin Smith, Steve James
1995	Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire Ariola 333842	AU32 (2 weeks) AU	First published: October 1995 Producers: Mental as Anything, Martin White

* The Australian album placements before 1988 are currently not available, see also the chart format template .

More studio albums

1979: Get Wet (Regular 37125)
1980: Espresso Bongo (Regular 37358; Release: July 21)
1981: Cats & Dogs (Regular 53006)
1982: If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too? (UK, US, NL; A&M 4921 only )
1983: Creatures of Leisure (Regular 1205)
1985: Fundamental as Anything (Regular 1212)
1987: Mouth to Mouth (CBS 450361)
1998: Garàge (2 CDs; Festival 93492; release: August 25th)
2000: Beetroot Stains ( Universal Music Australia 0026)
2002: Road Case (Syray Pty Ltd 0008)
2005: Plucked (Liberation Blue 081; release: May 14th)
2009: Tents Up ( Warner Music Australia 46772; release: June 15th)

Compilations

year	Title music label	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, music label , placements, weeks, awards, notes)	Remarks
year	Title music label	AU	Remarks
1999	Best of Mental as Anything Festival 26450	AU42 (2 weeks) AU	First published: November 1999

* The Australian album placements before 1988 are currently not available, see also the chart format template .

More compilations

1986: Greatest Hits Volume 1 (CBS 8158)
1993: Chemical Travel (Regular 31094)
1999: Mental as Anything (Festival)
2003: Best of Mental as Anything (Festival; release: March 4th)
2009: Essential as Anything: 30th Anniversary Edition (CD + DVD; Rhino 39165)
2016: A Mental Collection, Vol. 1 (Edsel; release: April 29)
2016: Live It Up: The Collection (2 CDs; Music Club Deluxe 221; release: November 11th)

EPs

1979: Plays at Your Party (release: January 22nd)
1995: Bicycle
1997: Minus Bonus
1998: Just My Luck
1998: Calling Colin
2000: Fine Line
2001: borscht
2017: 5 track EP

Singles

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)					Remarks
year	Title album	DE	AT	UK	Dance	AU	Remarks
1979	The Nips Are Getting Bigger Get Wet	-	-	-	-	AU16 (26 weeks) AU	First published: July 1979 Author: Martin Murphy
1979	Possible Theme for a Future TV Drama Series Get Wet	-	-	-	-	AU57 (11 weeks) AU	First published: November 1979 Author: Martin Plaza
1980	Come Around Espresso Bongo	-	-	-	-	AU18 (25 weeks) AU	First published: May 1980 Author: Martin Plaza
1980	(Just Like) Romeo and Juliet	-	-	-	-	AU27 (18 weeks) AU	First published: November 1980 Authors: Bob Hamilton, Freddie Gorman Original: The Reflections , 1964
1981	If You Leave Me - Can I Come Too? Cats & Dogs	-	-	-	-	AU4 (21 weeks) AU	First published: May 1981 Author: Martin Plaza
	Too Many Times Cats & Dogs	-	-	-	-	AU6 (20 weeks) AU	First published: August 1981 Author: Greedy Smith
	Berserk Warriors Cats & Dogs	-	-	-	-	AU30 (16 weeks) AU	First published: December 1981 Author: Peter O'Doherty
1982	I Didn't Mean to Be Mean If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too?	-	-	-	-	AU25 (10 weeks) AU	First published: April 1982 Author: Martin Plaza
1982	Close Again Creatures of Leisure	-	-	-	-	AU55 (16 weeks) AU	First published: November 1982 Author: Peter O'Doherty
1983	Spirit Got Lost Creatures of Leisure	-	-	-	-	AU20 (13 weeks) AU	First published: March 1983 Authors: Greedy Smith, Reg Mombassa
	Brain Brain Creatures of Leisure	-	-	-	-	AU82 (7 weeks) AU	First published: June 1983 Author: Peter O'Doherty
	Working for the Man Creatures of Leisure	-	-	-	-	AU20 (18 weeks) AU	First published: November 1983 Author and original: Roy Orbison , 1962
1984	Apocalypso (Wiping the Smile off Santa's Face) Fundamental as Anything	-	-	-	-	AU37 (12 weeks) AU	First published: November 1984 Authors: Martin Plaza, Reg Mombassa
1985	You're So Strong Fundamental as Anything	-	-	UK82 (2 weeks) UK	Dance21 (8 weeks) Dance	AU11 (18 weeks) AU	First published: March 1985 Chart entry US Dance only in September 1986 Chart entry UK only in May 1987 Author: Greedy Smith
	Live It Up Fundamental as Anything	DE6 (15 weeks) DE	AT15 (10 weeks) AT	UK3 silver (15 weeks)UK	-	AU2 (23 weeks) AU	First published: May 1985 Chart entry in the EU only 1987 Author: Greedy Smith
	Date with Destiny Fundamental as Anything	-	-	-	-	AU25 (11 weeks) AU	First published: September 1985 Author: Greedy Smith
	Big Wheel Fundamental as Anything	-	-	-	-	AU75 (6 weeks) AU	First published: November 1985 Author: Martin Plaza
1986	Let's Go to Paradise Mouth to Mouth	-	-	-	-	AU15 (22 weeks) AU	First published: November 1986 Author: Greedy Smith
1987	He's Just no Good for You Mouth to Mouth	-	-	UK88 (2 weeks) UK	-	AU15 (18 weeks) AU	First published: July 1987 UK chart entry only in January 1988 Author: Greedy Smith
	Don't Tell Me Now Mouth to Mouth	-	-	-	-	AU35 (20 weeks) AU	First published: September 1987 Author: Martin Plaza
	Love Me Tender Mouth to Mouth	-	-	-	-	AU34 (14 weeks) AU	First publication: November 1987 Authors according to cover: Elvis Presley , Vera Matson (see here ) Original: Aura Lee, 1936
1988	Rock and Roll Music Cyclone Raymond	-	-	-	-	AU5 (16 weeks) AU	First published: November 21, 1988 Author and original: Chuck Berry , 1957
1989	The World Seems Difficult Cyclone Raymond	-	-	-	-	AU19 (9 weeks) AU	First published: August 7, 1989 Author: Peter O'Doherty
1995	Mr. Natural Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire	-	-	-	-	AU27 (13 weeks) AU	First published: March 1995 Author: Martin Plaza