Mike Rutherford
Acting Very Strange

Two years after the previous "Smallcreep's Day," an impressive solo debut, Mike Rutherford released his second album in 1982.

Beating his friend Tony Banks to it, he makes a point of singing all the material dedicated to the new work, mostly written by himself. If the cover of the previous LP was a fine piece by the Hipgnosis studio, the one for "Acting Very Strange" is decidedly much less interesting; to be honest, it's horrible, and the Mike with a straw hat and tank top should be the first warning about the album's content. Let's be honest right away, those expecting a new work close to prog paths were very let down, though good Tony would manage worse the following year. "Acting Very Strange" is an album with very free sounds aimed at the American audience and doesn't resemble contemporary Genesis at all, as all compositions are easy to listen to and consume, and not very inspired. In fact, despite featuring musicians like Daryl Stuermer on guitar and Stewart Copeland on drums, the quality is quite low; the title track is not all to be discarded in its more rhythmic part even though the electronic effects of the chorus clash a bit, the singing is hoarse and not very expressive but overall bearable, songs like "Maxine" and "Hideaway" however are not examples of Rutherford at his best as a composer, "A Day To Remember" is slightly better especially regarding the initial effects and the guitar part. The rest is a preview of the future sounds of "Mike + The Mechanics," Rutherford's very successful and better experience.

An album snubbed by Genesis fans, forgotten and hastily archived in anticipation of far better sounds. In part "Genesis" would disappoint towards the end of 1983, moreover, in this album, there are no warnings of the elaborate sounds of "Mama", nor are the quirky ones of "Illegal Alien" present, but in the end, it can be said that Mike Rutherford anticipated the creative scantness of Banks with his "The Fugitive," while Collins in 1982 released the more than good "Hello, I Must Be Going!".