The group formed at an art school in Sydney in 1976 when Martin Murphy (Martin Plaza) met fellow student, New Zealand-born, Chris O'Doherty (Reg Mombassa) at Alexander Mackie College of Advanced Education (now known as the National Art School), the city's leading art school. The duo was soon jamming in guitarist and vocalist O'Doherty's Darlinghurst flat, Murphy, on guitar and vocals, brought in his college friend Steve Coburn (son of artist, John Coburn) on bass guitar, while another student, David Twohill (Wayne de Lisle), was recruited on drums.
They were first billed as Mental as Anything on 14 May 1976, after some early party appearances without a name. Prior to the gig at a Chippendale Settlement Dance, they provided the promoter, Paul Worstead, with a list of possible names. Worstead chose Mental As Anything—which was how fellow artist Ken Bolton described them after one of their earlier party performances—and designed an accompanying poster featuring an image of a truck hauling a giant cabbage. The phrase "mental as anything" is late 1970s Australian slang for being crazy, outlandish, having extreme fun, or 'going off'.
Late in 1976, another fellow student, Andrew Smith (Greedy Smith) made guest appearances with the band on harmonica whilst still a member of another band, and by year's end Smith had joined full-time and he also played keyboards. Coburn left the fledgling band in 1977 and Mombassa's younger brother Peter "Yoga Dog" O'Doherty joined on bass guitar completing the "classic" line-up. The first performance of the new line-up was at Sydney's Cell Block Theatre on 17 August, the day news broke in Australia of the death of Elvis Presley. They played numerous Elvis covers and two original songs, together with their usual set of Blues, Rockabilly, Country and 1960s covers including Roy Orbison and The Monkees. The band built up a live following in Sydney with their residencies at the Unicorn Hotel in inner-city Paddington on Mondays and the Civic Hotel in the CBD on Thursdays. At the Unicorn Hotel, their stage was on top of the pool table to free up floor space.
The band was spotted by film-makers Cameron Allen and Martin Fabinyi, who founded their own independent record label, Regular Records, in September 1978 to record and release the group's music. Fabinyi's brother Jeremy Fabinyi became Mental As Anything's manager. Their debut release was a three-track EP, 'Mental As Anything Plays at Your Party', in December. It featured all original tracks and is their only release on which Plaza and Mombassa were credited by their original names, Martin Murphy and Chris O'Doherty, respectively. Sydney radio station Double Jay (now Triple J) gave airplay to its most popular track, "The Nips Are Getting Bigger", a drinking song written by Plaza, which showed a stylistic debt to British new wave. Soon after the EP's release, the Australian arm of Festival Records took over distribution of Regular Records and released a remix of "The Nips Are Getting Bigger" as a single in July 1979. This was followed on 1 November by the band's debut album, 'Get Wet', with Allen producing. With support from nationwide TV pop show Countdown, "The Nips Are Getting Bigger" became the group's first Australian Kent Music Report top 20 hit, and also made #1 on the UK alternative charts when released there by Virgin Records and remains one of the group's most popular songs. 'Get Wet' achieved a top 20 position on the Kent Music Report albums chart. The band completed their first national tour in late 1979, supporting British rockers Rockpile, with members Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe.
Mental As Anything's next two singles—Plaza's "Possible Theme for a Future TV Drama Series" (November 1979) and Mombassa's "Egypt" (January 1980)—did not reach the top 50. Their second LP 'Espresso Bongo', released in July was named after the Cliff Richard movie, which peaked into the top 40. Their fourth single, "Come Around" returned them to the top 20 in June, it was followed by a top 30 hit with "(Just Like) Romeo and Juliet", a non-album single in November 1980, an upbeat cover of the 1964 hit by The Reflections. They scored a #4 national hit with Plaza's cleverly titled "If You Leave Me Can I Come Too?" released in May 1981. Smith penned the follow-up, "Too Many Times", which became a #6 hit. It was accompanied by a music video shot on a building block in a Sydney seaside suburb and brought Mental As Anything international exposure by becoming a top 40 hit in Canada in July 1982, when they toured North America in support of Men at Work.
The next single, "Berserk Warriors" (December 1981), was a satirical tribute to ABBA, although the concurrent release of the pop hit "Swords of a Thousand Men" by British band Tenpole Tudor prevented Mental As Anything from realising their plan to make a Viking-themed music video to promote it, although they did eventually make the clip as planned and included it on their subsequent video album compilation. All of the 1981 singles were included on their Bruce Brown and Russell Dunlop produced Cats & Dogs, which became their biggest success to date, reaching #3 nationally. Mombassa's "Let's Cook" (April 1982) was a radio-only single. Mental As Anything members were also visual artists and held their first exhibition of their works in May. In June, during his tour of Australia, Elvis Costello heard them and produced their next single "I Didn't Mean to Be Mean" (August 1982), written by Plaza.
A compilation album, 'If You Leave Me', was released in September 1982 in the United States and Men at Work, then at the peak of their popularity, had included Mental As Anything as a support act on their US tour. Peter O'Doherty wrote the band's next single, the sentimental "Close Again" (November), from their fourth album, 'Creatures of Leisure', released in April 1983 and produced by Brown and Dunlop, which peaked at #8. It provided two more singles, the Smith and Mombassa collaboration "Spirit Got Lost" (March), which was accompanied by an imaginative animated video clip, and Pete O'Doherty's "Brain Brain" (September). Their final 1983 single was a cover of Roy Orbison's "Working for the Man" (November), produced by Mark Moffatt and Ricky Fataar. Internationally, 'Creatures of Leisure' was altered to drop three Australia-only tracks and replace them with both sides of the "Working for the Man" single.
It was another year before their next single, Mombassa and Plaza's blackly humorous Christmas release, "Apocalypso (Wiping the Smile off Santa's Face)" appeared in December 1984, which was one of the first Australian recordings to be remixed as a 12" 'disco' version. The innovative stop-motion video by B Sharp Productions to promote "Apocalypso" later shared the "Best Promotional Video" award—with INXS' "Burn for You" by Richard Lowenstein—at the 1984 Countdown Awards held in 1985.
Greedy Smith began to gain prominence with his songwriting success and became the lead vocalist on several songs. Plaza's deep, sultry vocals contrasted well with Smith's higher pitched pop and falsetto. Smith penned and sang the next two singles, both from their 'Fundamental' album produced by Richard Gottehrer and released in September 1985, which peaked at #3. "You're So Strong" (March 1985), which peaked at #11 in Australia and also charted in the top 30 of the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart; it was followed by their biggest Australian hit "Live It Up" (May 1985) which climbed to #2. The single also reached #3 in the UK in 1987, and was a hit in Europe, after being included in the soundtrack of the hugely successful Australian 1986 film Crocodile Dundee.
1986 saw the release of 'Greatest Hits Volume 1' which reached #2 on the Australian charts. Their next album 'Mouth to Mouth' charted in the top 20 in Australia and the two singles lifted from it, "He's Just No Good For You" and "Don't Tell Me Now" both charted in the Top 40, as did a further single at years end, a cover of Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender". The music video for "He's Just No Good for You" was filmed on Scarborough Street in Monterey, New South Wales.
In late 1988, a cover of the Chuck Berry chestnut "Rock and Roll Music"—recorded for the Yahoo Serious movie Young Einstein—went top 5 on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Singles Charts. The single appeared on their next album, 'Cyclone Raymond', produced by Steve James, Mark Moffatt, Mark Opitz and Robyn Smith; which peaked into the top 40 ARIA Albums Charts in October 1989. A planned first single for 1989, "Love Comes Running" was cancelled from release in Australia, instead appearing in New Zealand only. The first single released in 1989 from the album, 'The World Seems Difficult' was a top twenty hit, but polished up for the overseas market, sounded unlike anything the band had previously released. Two further singles, "Baby You're Wild" and "Overwhelmed" did not peak into the top 50 and promotion of the album was hindered after Smith injured his arm in a horse-riding accident, and was hospitalised, which forced tour concerts to be postponed or cancelled. By early 1990, Mental As Anything members agreed to take a sabbatical to work on solo work and side projects.
During the sabbatical, Mental As Anything still played short tours and one-off gigs, but by 1993 they were back on record, providing the song "Ride", produced by Tim Farriss, for the soundtrack to the Yahoo Serious film Reckless Kelly. They released a compilation of rare album tracks and b-sides, 'Chemical Travel', in November. By mid-1994 the band had recorded an album's worth of self-produced material but were having difficulty getting a release deal. They self-released an EP of songs, 'Bicycle', and gave it away on their summer 1994/95 tour of NSW and Queensland. Radio station Triple J received a copy of the 'Bicycle' EP on Christmas Day 1994 and put the lead track "Mr Natural" on immediate heavy rotation. Other stations followed and the demand led to the track being given a commercial release as a single and reaching the top 30 on the ARIA Charts (although charting higher in the States where the tour and free EP didn't reach). The resulting album, 1995's 'Liar, Liar Pants on Fire', reached the top 40, with Mombassa's cover taking the 'Best Cover Art' award at the 1996 ARIA Music Awards.
Three further singles were lifted off Liar Liar in 1995 and 1996: Mombassa's "Nigel" which just failed to chart, a cover of Wreckless Eric's "Whole Wide World" which landed just out of the Top 50 (Top 30 in Victoria) and O'Doherty's tribute to Ms Faithful, "Marianne", which was released as the band supported Chris Issak on his 1996 tour of Australia. Their 21st anniversary in 1998 was marked with the release of the last album by this line-up, 'Garàge', which did not reach the top 50, nor did the two singles lifted from it, "Just My Luck" and "Calling Colin". December 1999 saw the release of 'Best of Mental As Anything' which was accredited by ARIA with a gold certificate by 2001, and a seasonal single "White Christmas", that was given away at their "Yule Party" gig at Sydney's Metro Theatre.
In 2003 the band started recording favourite covers that had inspired the band in its early days, including songs such as "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town", "Lonesome Train", "Hangin Five", with a view to releasing an album under the title 'Songs the Lord Tortoise'. Although completing the album in 2004 it was never released. The next line-up change occurred in September 2004 when de Lisle was sacked from the band by Plaza and Smith. Upon return to Sydney following a tour of Western Australia by the band Twohill was told at the airport that he had played his last show for the band. He was replaced by Robbie Souter, a veteran of Dynamic Hepnotics, Slim Dusty band and other country and roots music combos. This line-up recorded the acoustic 'Plucked', released in November 2005. In 2007 they toured Papua New Guinea for the first time to play three gigs in the capital Port Moresby as part of "Australia Week".
In May 2009 the band released the compilation album 'Essential as Anything', celebrating thirty years since the release of their first EP and national tour of their debut album. The album also included a DVD of all the video clips released by the band. Additionally Mental As Anything re-issued all ten of the band's albums as digital downloads. The band also released a new studio album, 'Tents Up', in June and toured nationally in support of both releases. On 27 August 2009, Mental As Anything was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame alongside Kev Carmody, The Dingoes, Little Pattie and John Paul Young. Mombassa said that it was an honour to be inducted and thanked fans and industry supporters. At the ceremony they were inducted by Roy Slaven and they performed "Live It Up", "The Nips are Getting Bigger" and "If You Leave Me Can I Come Too" with Mombassa and O'Doherty rejoining them onstage. Robbie Souter died in 2017.
On 18 September 2009 the band appeared live in Sydney's Apple Store with a digital download EP in the "iTunes Live from Sydney: Aussie Legends" series appearing the next day. An extensive pictorial biography of Mombassa, titled the "Mind of Times of Reg Mombassa" appeared in November, and by virtue of the subject served as a de facto biography of Mental As Anything up to Mombassa's departure in 2000. The Summer of 2009/2010 saw a national tour for the current line-up supporting the B-52s and Proclaimers. In mid-2010 children's entertainers, The Wiggles, released their "Let's Eat" album with the lead track being a collaboration with Smith, Plaza, Mombassa and O'Doherty on a re-recording of "Let's Cook".
The band continued to tour regularly, playing smaller venues throughout Australia's cities and regional centres. In 2012 both Barraclough and Souter departed the band due to ill health; and were replaced by Zoltan Budai and Jacob Cook, respectively. Further changes occurred when Caen departed in late 2013 and was replaced by Martin Cilia in early 2014; and when Budai departed the band in 2015 and was replaced by James Gillard.
Martin Plaza has been battling kidney cancer since 2013 and has had extended periods off the road, with Caen and Craig Gordon variously standing in. Plaza played with the Mentals throughout 2014, and for a few dates in October 2016, but his health forced him to thereafter permanently retire from the group's touring schedule.
During this time, the band released newly recorded material: Smith's "Shake Off Your Sandals" (2015), Plaza's "Goat Tracks in My Sandpit" (2016) and a 5 track EP called 5 Track EP (2017) which collected these two songs and three others. The EP was timed for release for the band's appearance on the 2017 APIA Good Times tour. Additionally back catalogue was reissued both physically and digitally in the UK/Europe via Demon/Edsel and in Australia via Universal Music Group.
Mental As Anything, now consisting of Greedy Smith (vocals/keyboards), Martin Cilia (guitars), Jacob Cook (drums), Craig Gordon (vocals/guitars) and Peter Gray (vocals/bass), played a special 40th anniversary show at Surfersaurus in Sydney, during October 2018. Smith was by this point the only original member of Mental As Anything to still be playing with the group. The concert was released as the live CD At Play in early 2019.
Andrew "Greedy" Smith died of a heart attack on 2 December 2019, in Sydney. Smith's final show with the band – and the band's last show to date – took place on 30 November in Tathra, New South Wales. Robbie Souter died in 2017 due to liver failure, aged 68, and Dave Barraclough died in 2018 due to pancreatic cancer, aged 58.
The band continued to tour regularly, playing smaller venues throughout Australia's cities and regional centres. In 2012 both Barraclough and Souter departed the band due to ill health; and were replaced by Zoltan Budai and Jacob Cook, respectively. Further changes occurred when Caen departed in late 2013 and was replaced by Martin Cilia in early 2014; and when Budai departed the band in 2015 and was replaced by James Gillard.
Martin Plaza has been battling kidney cancer since 2013 and has had extended periods off the road, with Caen and Craig Gordon variously standing in. Plaza played with the Mentals throughout 2014, and for a few dates in October 2016, but his health forced him to thereafter permanently retire from the group's touring schedule.
During this time, the band released newly recorded material: Smith's "Shake Off Your Sandals" (2015), Plaza's "Goat Tracks in My Sandpit" (2016) and a 5 track EP called 5 Track EP (2017) which collected these two songs and three others. The EP was timed for release for the band's appearance on the 2017 APIA Good Times tour. Additionally back catalogue was reissued both physically and digitally in the UK/Europe via Demon/Edsel and in Australia via Universal Music Group.
Mental As Anything, now consisting of Greedy Smith (vocals/keyboards), Martin Cilia (guitars), Jacob Cook (drums), Craig Gordon (vocals/guitars) and Peter Gray (vocals/bass), played a special 40th anniversary show at Surfersaurus in Sydney, during October 2018. Smith was by this point the only original member of Mental As Anything to still be playing with the group. The concert was released as the live CD At Play in early 2019.
Andrew "Greedy" Smith died of a heart attack on 2 December 2019, in Sydney. Smith's final show with the band – and the band's last show to date – took place on 30 November in Tathra, New South Wales. Robbie Souter died in 2017 due to liver failure, aged 68, and Dave Barraclough died in 2018 due to pancreatic cancer, aged 58.
Members
Martin Plaza [Martin Murphy] (vocals, guitar), Andrew 'Greedy' Smith (vocals, keyboards, harmonica), Peter O'Doherty (bass), Reg Mombassa[Chris O'Doherty] (guitar, vocals), Steve Coburn (bass),
Wayne 'Bird' De Lisle [David Twohill] (drums), Mike Caen (guitar), Robbie Souter (drums),
Davie 'Duck' Barraclough (bass), Murray Cook (guitar), Zoltan Budai (bass), Jacob Cook (drums), Peter Gray (vocals/bass), Martin Cilia (guitars), Jacob Cook (drums), Craig Gordon (vocals/guitars), James Gillard (bass)
SINGLES
The Nips Are Getting Bigger
| 23 JUL '79 | #16 |
Possible Theme for a Future TV Drama Series
| 24 DEC '79 | #57 |
Come Around
| 16 JUN '80 | #18 |
(Just Like) Romeo and Juliet
| 1 DEC '80 | #27 |
If You Leave Me Can I Come Too?
| 25 MAY '81 | #4 |
Too Many Times
| 7 SEP '81 | #6 |
Berserk Warriors
| 14 DEC '81 | #30 |
I Didn't Mean to Be Mean
| 30 AUG '82 | #25 |
Close Again
| 6 DEC '82 | #55 |
Spirit Got Lost
| 11 APR '83 | #20 |
Brain Brain
| 27 JUN '83 | #82 |
Working for the Man
| 21 NOV '83 | #20 |
Apocalypso (Wiping the Smile Off Santa's Face)
| 10 DEC '84 | #37 |
You're So Strong
| 25 MAR '85 | #11 |
Live it Up
| 3 JUN '85 | #2 |
Date With Destiny
| 9 SEP '85 | #25 |
Big Wheel
| 2 DEC '85 | #75 |
Let's Go to Paradise
| 10 NOV '86 | #15 |
He's Just No Good for You
| 13 JUL '87 | #15 |
Don't Tell Me Now
| 28 SEP '87 | #36 |
Love Me Tender
| 21 DEC '87 | #34 |
Rock and Roll Music
| 19 DEC '88 | #5 |
The World Seems Difficult
| 28 AUG '89 | #19 |
Baby You're Wild
| 13 NOV '89 | #75 |
Mr. Natural
| 12 MAR '95 | #27 |
Whole Wide World
| 29 OCT '95 | #53 |
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_As_Anything
http://top100singles.blogspot.com.au/
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