Mental As Anything were an Australian new wave and pop rock band. They released 13 studio albums, 6 compilations, 6 extended plays and 41 singles.
At the ARIA Music Awards of 2009, they were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.
Albums Studio albums Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications AUSAustralian chart peaks: Top 100 (Kent Music Report) peaks to 12 June 1988: N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and 12 June 1988. Top 50 (ARIA) peaks from 13 June 1988: "Baby You're Wild" (ARIA) peak: Top 100 (ARIA) peaks from January 1990 to December 2010: "Overwhelmed" (ARIA) peak: "Whole Wide World" (ARIA) peak: N.B. The HP column displays the highest peak reached. CAN NZ Get Wet (aka Mental As Anything) Released: 1 November 1979 Label: Regular Records (L-37125) Formats: LP, Cassette 19 — — ARIA: Gold Espresso Bongo Released: 11 July 1980 Label: Regular Records (L-37356) Formats: LP, Cassette 37 — — ARIA: Gold Cats & Dogs (aka If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too?) Released: September 1981 Label: Regular Records (RML 37646) Formats: LP, Cassette 3 44 2 ARIA: Platinum RIANZ: Gold Creatures of Leisure Released: March 1983 Label: Regular Records (RRLP 1205) Formats: LP, Cassette 8 — 37 ARIA: Platinum Fundamental Released: 1 September 1985 Label: Regular Records (RRLP 1212)) Formats: LP, Cassette, CD 3 — 22 ARIA: 2× Platinum Mouth to Mouth Released: 31 July 1987 Label: CBS Records (450361-1) Formats: LP, Cassette, CD 14 — — ARIA: Gold Cyclone Raymond Released: 18 September 1989 Label: CBS Records (465645-1) Formats: LP, Cassette, CD 34 — — Liar Liar Pants on Fire Released: 14 August 1995 Label: BMG, Festival Records (76896403322) Formats: CD 32 — — Garàge Released: 24 August 1998 Label: Festival Records (D93492) Formats: CD 99 — — Beetroot Stains Released: 2000 Label: CME, UMA (CMEB0026) Formats: CD — — — Road Case Released: November 2002 Label: Barking Mad Records (BM0008) Formats: CD — — — Plucked Released: November 2005 Label: Liberation Music (BLUE0812) Formats: CD, download — — — Tents Up Released: 15 June 2009 Label: Warner Music Australia (5186546772) Formats: CD, download — — — "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
Live albums Title details At Play Released: January 2019 Label: Legneds (7738469) Format: CD, Digital, streaming Note: Recorded in Sydney in October 2018
Compilation albums Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications AUS NZ Greatest Hits Volume 1 Released: April 1986 Label: CBS (SBP 8158) Format: LP, Cassette, CD 2 36 Chemical Travel Released: 6 December 1993 Label: Regular Records (D-31094) Format: CD — — Best of Released: 20 September 1999 Label: Festival Records (D26450) Format: CD 42 — ARIA: Gold Essential As Anything – 30th Anniversary Edition Released: May 2009 Label: Rhino Records, Warner (5186539165) Format: CD+DVD 54 — Live It Up – The Collection Released: 11 November 2016 (UK) Label: Music Club Deluxe (MCDLX221) Format: 2×CD — — Surf & Mull & Sex & Fun Released: 25 October 2019 Label: Universal Music Australia (0801522) Format: 2×LP — — "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
Extended plays Title EP details Mental as Anything Plays at Your Party Released: September 1978 Label: Regular Records (REG1) Format: 7-inch EP Only 1,200 copies of the EP were produced. Bicycle Released: January 1995 Label: Independent (MENTAL1) Format: CD Only 500 copies of the EP were produced and these were given away to fans around the country during the band's 1998 summer tour. All tracks were later included on Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire. Minus Bonus Released: December 1997 Label: Independent (MAA-2) Format: CD Only 5,000 copies of the EP were produced. There were given away during the band's 1997/1998 summer tour and at the band's third art exhibition. All tracks were later included on Garage. Borscht Released: 8 October 2001 Label: CME/Universal(CMEB0027) Format: CD Essentially a five-track maxi-single of "Stretchmarks", off the album Beetroot Stains. iTunes Live from Sydney Released: October 2009 Format: digital download 5 Track EP Released: 12 May 2017 Label: Universal (5764349) Format: CD 5 Track EP is the actual title on the cover of the release.
Singles
Video albums Title Video details Monumental As Anything Released: August 1985 Label: Syray Pty Ltd (CEL C802101) Format: VHS Length: 85 Minutes Monumental II Released: 13 September 1999 Label: Festival (V81693) Format: VHS Length: 78 minutes Basemental Released: May 2004 Label: EMI (5769929) Format: DVD Length: 103 minutes
Music Videos +YearTitleDirectorNotes1979"The Nips Are Getting Bigger"Jeremy Fabinyi"Possible Theme For A Future TV Drama Series"not attributedFilmed for ADS-7 "Music Express""Business And Pleasure"1980"Egypt"John Moyle"Come Around"Peter Cox"(Just Like) Romeo and Juliet"Jeremy Fabinyi1981"If You Leave Me Can I Come Too?"Adam BowenVersion 1 - exterior shots of band in Hobart and Sydney (on Monumental As Anything). Version 2 - studio performance shoot mixed with footage from Version 1 (broadcast version)."Too Many Times"Esben Storm"Got Hit"Jeremy Fabinyi"Ready For You Now""Berserk Warriors"not knownOriginal performance version, not on Monumental videos1982"Let's Cook"John Evan Hughes"I Didn't Mean To Be Mean"Adam Bowen"Close Again"John Evan Hughes1983"Spirit Got Lost"B# - Wilkinson/Scott/Gailey/Stauce"Brain Brain""Working For The Man"Mental As Anything / Larry Meltzer1984"Apocalypso (Wiping the Smile off Santa's Face)"B# - Wilkinson/Scott/Gailey/Stauce"Wouldn't Try To Explain"Mental As Anything1985"Berserk Warriors"Tony StevensViking version for Monumental As Anything"You're So Strong"John Evan Hughes"Live It Up"Kimble Rendall"Date With Destiny"not attributed"Big Wheel"Axolotl - Wilkinson/Stauce1986"Let's Go To Paradise"Kimble Rendall1987"He's Just No Good For You"Susan Davis / Mark Cochrane3 versions exist, each a different one shot take."Don't Tell Me Now"Ray Argall"Love Me Tender"Axolotl - Wilkinson/Stauce1988"Rock and Roll Music"Yahoo Serious1989"Love Comes Running"not knownUnreleased, held by NFSA"The World Seems Difficult"Kriv Stenders"Baby You're Wild"1990"Overwhelmed"not attributed1995"Mr Natural"Axolotl - Wilkinson/Stauce"Nigel"John Wilkinson"Whole Wide World"1998"Just My Luck""Calling Colin"2001"Fine Line"not known"Stretchmarks"Garry Richards2015"Shake Off Your Sandals"see noteMade by Greedy Smith on a phone app2016"Goat Tracks In My Sandpit"see noteOne shot video of Martin Plaza playing guitar and signing2017"The Luckiest Player"not attributed
Notes
A."The Nips Are Getting Bigger" was originally released as a track on the EP, Mental as Anything Plays at Your Party in September 1978, it was remixed and released as a single in July 1979 and subsequently appeared on the album, Get Wet in September. An acoustic version from the Plucked album was released as a Radio Only single in 2005. B."If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too?" was originally released in 1981 from the Cats & Dogs album. A new version was recorded for the UK version of Mouth to Mouth and released as a single in 1988 but it did not peak into the top 100 in the UK. D."You're So Strong" was originally released in 1985, re-released in 1986 as a remixed version in the US and charted in the UK in 1987 after the success there of "Live It Up". E."Live It Up" was originally released in Australia in 1985 and in 1986/1987 in Europe after it featured in "Crocodile" Dundee. F."Love Comes Running" was cancelled from release in Australia and only issued in New Zealand where it failed to chart. G."Stretchmarks" was originally released in 2000 as an album track on Beetroot Stains, then released in 2001 as the featured track on Borscht EP.
References