They are best known of course for the anthemic `Down Under`, a spaced out and beautifully textured song which as you might be aware got the Men, well Colin Hay anyway, into some strife recently after a court decided that the band had something
to answer for for ripping off a few bars of the song `Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gum Tree` back when they recorded the song in the very early 80`s.
to answer for for ripping off a few bars of the song `Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gum Tree` back when they recorded the song in the very early 80`s.
It really was a load of hogwash if you ask me, Norm Lurie, the person who owns the publishing rights to `Kookaburra`, had no genuine reason to think that `Down Under` was ever a rip-off of his song, what is really sus is that Lurie is part of the record company establishment, he wasn`t some pauper who was waiting by the letter box waiting for the next royalty cheque to arrive.
In the end some stupid judge gave some ground to Lurie`s ridiculous claim and the last I heard a percentage of future royalties from `Down Under` will be going to this parasite`s bank account.
Not fair at all, and very un-Australian. The Men were made up of Colin Hay, Ron Strykert, Greg Ham, John Rees and Jerry Speiser.
Greg Ham was truly the artistic genius behind Men At Work, even though Colin, with a good dose of lead singers disease, always got most of the limelight.
`Who Can It Be Now` also was a very
successful single, both it and `Down Under` come off the debut album`Business As Usual`, which as far as i know remains the biggest selling Australian album of all time.
successful single, both it and `Down Under` come off the debut album`Business As Usual`, which as far as i know remains the biggest selling Australian album of all time.
The somewhat more introspective album
`Cargo` come out a year or so after `Business`, in 1983. While more of a serious and workmanlike album, it still bore the breezy and jazzy arrangements which categorised the more happy go lucky debut.
`Cargo` come out a year or so after `Business`, in 1983. While more of a serious and workmanlike album, it still bore the breezy and jazzy arrangements which categorised the more happy go lucky debut.
The excellent flute playing and sax interludes of Greg Ham gave the Men a lightweight but contemporary sound which wasn`t so unlike late 70`s Fleetwood Mac, which might explain why the band wound up being the support act for that band on their world tour.
Following `Cargo`, Men at Work quickly went into burn out mode, band members started bickering and fighting with each other, to the point where they began staying in seperate hotels and catching seperate limos to gigs.
Two albums was it for Men At Work - right? Wrong! They did release one more album in 1984 called `Two Hearts`, a much more sophisticated, dense and atmospheric rock album than the first two.
By this stage, Ham and Hay were the only two left and they brought in session musicians to finish the album off, but given the fact that the two `men` left were always the creative axis of the band, I think `Two Hearts` still does pass as a Men At Work album artistically speaking.
The best song on there to me is the spine tingling ballad `Still Life`, a song that I
dont know whether Hay or Ham is singing, because it sounds a lot like Sting and Sting doesn`t sound like Colin Hay.
dont know whether Hay or Ham is singing, because it sounds a lot like Sting and Sting doesn`t sound like Colin Hay.
Whoever is singing the song, it is a gem. `Maria` is a breezy yet powerful number,
probably the best vocal of Hay`s on the album.
probably the best vocal of Hay`s on the album.
`Hard Luck Story` is a percussionist bonanza, whoever the session drummer was
he was pretty damn good, even if Hay`s vocal was way down in the mix too much.
`Man With Two Hearts` features one of the
more modern and progressively influenced guitar solos which Ham played in Men At Work.
more modern and progressively influenced guitar solos which Ham played in Men At Work.
`Two Hearts` is a much underrated gem of Australian 80`s atmospheric rock, the only criticism I have of it is that you can barely hear Colin Hay's vocals in a lot of the songs.
His vocals were drowned out, the album it has to be said was over-produced, but it`s still got a lot going for it.
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