Men at Work were an Australian reggae-influenced rock band which achieved international success in the 1980s. They are the only Australian artists to have a #1 album and single simultaneously in the United States (with Business as Usual and "Down Under" respectively).[1] At the same time, they also had a simultaneous #1 single and album in the United Kingdom. The group won the 1983 Grammy Award for Best New Artist and sold over 30 million albums worldwide.[citation needed] The band's sound is distinguished by its use of woodwind and brass instruments.
History
Origins of the group
Colin Hay emigrated to Australia in 1967 from Scotland with his family. In 1978, he formed a duo with Ron Strykert, which expanded with the addition of drummer Jerry Speiser and Australian progressive rock keyboard player Greg Sneddon.[2][3] They formed an unnamed four-piece group that would later morph into Men at Work. The band's first experience in the recording studio was recording the music to "Riff Raff," a low-budget stage musical Sneddon had worked on.[4] Sneddon soon left, to be replaced in late 1979 by saxophonist/flautist/keyboardist Greg Ham.
As Men at Work
By late 1979, the group took up residence at the Cricketer's Arms pub. Desperate for a name, they took the "Men at Work" moniker from a street sign denoting construction. Shortly thereafter, the band, who had been performing with Strykert on bass guitar, recruited bassist John Rees and the group was complete.
The group played a regular residency at Melbourne's Cricketers Arms Hotel and built a strong local following. According to the liner notes in Contraband: the Best of Men at Work, the group did not have a name until, driving the group van one night and desperate for something to put on the chalk board outside the pub, Greg Ham spied a "Men at Work" construction sign, and decided to use that for the group's name. In 1980, they financed a single ("Keypunch Operator") backed by an early version of "Down Under".
In 1981, Columbia Records signed Men at Work. Their first single, "Who Can It Be Now?", reached #1 on the Australian chart in August 1981. A subsequent single (a re-worked version of "Down Under") and their first album (Business as Usual) also went to #1. The album also debuted at #1 in New Zealand.
International success
Despite its strong Australian showing, and having an American producer (Peter McIan), Business as Usual was twice rejected by Columbia's parent company in the United States. Thanks to the persistence of the band's management, the album was eventually released in the USA and the UK six months after its Australian release. Men at Work toured the USA to promote the album, supporting Fleetwood Mac.
In October 1982, "Who Can It Be Now?" hit #1 in the USA. Then, in November of that year, Business As Usual began a 12 week run at #1 on the US album chart. While "Who Can It Be Now?" was still in the top ten, the second single, "Down Under" was released. It entered the charts at #79; ten weeks later, it was #1. By January 1983, Men at Work had the top album and single in both the USA and the UK - a feat never achieved previously by an Australian act.
Men at Work won a Grammy Award, winning Best New Artist for 1983 ahead of Asia, Jennifer Holliday, The Human League and Stray Cats. This was the first for an Australian recording act.
That same year, Canada awarded them a Juno Award for "International LP of the Year."
"Down Under" received renewed attention when it was used as the unofficial anthem for Australia's successful challenge for the 1983 America’s Cup.
The band soon released their second album Cargo. It had been finished in the summer of 1982, but held for release due to the phenomenal success of the band's debut. The new album went to #1. The international market, where Business As Usual was still riding high, kept the album at #3 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The album produced three chart singles in the USA: "Overkill" [#3], "It's a Mistake" [#6], and "Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive" [#28]. The band toured the world extensively in 1983.
Two Hearts; breakup
In 1984, the band took a long break as members pursued other interests and recovered from the two years of constant touring they'd done in support of both albums. At the end of that period, Jerry Speiser and John Rees were advised by management that they were no longer members of the band. The remaining members (Hay, Ham and Strykert) recorded a third album Two Hearts which peaked at #50 on the chart. Although four songs were released as singles to promote the album (lead single "Everything I Need", "Man With Two Hearts", "Maria", and "Hard Luck Story"), only the first song charted in the U.S., and that only at #47. The record relied heavily on drum programming and synthesizers and reduced the presence of Ham's saxophone, giving it a different feel than the band's first two records.
Strykert left the group during the album's production [5]. Hay and Ham hired new bandmates to tour behind the record, including jazz/fusion bassist Jeremy Alsop, progressive rock drummer Mark Kennedy, and guitarist James Black, who respectively play on seven, eight and one of the ten tracks on Two Hearts. Soon after, third guitarist Colin Bayley was added to the band's touring lineup, and Kennedy was replaced by prodigious young drummer Chad Wackerman. Australian singers Kate Ceberano and Renee Geyer also worked and performed live with the group during this period as guests.
Men at Work performed three songs for the 1985 Oz for Africa concert (part of the global Live Aid program) - "Maria", "Overkill", and an unreleased song called "The Longest Night". It was broadcast in Australia (on both Seven Network and Nine Network) and on MTV in the US. "Maria" and "Overkill" were also broadcast by American Broadcasting Company (ABC) during their Live Aid telecast.[6]
Ham left during the band's time touring behind the album.[5] The final Men At Work performances in the 1980s found Australian jazz saxophonist Paul Williamson replacing Ham. By 1986, the band was defunct, and Hay was working on a solo album, which would feature participation from Alsop and Wackerman.
1996 Reunion
In 1996, after a ten-year absence, Hay and Ham reunited under the Men at Work moniker to tour South America. They had enjoyed strong fan support in this continent during their heyday, and demands for Men at Work concerts persisted prior to Hay and Ham's decision to reform. The new lineup also featured guitarist Simon Hosford from Hay's solo band, along with bassist Stephen Hadley and drummer John Watson. This tour culminated in the Brazilian release of a live CD Brazil '96 in 1997. The album was subsequently released worldwide in 1998 as 'Brazil' with a bonus studio song "The Longest Night", the first Men at Work studio track since Two Hearts.
The band toured various corners of the world throughout from 1998-2000. The lineup for these tours varied greatly, occasionally including Rick Grossman of the Hoodoo Gurus on bass, among numerous other touring musicians.
Men at Work performed "Down Under" at the closing ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, alongside Paul Hogan of Crocodile Dundee fame[7]. The group has been mostly inactive in recent years, although Hay and Ham still perform sporadically as Men at Work with guest musicians. In February 2009, they performed "Down Under" at the Australia Unites Victorian Bushfire Appeal Telethon.
Hay maintains a successful solo career. Strykert lives in Montana, continues to play music and has expressed some resentment towards Hay,[8] having been arrested February 13, 2009 for allegedly making death threats against Hay.[9] Speiser, Ham and Rees still work in the music industry.
Band Members
Current
Former
- Jeremy Alsop - bass, backing vocals (1985-1986)
- Rodrigo Aravena - bass, backing vocals (2000)
- Colin Bayley - guitar, backing vocals (1985-1986)
- James Black - guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (1985-1986)
- Tony Floyd - drums (1997-1998)
- Rick Grossman - bass, backing vocals (1998-2000)
- Stephen Hadley - bass, backing vocals (1996-1998, 2001)
- Simon Hosford - guitar, backing vocals (1996-1998, 1999-2001)
- Mark Kennedy - drums (1985)
- Peter Maslen — drums (1998)
- Heta Moses — drums (2000)
- John Rees – bass, backing vocals (1979–1984)
- James Ryan — guitar, backing vocals (1998)
- Jerry Speiser – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1979-1984)
- Ron Strykert – guitar, bass, vocals (1978–1985)
- Warren Trout - drums (2001)
- Chad Wackerman - drums, backing vocals (1985-1986)
- John Watson - drums (1996-1997)
- Paul Williamson - saxophone, keyboards, backing vocals (1985-1986)
Discography
Studio albums
Live albums
Videos
- 1984 Live in San Francisco... Or Was It Berkeley? (VHS/BETA)
Compilations
- 1987 The Works
- 1995 Puttin' in Overtime
- 1996 Contraband: The Best of Men at Work
- 1998 Simply The Best
- 2000 Definitive Collection
- 2000 Super Hits
- 2003 The Essential
- 2008 Essential Deluxe - Including Bonus DVD
Singles
- "Keypunch Operator"/"Down Under" (self-produced single) (1979);
Guest appearances
- Colin Hay made two guest appearances on Scrubs as 'Troubadour' on "My Overkill"[1], season 2 episode 1, singing "Overkill" and on "My Hard Labor", season 7 episode 2, singing "Down Under".
- Colin Hay made a guest appearance on "the Larry Sanders Show"
- Greg Ham sang their hit Helpless Automaton on the Oprah series in 2002
- Colin Hay performed "Down Under" on FOX News Channel for Fox & Friends' "80's Weekend".
- Colin Hay Performed "Overkill" on the Bob & Tom TV Show on April 28 2009
- Colin Hay performed "Who can it be now" on Don't Forget the Lyrics on the Fox network June 5 2009
See also
References
4. Liner notes from Contraband. 5. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:hifoxqe5ldfe~T51
External links
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Men at Work |
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| Colin Hay | Ron Strykert | Jerry Speiser | Greg Ham | John Rees |
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| Live albums |
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| Singles |
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| Compilations |
The Works | Puttin' in Overtime | Contraband: The Best of Men at Work | Simply The Best | Definitive Collection | Super Hits | Essential Men at Work
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