My Hats Collection

• Artist: Men Without Hats
• Rating:
• Release Date: June 06, 2006
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Rock

Review

Men Without Hats were one of Canada's best -- and quirkiest -- new wave bands. Under the guidance of mysterious frontman Ivan and his brother Stefan Doroschuk, the Hats delivered some of the best synth pop of the early '80s. And much of that is on display in this collection -- the hits from their Folk of the '80s EP, their smash Rhythm of Youth album, and their enigmatic Folk of the '80s, Pt. 3 record. This includes unforgettable songs like "Living in China," "I Got the Message," "Antarctica," "I Like," and "Where Do the Boys Go?" This is a career retrospective, so it also features later hits, such as "Pop Goes the World," "Freeways," and a cover of Bryan Ferry's "Editions of You." Though the original albums are well worth seeking out to hear in their entirety, this is a strong collection -- definitely weighted towards the beginning of the Hats' career, when they were at their most powerful and profound. Don't let "The Safety Dance" deceive you -- Ivan was writing about some pretty heavy stuff a lot of the time, and the nifty little new wave dance nuggets in which he encapsulated his weighty lyrics just made the band's subversion all the more eloquent. This is the next best thing to the original albums. A formidable collection. ~ Tomas Mureika, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
The Safety Dance		Men Without Hats	(2:45)
Living in China (Lyrics)		Men Without Hats	(3:04)
Antarctica (Lyrics)		Men Without Hats	(3:27)
I Got the Message (Lyrics)		Men Without Hats	(4:41)
I Like (Lyrics)		Men Without Hats	(4:13)
Where Do the Boys Go? (Lyrics)		Men Without Hats	(3:56)
Freeways [Euromix]		Men Without Hats	(5:47)
Editions of You (Lyrics)	Brian Ferry	Men Without Hats	(3:56)
Pop Goes the World (Lyrics)		Men Without Hats	(3:46)
Tomorrow Today		Men Without Hats	(3:56)
Gravity Is My Enemy		Men Without Hats	(3:52)
Heaven		Men Without Hats	(3:43)
The Safety Dance [Extended Version][*]		Men Without Hats	(4:34)
Where Do the Boys Go [Extended Version][*]		Men Without Hats	(6:17)

Credits

Allan McCarthy (Keyboards), Lysanne Thipdeau (Vocals (Background)), Denis Duran (Bass), Stefan Doroschuk (Bass), Denis Duran (Group Member), Roman Martyn (Guitar), All Gun (Group Member), Denis Toupin (Drums), Stefan Doroschuk (Group Member), Pierre Paquet (Saxophone), Lysanne Thipdeau (Electronics), All Gun (Bass), Denis Toupin (Group Member), Lenny Pinkas (Group Member), Roman Martyn (Group Member), Marc Durand (Producer), Lenny Pinkas (Keyboards), Tracy Howe (Drums), Marc Durand (Liner Notes), Colin Doroschuk (Guitar), Colin Doroschuk (Keyboards), Kim Duran (Group Member), Lysanne Thipdeau (Group Member), Allan McCarthy (Group Member), Tracy Howe (Group Member), Colin Doroschuk (Group Member), Pierre Paquet (Group Member), Zeus B Held (Producer), Guy Hébert (Mastering), Kim Duran (Vocals)