Spring Break
New Performance Evaluation for Men at Work
Michael Fortes, Special Contributor
Issue date: 2/18/03 Section: A&E
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As luck would have it, the store was out of stock. I was not aware at the time, but that particular record had already run its course. However, Uncle Tim reached up for the consolation record: "Down Under." He was about as old as I am now, maybe younger, and was quite aware of what was going on in the world of popular music - he gave me my first Clash record later that year. I liked this soon-to-be number one hit single, though it was not my first choice. I accepted the gift anyway, in addition to the Kenny Loggins ("Heart to Heart") and ABC ("The Look of Love") records I chose.
Fast forward 21 years later. Men at Work's first two albums are re-released with obligatory new liner notes and bonus tracks, allowing those of us who haven't played our previous copies in a decade or more to take another listen with a different set of ears. Much to this writer's surprise, the content of the re-released albums, and even the bonus tracks, reveal complex sonic moods and textures that held my attention from beginning to end.
What my 26-year-old ears can hear in Men at Work is a new wave band with an energy and a sound similar to that of the Police. Both bands employed fast, simple rock rhythms to propel their tunes, and occasionally both bands dabbled in reggae. Unlike the Police, however, Men at Work made frequent use of the alto saxophone, much like their Aussie contemporaries INXS.
The Police comparison works at least as far as their first album "Business as Usual" (Columbia/Legacy) is concerned. On this record, the band sounds hungry and excited to be playing their music. It's a fun listen, despite the paranoia of "Who Can It Be Now?" and the gloomily philosophical examination of the direction of modern society in "Helpless Automaton." Slower songs like "Down by the Sea" add some needed balance. This tune in particular is much like the standard epic album side closer we all know and love, functioning like Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" or the Beatles' "I Want You (She's So Heavy)."
The bonus cuts in "Business As Usual" fall a little shorter than the original, though not by very much. Live versions of "Underground" and "Who Can It Be Now?" from 1996 find Colin Hay's voice not quite as robust as it used to be. The b-side "Crazy" and the instrumental "F-19" fare much better.
