Men At Work
Business As Usual

THE REVIEW

"Men At Work was an Australian band that achieved extraordinary success riding on the coattails of The Police. Their cocktail of Reggae, Rock, New-Wave, which cleverly echoed the early, fresh sound of Sting & Co., led them to sell over fifteen million records in America alone, with their albums "Business As Usual" and "Cargo". The sound of Men At Work was so similar to the early days of The Police that the international press resurrected the historic rivalry between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones..."

This is what I found written, as a little digression, in a booklet dedicated to The Police released in July 1990.

Men At Work formed in Australia in 1979, in Melbourne, under the impetus of singer and guitarist Colin James Hay, born in Scotland on June 29, 1953, and emigrated to Australia at the age of fourteen with his family. Around this charismatic leader gathered Greg Ham (the same age as Colin), flute, sax, and other instruments player, Ron Strykert (born in 1957), lead guitar and vocals, bassist John Rees, and drummer Jerry Speiser.
They signed with the international giant CBS and released their debut album in the States in August 1982, ironically titled "Business As Usual" (from a phrase by Winston Churchill): the album exploded in international charts, driven by two successful singles such as "Who Can It Be Now" and "Down Under".

Facing this Pop-Rock phenomenon, the music press felt the need to invent tales and stories to explain the success of the album, thus the first comparisons with the creators of "Message In A Bottle" emerged, but the reality is that deus ex machina Colin Hay had remarkable songwriting skills, drawing from the right vein to create carefree Pop-Rock gems, without disruptive political ends, free of any contentious reference.
So we find in this "Business As Usual" eleven catchy tracks, even danceable, with no particular sound innovations, but with a beautiful measure. Like the opener "Who Can It Be Now" which already presents the ingredients of the sound of these five Aussies: dry and precise drumming, a linear bassist, an inspired saxophonist, and a guitarist, Ron Strykert, who behind the scenes (just this time) reprises the Rock sound of "Reggatta De Blanc", but in a more measured way, without overshadowing the other instruments; all of it held together by Colin Hay's warm and unique voice, capable of creating soft tones, rising when necessary, without overdoing it, with an unmistakable timbre: Men At Work are a well-rounded Rock band, also thanks to the skill of Greg Ham, an additional musical resource who dispenses flute sounds and great sax improvisations.

The song "Down Under" will over the years become a second Australian national anthem, as in the closing of the Sydney 2000 Olympics with thirty-four thousand people singing to the iconic Men at Work song, dedicated to their country of origin.

There is room for a punk track like "Helpless Automaton", signed by Ham, which stands out for the drum rhythm similar to Lol Tohlhurst of The Cure: it feels like listening to an accelerated "10:15 Saturday Night". "Catch A Star" is a Reggae track dominated by Colin Hay's voice but also by Strykert's sparkling six-string. It should be noted, however, how the album's sound coordinates evoke the land of kangaroos, the small guitar strokes that evoke the blazing sun, or the winds that provide that exotic flavor that permeates even the sweet song "People Just Love To Play With Words", the only weak point of the album.

A reflective moment is entrusted to the closing track "Down By The Sea", an underwater ballad characterized by calm singing and a slow rhythm, almost wanting to evoke the ocean floors, thanks to the supple guitar and the elusive sax. The highest seal of the album, however, is "Touching The Untouchables", enhanced by solemn singing, in a verse even resembling Mark Knopfler, and a quirky, never banal sax.

Our five rockers are not instrumental aces like Stewart Copeland or Andy Summers, even though they are skilled and capable, nor can they rely on a compositional capacity like Sting for five albums with The Police. However, they are endowed with elegance, a taste for simple, playful song form, which entertains people wherever they are, even in a disco. Had Colin Hay had a dazzling solo career (like the "Blue Turtle" Sting), Men At Work would have entered the higher pastures of Rock history, especially remembered by people.

"Business As Usual" did not change the course of popular music, but works like this, in the Pop-Rock landscape of the '80s, are unforgettable. The album has also been reissued with two live songs: "Underground" and "Who Can It Be Now"; there are also two unreleased tracks: "Crazy" a fun and carefree Rock 'n' Roll, and the instrumental "F19".

The "Work in Progress" continues.