New Wave rock from
down under. Men at Work formed in
1979 in
Melbourne,
Australia. They toured extensively in Australia, becoming the highest paid unsigned band in the country prior to signing with Columbia in 81. Their first album
Business as Usual was released in 82 and it got huge. The singles
Who Can It Be Now? and
Down Under skyrocketed getting play all over the world. They managed to sustain their popularity through their sophomore album
Cargo, but after that they lost it.
After extensive touring the band took a long break in 1984 causing Spesier and Rees to leave the band. Two fill-ins were found for the next album
Two Hearts, but shortly after that the band broke up. In 1998 Hay and Ham reformed Men at Work to issue a live hits collection
Brazil.
- The Band:
- Colin Hay - lead vocals, guitar
- Ron Strykert - guitar, vocals
- John Rees(79-84) - bass
- Greg Ham - sax, flute, keyboards
- Jerry Speiser(79-84) - drums
- Albums:
- Brazil -- Columbia Records/Legacy Records (1998)
- Two Hears -- Columbia Records (1985)
- Cargo -- Columbia Records (1983)
- Business as Usual -- Columbia Records (1981)
- Comps & Boxes:
- Definitive Collection -- Sony International (2000)
- Contraband: The Best of Men at Work -- Sony Records/Legacy Records (1996)
- Business as Usual/Cargo -- Alex Records (1995)
- Puttin' in Overtime -- Sony Special Products (1995)
- 3 CD Box Set -- Alex Records (1992)
- EPs
- Who Can It Be Now? -- CBS Records (1982)
infomation gathered from allmusic.com and my own weakass memory.