Men At Work - Definitive Collection (1997) {2003, Remastered}

01 Oct, 04:06
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Artist: Men At Work
Title: Definitive Collection
Year Of Release: 1997 / 2003
Label: Columbia #COL 487562 5 / Sony Music #487562 5
Genre: New Wave, Pop Rock, Reggae Rock
Quality: EAC Rip -> FLAC (Img+Cue, Log) / MP3 CBR320
Total Time: 01:16:08
Total Size: 570 / 208 Mb (Full Scans)
WebSite: Album Preview

Men at Work were an Australian rock band best known for their 1981 hit "Down Under". Formed in 1978, their founding mainstay was Colin Hay on lead vocals; he formed the group with Jerry Speiser on drums and Ron Strykert on lead guitar. They were joined by Greg Ham on flute, saxophone, and keyboards and John Rees on bass guitar. This line-up achieved national and international success in the early 1980s. In January 1983, they were the first Australian artists to have a simultaneous No. 1 album and No. 1 single in the United States Billboard charts – Business as Usual (released on 9 November 1981) and "Down Under" (1981), respectively. With the same works, they achieved the same distinction of a simultaneous No. 1 album and No. 1 single on the Australian, New Zealand and United Kingdom charts. Their second album, Cargo (2 May 1983) was also No. 1 in Australia, No. 2 in New Zealand, No. 3 in the US, and No. 8 in the UK. Their third album, Two Hearts (3 April 1985), reached the top 20 in Australia and top 50 in the US. At the Grammy Awards of 1983 they won the Best New Artist category; while at the ARIA Music Awards of 1994 they were inducted into the related Hall of Fame. Men at Work have sold over 30 million albums worldwide. The group disbanded in 1986 and reformed in 1996 to disband again by 2002.

It's tempting to include Men at Work in the "one-hit wonder" category. Yes, the group did indeed have more than one hit, but since its flame burned so intensely and quickly, it seems like the group was "there and gone" in the blink of an eye. Regardless, Colin Hay and company penned some of the biggest pop hits of the early '80s, all of which are showcased on the German import double-disc set Definitive Collection. The initial printing of the set came with a second disc, which was comprised of tracks not included on the first (sorry folks, no rarities here). And this is where the set's problem lies. Men at Work only issued three albums during the '80s -- 1982's Business As Usual, 1983's Cargo, and 1985's Two Hearts -- before riding off into the sunset. So you get a total of 25 tracks on the two discs of this collection, with only six on the second disc. Now, CDs can hold much more than just a mere six tracks, and if they expanded this by just five tracks or so, all three of these albums could have fit nicely over two discs -- with plenty of space to spare. Hence, you do get the largest Men at Work collection out there, but one that could have really saved the buyer some bucks. Regardless, such early MTV favorites as "Who Can It Be Now?," "Down Under," "Be Good Johnny," "Overkill," "Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive," and "It's a Mistake" are as tuneful and enjoyable as ever (remember the good old days when bands actually wrote their own songs and didn't have to resort to outside writers?). And by listening to Definitive Collection, you even may pick up on a major flaw that the band committed career-wise. There were several other potential hit singles on Business As Usual ("People Just Love to Play With Words," "Underground," and especially the gorgeous "Down By the Sea"), but instead of milking the album completely, they opted to issue the not-as-strong Cargo, while the debut was still doing hefty business on the charts.

~ Greg Prato, All Music

Track List:

01. Down Under (Album Version) [03:42]
02. Who Can It Be Now? [03:22]
03. I Can See It In Your Eyes (Album Version) [03:30]
04. Down By The Sea (Album Version) [06:51]
05. Be Good Johnny (Album Version) [03:36]
06. People Just Love To Play With Words (Album Version) [03:30]
07. Underground (Album Version) [03:04]
08. Touching The Untouchables (Album Version) [03:40]
09. Catch A Star (Album Version) [03:30]
10. Overkill (Album Version) [03:46]
11. It's A Mistake (Album Version) [04:33]
12. Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive (Album Version) [04:36]
13. Upstairs In My House (Album Version) [04:00]
14. No Sign Of Yesterday (Album Version) [06:06]
15. Blue For You (Album Version) [03:55]
16. Everything I Need [03:36]
17. Man With Two Hearts [03:55]
18. Children Of Parade [03:37]
19. Snakes And Ladders [03:19]

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