Men At work
Who can it be now
Men At work
Source: allmusic.com
True
ColoursColin Hay (lead vocals, guitar), a native of Scotland who
moved to Australia at the age of 14, formed Men at Work as an
acoustic duo with Ron Strykert (guitar, vocals) in Melbourne in 1979.
Within a few months, the duo had expanded to a full group with the
addition of John Rees (bass), Greg Ham (saxophone, flute, keyboards),
and Jerry Speiser (drums). Over the next two years, the band became
regulars at the Cricketer's Arms Hotel bar and on Australia's pub
circuit, eventually becoming the highest-paid unsigned band in
the
country. By 1981, they had landed a contract with Australian
Columbia, which released "Who Can It Be Now?" by the end of
the year. The single became a huge hit, as did their debut album,
Business as Usual, upon its spring 1982 release. Featuring
contributions by
Hay, Strykert, and Ham, Business as Usual spent ten
weeks at the top of the Australian charts, beating a record held by
Split Enz's True Colours. The album was released in America in the
summer, and within a few weeks "Who Can It Be Now?" began
its climb to
the top of the U.S. charts. In November, Business as
Usual hit the top of the charts, where it would stay for 15 weeks.
"Down Under" became the group's second American number one
early in 1983, and it became the band's first British hit single; the
song reached number one
in both countries simultaneously. In
February, the band was named the Best New Artist of 1982 at the
Grammys.
Looking
for JackMen at Work's second album, Cargo, had been recorded
during the summer of 1982, but its release was delayed because of the
remarkable success of the debut. Largely written by Hay, Cargo
reached number three in the U.S. and generated the
Top Ten singles
"Overkill" and "It's a Mistake." Following an
extensive tour, during which the group co-headlined the U.S. Festival
with the Clash and the Stray Cats, Men at Work took an
extended break in 1984, which caused Speiser and Rees to leave the
band. They were
replaced by session musicians for the group's third
album, 1985's Two Hearts. Though the record went gold in the U.S., it
was a considerable commercial disappointment, failing to generate one
Top 40 single. Following the release of Two Hearts, the band broke
up. Out of
the remaining members, Hay was the only one to pursue a
solo career, but neither of his two American solo albums -- Looking
for Jack (1987) and Wayfaring Sons (1990) -- were successes. Hay
continued to release albums in Australia during the '90s; he also
began an
acting carcerare. He and Ham re-formed Men at Work in
1996, recording the live hits collection Brazil on tour in South
America that year; the album (including a newly recorded bonus studio
track) was released in the United States two years later. In
subsequent years,
Hay and Ham along with guest musicians resurrected
the Men at Work name for occasional live appearances. On April
19, 2012, Ham was found dead in his home in Melbourne's Carlton North
suburb; he was 58 years old.
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