Bands

Men At Work

Men at Work were an Australian rock band, which 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 and flute and keyboards and then 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 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.

Years Active: 1978-1986, 1996-2002
(occasional reunions until 2012)

Genres: New wave, pop rock, reggae rock.

Members: Colin Hay, Ron Strykert, Jerry Speiser, Greg Sneddon.

Albums: Business as Usual (1981), Cargo (1983), Two Hearts (1985).

Story: Men at Work were one of the more surprising success stories of the new wave era, rocketing out of Australia in 1982 to become the most successful artist of the year. With its Police-styled rhythms, catchy guitar hooks, wailing saxophones, and off-kilter sense of humor, the band's debut album,Business as Usual, became an international blockbuster, breaking the American record for the most weeks a debut spent at the top of the charts. Their funny, irreverent videos became MTV favorites, helping send "Who Can It Be Now?" and "Down Under" to number one. Men at Work's momentum sustained them through their second album, 1983's Cargo, before the bottom fell out of the band's popularity. After releasingTwo Hearts in 1985, Men at Work broke up, becoming one of the better-remembered phenomena of new wave.

Colin 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 withRon 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'sTrue 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.

Men 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, Cargoreached 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 causedSpeiser 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 career. 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 andHam 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.

Songs I recommend you: Upstairs In My Home, No Sign Of Yesterday and Man With Two Hearts.

Curiosities:

Colin Hay was born in the small town of Saltcoats, Scotland. He was the second of three children, having an older brother, Dereck, and a younger sister, Carol. His father, James, is a piano tuner, and his mother, Isabel, is a singer. In 1967, Colin's father, who owned a music store, moved the family from their native Scotland to Australia when Colin was 14.

Their first album, Business As Usual, spent 15 weeks at #1 in the US, which was a record for a debut album. It was eventually knocked off the top spot by Michael Jackson's Thriller.

At the 1983 Grammy Awards, they won for Best New Artist.

Since 1996, the band has played select gigs, but are largely inactive. Colin Hay has released several albums as a solo artist.

The band got its name when performing at the Cricketer's Arms Hotel in Richmond, a small town near Melbourne. Colin and Ron spotted a street sign in the parking lot, denoting caution of a road construction crew.

Before joining Men At Work, Greg Ham was once a school teacher in Melbourne.