Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Contraband" is still better., June 30, 2003
"Men at Work" was my first favorite band, and I still enjoy them 20 years later. After the successful "Business as Usual" album, and almost as good "Cargo", the put out "Two Hearts", which in short bombed. Now they have out more collections than albums. This "Essential" cd is quite good, and the casual fan will enjoy, but "Contraband" is still better. Why? First of all it has 16, not 14 tracks, and it also has all the BIG hits that this does. What really makes it the "Best" besides two extra songs, is a live "I Like to", and especially the fact that it ends with "Down by the Sea". That non-hit, might be the best of the non-hits, and an excellent way to end the disc. So whether you choose the "Essential" collection, or "Contraband", it's a mistake to not have one of them, but both would be overkill.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Compilation, February 20, 2004
This band must have the record for ratio of compilation albums to actual studio albums. This is the 12th, yes 12th, "greatest hits" albums produced by/for the Men: Essential Men At Work (2003) [US]
Down Under (2001) [German]
Super Hits (2000) [US]
Brazil (1998) Live Concert
Simply The Best (1998) [UK]
It's A Mistake (1997) [German]
Music Time (1997) [Italy]
Definitive Collection (1997) [German] *** The Best ***
Contraband (1996) [Worldwide]
Puttin' In Overtime (1995) [US]
And Friends (1995) [Holland]
The Works (1992) [Australia]
'81-'85 (1989) [Various Countries]
Two Hearts (1985) Studio Album
Live In SF (1984) DVD/VHS concert
Cargo (1983) Studio Album
Business As Usual (1981) Studio Album What's nice about this one is the remastering. CBS did a good job when the remastered Business As Usual and Cargo, and included some added track time. It's A Mistake contains the full track time deleted from the original release. Overall this collection contains mostly hits and very little album tracks. If you're looking for one good "Greatest Hits", this would make a great one.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
All of the essentials and then some!, June 9, 2003
Men At Work had six Top 100 hits - "Who Can It Be Now?", "Down Under", "Overkill", "It's A Mistake", "Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive", and "Everything I Need". They also had two semi-hits that received significant airplay - "High Wire" and "Be Good Johnny". This new collection is the only domestically-released MAW compilation so far to include all eight of these songs, along with great oft-overlooked tunes like the Latin-tinged "Maria", "Underground", "I Can See It In Your Eyes", and the reggae-ish "Blue For You". This is truly the only MAW compilation anyone will ever need.The liner notes, like the marketing during their heyday, try to pigeonhole Men At Work as a New Wave band, but there's little comparison to other bands of the era like Modern English, Missing Persons, Kajagoogoo, etc., other than the requisite quirkiness/geekiness that defined their image. Musically, Men At Work was a great pop-rock band, period. Listening to these great tunes, it's amazing that Colin Hay didn't go on to become a major solo performer or at least an accomplished songwriter following Men At Work's run at stardom.
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