Customer Reviews

Essential Men at Work

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"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.

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.

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.

This isn't the first oldies compilation from these men from down under. If you already have "Contraband", then this may not be so essential. All but five of the tracks from that album have been retained for this latest addition in the "Essential" series (and on one CD this time, not two).The liner notes tell us to flashback to 1982, when MTV was new,"Dallas" was on TV,and "E.T." wanted to phone home. The listener is reminded of their impact on the music and video world and how that impact is still felt today, despite the fact they only recorded three albums. There are no live or unnecessary tracks here. If you don't have any albums from this band yet, this is the place to start, hands down.

The audio on this disc is derived from the 2003 individual album remasters. It superceeds all the other "best of's" available, including "Contraband", which was produced 7 years earlier to this collection.

But, unfortunately, "Essential" is now out-of-print in the U.S. However, it appears to be available from (gee, what a surprise) Australia.

I was so excited to see them up close at my local music store Music Millennium. Got to shake their hands and of course buy their album.
Gosh was that way back in 82 ?
I just love Colin's voice !
Highly recommended if you have never heard them.

Men at Work seriously took the world by storm in the 1980's with that amazing, offbeat reggae-influenced funky 80's pop, in the tradition of other such fantastic bands as The Police and Toto.
Those were the days...
This compilation really brings them back...inclkudes the Australian unofficial pop anthem, Down Under, the colourful Who Can It Be Now?, the energetic Be Good Johnny and the offbeat Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive.

This is a real tribute to the very best of 80's pop.

i belive men at work is still there and are still playing out there somewhere. at least colin hay from what i hear and i love his voice. it is mesurmizing, soft, and he has that sound that i still love to hear everyday. you have your 80's music that people still listen to and think are the bomb. i loved the 80's and still and always will and i hope colin hay will keep singing till he can't no more. from what i hear greg hamm is still with him also so keep it up guys you still have a strong fan here

The hits are here of course, but whoever put this together deserves especial commendation for selecting "Blue For You", "Man With Two Hearts", and "Still Life" from among the non-hits.

As for the hits: You'll remember fondly "Down Under", "Who Can It Be Now", and probably "I Can See It In Your Eyes", but you may not remember "Overkill" by its title. You may have forgotten how much you've missed it. "It's a Mistake" is nice. "Be Good Johnny" is entertaining. I advise you to skip over "Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive". "Everything I Need" from the third album but did not actually become a hit. Its music is catchy, but its lyric is a bit drab.

The songs I've not mentioned are NOT essential or particularly good, but that isn't the fault of this compilation--the pickings were fairly slim.

The liner notes, by the way, are obnoxious.

Riddle me this: how can you justify a greatest hits collection from a group that released only three albums? Like any typical one-hit-wonder, Men at Work peaked way too quickly in the 1980s, only to suffer a STEEP decline in sales after their second album. "Who Can it Be Now" and "It's a Mistake" were okay when they first came out, but now they sound dated. Kylie has lasted way longer than Men at Work and is still coming up with hit after hit. She is the best singer Australia has to offer, and you should get any of her albums instead.