business as usual

When this local Aussie favorite first released their debut album, their label refused to release it in the States. Men at Work had built a loyal following in Australia; but Columbia Records didn't think that their success in their home country would translate to American audiences, despite the fact that it was produced by American Peter McIan. 'Business As Usual' quickly hit number one in Australia; but it took six months for it to be released in the UK and the US.

Colin Hay remembers: "It really happened in lots of places before America. America was the last place to pick up on the band. It was actually about a year after the record was successful in other parts of the world that the American record company released it. They certainly weren't looking to Australia for guidance as to what was going to happen in America. It was only really after it started to sell records in different parts of the world and people started playing it in America, that the record company decided that they could make it work and released it. But, I don't really know about things like that, what would've happened if that hadn't happened, what would've happened then. I don't really tend to think much of that, because I actually go on what did happen. But we were very confident because we could feel it right from day one when we could play in front of people. People liked what we did. It was very simple, we had a very simple approach."

'Business as Usual' was a worldwide smash, selling over fifteen million copies and topping album charts in Australia, New Zealand, Norway, the UK, and the US. It took a Juno Award in Canada for "International LP of the Year." Men at Work eventually won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1983.





https://myspace.com/menatwork

http://www.colinhay.com/

The paranoid pop perfection of 'Who Can It Be Now?' became a worldwide smash hit, going to number two in August of 1981 and number one in the US in October of 1982.  






The cheeky celebration of their homeland 'Down Under' became a sensation around the world and has been embraced as an anthem by the people of Australia.  It went to number one in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland, the UK, and the US.  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfR9iY5y94s

The escapist daydream of 'Be Good, Johnny' was a cheeky reference to 'Johnny B. Goode'. It wasn't released as a single in the US; but it made it to number three the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It also made it to number eight in Australia and number three in New Zealand.

'Business as Usual' 
full album 



Side one
1. "Who Can It Be Now?"   Colin Hay 3:25
2. "I Can See It in Your Eyes"   Hay 3:32
3. "Down Under"   Hay, Ron Strykert 3:45
4. "Underground"   Hay 3:07
5. "Helpless Automaton"   Greg Ham 3:23
Side two
6. "People Just Love to Play with Words"   Strykert 3:33
7. "Be Good Johnny"   Hay, Ham 3:39
8. "Touching the Untouchables"   Hay, Strykert 3:41
9. "Catch a Star"   Hay 3:31
10. "Down by the Sea"   Hay, Strykert, Ham, Jerry Speiser 6:53