Let me clarify something I wrote when I posted about Men At Work's debut album, "Business As Usual." I stated that Men At Work was the closest I got to mainstream music back in the 1980s. That was definitely the case in 1982 however, after refamiliarising myself with their second album, which I find superior to the debut album by the way, and thinking about music in 1983, I have to agree to the premise that this band wasn't really mainstream. Still, they were the closest I got to it.
One reason why the "Cargo" album might be considered mainstream was that it had three successful singles on it. "Dr Heckyll and Mr Jive" was a very fun catchy tune and I love the paranoid feeling that "Overkill" provides. I've had days when I feel exactly like that. However, my favourite all time Men At Work song is the single "It's a Mistake." Its release couldn't have come at a better time for me. Call it kharma or deja vu but hearing a good anti war song right after coming out of the marines was unbelievable. The video of the song provided the proper punchline. Even without all that, I still would have found it a good song.
[caption id="attachment_3231" align="aligncenter" width="259"]
From the Men At Work video: It's A Mistake[/caption]
Call "Cargo" what you will, post punk, new wave or even mainstream, none of it stops this album from being a good, fun album. There also elements of reggae in it as well, I site "Settle Down My Boy" and "Blue For You" as evidence, so in my mind, all of those combinations make it anything but mainstream. I sort of like it when people aren't able pigeon hole certain bands. With "Cargo" there is something for everyone to like. Hell, I even noticed a bit of a hard rock-ish sound on "High Wire." What's more, Men At Work incorporate a brilliant sense of humour on their songs, something I always like. That's expecially the case with "I Like To." Therefore, my conclusion is while "Cargo" by Men At Work may not be the hard pounding metal album I was liking more and more in those days, it was still a very enjoyable album.
Track Listing:
- Dr Heckyll and Mr Jive
- Overkill
- Settle Down My Boy
- Upstairs in My Room
- No Sign of Yesterday
- It's a Mistake
- High Wire
- Blue For You
- I Like To
- No Restrictions
Men At Work[/caption]
Greg Ham- flute, keyboards, saxophone, vocals
Colin Hay- guitar, vocals
John Rees- bass, backing vocals
Jerry Speiser- drums, backing vocals
Ron Strykert- guitar, vocals
Men At Work might have been the closest I ever got to mainstream music back in the 1980s but they certainly weren't mainstream. Good musicianship, fun and catchy music and lyrics and a sense of humour was why I liked the "Cargo" album.
Next post: Night Ranger- Midnight Madness
To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsw@hotmail.com
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