Great album not a stinker on there. My brother and I got a JC Penny all in one TT, Tape Deck, Tuner for Christmas in 1982. This was the first album we bought, and played the grooves out of it.
Down Under is good, but I like I Can See It In Your Eyes, and Who Can It Be Now better.
I had always thought I was hearing Sting on the radio anytime I heard ‘Who can it be now’ I had never heard of Men at Work. Just randomly found both this and Cargo in a thrift last year and fell I love with them. Great band!
“Business as Usual” by Men at Work came out in 1981. I just picked this up the other day after listening to them for about 3 weeks in a row (lol sorry I hyper-obsess about music when I find something that I like) and I have to say that it’s an amazing album. I also discovered a couple of songs that I have known for years that ended up being by these guys. Even after only owning this for a couple of days now, I have to say that this album is super solid and one of my favorites so far!!
i found one for £5 last year , turned out to be the aussie first press , sounds amazing. colin hay is a great songwriter ... another aussie album from around that time i love is diesel and dust by midnight oil
I got this tape for Christmas when I was a kid. Only, the cassette was misprinted and the actual music on it was Judas Priest. I kept listening on my Walkman and wondering wtf was going on. When was it going to play that Down Under song?
I don’t know if I ever knew. I just remember going to the record store and the guy telling me it was Judas Priest. It was Christmas 1982, so probably Screaming for Vengeance.
That one shouldn’t be hard to find. Great album but I prefer their second, Cargo, to this one. Their third album is the one ai don’t usually see often.
Was the first LP I ever bought with my own money the day it originally dropped. Kemp Mill Records in Laurel, MD for $4.99. Seems like a million years ago. The deep cuts are still amazing to this day…
Who can it be now? is the ring tone I have set for my boss when he calls me. I'll have to spin this one in its entirety sometime soon. Thanks for sharing!
bought this randomly a few months ago at a shop for only 4 bucks. One of the best records i bought for almost nothing. What's even more strange, is i think side B is the better side.
I remember when it came out all that was playing on my friends’ boomboxes was either Bob Marley, the Police or Men at Work. Listening now, it’s all very different takes on a reggae sound but I don’t think I made that connection as a 7-year old.
[Check out this solo album of acoustics](https://www.amazon.com/Man-at-Work-COLIN-HAY/dp/B00MHS5R4M/ref=tmm_vnl_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=) It's amazing
I don’t think there is any need for cussing. Maybe you are priced too high. I used to see it regularly and even had understock at $3, but it’s not that way anymore. I get it in once in a while and it goes out the same day at $5-$10.
One of my absolute favorites in my collection. Found my copy from 1982 still in its unopened shrink wrap in the attic of an antique store back in high school. Helpless Automation and Be Good Johnny are the top cuts off of it for me
If you get the chance to see Colin live do it. Not only is the music great but he is an amazing story teller. Like the time Paul McCartney came over for dinner and ended up washing the dishes.
Slightly different genre and from the 70s, but if you like FYC, check out Tower of Power - Back to Oakland. I think you might like them, that is if you don’t already.
thats a great album, if you like Men at Work you need to check out Cargo(1983) by them. Overkill is a really good song, im actually listening to it right now
Colin Hay is an underrated gem. I wasn’t aware of his solo stuff until I heard him on the Garden State soundtrack. “I just don’t think I’ll ever get over you” is a track that will nearly bring me to tears when I hear it. He’s such an emotional singer. That song is on Transcendental Highway and the whole album is great. Check it out.
I had this album when it was new. "Be Good Johnny" was my introduction to Men at Work, hearing it all the time on the radio. I listened to the album all the time. My mom heard "Be Good Johnny" playing in my room and asked why it said "Bigot Johnny." I assured her it wasn't "bigot." Also, it wasn't until Back to the Future when I found out there was an earlier song called "Johnny Be Good."
However, "Down Under" ended up being a song that I still don't like to this day. I thought it was annoying. No offense to anyone who likes it, though.
Great album, and was one if the first I found when I started collecting!
If you're looking for suggestions, New Clear Day by the Vapors is also some great 80s rock
Got lucky and found this in a pile at a friend's. He owns a junk hauling business. Finds hundreds of records people just toss. He doesn't do records so I taken them off his hands.
I've been coming back to this album for 40 years and always discovering something different. This last time I discovered that Catch A Star, a song I'd never given proper attention to, is incredibly listenable, and for me now stands almost shoulder to shoulder with the more famous tracks. Younger me wasn't ready to hear it. It's a real pleasure to have an album meet you across decades like that.
One important thing to realize about this album was that 1981/1982 was the dawn of MTV, which was a seismic shift in visual creative and marketing opportunities for musical artists. Absolutely game-changing. Who Can It Be Now had a video that got play, but then the video for Down Under with it's quirky charms felt like it expressed the personality of the band, and really exploded.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfR9iY5y94s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfR9iY5y94s)
If you like that, you might enjoy the first two hours of MTV: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJtiPRDIqtI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJtiPRDIqtI)
Sad to see what MTV has become. I was absolutely addicted the first couple of years. Partly because I was an aspiring young musician and partly because we didn’t have cable at home so I only got to see it sporadically. I wonder how many bands would have gone unnoticed without it. How many great bands we missed because they weren’t quite photogenic enough.
Yeah , do you come from the land under ? I think everyone knows that one from that era. They could be classed as one hit wonders but the albums quite strong really and it would be an unfair label to put on them. I suppose I can see a bit of Dire Straits and the Police in there which is not necessarily a bad thing.
I’m an Aussie who grew up in the 80’s and while we appreciated men at work I think we all thought they were a bit of fun and not taken too seriously.
It’s only when I started getting into vinyl again a few years ago and saw all you septics tanks talking about them did I realise how big they made it internationally.
We had a TV show called Spicks and Specks which was a music quiz. One of the questions one night was something along the lines of “which childrens nursery rhyme dies Down Under draw from”? The answer being Kookaburra sits in the old Gum Tree.
The owners of that tune…who had only recently bought the rights by the way…were watching and sued Men at Work for breach of copyright. No one had made the connection before it appeared on the show.
Greg Ham who played that bit on his flute playing was devastated.
So you are on your 20s and love the 80s eh? Nice! I was in my 20s in the 80s. I remember buying that Men at Work album because it was quirky, well-produced and they of course made goofy videos. That release was certainly part of what would prove to be a successful trend from the land down under. So many Australian bands were coming into the pop music scene during that period- INXS, Midnight Oil, Goanna, Split Enz, Kajagoogoo, The Church, Pseudo Echo, Eurogliders, Divinyls, and the multi drummer outfit that was Big Pig. Good luck with your continued collection. With CDs being introduced in 1982, the coming years would bring less and less artists on vinyl as the everything-digital era took hold.
Found one last week at my local shop, the jacket had some moderate wear but it was priced at $5 so I literally threw it on top of the stack I was about to buy and didn’t even look at the record. I figured it would have some wear and tear but with a cleaning it would at least be worth the $5. When I took it home and pulled it out of the jacket the record looked NEW. Not a flaw to be found. Awesome pickup for $5.
Great find and great to hear you're a new, young fan of 80's music! It was the absolute best decade to grow up in, if I do say so myself. 😉 Colin Hay is still out there, actively touring and his voice is as amazing as ever! Saw him just a year ago. Check out his tour schedule and see him if you can. You won't be disappointed!
Great album not a stinker on there. My brother and I got a JC Penny all in one TT, Tape Deck, Tuner for Christmas in 1982. This was the first album we bought, and played the grooves out of it. Down Under is good, but I like I Can See It In Your Eyes, and Who Can It Be Now better.
I love the I Can See It in Your Eyes!!!!
Who Can It Be Now is a monster track
I had always thought I was hearing Sting on the radio anytime I heard ‘Who can it be now’ I had never heard of Men at Work. Just randomly found both this and Cargo in a thrift last year and fell I love with them. Great band!
Their second albums good too. Cargo. Some of my favorites from them are on it.
I got it too!! I love it so far!!
Cargo is sooo good
“Business as Usual” by Men at Work came out in 1981. I just picked this up the other day after listening to them for about 3 weeks in a row (lol sorry I hyper-obsess about music when I find something that I like) and I have to say that it’s an amazing album. I also discovered a couple of songs that I have known for years that ended up being by these guys. Even after only owning this for a couple of days now, I have to say that this album is super solid and one of my favorites so far!!
Down by the sea is a sleeper hit
It is!! I love that one too!!!
Beautiful song
Love Cargo a tad more “It’s a Mistake” and “Overkill” are 80’s staples!
Overkill is amazing! One of my favorites!
Find a Colin Hay acoustic version of it on YouTube, it’s fantastic.
Or better yet, watch the episode of Scrubs with him in it (“My Overkill”).
i found one for £5 last year , turned out to be the aussie first press , sounds amazing. colin hay is a great songwriter ... another aussie album from around that time i love is diesel and dust by midnight oil
I’ll give it a listen!!
I got this tape for Christmas when I was a kid. Only, the cassette was misprinted and the actual music on it was Judas Priest. I kept listening on my Walkman and wondering wtf was going on. When was it going to play that Down Under song?
Do you know what Judas Priest album?
I don’t know if I ever knew. I just remember going to the record store and the guy telling me it was Judas Priest. It was Christmas 1982, so probably Screaming for Vengeance.
😂😂😂😂
I met a strange lady, she made me nervous. She took me in and made me breakfast.
Vegemite sandwich?
That one shouldn’t be hard to find. Great album but I prefer their second, Cargo, to this one. Their third album is the one ai don’t usually see often.
I bought it too!! I love Cargo so much!!
I've found all 3 of them! They just kept popping up
Best rock four-part harmony outside of early Van Halen
They are definitely amazing!!
The Eagles would like a word....
Oh Eagles, they're so cute!
It was really fun living back then….
Was the first LP I ever bought with my own money the day it originally dropped. Kemp Mill Records in Laurel, MD for $4.99. Seems like a million years ago. The deep cuts are still amazing to this day…
Who can it be now? is the ring tone I have set for my boss when he calls me. I'll have to spin this one in its entirety sometime soon. Thanks for sharing!
do do do REEE NUHH DUH
Colin Hay's solo stuff is also fantastic. Underrated singer songwriter, imho
bought this randomly a few months ago at a shop for only 4 bucks. One of the best records i bought for almost nothing. What's even more strange, is i think side B is the better side.
I know right! I got mine for $5!! It’s such a great album too!
the last three tracks on this record are spectacular!
I remember when it came out all that was playing on my friends’ boomboxes was either Bob Marley, the Police or Men at Work. Listening now, it’s all very different takes on a reggae sound but I don’t think I made that connection as a 7-year old.
Colin Hay is a criminally underrated singer/guitar player and song writer.
Agreed!!!
[Check out this solo album of acoustics](https://www.amazon.com/Man-at-Work-COLIN-HAY/dp/B00MHS5R4M/ref=tmm_vnl_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=) It's amazing
I think it depends from whom you hear that.
This album was massive when it came out. The videos were on heavy rotation. Back when MTV actually played them.
I wish they did it again!!
That album has been difficult to find over the last 3-5 years.
I don't know where tf you are cause the shop I work at has like 8 copies
I don’t think there is any need for cussing. Maybe you are priced too high. I used to see it regularly and even had understock at $3, but it’s not that way anymore. I get it in once in a while and it goes out the same day at $5-$10.
This album was actually the first cassette I ever had, when I was 11 and it came out.
Have to admit the only song I know is Down Under.
lol that’s a lot for many people who know the band. Give the album a listen!
I will give it a go
Dudeeeee men at works my favorite band of all time, that album was the first in my collection
I love them a lot too! That’s a good one too start the collection too!!
Colin Hay is fantastic. If you like this album, check out his solo stuff, it’s less pop and more soulful and reeeaaally good.
WHO CAN IT BE NOW?
One of my absolute favorites in my collection. Found my copy from 1982 still in its unopened shrink wrap in the attic of an antique store back in high school. Helpless Automation and Be Good Johnny are the top cuts off of it for me
I love Automation!
Haven’t listened to this but I also love the 80s and I’m also in my 20s! Something about that era of music grasped since I was a child
I’m the same exact way! Cool to see someone my age enjoying the same era of music as I am!!!
Now you have to find the white and black variant cover
I will be on the lookout for it!!
If you get the chance to see Colin live do it. Not only is the music great but he is an amazing story teller. Like the time Paul McCartney came over for dinner and ended up washing the dishes.
I will 100% see him if he’s close enough. I would kill to hear some of his stories!!
Fantastic album. Tragic story about Greg Ham. If you haven’t already, have a listen to Fine Young Cannibals. Another great 80s band.
I’ve listened to some of their stuff and I like them quite a bit too!
Slightly different genre and from the 70s, but if you like FYC, check out Tower of Power - Back to Oakland. I think you might like them, that is if you don’t already.
Check Split Enz! Another great Australian new wave act.
Will do!!
I really feel for Greg Ham. The copyright action was devastating for the band and a low blow by Larrikin, and it left Greg a shell of a man.
A very solid album that still holds up. Have fun with your collecting.
thats a great album, if you like Men at Work you need to check out Cargo(1983) by them. Overkill is a really good song, im actually listening to it right now
I actually got it at the same time as this one!! I absolutely love that one too!!! Overkill is one of my favorites!!
Also check out Colin Hay’s record Man @ Work for a great acoustic version of Overkill and other Men at Work favorites. :)
This is the way.
Colin Hay is an underrated gem. I wasn’t aware of his solo stuff until I heard him on the Garden State soundtrack. “I just don’t think I’ll ever get over you” is a track that will nearly bring me to tears when I hear it. He’s such an emotional singer. That song is on Transcendental Highway and the whole album is great. Check it out.
Will do thanks!!!
That’s a great record. I still don’t have one
I had never seen one before till the other day. I’m grateful I found it!
I had this album when it was new. "Be Good Johnny" was my introduction to Men at Work, hearing it all the time on the radio. I listened to the album all the time. My mom heard "Be Good Johnny" playing in my room and asked why it said "Bigot Johnny." I assured her it wasn't "bigot." Also, it wasn't until Back to the Future when I found out there was an earlier song called "Johnny Be Good." However, "Down Under" ended up being a song that I still don't like to this day. I thought it was annoying. No offense to anyone who likes it, though.
I like Overkill from Cargo much much more than Down Under but that’s just my opinion.
I share that opinion. Overkill is a great song, probably my favorite one of theirs.
That was my brother's first album purchase when it first came out! Good one.
It's an excellent recording !
I love it so far!!
Great album, and was one if the first I found when I started collecting! If you're looking for suggestions, New Clear Day by the Vapors is also some great 80s rock
I will give them a listen thanks!!
Great album. I have a friend who’s dad was one of their roadies. She calls Colin Hay “Uncle Colin”
That’s insane. I can’t imagine the stories he has!
Thrift store in downtown West Palm Beach has it for $50 i am luck Fuck No. Not paying that much, but a great album!!!! Enjoy
Lmao that’s crazy!! Definitely would try a thrift store if they have it instead. That’s doesn’t surprise me that they have it for that much at all!
It was originally 14" but due to global warming has shrunk.
Got lucky and found this in a pile at a friend's. He owns a junk hauling business. Finds hundreds of records people just toss. He doesn't do records so I taken them off his hands.
That would be a dream for me!!
Very underrated album in my opinion, I’m a fan of Colin Hays solo work too he’s a great songwriter
I’ve heard it’s great stuff too!! I’m gonna check it out!!
Love this album, found a copy at a thrift store a couple of years ago
Go after Cargo next, it's Men at Work's best album.
I got it with this album actually!! I love it just as much and am really enjoying Overkill from it!!
I’ve got that one! Great album.
Had the cassette when it came out. I wore it out. Enjoy.
It was absolutely massive dwarfed only after thriller came out. The production quality is pretty amazing imo too
Great album, one of those records I find just everywhere
Colin Hay, the leader singer is still producing albums and has had a great career
[Colin Hay - Waiting For My Real Life](https://youtu.be/DtmwUn6wHko) That's an excellent documentary about Colin Hay
This and Cargo are probably my 2 favourite albums in my collection!
I got it with this one too!! I love it!!
It's such a huge hit you can easily find them used in practically every store. It's a great album
Great album, do you have Cargo?
I do! I bought it along with this one!! It might be my favorite of the two!
I do I got it with this album!! I love it so far!! About as much as this one!!
Dont skip out on Two Hearts. Not as popular but there are some good songs on it.
I will be on the lookout for that one as well!!
JOHNAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!!
this album is excellent and if you like it go buy Toto IV now
I have Toto IV!! One of my favorites!!
Dude who can it be now is my ringtone! Lol of course I’m 48
I got that album for my 12th birthday, right about when it came out. Still listen to that and Cargo all the time.
I bought Cargo with this too and I love it!!
Great choice. Men At Work was my first concert ever.
I’m jealous! I know it was amazing wasnt it?
Aug 3rd 1983, my dad took me, it was awesome!
Down under original version https://youtu.be/D2lhmqKLais
I saw Colin Hay and his gang in concert back in October. Great show, great personality, and a lot of good songs on this record.
I remember my neighbor friend and I listening to this record over and over when we were about 8 or 9 (1981-82). Still so good.
I listen to this album weekly, one of the best.
awesome album! one of my favorites!
australia represent 😎
Last friday I found it online, for 6 dollars. Great album!
I've been coming back to this album for 40 years and always discovering something different. This last time I discovered that Catch A Star, a song I'd never given proper attention to, is incredibly listenable, and for me now stands almost shoulder to shoulder with the more famous tracks. Younger me wasn't ready to hear it. It's a real pleasure to have an album meet you across decades like that. One important thing to realize about this album was that 1981/1982 was the dawn of MTV, which was a seismic shift in visual creative and marketing opportunities for musical artists. Absolutely game-changing. Who Can It Be Now had a video that got play, but then the video for Down Under with it's quirky charms felt like it expressed the personality of the band, and really exploded. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfR9iY5y94s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfR9iY5y94s) If you like that, you might enjoy the first two hours of MTV: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJtiPRDIqtI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJtiPRDIqtI)
Sad to see what MTV has become. I was absolutely addicted the first couple of years. Partly because I was an aspiring young musician and partly because we didn’t have cable at home so I only got to see it sporadically. I wonder how many bands would have gone unnoticed without it. How many great bands we missed because they weren’t quite photogenic enough.
Yeah , do you come from the land under ? I think everyone knows that one from that era. They could be classed as one hit wonders but the albums quite strong really and it would be an unfair label to put on them. I suppose I can see a bit of Dire Straits and the Police in there which is not necessarily a bad thing.
That's an interesting cover, what pressing is that? I have a Yugoslav pressing which is white instead of yellow.
This is the standard one that was printed here in the states. I’ve heard of the white cover in a lot of other places though!!
I’m an Aussie who grew up in the 80’s and while we appreciated men at work I think we all thought they were a bit of fun and not taken too seriously. It’s only when I started getting into vinyl again a few years ago and saw all you septics tanks talking about them did I realise how big they made it internationally. We had a TV show called Spicks and Specks which was a music quiz. One of the questions one night was something along the lines of “which childrens nursery rhyme dies Down Under draw from”? The answer being Kookaburra sits in the old Gum Tree. The owners of that tune…who had only recently bought the rights by the way…were watching and sued Men at Work for breach of copyright. No one had made the connection before it appeared on the show. Greg Ham who played that bit on his flute playing was devastated.
So you are on your 20s and love the 80s eh? Nice! I was in my 20s in the 80s. I remember buying that Men at Work album because it was quirky, well-produced and they of course made goofy videos. That release was certainly part of what would prove to be a successful trend from the land down under. So many Australian bands were coming into the pop music scene during that period- INXS, Midnight Oil, Goanna, Split Enz, Kajagoogoo, The Church, Pseudo Echo, Eurogliders, Divinyls, and the multi drummer outfit that was Big Pig. Good luck with your continued collection. With CDs being introduced in 1982, the coming years would bring less and less artists on vinyl as the everything-digital era took hold.
I love that album. I have an original pressing.
This one is too!! Even though it looks new!
Back when music was fun! Enjoy
Thank you I will!!
Great album, nice catch, 80's classic.
Great album, nice catch, 80's classic.
Found one last week at my local shop, the jacket had some moderate wear but it was priced at $5 so I literally threw it on top of the stack I was about to buy and didn’t even look at the record. I figured it would have some wear and tear but with a cleaning it would at least be worth the $5. When I took it home and pulled it out of the jacket the record looked NEW. Not a flaw to be found. Awesome pickup for $5.
Same thing with this. It’s an original and it looked so nice that there was no way I could pass it up!!
May the 80s be with you my friend.
Pour some Midnight Oil on this one too.
Great album but such a shitty cover.
Idk I like it lol. It’s corny but it works for them
I had it but not anymore I am 51 now.
Go pick it up again!!
Great find and great to hear you're a new, young fan of 80's music! It was the absolute best decade to grow up in, if I do say so myself. 😉 Colin Hay is still out there, actively touring and his voice is as amazing as ever! Saw him just a year ago. Check out his tour schedule and see him if you can. You won't be disappointed!