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Before the Australian band Men At Work could celebrate great success around the globe in the early eighties, it took a while. The group had already been active for several years and had gained a steadily growing fan base in their home country as a frequently booked live band, but what was missing was a record deal. Things changed abruptly when the musicians were signed by Columbia Australia in 1981 and achieved a national breakthrough with their very first single. "Who Can It Be Now?" gave the band their first big hit and number one in the Australian charts.
With the quickly following debut album "Business As Usual" and the second single "Down Under", the band achieved a unique feat: Men At Work became the first Australian band to reach number one in the domestic single and album charts at the same time. But that's not all: the catchy melodies and danceable grooves with pulsating guitar hooks and brass accents as well as the unconventional humor of the quintet around singer Colin Hay are also well received beyond the fifth continent: "Down Under" and "Who Can It Be Now?" become huge hits worldwide. Down Under" in particular is probably one of the best-known songs of the 1980s and is regarded as "Australia's secret anthem". Based on the success of the two singles, "Business As Usual" also becomes an international million-seller and sets another record: In the USA, the first album by the Australian shooting stars stays at the top of the Billboard charts for 15 weeks, making it the most successful debut album of all time in this respect.
1. Who Can It Be Now?
2. I Can See It In Your Eyes
3. Down Under
4. Underground
5. Helpless Automation
6. People Just Love to Play With Words
7. Be Good Johnny
8. Touching the Untouchable
9. Catch a Star
10. Down By the Sea