Business as Usual (Men at Work album)
Business as Usual | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 9 November 1981 April 1982 (U.S.) | |||
Recorded | March–September 1981 | |||
Studio | Richmond Recorders (Melbourne, Australia)[1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 38:00 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Peter McIan | |||
Men at Work chronology | ||||
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Singles from Business as Usual | ||||
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Business as Usual is the debut studio album by Australian new wave band Men at Work, which was released in November 1981 in Australia, and April 1982 in the United States. It spent nine weeks at the top of the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart from December 1981 through to March 1982. The Australian version had a black and white cover design; overseas releases had a similar design, but in a black and yellow colour scheme. Business as Usual was one of the most successful albums internationally by an Australian group. It spent an unprecedented 15 weeks at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 from late 1982 to early 1983; and five weeks at No. 1 in the United Kingdom Albums Chart in early 1983. Business as Usual was also one of the highest selling Australian albums in the early 1980s, with 6 million copies shipped in the US.
In February 2010, a Federal Court judge in Sydney found that the flute riff from "Down Under" had been plagiarised from the Australian song "Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree", written in 1932 by Marion Sinclair. The Federal Court determined that the copyright was still current (Sinclair died in 1988) and had been assigned to Larrikin Music. The judge found that "a substantial amount of the original song" had been reproduced in "Down Under". Larrikin Music had suggested 60% of the royalties would be appropriate compensation, but the court decreed they shall receive only 5%, and only on mechanical rights for the song since 2002, and on future profits.
In October 2010, Business as Usual was listed in the book 100 Best Australian Albums.[2]
Background
By early 1981, Australian new wave group,
The group had already returned to the studio to continue working with McIan, who produced their debut album, Business as Usual, which included the earlier single.[3][4][5] The second single from the album, "Down Under", was released in November and was a reworked version of the B-side to their debut single, "Keypunch Operator", from the previous year.[3] "Down Under" was co-written by Hay and Strykert,[9] and became the group's first number-one hit in December – which stayed at the top for six weeks.[7][8] The album was released on 9 November 1981, it entered the top 50 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart in December peaking at No. 1 for nine weeks and appearing in the top 50 for 118 weeks.[7][10]
The non-album B-side, the jam-oriented instrumental "Anyone for Tennis", was omitted from the 2003 remaster of Business as Usual (which contained both the other non-album B-sides from this era). It appears only on the B-side to "Who Can it Be Now?".
Reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [11] |
Christgau's Record Guide | B+[12] |
Rolling Stone | [13] |
Australian
Accolades
Countdown Music and Video Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1981[15][16] | Business as Usual | Best Debut Album | Won |
"Who Can It Be Now?" | Best Debut Single | Won | |
Men at Work | Best New Talent | Won | |
1982[16][17] | Men at Work | Most Outstanding Achievement | Won |
Grammy Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1983 |
Men at Work (performer) | Best New Artist[18] | Won |
Brit Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1984 | Men at Work (performer) | Best International Artist[19] | Nominated |
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Who Can It Be Now?" | Colin Hay[6] | 3:21 |
2. | "I Can See It in Your Eyes" | Hay | 3:29 |
3. | "Down Under" | Hay, Ron Strykert[9] | 3:42 |
4. | "Underground" | Hay | 3:03 |
5. | "Helpless Automaton" | Greg Ham | 3:21 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
6. | "People Just Love to Play with Words" | Strykert | 3:29 |
7. | "Be Good Johnny" | Hay, Ham | 3:35 |
8. | "Touching the Untouchables" | Hay, Strykert | 3:39 |
9. | "Catch a Star" | Hay | 3:28 |
10. | "Down by the Sea" | Hay, Strykert, Ham, Jerry Speiser | 6:53 |
Total length: | 38:00 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
11. | "Crazy" | Strykert | 2:37 |
12. | "Underground" (live) | Hay | 3:49 |
13. | "Who Can It Be Now?" (live) | Hay | 3:58 |
14. | "F-19" | Hay, Speiser | 3:52 |
Total length: | 52:16 |
- Notes
- "Crazy" is a B-side of the "Down Under" single in Australia and North America.
- The live versions of "Underground" and "Who Can It Be Now?" were recorded at a concert at Olympia in São Paulo, Brazil on May 6, 1996[20] and are also from the 1998 live album Brazil.
- "F-19" is a B-side of the "Be Good Johnny" single in Australia.
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of the 2003 remaster of Business as Usual.
Musicians
- Colin Hay – guitar (all tracks), lead vocals (tracks 1–4, 6–13)
- Greg Ham – flute, keyboards, saxophone, "fiddly things" (attributed in the liner notes) (all tracks), background vocals (tracks 1–4, 6–10, 12–13), lead vocals (tracks 5, 11)
- Ron Strykert – guitar, background vocals (all tracks)
- John Rees – bass, background vocals
- Jerry Speiser – drums, background vocals
Technical
- Peter McIan – production, engineering
- Jim Barbour – engineering
- Paul Ray – additional engineering
Artwork
- John Dickson – front cover illustration
Singles
- "Who Can It Be Now?" was the first single released from the album. It was released as a single in Australia in June 1981 and in the U.S. in May 1982. It reached #2 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart in August 1981.
- "Down Under" was the second single released from the album. It was released as a single on 2 November 1981. The single peaked at #1 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart for six weeks.
- "Be Good Johnny" was the third single and final single released from the album. It was released in April 1982 and reached #8 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart.
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Decade-end charts
Chart (1980–89) | Position |
---|---|
Australian Albums Chart[citation needed ]
|
9 |
Certifications and sales
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[42] | 4× Platinum | 200,000[43] |
Canada (Music Canada)[44] | 5× Platinum | 500,000^ |
Germany (BVMI)[45] | Gold | 250,000^ |
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[46] | Gold | 10,000* |
Netherlands (NVPI)[47] | Gold | 50,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[48] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
Japan (Oricon Charts) | — | 266,000[25] |
United Kingdom (BPI)[49] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[50] | 6× Platinum | 6,000,000^ |
Yugoslavia | — | 22,513[51] |
Zimbabwe | — | 2,000[52] |
Summaries | ||
Worldwide | — | 10,000,000[53] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ "Men at Work – Business as Usual (1981, Vinyl)". Discogs. 1981.
- ISBN 978-1-74066-955-9.
- ^ a b c d e f g McFarlane, 'Men at Work' entry. Archived from the original on 13 May 2003. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Nimmervoll, Ed. "Men at Work". Howlspace – The Living History of Our Music (Ed Nimmervoll). White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 26 July 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
- ^ a b c Holmgren, Magnus; Warnqvist, Stefan. "Men at Work". passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 24 April 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
- ^ Australasian Performing Right Association(APRA). Retrieved 24 July 2014. Note: User may have to click 'Search again' and provide details at 'Enter a title:' e.g Who Can It Be Now; or at 'Performer:' Men at Work
- ^ ISBN 0-646-11917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) created their own chartsin mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
- ^ a b Ryan (bulion), Gary (16 July 2008). "Chart Positions Pre 1989 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung). Retrieved 24 July 2014.
- ^ a b "'Down Under' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 24 July 2014. Note: User may have to click 'Search again' and provide details at 'Enter a title:' e.g Down Under; or at 'Performer:' Men at Work
- ^ Ryan (bulion), Gary (11 January 2009). "Albums Pre 1989 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung). Retrieved 24 July 2014.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Business as Usual – Men at Work". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ Fricke, David (22 July 1982). "Men at Work: Business As Usual". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ Raffaele, Gerry (25 January 1982). "Rock Music: Perceptive". The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995). National Library of Australia. p. 10. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
- ^ "Countdown Show no.:539 Date: 18/4/1982". Countdown Archives. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
- ^ ISBN 0-207-15108-3.
- ^ "Countdown Date: 19/4/1983". Countdown Archives. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
- ^ "Past Winners Search". grammy.com. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "The BRITs 1984". brits.co.uk. British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- ^ "Men at Work Setlist at Olympia, São Paulo". setlist.fm.
- ^ Library and Archives Canada. Archived 21 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 9 May 2012
- MegaCharts. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original on 28 December 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2012.Note: user must select 'MEN AT WORK' from drop-down
- ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Men At Work".
- ^ ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "norwegiancharts.com Men at Work – Business as Usual" (ASP). Hung Medien. VG-lista. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "swedishcharts.com Men at Work – Business as Usual" (ASP) (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "The Official Charts Company: Men at Work – Business as Usual" (PHP). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "allmusic ((( Business as Usual > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "Album Search: Men at Work – Business as Usual" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 9 May 2012.[dead link]
- ^ "Top 100 Albums '82". RPM. 25 December 1982. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- GfK Entertainment Charts. 1982. Archived from the originalon 19 October 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1983". RPM. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "Les Albums (CD) de 1983 par InfoDisc" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- GfK Entertainment Charts. 1983. Archived from the originalon 5 October 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
- ^ "Japanese Year-End Albums Chart 1983" [1983年アルバム年間ヒットチャート] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
- ^ "Complete UK Year-End Album Charts". Archived from the original on 19 May 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "Top Pop Albums of 1983". billboard.biz. 31 December 1983. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- Cash Box. 7 August 1982. p. 8. Retrieved 5 December 2021 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Baker, Glen A. (28 May 1983). "Australia - Explosive Talent Gains Temper Year of playing Dangerously" (PDF). Billboard. p. A-3. Retrieved 31 October 2020 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Men at Work – Business as Usual". Music Canada. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Men at Work; 'Business as Usual')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
- ^ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1985". IFPI Hong Kong.
- ^ "Dutch album certifications – Men at Work – Business as Usual" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 31 December 2018. Enter Business as Usual in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1990 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
- ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Men at Work – Business as Usual". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- ^ "British album certifications – Men at Work – Business as Usual". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "American album certifications – Men at Work – Business as Usual". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ Hudelist, Darko (1 October 1984). "Rang-lista licencnih izdanja". Yugopapir. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- ^ Darnall, Steve (12 August 2003). "Decision to go solo has paid off for Men at Work's Colin Hay". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
Further reading
- ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the originalon 5 April 2004. Retrieved 22 July 2014. Note: Archived [on-line] copy has limited functionality.
External links
- Business as Usual at Discogs (list of releases)