Helped immeasurably by the heavy rotation with which its clever videos were greeted by the then brand-new MTV network, the Australian group Men at Work were one of the biggest--and least anticipated--success stories of 1982. On the strength of two No. 1 singles, the sax-driven "Who Can It Be Now" and the geocentric "Down Under," the band's debut album spent an astonishing 15 weeks at the top of the charts. Bandleader Colin Hay's Sting-like, reggae-influenced singing was welcomed by the emerging video music generation--even if they had no idea what a "Vegemite" sandwich was. --Billy Altman |
