Contraband: The Best of Men at Work (1996)

This Australian band released only 3 studio albums, but record companies have managed to parlay those 3 into no fewer than 9 greatest hits packages. Of those 9, this is the one I happened to pick up. I always thought Men At Work were always a singles band, not an album band, so a greatest hits CD is all I really need. I also think that the band's sophomore effort, Cargo, was a much stronger album than their debut, Business As Usual. That said, their albums always somewhat uneven affairs, with tracks alternating between number #1 singles and forgettable filler.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks:

Song	Hot 100	Rock	AC	Aust.
Who Can It Be Now?	1	46	-	2
Down Under	1	1	13	1
It's A Mistake	6	27	10	34
Hard Luck Story	-	-	-	-
Still Life	-	-	-	-
Underground	-	20	-	-
Upstairs In My House	-	-	-	-
I Like To (Live)	-	-	-
High Wire	-	23	-	89
Maria	-	-	-	-
Be Good Johnny	-	3	-	8
Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive	28	12	-	6
Overkill	3	3	6	5
Man With Two Hearts	-	-	-	-
Snakes And Ladders	-	-	-	-
Down By The Sea	-	-	-	-

10 of the 16 tracks here are good; I prefer the 5 songs from Cargo: It's A Mistake, Upstairs In My House, High Wire, Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive, and Overkill. From Business As Usual, I like Who Can it Be Now?, Be Good Johnny, and Down By The Sea. I never have liked the band's biggest hit, Down Under. Also, the 5 tracks from Two Hearts aren't up to snuff (which explains that album's weak performance on the charts and with the critics).

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I had Business As Usual on LP and dubbed a tape of Cargo from a friend's LP. I've already recounted my story of searching for Who Can It Be Now? in a previous blog post. And I still have some of the band's pinbacks that surely must have adorned my clothing in high school.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Colin Hay - Man @ Work (2003)