Kia Ora--

I went out this morning to buy V the new Michelle Branch CD, as she is one of her favourite artists and I knew she had a new disc coming out. I decided to go to Sensuous Sounds on Busch, which by the way is still one of the most perfect examples of early 80's over-the-top architecture. I found the disc, then examined the $1.00 cassette bin and got myself my third copy of (Sir) Bob Geldof's Deep In The Heart Of Nowhere. On leaving I passed by the Men At Work section and saw that the newly remastered version of Cargo was in and was at a really good price so I purchased it. When I got to work I put it on the player and let me tell you what, every reason why I love that album and that band came flooding back.

You see, Men At Work are one of my all time favourite bands. They and everything Finn-related (Split Enz, Crowded House, Neil Finn, Tim Finn, etc.) have a constant battle back and forth in my heart. The amazing thing is, while there are literally hundreds of Finn-related songs and dozens albums, there are less than 30 Men At Work songs and only 2 real albums (I don't count Two Hearts as the line up was different than the other two albums). Business As Usual is a nearly perfect album, with songs like Down By The Sea, Who Can It Be Now?, and the nearly perfect I Can See It In Your Eyes (not to mention the mega-smash Down Under). When I heard this album I wanted to be a drummer--in fact, I learned to this album and can play much of it back flawlessly due to my many hours practising to it. But it was Cargo that made me want to pick up the guitar. The solos on the album are breathtaking, both in their simplicity and their beauty. It was the first album I ever heard that said to me, 'Hey, you could do this!' Throughout the album they weave guitar licks and beautiful saxophone melodies without sacrificing the general tune. (Ironically, I usually hate sax in rock, but this is so wonderful.)

Not to mention the songs themselves. Upstairs In My House is purely a daydream. The begining of No Restrictions is a whole epic in itself, sounding like a ship breaking through the fog into the open sea, and the song ends in one of the most incredible chord blooms I've ever heard. And what else can I say about one of the very few perfect songs this world has ever seen? Of course I'm talking about Overkill. I've always said if I could have written one song ever, that would be it. It is the goal I try to reach in my works, but musical and literary. On a whole, the album conjures such images in my head that I wish I could explain them. I see roads in Georgia, lights on the sea, wet Australian carnivals at night, venetian blinds, early Sunday mornings, plaid flannel, and so much more. Yeah, it doesn't make sense to you but it means a great deal to me.

So I put this disc on today at work and I am taken back to being 13 again, going to the water fountain at school singing the lines from Overkill ('I can't get to sleep/I think about the implications') and Mr. Burroughs asking me what exactly were the implications of sleeping? Listening to this album again was like hearing it for the first time. Every lick, every chord, every word--utter beauty! And usually I'm leary about these 'remastered' editions because usually someone fucks with it and remixes a song into oblivion (see the CD release of Nena's 99 Luftballons) or they change the version of the album (see Men Without Hats' Safety Dance) or they make it too shiny and polished. This time they got it right. Yes, a few of the tracks are noticably different, with alternate endings or riffs (see It's A Mistake and Settle Down My Boy), but here it doesn't hurt them one bit. In fact, it gives them a freshness and new life. I can't say enough about this release.

I suppose that saying I am so eagerly awaiting getting the remastered version of Business As Usual says quite a bit.

Keep the faith.

-N.