Mobile Fidelity - MOFI 1-024 - 140 Gram Virgin Vinyl - AAA 100% Analogue

Mastered by Kreig Wunderlich  at MFSL

Numbered Limited Edition -   Pressed at RTI  

outstanding! This album sounds stunning! It makes me feel like I'm listening to a live performance. 5/5 LPReview

1982 Set Shattered Records for Most Weeks Spent at Top of Charts by a Debut

Contains Smash Hits Who Can It Be Now? and Down Under

Get in the Groove: Mastered on Mobile Fidelitys World-Renowned Mastering System and Pressed at RTI

New-Wave Classic Tinted With Quirky Rhythms, Guitar Hooks, Brassy Saxophones

They came from the land down under. And they conquered the charts like no band before or since, with a 1983 debut that shattered records by staying for 15 consecutive weeks at the pole position on the Billboard Top 100. They were Men at Work, a quirky bunch led by a Scottish-born vocalist whose humor, style, and distinguished singing helped the quintet become one of the 1980s definitive new-wave acts. And it all started with the irresistible Business As Usual.

Mastered on Mobile Fidelitys world-renowned mastering system at pressed at RTI, this LP retrieves an immeasurable amount of previously concealed details from the music. For the first time, the bands percolating rhythms, pulsating guitars, brassy horns, and whimsical beats come to fore without interference from congested mixes and a flat perspective. Spaciousness and imaging are restored, as is the rebirth of palpable dynamic contrast and instrumental separation. Above all, the record is more fun than ever before.

Anchored by two ubiquitous singles, Who Can It Be Now? and Down Under, both still FM radio staples, Business As Usual signified a changing of the guard on the new-wave landscape. With leader Colin Hays vocals bearing a passing resemblance to those of Sting, and his mates supplying what seems like a constant stream of keening pop-rock hooks, dance-baiting grooves, and brassy rejoinders, the record transcends any limitations and showcases a creative depth that extends to the album cuts. No wonder Men at Work soon shared stages with the likes of the Clash.

Further separating the group from the pack is its wit. Playful, carefree, and exuberant, the songs resonate with a looseness and joyousness with which the decade is forever associated. No deep thinking or profound analysisjust as the best pop tends to be!

Business as Usual became a surprise international hit on the basis of "Who Can It Be Now?" and "Down Under," two excellent singles that merged straight-ahead pop/rock hooks with a quirky new wave production and an offbeat sense of humor. Colin Hay's keening vocals uncannily recall Sting, and the band's rhythmic pulse and phased guitars also bring to mind a bar band version of the Police. And that helps make the remainder of Business as Usual enjoyable.  all fine new wave pop songs, making Business as Usual one of the more enjoyable mainstream-oriented efforts of the era.

Bass, Vocals – John Rees
Drums, Vocals – Jerry Speiser
Producer – Peter McIan
Saxophone, Flute, Vocals – Greg Ham
Vocals, Guitar – Colin Hay, Ron Strykert

Track Listing:
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 Untouchables
9. Catch a Star
10. Down By the Sea

GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ is a proprietary cutting system built and designed by legendary design genius Tim De Paravicini, with consultation from one of MFSL’s founding fathers – Stan Ricker, an audio engineer responsible for many of MFSL’s most heralded past releases.

The GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system is comprised of a Studer™ tape machine with customized reproduction electronics* and handcrafted cutting amps that drive an Ortofon cutting head on a restored Neumann VMS-70 lathe. (*It is worth noting that independent studies have confirmed that the GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system can unveil sonic information all the way up to 122kHz!)

First and foremost, we only utilize first generation original master recordings as source material for our releases. We then play back master tapes at half speed enabling the GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system to fully extract the master’s sonic information. Our lacquers are then plated in a specialized process that protects transients in the musical signal. (Due to this process, there may be occasional pops or ticks inherent in initial play back, but as the disc is played more, a high quality stylus will actually polish the grooves and improve the sound). We further ensure optimum sound quality by strictly limiting the number of pressings printed for each release. These limited editions, in addition to being collectors’ items, ensure that the quality of the last pressing matches the quality of the first.

As you can imagine, all these efforts involve a tremendous amount of time, technology, cost and effort. The introduction of GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ maintains Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab’s position as the world’s leading audiophile record label, where a passion for music with extraordinary sound quality matters most.