Men At Work ~ Down Under 1981 Extended Meow Mix

I’m trying out a new kind of remix and decided that naming them Meow Mixes might be fun. I’m using the music stems to make these remixes instead of the original extended versions I usually use to do Purrfection versions with. We’ll see how it goes, I have to expand into the 80’s at times when inspiration isn’t coming along with the 70’s disco purrfection . Who knew? Who knows? Well, Australia’s original inhabitants were about 250 tribes of aborigines. Then, a penal colony was built there by Britain who sent prisoners who were skilled in trades and not violent offenders. Put to work to develop land, the prisoners served their terms and were often rewarded with a parcel of land. Australia has provided the pop charts with artists as diverse as Rick Springfield, Olivia Newton-John, Helen Reddy, John Paul Young, Sia, Kylie Minogue, Natalie Imbruglia Bee Gees, INXS, Air Supply, Little River Band and Men At Work. The band got its start when lead singer Colin Hay, Ron Strykert and Jerry Speiser formed a trio, then Greg Ham and John Rees rounded out the band. Recorded in 1981, “Down Under“ came about to tell the story of an Australian travelling abroad and his encounters with people during his trip. The original version lacked punch as it was simply flute and guitar. Producer Peter McIan brought the reggae feel to the song and completed the track with the band. The second single released, it spent three weeks at #1 pop in the US, dropping to #2 for one week as Toto’s “Africa“ snatched the top spot, then retook the throne for one more week for a total of 4 weeks. The album and single were #1 in the UK and the US simultaneously, and joined the Barbra Streisand/Barry Gibb powerhouse who were the first to do so with “Woman In Love“. Men At Work were not able to repeat this success with two more LP’s and then members began to desert the band.