Wizzard was both Roy Wood's musicial outlet and eccentric answer to his departure from the project he started with Jeff Lynne, Electric Light Orchestra. An album and a couple of songs into that project, something was not working, because he walked out and formed a separate band with different musicians, many of whom he knew from ELO or The Move (like Rick Price). Wizzard was essentially a more radical take on the ELO concept, expanding on Wood's glam look, the number of band members, and the varying nature of sound, as the singles were artsy but more mainstream, while the album material was far more experimental. Which leads us to Wizzard Brew. Compared to Wood's solo effort Boulders, which was a whimsical delight, Wizzard Brew is the orchestral equivalent of industrial anvils clanging in a smoky factory for four months straight. Roy screams "you can dance YOUR rock and roll" with all the contempt of a scorned artist whose had enough of the audience (or colleagues) who will never fully get his art, over a destructive background of stumbling cowbell-tinged drums and a bank of horns, saxes, and strings wanting to squelch the life out of the listener's ears. It goes on from there in much the same fashion - 13-plus minutes or so, through a multitude of passages, on the epic "Meet Me at the Jailhouse" - which, depending on your point of view, could be seen as Roy's magnum opus...or his gigantic misfire. Throw in some traditional music-hall on a couple more tracks, a diving, twisting medley-style tour of the States ("Buffalo Station/Get on Down to Memphis"), and a thought-provoking ballad ("Wear a Fast Gun"), and this brew is boiling over in more ways than one. It may too much for some to bear, but fans and those with adventurous tastes will appreciate this effort.

The last two Move albums were essentially collaborations between Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne for the sole purpose of transitioning to Electric Light Orchestra. Of the two, Looking On was definitely a heavier-sounding, larger-in-scope document, with many of the tracks having multiple sections, lengthier run-times, and odd twists and turns. The most notable track is the progressive-soul exercise "Feel Too Good", with its funky breaks and seemingly never-ending coda that both Lynne and Wood trade solos off of - not to mention Lynne plays drums here as well. The whole affair has a bit of a show-off feel, and quite a few of these tracks tend to wallow in sheer self-indulgence. But with guys like Wood and Lynne behind the boards, the many moments that leave you awe-struck more than make up for it ("What", "Open Up The World Said The Door").

Al Jourgensen's much-maligned follow-up to Psalm 69 in the mid-90's, which I thought this was an improvement at the time, against the prevailing tide of negativity. Basically, Al and the band tired of the reliance on samples and the hyper-thrash approach and were looking for something more organic. They also were in quite the depressed state of mind. So, the tempos are slower, even borderline majestic, or downright doom-like at points. The compelling title track is indicative of the tone of music Al had in mind for this one. Deep, throbbing bass and gargantuan drumming anchors the affair, moving the thing along at a mastodon pace, while Al throws on some disconcerting "where have I been" lyrics and echoey harmonica passages. Elsewhere, the cover of Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay" reflects a lot of the themes that are woven into the album itself, and sounds totally distinct from the original tune. A severely overlooked album in need of serious critical revision.

The follow-up was held back for some time in many countries, presumably timed to coincide with a then-burgeoning Men at Work craze which was sweeping the world. That’s right – I said it – Men at Work craze. Honestly, I can’t think of a precedent for these guys in pop music history. They did everything wrong when it comes to achieving stardom. The incubation period for them was very minimal, achieving stardom in a matter of months, staying at the top for a short period of time, then after a short break, watching it all crumble in a matter of another period of a few months…and it was like they were never in the pop microscope in the first place. Listening to Cargo, some of the signs probably were apparent, although hindsight is 20/20. But generally, Cargo is a lesser animal – it’s paranoid, rushed, herky-jerky, and feels like a watered-down take on the measured madness that was the debut – again, presumably to capitalize on the ongoing craze in the air. The strange thing is, the cover goes out of its way to convey the exact opposite – that it is “business as usual”, indeed. And well, there are some indicators of wildness to be found – the lead single, for one, a tongue-in-cheek take on the old Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tale, here titled “Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive” – which comes off like their speeded-up version of a WAR track, replete with sound effects showing off the good doctor’s transformations. But more celebrated (and borderline timeless) is “Overkill”, a quiet, chugging, little paranoid rocker which is definitively put over by Ham’s sax lines. Sure, we could say this is “Who Can It Be Now” part 2, 3, or 15, but what difference does it make when the band makes it sound so relevant and classy at the same time? Elsewhere, they dipped their toes in the political arena, commenting on the Cold War with the hilarious “It’s a Mistake”, where they pose themselves – and the rest of the world – as dubious victims while bloodthirsty generals and power-mad politicians fight for world control at the push of the shiny red button. The rest of the album has mixed results. “High Wire” contends in the political forum as well, but it’s hard for it to get noticed with the grand joke of “Mistake” hovering close by. “I Like To” was written by guitarist Ron Strykert, and he seems to emulating “Helpless Automation” from the previous album, just in a more progressive, yet confusing manner. The other tracks which Strykert writes, or has a hand in writing, are not the best – “Settle Down My Boy” is sheer pop banality, while “Upstairs in my House” is nothing too impressive, either. The ending tracks on both sides (“No Sign of Yesterday”, “No Restrictions” – ironic that they both start with the word “no”) are OK, just interesting that they both fit that paranoid mold to a tee, especially the latter song, which appears to be able the downfalls of way too much fame all at once. Overall, a fairly serious down grade from the debut, although there is enough here to rate this as something worth your time to check out.

This album – and the next one – were runaway commercial hits, and for a while Men at Work were practically on the same level as such big-time names as Van Halen and Genesis. Furthermore, in many countries – especially the U.S. – the commercial impact of Business as Usual was not really felt until late 1982, which meant that when the second record Cargo was released in early 1983, it was like a double whammy on a lot of levels. Men at Work were by no means geniuses, just a halfway decent pop group with a nice streak of adventure running through them, and in the New Wave 80’s, their little retro setup set them apart from the slick synth-obsessed pack. I still say, after all of these years, “Who Can It Be Now” is one of the better paranoia pop tunes ever to grace the air waves. The group harmonies at the end are a bit of a downer, but the beginning of the tune is like no other – the lonely drum kick, followed by Greg Ham’s killer sax riff, and then Colin Hay’s “who can it be knocking at my door” followed by that oh-so-timely snare 2-3-4 – one could say that was Men at Work’s real debut, never to be topped again. Then again, an even bigger hit for these guys was “Down Under” – a track which seemed to go out of its’ way to point out the Aussie in the crowd, no matter where you were in the world. Never mind that underneath the goofy window dressing lurked something different altogether – the sound has a dusky feel to it, with Ham’s flute leading the way, and for some reason I always got the nagging feeling these Aussies had a screw loose…or two or three…and were not ones to tangle with when sufficiently aroused. The other notable thing here is there are plenty of songs which could have been candidates as radio hits, and actually, some of these were minor ones in their own right. First and foremost, there is the wacky “Be Good, Johnny” – which ended up in reality show immorality, as the theme song for the show “Supernanny” – but here it is simply the biggest bounce house of cheeky, unadulterated fun. Johnny is the dreamer, the spoiled little bad boy who goes against authority because he feels like it, and the music chosen as its’ accompaniment feels perfectly matched up – kind of vague New Wave, but still in that organic Men at Work ball park. “Helpless Automation” is another good one, with lead vocals from Ham. Split Enz had to be the inspiration for this track, but that guitar line from Hay after the verses really gives this one maximum flavor. The reggae-heavy “Touching the Untouchables” has to be the most progressive piece on the album, and certainly proof that MAW had talent to burn. I dig how this track slowly yet expertly unfolds its’ many layers to the listener. Not to be missed. “People Just Love to Play with Words” is a pop song with a really simple sentiment. A song about people would lie all the time in relationships – sure, we have heard this all before, but then how come the manner the group presents it in sounds so fresh-faced and innocent? “Underground” was the final single released from the album. I do not think it is as good as the previous singles listed, but once again, the sax lines from Greg Ham are what make the difference. The album ends on quite the chill note, with “Catch a Star” followed by “Down by the Sea”. I feel like the group could have done more with this space, but I was not in their shoes. Overall, these guys really had a good thing going here, and I don’t think they get enough credit for what they accomplished with this debut record, even though these days it feels like such a distant memory. After this, it was most definitely diminishing returns for the work put in.