The Music Men

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The Music Men
OriginMelbourne, Australia
Years active1988–present
Labels
Websitemusicmen.com.au

The Music Men (also styled as The Musicmen) are an Australian comedy act,[1] originally consisting of ten English soccer players, visiting Australia. They first appeared on Australian television performing "I am the Music Man" on the Red Faces segment of Hey Hey It's Saturday in 1988.[2]

In late 1993 the band consisted of Paul Harris, Martin Woodall, Peter Cocker, Dean Hennessy, Joe Sweeney, Sean Lane, Joe Carroll, Mike Hanley, Phil Griffin and leader David Brooks.[3]

In 1993 advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi approached them to star in an advertisement for Toohey's Gold.[2]

In 1993, Michael Gudinski from Mushroom Records signed the group and they released a single "I Am a Football Fan" in September 1993.[2] Their debut album, What Can You Play? was released in November 1993 and peaked at number 74 on the ARIA charts.[4] John Mangan of the Age wrote that "the music is weedy and electronic but it's only there to fill the gaps between the singers' enthusiastic vocals."[5]

In September 1995, the group released "Ablett's in the Air", which peaked at number 41 on the ARIA charts.[6] The song was set to the tune of "Love is in the Air".[7]

In October 2021, they released the single "Those Were the Days".[2]

Discography[edit]

Albums[edit]

List of studio albums, with Australian chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart
positions
AUS
[4]
What Can You Play? 74
How-Is-Eee
  • Released: 1995
  • Format: CD
  • Label: Cherry Pie (CPS 1021)

Singles[edit]

List of singles, with selected chart positions
Title Year Chart positions
AUS
[6]
"I Am a Football Fan"[2] 1993
"Ablett's in the Air" 1995 41
"Those Were The Days"[8] 2021
"Merry Xmas Everybody"[9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Brooksy'n Cal The Musicmen Stand-up!". Entertain Oz. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e "About". musicmen.com.au. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  3. ^ Schwab, Laurie (9 September 1993), "Meet the merry Music Men", The Age
  4. ^ a b Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 197.
  5. ^ Mangan, John (18 November 1993), "New Sounds", The Age
  6. ^ a b "Discography The Music Men". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  7. ^ Walsh, Gary (13 August 1995), "Air transplant for Gazza", The Age
  8. ^ "Those Were the Days - Single". Apple Music. October 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Merry Xmas Everybody - Single". Apple Music. November 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2022.