Colin James Hay – Record-facts…

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Colin James Hay (born 29 June 1953) is a Scottish-Australian musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He came to prominence as the lead vocalist and the sole continuous member of the band Men at Work, and later as a solo artist.

Following the break-up of Men at Work in 1986, Hay released his debut single “Hold Me” in January 1987. The song peaked at number 40 on the Kent Music Report. His debut studio album, Looking for Jack was released in January 1987 and peaked at number 58.

Two years after Men At Work (MAW) went down in flames, front man Colin James Hay returned to the spotlight with his solo debut. Released by Columbia (which happened to be Men At Work’s label), the company clearly had big hopes for Hay’s solo career. Recorded in London with Robin Millar producing “Looking for Jack” sported an extremely large supporting cast (by my count the liner notes listed 26 players.
(The title was reportedly a reflection of a brief post-concert meeting with Jack Nicholson.) Anyhow, anyone expecting to hear the fifth MAW album was probably going to be slightly disappointed by this album. While Hay’s voice remained instantly recognizable, that also meant it was impossible to separate from his MAW catalog.
For better or worse Hay seemed interested in making certain the debut was not a solo MAW endeavor. Sure, it was impossible to completely avoid the MAW comparison. Tracks such as ‘Can I Hold You?’ and ‘Master of Crime’ had a distinctive MOR flavor, but those tracks were the exception to the rule. Unfortunately Hay wasn’t very successful in finding a new sound.
Musically it was quite diverse with stabs at early Sting (‘Puerto Rico’), “Graceland” era Paul Simon (‘Hold Me’), and a host of other genres. Professional and serviceable, but probably not an album most folks were going to spin on a regular basis.

Track listing

“Hold Me” – 4:09
“Can I Hold You?” – 3:35
“Looking for Jack “ (Jeremy Alsop, Hay) – 4:10
“Master of Crime” – 4:57
“These Are Our Finest Days” – 4:07
“Nature of the Beast” (Jeremy Alsop, Hay) – 4:50
“Puerto Rico” – 4:28
“Ways of the World” – 4:05
“I Don’t Need You Anymore” – 3:04
“Circles Erratica” – 4:02
“Fisherman’s Friend” – 5:31

All songs written by Colin Hay, except where noted.

Musicians

Colin Hay – acoustic guitar, guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, vocals, 12-string guitar, Synclavier
Jeremy Alsop – bass, keyboards, synthesizer guitar
David Bitelli – baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone
Mike Brittain – double bass
Raul d’Oliveira – trumpet
Herbie Hancock – piano
Ginya Joseph – vocals
Chris Laurence – double bass
Joe Legwabe – vocals
Dee Lewis – vocals
Linda Lewis – vocals
Helen Liebmann – cello
Martin Loveday – cello
Ashley Maher – vocals
Noel McCalla – vocals
Russell Hitchcock – vocals
Robbie McIntosh – guitar, electric guitar
Morris Michael – vocals
Robin Millar – keyboards
Nicky Payne – tenor saxophone
Nick Pentelow – tenor saxophone
Rufus Sefothoma – vocals
Steve Sidwell – trumpet
Richard Taylor – trombone
Rick Taylor – trombone
Chad Wackerman – percussion, drums
Paul “Wix” Wickens – organ, Hammond organ