Rhythm Of Youth Astoria NY

Rhythm Of Youth

Men Without Hats

Backstreet Records, 1982

REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 04/19/1998

There's been a commercial on American television recently,though I can't remember for whom. It features a portion of a songthat was a hit in the '80s, then it stops and a caption appears:"Admit it - you were still singing," or something to thateffect.

I don't know how many people would admit it, but one song Iremember well from 1983 was "The Safety Dance". WBBM-FM (back inthe days when they didn't suck) played it incessantly - and thoughI hated it at first, it eventually grew on me. I ended up buyingthe full-length album, Rhythm Of Youth from Men Without Hats, listened to it a fewtimes - and then lost the tape.

About three years ago, I was helping my parents clean theirgarage (a job we still need to finish), when I rediscovered thistape - and I was thrilled. That evening, I rediscovered mylong-lost treasure, and it made me wonder why the name of IvanDoroschuk didn't become more famous in America.

Maybe it was their roots - this was a band not ashamed to flaunttheir Canadian heritage, even singing songs in French. (The exampleon this tape is "Cocoricci (Les Tango Des Voleurs)".) Maybe it wasthe weirdness of the video for "The Safety Dance" - not many videosfeatured a pretty girl and a mandolin-strumming midget prancingaround a field. Maybe - just maybe - we weren't ready for MenWithout Hats in America, as we were still trying to decide what todo about Men At Work.