Men Without Hats -

Men Without Hats are a Québécois new wave band led by Ivan Doroschuk. They debuted with the 1980 EP Folk of the 80’s, noted for “Antarctica,” an early Canadian synthpop classic. Their 1982 album Rhythm of Youth contains some of their best-loved material: “Ideas for Walls,” “Things in My Life”,” “The Great Ones Remember,” “Cocoricci (Le tango des voleurs),” and the international hit “The Safety Dance.”

Members: Ivan Doroschuk [Ivan] (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Dave Hill (bass, 1977-78), John Gurin (drums, 1977-78), Pete Seabrooke (guitar, 1977), Stefan Doroschuk (guitar, bass, violin, 1978-81, 1982-92, 2003), Colin Doroschuk (keyboards, guitar, guitar synthesizer, electronics, vocals, 1978-79, 2012), Paul Miscala (vocals, 1978), Jeremie Arrobas (drums, keyboards, electronics, 1979-81), Pierre Paquet (vocals, 1979), Lysanne Thibodeau (vocals, 1980), Roman Martyn (guitar, 1980), Tracy Howe (guitar, 1980), Jean-Marc Pisapia (vocals, 1981), Mike Gabriel (guitar, 1981), Allan McCarthy (keyboards, piano, electronics, percussion, 1982-84), Lenny Pinkas (keyboards, 1985-87)

Background

Men Without Hats formed in 1978 when singer/guitarist/keyboardist Ivan Doroschuk (b. October 9, 1957) teamed with his bassist brother Stefan Doroschuk and drummer Jeremie Arrobas.

The brothers (Ivan, Stefan, and Colin Doroschuk) were born in Champaign, Illinois, during their Canadian father’s stateside pursuits in higher education. When the boys were children, the family relocated to the affluent side of Montreal, where all three received classical training. As a teenager, Ivan experimented with electronics and befriended Arrobas, a high school classmate who played briefly with the Doroschuk’s in Wave 21.

In 1977, Igor joined one of Montreal’s earliest punk bands, Heaven Seventeen (not the Sheffield UK Human League spinoff Heaven 17 or the Bradford UK 1919 precursor). By mid-1978, he outgrew their musical confines and summoned Stefan and Jeremie into Men Without Hats, a synth-driven band named after the brother’s childhood refusal to wear hats during Montreal’s cold winters. They rehearsed in Arrobas’s garage and swiftly grew as a local live attraction with guitarist Roman Martyn, whose presence let Ivan concentrate on vocals and keyboards.

Folk of the 80’s (EP)

In late 1980, Men Without Hats released Folk of the 80’s, an EP on Stiff Records. Ivan Doroschuk wrote the four songs, which feature Stefan Doroschuk, guitarist Roman Martyn, drummer Jeremie Arrobas, and backing vocalist Lysanne Thibodeau, who plays supplemental electronics.

A1. “Modern(e) Dancing” (4:12)
A2. “Utter Space” (2:43)
B1. “Antarctica” (4:28)
B2. “Security (Everybody Feels Better With)” (3:56)

Sessions occurred in the summer of 1980 at Studio A, Montreal, with Marc Durand, who later produced Jean-Marc Pisapia’s subsequent band, The Box. The engineer, André Perreault, worked beforehand on albums by Beau Dommage, Dionne-Brégent, Octobre, and Serge Locat.

1981–1982

After Pisapia’s departure, Men Without Hats hired Tracy Howe, who stayed a short time before he too left and formed Rational Youth.

By late 1981, Men Without Hats comprised Ivan, Stefan, and percussionist/keyboardist Allan McCarthy, who cut a recent single as part of the Montreal electro-pop duo Cham-Pang. They demoed material that found no local takers but soon earned them a deal with Statik, a London-based indie with a small but broad assortment of acts from Scotland (Positive Noise), New York (The Dance), San Francisco (The Dead Kennedys), Japan (YMO drummer Yukihiro Takahashi), and the English post-punk supergroup New Age Steppers.

In April 1982, Statik issued “Antartica” as a standalone single in the UK and Finland (b/w “Modern Dancing”). The three-piece Men Without Hats filmed a performance clip in a white studio with saturation that rendered their skin blue/pink.

Rhythm of Youth

Men Without Hats released their debut album, Rhythm of Youth, in April 1982 on Statik (UK, Europe) and Sire/Virgin (Canada).

The album contains five proper songs written by Ivan Doroschuk, who shares multiple instruments (piano, synthesizer, percussion) with Allan McCarthy, who co-wrote “The Great Ones Remember” and “Cocoricci (Le Tango Des Voleurs).” Ivan shares guitar credits with his violinist brother, Stefan.

The songs range from upbeat (“I Got The Message”) to breakneck (“Living in China”) with moments of philosophical clarity (“The Great Ones Remember”) and reflection (“Things in My Life”). They take a hypnotic approach on “Cocoricci,” a trance number with shimmering synths and lucid French vocals (ala “Fade to Grey”).

Rhythm of Youth features auxiliary input from third brother Colin (guitar) and band friends Martin Cartier (percussion), Anne Dussault (vocals), Michel Jermone (castanets), and engineer Daniel A. Vermette (acoustic guitars).

A1. “Ban the Game” (0:48)
A2. “Living in China” (3:04)
A3. “The Great Ones Remember” (4:41)
A4. “I Got the Message” (4:44)
A5. “Cocoricci (Le Tango des Voleurs)” (3:24)

B1. “The Safety Dance” (2:44)
B2. “Ideas for Walls” (2:59)
B3. “Things in My Life” (4:56)
B4. “I Like” (4:19)
B5. “The Great Ones Remember (Reprise)” (1:59)

Sessions took place with Marc Durand at Listen Audio in Montreal. Rhythm of Youth was engineered by Dixon Van Winkle, whose early Seventies credits include titles by Free Design, New York Dolls, Paul McCartney, Pharoah Sanders, Van Morrison, and the Canadian bands Guillotine and Rain.

In August, Statik lifted “I Got the Message” as the second UK Men Without Hats single, backed with “Utter Space,” a sessions outtake.

B. “Utter Space” (2:45)

The video to “I Got the Message” opens and closes with radio waves beamed from the Eye of Providence. Ivan play-acts the role of an ancient Mesopotamian in a sandy cave laden with pyramids, wall art (including the MWH icon), and two women down on all fours, guided on gold leashes.

“The Safety Dance”

In February 1982, Statik lifted “The Safety Dance” as the third UK single, backed with “Security,” another outtake from the RoY sessions.

B. “Security” (4:01)

Soft Cell video-maker Tim Pope directed the “Safety Dance” clip, which opens in a field of tall grass, where an agrarian-clad Ivan proceeds to a village, accompanied by an ukulele-playing jester dwarf (Time Bandits actor Mike Edwards). At the crossroads, they’re joined by a frolicking blond (future Cosmopolitan UK editor Louise Court). They head up a hillside, trailed by Morris dancers. The party converges in a courtyard around a maypole, where Mummers partake in the merriment while Punch and Judy play side attractions.

“The Safety Dance” reached No. 1 in Denmark, Portugal, South Africa, and No. 2 in West Germany and New Zealand. The song also went Top 5 in Ireland, Norway, Sweden (all No. 3), Switzerland, and Australia. In their native Canada, “The Safety Dance” reached No. 11 on the RPM chart.

In July 1983, Rhythm of Youth appeared stateside on Backstreet Records, an MCA subsidiary. This version features a shuffled tracklist with “Antarctica” in lieu of “Living In China,” which appeared on the backside of the US 7″ of “The Safety Dance.” The video received high MTV rotation on the cable channel’s second broadcast year. “The Safety Dance” reached No. 1 on the Cashbox Top 100 and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

1983–1985

The surprise stateside popularity of “The Safety Dance” (fifteen months after its UK release) prompted a tour that forestalled the second Men Without Hats album. Colin Doroschuk joined his two brothers in a four-piece lineup with Allan McCarthy.

Folk of the ’80s (Part III)

Men Without Hats released their second album, Folk of the ’80s (Part III), on April 3, 1984 on Statik (UK, Europe), Sire (Canada), MCA (US), and Big Time (Oceania).

The album contains nine songs co-composed by McCarthy and the Doroschuk brothers with lyrics by Ivan. Side A includes the single “Where Do the Boys Go?” and the epic “Mothers Opinion,” recorded with a false ending omitted from most reissues. Side B features the Canadian single “Messiahs Die Young” and the notable deep-cut “I Sing Last / Not for Tears.”

Ivan and Colin split vocal leads on Folk of the ’80s, which credits all four members with electronics. “No Dancing” features snare drum by engineer Dixon Van Winkle.

A1. “No Dancing” (2:09)
A2. “Unsatisfaction” (3:15)
A3. “Where Do the Boys Go?” (3:55)
A4. “Mothers Opinion” (6:48)

B1. “Eurotheme” (2:40)
B2. “Messiahs Die Young” (4:20)
B3. “I Know Their Name” (3:55)
B4. “Folk of the 80’s” (4:17)
B5. “I Sing Last / Not for Tears” (3:15)

Sessions occurred in late 1983 at Listen Audio, where Marc Durand produced the album ahead of the self-titled Box debut and the first solo full-length by ex-Max Webster frontman Kim Mitchell. Colin and Ivan functioned as co-producers along with Van Winkle, who engineered Folk of the ’80s amid work with Moral Support, a synth combo from Newfoundland.

Statik and Sire lifted “Where Do the Boys Go?” as a single (b/w “Eurotheme”). In the video, Men Without Hats perform on a grid-backed soundstage while select members quarrel with the Pillsbury doe boy and dance around Gibeau Orange Julep, an orange-shaped Montreal roadside attraction.

Pop Goes the World

Men Without Hats released their third album, Pop Goes the World, on June 29, 1987, on Mercury.

A1. “Intro” (1:49)
A2. “Pop Goes the World” (3:43)
A3. “On Tuesday” (4:08)
A4. “Bright Side of the Sun” (0:42)
A5. “O Sole Mio” (3:57)
A6. “Lose My Way” (3:10)
A7. “The Real World” (4:24)

B1. “Moonbeam” (3:37)
B2. “In the Name of Angels” (3:49)
B3. “La Valese D’Eugénie” (1:28)
B4. “Jenny Wore Black” (2:57)
B5. “Intro / Walk On Water” (5:43)
B6. “The End (of the World)” (3:23)

Bass – Jenny
Bass [Uncredited], Vocals [Uncredited], Keyboards [Uncredited] – Stefan Doroschuk
Drums – J. Bonhomme
Flute – Ian Anderson
Guitar – Johnny
Guitar [Uncredited], Keyboards [Uncredited], Drum Programming [Uncredited] – Ivan Doroschuk
Keyboards – A Little Baby, Lenny Pinkas

Producer – Zeus B. Held
Producer, Mixed By, Written-By – Men Without Hats
Art Direction – Mike Bays

Discography: