The Adventures of Women & Men Without Hate in the 21st Century

Following the success of 1987's Pop Goes the World LP, Men Without Hats pursued a similar stylistic direction with 1989's The Adventures of Women & Men Without Hate in the 21st Century. Aside from its unwieldy title, the album was also hampered by a lack of strong material. The Pop Goes the World album had been the Hats' most consistent effort in terms of songwriting, and Adventures... suffered by comparison. Singer/songwriter Ivan was increasingly focusing on themes such as environmentalism (before it became trendy) and feminism, but sometimes the message seemed to take precedence over the song. A perfect example was the album's first single, the Canadian hit "Hey Men." The song's pro-woman message was admirable, but the song itself was a dull rocker, particularly ill-suited to Ivan's voice and the Hats' style. The result was tepid, and much of the album was similarly disappointing. There were moments that echoed the greatness of the Pop Goes the World LP, but there weren't enough of them. (This album is noteworthy for being the first Men Without Hats record to include a cover version -- of ABBA's "S.O.S."!)