When the false start is true - Ministry's "Work for Love"

There are a number of stories about people or groups of people that do one thing and get huge success...and then do something completely different and have even huger success.

But there are still the people that think that things were great at the beginning, and went downhill from there.

I bet there are people who wish that the Fresh Prince had remained a rapper and never gotten involved in that television or movie junk.

Or who wish that Depeche Mode had just disbanded after Vince Clarke left the band.

With that preface, let me introduce my favorite Ministry song.



The person who posted this video of "Work for Love" on YouTube made the following comment:

This is for all those who continue to believe Al's story that With Sympathy was the result of an over zealous production team at Arista. And for those, like myself, who are fond of the early Ministry sound. This and all the other material from that album(written by Mr. Al J.) was performed regularly throughout 82-84 before and after the studio recording. This is the opening song from the 7/20/83 show at First Avenue in Minneapolis, MN.

While I love "Work for Love," and the YouTube poster loves "Work for Love," not everyone agrees:

There are those artists who get a couple releases into their career before they feel the pressure from the suits at the label to “have a hit,” and then there are those artists who sell out right from the get-go.

Ministry certainly falls into the latter category and their debut longplayer smacks of blatant commerciality…blatant, misguided, and downright silly commerciality....

How else does one explain such tracks as “Work For Love” and “What He Say?” — the latter a laughably kitschy blend of synth-pop and, uh, world music…I think....

No wonder Jourgenson has spent the better part of three decades trying to live this one down, putting on one helluva “tough-guy” act in the process.

But as for me, I just can't get enough (geddit?) of that old song.

P.S. And yes, I inspired myself to look up this old tune.