After last week's court decision regarding an odd music publishing plagiarism case, the short-lived but potent Australian new wave band Men at Work now faces the very real prospect of financial sanctions stemming from the now-successful copyright infringement case against them. I've written about this issue before and hoped - like many other '80s music fans, I'm sure - that I wouldn't have to revisit the matter. Alas, here we are, seemingly right back where we started.

Publisher Larrikin Music has accused the band of lifting the melody of "Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree" - an old girls' campfire tune - for its distinctive flute riff in the worldwide early-'80s top hit "Down Under." And now a judge has agreed with this notion and set a dangerous precedent for future attitudes about compositions influenced by existing tunes that also (most likely subconsciously) draw from their musical structure. Observers in disbelief that this is a can of worms capable of poisoning further an already rotten music industry certainly call into question their knowledge of pop music history. I'm already hearing from plenty of readers - most of them quite disheartened by the decision - but I certainly welcome additional input. Maybe I'm missing something here, but shouldn't this have been an instance of case quickly dismissed?

• Men at Work Artist Profile
• Top Men at Work Songs of the '80s
• Top '80s Artists from Australia & New Zealand

Album Cover Image Courtesy of Columbia

While certainly soft rock/progressive rock band Ambrosia could never be accused of producing one of pop's most heterosexually themed album covers in 1980's One Eighty (umm... just look at it for a moment), the group can stake a legitimate claim as one of music's most interesting hybrids of guitar-based hard rock and the two aforementioned styles. Fans of the band's earliest mid-'70s offerings - built often on symphonic complexity and a bit of a renegade spirit - have probably always balked at Ambrosia's smooth yacht rock that ruled the charts beginning with 1978's "How Much I Feel." Still, it's difficult to argue with frontman David Pack's vibrant sense of melody and the keen production eye that always fueled the group's sweeping sound. In the case of "Ready," Pack presents some of his most compelling and genuine rock vocals, all on top of a driving rock attack more reminiscent of vintage April Wine than the early-'80s soundtrack for wine spritzer consumption. Ambrosia will probably never be able to boast substantial arena rock credibility (if there even is really such a thing), but the band's versatility will come as a pleasant surprise for the patient listener.

• Sample or download "Ready" here.
• Top 10 Soft Rock Songs of the '80s
• Top 10 Soft Rock/Adult Contemporary Artists of the '80s

I was too young to appreciate Linda Ronstadt as the bona fide, girl-next-door sex symbol she was throughout the '70s, but that fact didn't prevent me from experiencing a surprisingly strong level of mesmerism last night while exploring some old photos of the artist online. Of course, not only was Ronstadt one of the most beautiful female celebrities on the planet during the prime years of her career; she was and remains one of pop/rock's finest interpretive singers as well. Still, forgive me if I'm still temporarily stuck on her special brand of gorgeous. OK, I think I'm done now; let's focus on some music.

1980's Mad Love found Ronstadt embracing a driving rock sound more than she'd ever done or would ever do again in her storied career. She wore this blend of new wave freshness and Pat Benatar sass remarkably well, even if some audiences expressed suspicion of crass commercial motives or at least puzzled at the new direction. "How Do I Make You" happens to be a composition from famed commercial pop songwriter Billy Steinberg, but it certainly doesn't sound like it came from the co-writer of "Like a Virgin." Recorded initially with his rock band Billy Thermal, the song certainly reached more ears coming from the lips of Ronstadt than Steinberg himself, but I'm still surprised to learn it peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard pop charts. Maybe I'm just too young to remember massive airplay for this one, but I'm definitely not too young anymore to gawk at mid-'70s Ronstadt pictures online. Not that I've been doing that for hours on end or anything.

• Sample or download "How Do I Make You" here.
• Compare prices on Linda Ronstadt CDs here.

Album Cover Image Courtesy of Warner

Don't let this make you feel too much older than you probably already feel, but today would have been original INXS frontman Michael Hutchence's 50th birthday. The photogenic performer probably would have greeted the milestone gracefully based on his stylish ability both to define and buck '80s trends. Still, Hutchence's 1997 death remains one of the most stinging '80s music losses of all time, as a 15-years-plus career as a rock star seemed like only the beginning for the talented singer.

Despite the still-hovering cloud of his early death, Hutchence's surviving bandmates have released heartfelt statements to coincide with the bittersweet occasion of January 22, 2010. It may be depressing to recall just how early Hutchence's voice was silenced, but it's also an opportunity to acknowledge yet again the band's importance as well as the continuing impact of the classic frontman it so generously provided to the entertainment world.

• Top 10 Most Tragic & Untimely Deaths of '80s Artists Since 1990
• Top 9 INXS Songs of the '80s

Album Cover Image Courtesy of Rhino Atlantic