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Thread: Midnight Oil- Essential CDs?

  1. #1
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    Midnight Oil- Essential CDs?

    Any Midnight Oil fans? I had bought "Diesel And Dust" and "Blue Sky Mining" back in the late 80s when they were current releases and then kind of forgot about them. I saw that they had re-issued a deluxe version of "Diesel And Dust" and recently put out a best of compilation called "Essential Oils" and decided to buy them. Can anyone recommend that I buy any of their other albums? Anything that I should stay away from? Advice, please.


    Library Jon

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    Those are the only two that I own, but I love them both. Not sure why I never explored them further. Saw them live once too and they were fantastic. I always thought that they would get a lot bigger than they did in the U.S., but after "Blue Sky Mining" they kind of just faded away.

    Steve Sly

  3. #3
    "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1" is one of the top ten albums released in the '80s, as far as I'm concerned. Get it as soon as possible.

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    LinkMan Chain's Avatar
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    As above
    “Pleasure and pain can be experienced simultaneously,” she said, gently massaging my back as we listened to her Coldplay CD.

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    Member Oreb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mkeneally View Post
    "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1" is one of the top ten albums released in the '80s, as far as I'm concerned. Get it as soon as possible.
    Completely agree.

    Also very much worth getting:

    Red Sails in the Sunset - includes the magnificent "Sleep" and "Kosciusko" (the highest mountain here in Oz, a foothill compared to elsewhere at only 2,200 m)

    Earth and Sun and Moon - their last great album, IMO

    Don't overlook the two essential EPs, Bird Noises and Species Deceases. These are classics.

    Here are the key tracks from each:





    (Peter refers to the Rainbow Warrior - that was a Greenpeace boat, bombed by a government authorised act of French terrorism in New Zealand in 1985. Ne jamais oublier.)

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  6. #6
    I only came across Midnight Oil a few years ago, and I only own the same two albums, so I'm looking forward to checking out your recommendations. Every once in a while I'll put one on the turntable and wonder why I don't listen to them more often.

  7. #7
    Jon Neudorf
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    Great band. Ever since 10,9,8...I have been a fan. Diesel and Dust is still my fave but they have many strong albums, as has been mentioned.

    Regards,
    Jon

  8. #8
    all of em, dammit, ALL OF THEM.

  9. #9
    I've been a fan of the Oils since the early 80s. When they began (as Farm) they had a lot of prog influences. I believe singer Peter Garrett's audition was a rendition of Locomotive Breath. You can still hear prog influences on their first few recordings - some extended and/or multi part songs, some slightly odd time signatures or arrangements. They built their audience on the Aussie pub circuit - numerous bars around the country where audiences went to drink (to excess) and rock hard. The necessity to satisfy the crowd expectations coupled with the influence of punk resulted in their early recordings featuring mostly high energy dual guitar rockers. But don't dismiss them on that basis. There is still a lot there to reward the listener looking for depth. As their compositional and playing skills continued to improve their output became more sophisticated. My favourite recordings are two mentioned earlier in the thread - 10 - 1 and Red Sails. But this is a band that endeavoured to never repeat themselves so I've found that there is no Oils recording that I don't like.

  10. #10
    What Mr. Keneally said. Well, what everybody said.

    Get them all.

    The new band -- The Break -- with the Oils' Hirst, Moginie, and Rotsey plus the Violent Femmes, Brian Ritchie on bass has two great albums out in a surf/space rock style as well.

    Here's a One of These Days send-up:

    Quarkspace on Facebook
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    TabMuse -- an online resource dedicated to iOS, Android, hardware, and desktop music apps and synths
    Church of Hed/Quarkspace on Bandcamp
    The QuarkspaceHed YouTube Channel

  11. #11
    facetious maximus Yves's Avatar
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    I'd agree that Earth & Sun & Moon might be their last really good disc. They lost me with "Breathe" and so I don't know any material beyond that one.

    If you're a DVD guy, make sure to track down "Best Of Both Worlds" which contains 2 full shows, pre-dating their North American breakthrough material (ie: before Diesel & Dust).
    "Corn Flakes pissed in. You ranted. Mission accomplished. Thread closed."

    -Cozy 3:16-

  12. #12
    Member Oreb's Avatar
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    Played Red Sails in the Sunset today on the strength of this thread. Even better than I had remembered.

    How's this for the bastard child of surf music and an Ennio Morricone?



    and this shows how ahead of the game they were in textured rock:



    Speaking of textures, this from 10-1 (an album I have always thought of as making an ironic nod to the Oz equivalent of Top of the Pops, 'Countdown', on which the band always refused to appear:



    I won't get political, but Peter's been a Minister in the federal government for a few years now. I personally think he made a far more important contribution to progressive politics through his music than his time in parliament.

    Maybe they'll return!

    Does it matter that this waste of time is what makes a life for you?

  13. #13
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    And then there's this classic, from Red Sails...


  14. #14
    Member Jerjo's Avatar
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    I tried to find a region-free DVD of Best of Both Worlds a few years ago and failed. A cheaper North American release would be nice.
    I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart

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    I had somehow forgotten that I saw Midnight Oil at the Tower Theatre in Philadelphia at the time of the "Diesel And Dust" album LOL. I now remember the highlights being "The Dead Heart" and "Hercules." I listened to "Diesel And Dust" for the first time in many years, yesterday. What a great album!! I will definitely consider buying more of their discography.

    Library Jon

  16. #16
    Member Sharp's Avatar
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    Big oils fan here. A must have for any collection is the DVD Black Rain Falls. This is a live concert/documentary that they did in a unique way. Basically, unannounced they pull a flat bed truck in front of the Exxon Building in New Yourk City and proceed to do a protest concert. The material is mainly Diesel and Dust and Blue Sky Mining. Here is a snippet of a cover song that you might recognize.

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  17. #17
    Just got the Essential Oils compilation and I'm looking forward to digging in. Back in the day I had Diesel & Dust and Blue Sky Mining. Always wondered how the stuff before and after those two sounded.

  18. #18
    facetious maximus Yves's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jerjo View Post
    I tried to find a region-free DVD of Best of Both Worlds a few years ago and failed. A cheaper North American release would be nice.
    The last time we discussed this band on PE somebody pointed me to an Aussie website. I bought it there for 20.00 or so. Maybe same person will chime in with that link again. I think it might have been Chain...
    "Corn Flakes pissed in. You ranted. Mission accomplished. Thread closed."

    -Cozy 3:16-

  19. #19
    Peter Garrett is my all time favourite rock musician dancer

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