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Midnight OilAlbums Reviewed10, 9 ,8 ,7 ,6 ,5 ,4 ,3 ,2, 1 (1982)Diesel And Dust (1987) Blue Sky Mining (1990) 10, 9 ,8 ,7 ,6 ,5 ,4 ,3 ,2, 1(1982)To a casual Midnight Oil observer, the commercially successful pair of Diesel And Dust and Blue Sky Mining are the beginning and end of the Australian band's discography. While those are both solidly crafted efforts, boasting memorable hit singles, there are plenty of other interesting records tucked away in the group's extensive discography. The nucleus of Midnight Oil formed in 1971, and broke up more than thirty years later after their final record Capricornia. Midnight Oil never possessed a group member who was anywhere in the vincinity of being considered a musical genius, nor an instrumental virtuoso, but were one of the best groups of their era due to an excellent work ethic, consistent listenability and a positive issue towards environmental and political issues. 1982's 10, 9 ,8 ,7 ,6 ,5 ,4 ,3 ,2, 1, often singled out critically as their best album, finds Midnight Oil combining straight up rock with a more experimental edge. It sits squarely in the 1980s, but the group twist the synthesisers and tinny drum tones to serve their ends, rather like XTC's similarly off-kilter The Big Express. After the atmospheric opener 'Outside World', the album stays in conventional rock territory for the next few tracks including 'Short Memory', an explosive list of human rights abuses. But the rest of the album almost eschews rock altogether, exploring altogether stranger territories. The singles 'US Forces' and 'Power and the Passion' are both well known, which helps to draw attention away from the fact that they're both fundamentally quite bizarre; the stop start dynamics of 'US Forces' and the lengthy drum solo of 'Power and the Passion' are merely the most unsettling features of strange multi-part songs. The weird loping riff and rhythm of 'Maralinga' creates another strange atmosphere, albeit one that's surprisingly catchy. 'Scream in Blue', a conceptual effort apparently based on the guilt of adultery, starts off as a psychedelic instrumental before tailing off into a pleasant piano ballad. Although it's very consistent 10, 9 ,8 ,7 ,6 ,5 ,4 ,3 ,2, 1 falls a little short of five stars, since there's something a little unappealing in the weird textures and Peter Garrett's screaming; their later albums are easier to digest, if not quite so interesting. But if you're interested in Midnight Oil you should definitely try to pick this up; for some inexplicable reason it's a surprisingly common fixture in used bins, although not quite to the same extent as Oasis' Be Here Now or Alanis Morrisette's Supposed Formed Infatuation Junkie. 
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Feedback: Seeker writes Diesel And Dust(1987)Midnight Oil's towering shaven headed vocalist Peter Garrett ran for the Australian Senate as an anti-nuclear campaigner in the mid 1980s, only just missing out on election. It seems, however, that Midnight Oil is an even better forum for voicing his social and political concerns. For instance 'Beds Are Burning' has nothing to do with sex, but instead leads off Diesel And Dust's thematic concern with Aboriginal land rights. This is a worthy concern, if ever there was; in New Zealand we have plenty of ongoing controversy about the treatment of the Maori (our Tangata Whenua, or people of the land) during colonialism, but it seems that Australia's Aborigines were screwed over far worse. In New Zealand we merely initiated one sided wars as an excuse to confiscate Maori land; apparently in Australia white hunters could once earn money for shooting Aborigines, a despicable policy that smacks of anachronistic Aryanism. To go with the Australian subject matter Midnight Oil's lyrics are packed with references to bullroarers and cockatoos, adding a mildly exotic flavour for their American listeners. For the record a bullroarer is a carved piece of wood attached to string, that makes a whirring noise when swung around, while a cockatoo is a large white parrot with a sulphur crest. The bullroarer was used by the Aborigine as a communication device, and can unsurprisingly be heard at the beginning of 'Bullroarer'. Despite Midnight Oil's status as a message oriented band, their music is consistently given first priority; they rock respectably, yet lace their music with accessible melodies, catchy choruses and nice harmonies. Diesel And Dust begins powerfully; 'Beds Are Burning' moves with a funky bass line and a direct message ("It belongs to them/Lets give it back"), while 'Put Down That Weapon' is menacing. Other highlights include the anthemic 'Warakurna' and the closing 'Gunbarrel Highway'. The latter was regrettably banned from the US version of Diesel And Dust; its absence would be keenly felt, as it is far more prepossessing than the penultimate 'Sometimes'. Elsewhere the songs take a bit longer to sink in, but are all substantial enough once they connect. The production on Diesel And Dust places the album squarely in the 1980s, but isn't a hindrance; there is enough grit to Midnight Oil that the plethora of synthesisers are pleasant augmentations rather than distractions. While Diesel And Dust is initially a little unimpressive, it eventually reveals itself as one of the finest albums of its era.
Blue Sky Mining(1990)Diesel And Dust might be a better album, but its followup Blue Sky Mining is more accessible and very likeable. Midnight Oil are intelligent lyricists, and the political and environmental concerns that their songs espouse are more affirming and less nihilistic than other political groups such as Rage Against the Machine. Blue Sky Mining fills an equivalent place in the Midnight Oil discography that Hotel California does for the Eagles or Automatic For The People does for REM; the accessible and commercially successful album with far more languid and vaguely epic tracks than the group usually create. The production on Blue Sky Mining is more tasteful than Diesel And Dust, although this also reflects upon the relatively sedentary and uncluttered nature of the album. Blue Sky Mining redeems itself by being impressively consistent; although Garrett is uncomfortable delivering love lyrics in 'Shakers and Movers', the song still has a typically memorable guitar riff. The standout song here is 'Stars of Warburton', a joyous pop/rocker presumably expressing the pleasures of returning home after a long American tour. There is a school of thought that the slow epics 'One Country' and 'Mountains of Burma' are uninteresting, but I enjoy the anthemic nature of the former and the intensity and pacifist concerns of the latter. The low key closer 'Antarctica' also has a certain charm (the group have the sincerity to make the seemingly inane lyrics "I'm a snow plough" seem important), while the rockers 'Forgotten Years' and 'Blue Sky Mine' are infectious and meaningful. When measured against its predecessor Blue Sky Mining is a little sedate and meandering, but taken individually it is an accessible and meaningful effort.
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Written 2001-2009, Graham Fyfe
