This was the big move of the band to the mainstream. After this and blue sky, they were playing at big sheds (saw them at Irvine meadows), though they still brought the heat, and still closed with that Elvis C cover... Their impromptu gig in front of Exxon got big hype, too...
Re Species Deceases: I never really embraced this. Individually the songs are OK, the lyrics are great as always, but musically they all have the same feel - very fast, very angry, no real variation. Paradoxically, the EP is both too long and too short. On their albums they have room to stretch and try a few different things.
Diesel and Dust is still my favourite Oils album, but I'd say the margin is narrower than it used to be. 10-1 and Blue Sky Mining are breathing down its neck, and red sails not far behind. I actually think the big hit single, Beds are Burning, is one of the weaker tracks - though lyrically it does set the tone for the album. My favourite tracks are: Put Down that Weapon, Bullroarer, The Dead Heart, and Sell My Soul.
I love this album. I love the way the drums are recorded, the guitars, everything. Peter's impassioned vocals are amazing, even if I had no idea what he was talking about (it did spur me on, many years later, to read up on the topics of those songs). And about those songs: So many great ones ("Sometimes" has such a great chorus), but my enduring favorite is "The Dead Heart". I like the extended version, which is about as no-frills as it gets (I could do do do all day):
There I was, working on sewage pumps... A 19 year old into music in a big way. We were at a sewage works. It was lunch time. We put the radio on. I heard Beds Are Burning. I thought it was excellent (I still do). I bought the album the next day. It blew my socks off. I bought the rest of their albums over the next few months. 30 years later and I own 99% of their output. I still love Midnight Oil.
Whoah Lyrics The lord is my temple God is by my side You pay rates on that temple Build materials at the side He gives reasons To get through the day He doesn't have rinse action He just says Whoah - oh Don't want to see you back here again Girls are not smiling The stars have gone out The man with the landslide Got his head in the ground Like an unopened letter Left under the door He says I am the answer you're looking for Whoah - oh Don't want to see you back here again Above we dream in the Androporosphere Who maintains the drunken machinery Before we dream of a time When those men come from West Point
Bullroarer The bullroarer,[1] rhombus, or turndun, is an ancient ritual musical instrument and a device historically used for communicating over great distances. It dates to the Paleolithic period, being found in Ukraine dating from 18,000 BC. Anthropologist Michael Boyd, a bullroarer expert, documents a number found in Europe, Asia, the Indian sub-continent, Africa, the Americas, and Australia. Another great song on this album Midnight Oil - 8 - Bullroarer - Diesel And Dust (1987) Lyrics In the desert in the dry Before the breaking of the rain The temperature in the shade Had reached a hundred and ten again In the desert in the dry On the overland telegraph line Don't take the law into your own hands Don't go looking for a fight I've heard the bullroarers In the desert in the dry Sun sits so high Long day's mile and the Radio crackles and the bones bleached white It's a knock-em-down storm See the tin roof shake Wild dog howls and the long grass Whistles and the tall trees break I've seen the wild horses I've heard the bullroarers I've seen the wild horses Shifting sands and broken plans Lead me on to my homeland
Apparently the Aborigines objected to recording a bullroarer, which is sacred, so Midnight Oil used a synth to simulate the sound and the Aborigines were fine with that.
cool, thanks for the info. Gotta love the Oils, they were always careful and compassionate about that kind of thing.
I don't believe you've gotten to this album yet, but Earth & Sun & Moon is a masterpiece of the '90s. I never took it out of my CD "carousel" changer for an entire year.
i actually only purchased it a few weeks ago. I was suitably impressed ... to do this i needed to buy the later albums
My favorite of the later albums is Redneck Wonderland. The Oils bring the rock again on this one. There a few electronic touches that make them seem a little bit like they're trying too hard, but overall it's a great album. I prefer it to anything else post-D&D. Having said that, there are great songs on every album even if they aren't all great albums, right up until their final album. I didn't listen to most of their post-80s output until fairly recently, but I'm real glad I finally did.
Sell My Soul This song struts along nicely and is adorned with some good backing vocals. There really aren't any bad tracks on here. Lyrics Let's begin, I am ready, let's begin Sell my soul to him Shed my skin, I just want to shed my skin I don't want to sell my soul to him Mechanize, city bursts and farmers die They cry Sleep face down in a goods train heading south in the rain In this world I often think you understand me In these words I often think you'd recognise me 'cause I just want to swim with the fish in the sea And I want faith to heal so that I can be clean America's great now If you don't talk back You hide your face Crawl in rubble and smile and scorn At that snail-paced creature Going up and down walls Celebrate, I just want to celebrate I'm not going to sell my soul to him When you look right in
Sometimes A lush intro leads into a staccato rhythm were the guitars are doing alternate left/right stabs. Then we open up into a great chorus. Another really good song ... I honestly don't know why i avoided this album for so long. Lyrics I know that the sunset empire shudders and shakes I know there's a floodgate and a raging river I say the silence of the ribbons of iron and steel I say hear the punch drunk huddle drive hammer and steel Sometimes you're beaten to the call Sometimes you're taken to the wall But you don't give in I know that the cannibals wear smart suits and ties I know they arm wrestle on the altar I say don't leave your heart in a hard place Sometimes you're shaken to the core Sometimes the face is gonna fall But you don't give in
As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I love this song, I only wish that the studio version was just a few beats per minute faster like they do it live. It really ups the excitement level. I especially love the key change at the end. Still gets me going to this day. Here's a version from last years tour that I particularly like. The sound is not pristine in this video, but this fan video captures something about the vibe that I really like. This version isn't even all that fast, I've seen or heard versions that are much faster. (The song starts about two minutes in.)
One of my favourites. this song really zips along, and for me strikes just the right balance between energetic and polished.
