Any of you oz boys or girls remember this bit of Rob Hirst action every Saturday morning circa ‘83 or 84.
Blue Sky had great tunes, but at the time I found the Australiana lyrics were laid on a bit thick; cane cockees, the smell of the wallaby stew, the tucker box, seemed a bit old fashioned compared to some of the angry sophistication of 10/1 and Red Skies. I recall reading an interview with the band (probably in Rolling Stone OZ) that Garrett was heavily reading Lawson and Banjo Patterson around that time - certainly comes across in the landscape and natural imagery.
American artists throw in just as many images from their country, I think it's just we are so accustomed to hearing it that we think it's normal. Personally I found it refreshing to hear lots of Australian references in songs sung by a rock band, as opposed to someone like Slim Dusty or John Williamson.
As an American, I liked all of the Australian references in Midnight Oils lyrics, even as I didn't understand them. I prefer specificity in lyrics because I like a unique vision. I know that some artists feel like specificity prevents their lyrics from being universal, but I don't necessarily need to be familiar with the names and places mentioned in a song to get the bigger message. I see movies and read books all the time that are far removed from my personal experience and yet I understand the stories and morals.
Love Mountains of Burma and Blue Sky as a whole. The first Oils album I heard and I think it's aged really well. The issue of Australia references is really interesting. Wasn't it around 1990 that Columbia/Sony in the US wanted to make the band bigger than U2? Pete discusses this in his autobiography. The band decided against it as they didn't want to spend so much time overseas and becoming a commercial juggernaut. I guess the Aussie content on Blue Sky was a response of sorts to the suits in NYC.
No, I think the Aussie content was always there, but maybe it got noticed more when they started to get a bit of attention overseas. Diesel and Dust, in particular, is inconceivable without the Australian references.
My first experience with the Oils was when I heard this fantastic track on the U2 soundsystem just before U2 came on stage during The Unforgettable Fire tour. Those Irish boys know how to give you goosebumbs before they even started.
King Of The Mountain This is another strong song. I can understand why so many folks love this era of the Oils. I do like this stuff, I just find it can't compete wit the sheer inventiveness and urgency that was created with 10-1, but again for some folks that would be a distraction rather than a focus point. Any how we have the clean guitars and the straight beat and the nice use of melody and structure to create another pop classic for the Oils to hang on the wall. On a funny note I just noticed the actual lyrics .... I always thought he was singing Kay Cottee's burning the load .... Kay Cottee - Wikipedia Lyrics Walking through the high dry grass, pushing my way through slow Yellow belly black snake, sleeping on a red rock Waiting for the stranger to go Sugar train stops at the crossing, cane cockies cursing below Bad storm coming, better run to the top of the mountain Mountain in the shadow of light, rain in the valley below Well you can say you're Peter, say you're Paul Don't put me up on your bedroom wall, call me the king of the mountain Blacksmith fires up the bellows, cane cutters burning the load Workers of the world, run to the top of the mountain Mountain in the I can't take my hands from my face, there are some things we can't replace Mountain in the Over liquid tarmac wastelands of cactus and heat Down cobblestone alleyways of washing day sheets Up ghost prairie mountains of sunset and space Down the road at a familiar place, across the wilderness Out further than the bush I will follow you
River Runs Red This is a mellow song that seems to reflect where the Oils were at this time. From my observations the bands harder songs were softer than previous and their softer songs were more frequent. This isn't a criticism, just an observation. I found as I grew older I grew more mellow, so it would be hypocritical to criticise anyone else for that natural progression. The writing is solid and focused and as always there is a point to the lyrics. Good song again from the boys. Lyrics So you cut all the tall trees down, you poisoned the sky and the sea You've taken what's good from the ground But you've left precious little for me You remember the flood and the fall, we remember the light on the hill There should be enough for us all, but the dollar is driving us still River runs red, black rain falls, dust in my hand River runs red, black rain falls, on my bleeding land So we came and we conquered and found Riches of commons and kings Who strangled and wrestled the ground But they never put back anything Now I'm trapped like a dog in a cage Wherever the truth is pursued It must be the curse of the age What's taken is never renewed
Shakers and Movers Another moderate to slow tempo song and Peter Garrett singing with a voice that seems softer than his general singing voice. This is another good song and obviously lyrically very good, but again we have Midnight oil light to my ears. Lyrics Won't you come on down the line, away from barren ground The harlot and the autocrat, are they driving you further down The season's rhymes, they anchor me, against the raging tide Take you to the last wild place, skin and the stars they embrace A caveman could a saint become, on a hospital ward on the Somme We can dive into distant amoebas, our wings could melt in the sun I can shake, I can move, but I live can't without your love I can break, Over you, but I live without your love Our poet Henry Lawson, he named them, the lay'em out brigade Here they come, there they go, oh great god of development Don't really know you yet Coastline hosed down washed away, economics now there's nothing left Tomorrow's child takes concrete footsteps And they'll drink champagne or be damned And the storm is breaking now, yes the storm is crashing down
One Country A mellow song that starts with just the vocal and the acoustic guitar. Into the second verse we have some gentle touches added from other instruments to colour this in a little. For the most part this is a poignant acoustic ballad and well presented by the band. There is a burst of drums and instruments at about the three minute mark and we enter what is essentially an extended coda. Lyrics Who'd like to change the world, who wants to shoot the curl Who gets to work for bread, who wants to get ahead Who hands out equal rights, who starts and ends that fight And not not rant and rave, or end up a slave Who can make hard won gains, fall like the summer rain Now every man must be, what his life can be So don't call, me, the tune, I will walk away Who want's to please everyone, who says it all can be done Still sit up on that fence, no one I've heard of yet Don't call me baby, don't talk in maybes Don't talk like has-beans, sing it like it should be Who laughs at the nagging doubt, lying on a neon shroud Just gotta touch someone, I want to be So don't call, me, the tune, I will walk away So don't call, me, the tune, I will walk away So don't call, me, the tune, I will walk away Who wants to sit around, turn it up turn it down Only a man can be, what his life can be One vision, one people, one landmass We are defenseless, we have a lifeline One ocean, one policy, seabed lies One passion, one movement, one instant One difference, one lifetime, one understanding (One country) Transgression, redemption, one island Our place mat, one firmament One element, one moment, one fusion Yes and one time
As usual, I'm always late to the party but I'm here now to put my two cents in. Red Sails in the Sunset was a great follow up to 10, 9, 8....... and really helped to solidify the band's presence on the Australian national psyche. Although some mid-80's production techniques were starting to creep into the sound, the songs were still powerful enough to stand up in their own right and not be hampered by that production. And as the op stated, the concert on Goat Island to celebrate JJ/JJJ's tenth anniversary is a fantastic document of how powerful the Oils were in a live setting at this time. I remmeber being very excited when I first saw that 10, 9, 8... and read Sails were first released on CD a few years later and I agonised over which one to purchase as I only had enough money for one album. Diesel & Dust probably ranks as my second favourite album of theirs after 10, 9, 8.... It also seemed to signal a change in how the band was evolving moving forward. The anger was still there but seemed more restrained while the songs were more "refined" (dare I say mellow?) for want of a better term. Were they aiming for more commercial sound to appeal to a wider audience, especially globally? Listening to Diesel & Dust as I am typing this out. Flush with their international success of Diesel & Dust, Blue Sky Mining carried on in the same vein with a similar refined sound appealing to the same audience that had picked up on them on the previous album. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Or, "When you're on a good thing, stick to it". I've always found Blue Sky Mining a little disappointing after Diesel & Dust as there didn't seem to be much in the way of musical progression and I found a lot of the music to be more mellow, almost timid in a way so as not to intimidate or frighten away any new and recent fans. Had the Oils lost their anger and hunger and become comfortable with their recent success? All I know was I hoping for a return to form on the next album. Was I to be disappointed. I don't think that it's any coincidence that international fans tend to prefer the later more refined/slickly produced Oils albums while Australian fans tend to veer towards the earlier more raw and angry albums when the band was on fire, angry and fully aware of what they were angry about.
Easy album and song guide Midnight Oil - 1978 Midnight Oil - the album thread track 1 Powderworks Midnight Oil - the album thread track 2 Head over heals Midnight Oil - the album thread track 3 Dust Midnight Oil - the album thread track 4 Used and Abused Midnight Oil - the album thread track 5 Surfing with a spoon Midnight Oil - the album thread track 6 Run by night Midnight Oil - the album thread Run by night live 1981 - Midnight Oil - the album thread track 7 Nothing lost ... nothing gained Midnight Oil - the album thread Head Injuries - 1979 Midnight Oil - the album thread track 1 Cold cold change Midnight Oil - the album thread track 2 Section 5 (bus to Bondi) Midnight Oil - the album thread track 3 Naked flame Midnight Oil - the album thread track 4 Back on the borderline Midnight Oil - the album thread track 5 Koala sprint Midnight Oil - the album thread track 6 No reaction Midnight Oil - the album thread track 7 Stand in line Midnight Oil - the album thread Stand in line live 1981 - Midnight Oil - the album thread track 8 Profiteers Midnight Oil - the album thread track 9 Is it now? Midnight Oil - the album thread Bird Noises EP 1980 Midnight Oil - the album thread track 1 No time for games Midnight Oil - the album thread track 2 Knife's edge Midnight Oil - the album thread track 3 Wedding cake island Midnight Oil - the album thread track 4 I'm the cure Midnight Oil - the album thread Live at the Melbourne Show Grounds 1980 - Midnight Oil - the album thread Place Without A Postcard 1981 Midnight Oil - the album thread track 1 Don't wanna be the one Midnight Oil - the album thread don't wanna be the one live - Midnight Oil - the album thread track 2 Brave faces Midnight Oil - the album thread Brave faces live in 1982 - Midnight Oil - the album thread track 3 Armistice day Midnight Oil - the album thread Armistice day live 1982 - Midnight Oil - the album thread track 4 Someone else to blame Midnight Oil - the album thread track 5 Basement Flat Midnight Oil - the album thread track 6 Written in the heart Midnight Oil - the album thread track 7 Burnie Midnight Oil - the album thread track 8 Quinella holiday Midnight Oil - the album thread track 9 Love's on sale Midnight Oil - the album thread track 10 If Ned Kelly was King Midnight Oil - the album thread track 11 Lucky country Midnight Oil - the album thread 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 - 1982 - Midnight Oil - the album thread track 1 Outside world Midnight Oil - the album thread track 2 Only the Strong Midnight Oil - the album thread Only the Strong Live Midnight Oil - the album thread track 3 Short Memory Midnight Oil - the album thread Short Memory live Midnight Oil - the album thread track 4 Read About It Midnight Oil - the album thread Read About It Live Midnight Oil - the album thread track 5 Scream in Blue Midnight Oil - the album thread track 6 U.S. Forces Midnight Oil - the album thread track 7 Power and The Passion Midnight Oil - the album thread track 8 Maralinga Midnight Oil - the album thread track 9 Tin Legs And Tin Mines Midnight Oil - the album thread track 10 Somebody's trying to tell me something Midnight Oil - the album thread Red Sails In The Sunset 1983 - Midnight Oil - the album thread track 1 When the Generals Talk Midnight Oil - the album thread track 2 Best Of Both Worlds Midnight Oil - the album thread track 3 Sleep Midnight Oil - the album thread track 4 Minutes To Midnight Midnight Oil - the album thread track 5 Jimmy Sharman's Boxers Midnight Oil - the album thread track 6 Bakerman Midnight Oil - the album thread Bakerman demo, with vocals Midnight Oil - the album thread track 7 Who Can Stand In the Way Midnight Oil - the album thread track 8 Kosciuszko Midnight Oil - the album thread track 9 Helps Me Helps You Midnight Oil - the album thread track 10 Harrisburg Midnight Oil - the album thread track 11 Bells And Horns In The Back Of Beyond Midnight Oil - the album thread track 12 Shipyards Of New Zealand Midnight Oil - the album thread Oils On Water - Live On Goat Island 1985 - Midnight Oil - the album thread Best of both worlds Midnight Oil - the album thread When the generals talk Midnight Oil - the album thread Minutes to midnight Midnight Oil - the album thread Sleep Midnight Oil - the album thread Only the strong Midnight Oil - the album thread Short memory Midnight Oil - the album thread Kosciuszko Midnight Oil - the album thread US forces Midnight Oil - the album thread Jimmy Sharman's Boxers Midnight Oil - the album thread Back on the borderline Midnight Oil - the album thread Tin legs and tin mines Midnight Oil - the album thread Don't wanna be the one Midnight Oil - the album thread Power and the passion Midnight Oil - the album thread Read about it Midnight Oil - the album thread Harrisburg Midnight Oil - the album thread Stand in line Midnight Oil - the album thread Species Deceases 1985 - Midnight Oil - the album thread track 1 Progress Midnight Oil - the album thread track 2 Hercules Midnight Oil - the album thread track 3 Blossom and Blood Midnight Oil - the album thread track 4 Pictures Midnight Oil - the album thread Diesel and Dust 1987 - Midnight Oil - the album thread track 1 Beds are burning Midnight Oil - the album thread track 2 Put down that weapon Midnight Oil - the album thread track 3 Dreamworld Midnight Oil - the album thread track 4 Arctic world Midnight Oil - the album thread track 5 Warakuma Midnight Oil - the album thread track 6 The dead heart Midnight Oil - the album thread The dead heart - extended version - Midnight Oil - the album thread track 7 Whoah Midnight Oil - the album thread track 8 Bullroarer Midnight Oil - the album thread track 9 Sell my soul Midnight Oil - the album thread track 10 Sometimes Midnight Oil - the album thread Sometimes live - bootleg - Midnight Oil - the album thread Sometimes live 1989 - Midnight Oil - the album thread track 11 Gunbarrel Highway Midnight Oil - the album thread Blue Sky Mining 1990 = Midnight Oil - the album thread track 1 Blue sky mine Midnight Oil - the album thread track 2 Stars of Warburton Midnight Oil - the album thread track 3 Bedlam Bridge Midnight Oil - the album thread track 4 Forgotten years Midnight Oil - the album thread track 5 Mountains of Burma Midnight Oil - the album thread track 6 King of the Mountain Midnight Oil - the album thread track 7 River Runs Red Midnight Oil - the album thread track 8 Shakers and Movers Midnight Oil - the album thread track 9 One Country Midnight Oil - the album thread Midnight Oil and Exxon - Midnight Oil - the album thread Peter Garret and Jimmy Barnes (live) - Dreams of ordinary men (Dragon) - Midnight Oil - the album thread - Locomotive Breath (Jethro Tull) - Midnight Oil - the album thread Rob Hirst - Beatbox - Midnight Oil - the album thread
"Blue Sky Mining" did seem kind of anodyne in comparison to the previous few albums. It's where I stopped buying Midnight Oil albums. I imagine I missed out. The rest of this thread will be new territory for me.
me too mate. I've been making myself familiar with the later stuff as we move along, but back in the day i left the party after species deceasies.
Two or three years ago, when I listened to Blue Sky Mining for the first time in a couple of decades, I instantly knew and could sing along with every song on the album, except Shakers and Movers. It did not sound familiar at all. Don't know what that says about the song.
Antarctica This song starts at a slow and steady beat with a unified chant. As the verses move through, the unified chant changes somewhat to back the lead vocal. The song finds a crescendo in the middle that builds quite effectively and then drops out for a piano outro. This song is very effective. Lyrics I'm a snow plough I must now plough on I'm a snow plough I'm a settler's son I'm a storm cloud Rain myself all over the place I'm a storm cloud Wipe that smile right off your face There must be one place left in the world Where the mountains meet the sea There must be one place left in the world Where the water's real and clean I'm a landslide I'm a downhill run I'm a landslide Open season's just begun There must be one place left in the world Where the skin says it can breathe There's gotta be one place left in the world It's a solitude of distance and relief There's gotta be one place left in the world I'm a snow plough There has to be one place left in the world I'm a snow plough One place One place left in the world I'm a short fuser I'm a slow bluesr I'm a landslide hummin I'm a downhill runnin There must be one place left in this world Where we can be
You May Not Be Released This was the b-side of forgotten years and at some point tacked on the end of the album. It's a pretty decent song. Another slower tempo song. Lyrics I understand things aren't often planned Under the bridge Pushed to the edge That's the way the story often ends There's always love You must understand You may not be released You must understand You may not be released Do you believe it So many things are talked about But not much is done Living in these times The rock is a heart Yeah, the rock ain't no stone Stones 'll be thrown You can't guess who but you know there's another Pete track overlayed here but I can't understand it There's always love You must understand You may not be released You must understand You may not be released Well I say, Well I say you must understand You may not be released
Only heard YMNBR for the first time a fairly recently. I think it's a pretty strong song. Would have been happy for it to have taken the place of Forgotten Years, King Of The Mountain or Shakers and Movers. I tend to like the Oils best when they're fast and a little angry, or when they're slow and moody. It's the mid-tempo pop songs that don't always work for me. There are exceptions of course.
