Midnight Oil announces massive 2017 reunion tour, 3 huge box sets with unreleased music

Rob Hirst is being interviewed at the exhibition on Sat., January 30th.It's free but you have to book.
https://www.artscentremelbourne.com...nnel/the-art-of-song-writing-panel-discussion

 

I dig Redneck Wonderland and the first three albums. Their most popular albums don't really do anything for me. Oh, an Australia organised a deal to sell uranium to India whilst Peter was in government so I wouldn't worry about the specifics of how preachy this band is. It's just good music. I always liked the drummers guns too. So cool.

 

Let me quote what actually happened:
Prime Minister Tony Abbott (for those not in the know, he was in power during the current Liberal Government's reign before he was ousted by the current Liberal Prime Minister, not during the reign of Peter Garrett's party - the Labor party) is expected to sign a deal in New Delhi on Thursday to sell uranium that will be the single most significant advance in Australia–India relations in decades. The journey to get to this point has been tortuous and the controversy is unlikely to fade anytime soon with regard to the safety, proliferation and waste disposal risks.
Please, get your facts right.

 

In my top 4 bands of all time. They were superb live. They did a meet an greet with fans who bought the CD single of "Outbreak of Love". This was after playing 2+ hours. They signed anything you had and chatted with you like old friends. I really hope they do one last swing through the US, now that Mr. Garrett has retired from politics.

 

Hehe. Even though it went through when Abbott was in power, the deal was brought up by a Labor gov. Someone needs to get their facts right.

http://www.ibtimes.com.au/pm-tony-abbott-sign-julia-gillard-brokered-uranium-deal-india-1350899

Nice try though.

 

I haven't had to do any house painting in a while but whenever I do Diesel And Dust is always in the mix to keep me going. It's just a cd that keeps me motivated to keep that brush moving and before I know it I've got a wall or two complete.
10,9,8,7,6... is another favorite of mine. That being said, I haven't listened to them in a while and may have to sit down with them.

 

Seeing this thread the last couple days has prompted me to load all my Oil on the iPod and let 'er rip.

They were one of my favorite bands during the 80s and I played the hell out of them back then. My intro was "Read About It" via college alternative radio. Song hit me like a ton of bricks so I went out and snatched up 10, 9, 8... and loved it. To my ears, the Oils were one of the only bands that matched the passion and fury of The Clash.

Actually, as much as I love The Clash, the Oils were far more focused as songwriters, lyrically speaking. To that end, they pulled off quite the feat: essentially an entire catalog that is filled with topical/political salvos that retains its potency.

After I got into 10, 9, 8 and Red Sails, I started working my way backward. For anyone not familiar, I would highly recomend Head Injuries and Postcard. Head Injuries is superior imo as a bare knuckle slab of hard hitting tunes. Postcard is very good and has at least 3 barn burners but the recording is more subdued.

You can also count me in among those who rate the Oils highly as a live act. I first caught them in their heyday (circa 84-ish) at the Pier in NYC opening for UB40, if memory serves. It was raining out, and the sight of Garrett stalking the stage like a man possessed impervious to the sheets of rain, was pretty amazing.

I also saw them many years later (turn of the century) at the Mercury Lounge (much smaller club for those not familiar), again in NYC and they were still very good but the searing ferociousness of their live shows was toned down several notches.

 

Love love love this band. They had it all: Unique, charismatic front man, killer backing vocals, one hook after an another and the band could really burn. Oddly enough, this is a group where the 80s sound worked in their favour. The tight, slick productions really showed them at their best, IMHO. I lost interest as recording styles changed and they got a little grungier, it also seemed that the songwriting wasn't as strong, starting with Breathe.

Favourites:
My Country
Blue Sky Mine
The Dead Heart
Beds Are Burning
Earth And Sun And Moon
Truganini
Outside World
Bullroarer
Short Memory

 

Hmmmm - sorry about that. It appears that the deal was finally agreed to after reassurances by the Indian government that uranium would only be used for peaceful reactor usage, rather than nuclear weapons. I doubt that it was an initiative brokered by Peter.

 

Thanks! I Guess there IS interest in this band!!

 

Peter Garrett and Rob Hirst address reunion rumours.

http://www.news.com.au/entertainmen...m/news-story/2006fe018fc895bbde72a9d7f445a4bc

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...form-reveals-s-writing-songs-time-decade.html

 

Sadly, though I got to interview three of the band members over the years I only saw them live once -- I believe it was '93 or so on a triple bill. Hothouse Flowers opened, followed by a new band called Counting Crows, headlined by Midnight Oil. It was a sold-out amphitheatre and T Bone Burnett and then-wife Sam Phillips were in the audience near me. I asked Rob why the band toured America so infrequently (for my tastes, anyway) and he said it was simply too expensive to come from Australia -- the numbers just didn't work. Not sure if that's true -- if they'd toured more, maybe they'd have headlined amphitheaters alone.

Anyway, I see no mention here of my favorite song, "The Forgotten Years." Got it cranked right now.

The hardest years, the darkest years, the roarin' years, the fallen years
These should not be forgotten years
The hardest years, the wildest years, the desperate and divided years
We will remember, these should not be forgotten years

Given Peter's politics I assumed for years he wrote all the lyrics when it was really primarily Rob and Jim.

 

This may be of interest to some on this thread. Aside from the fact that it's raising money for a very worthwhile cause, it's also a great album.
It's also a great sounding recording (Mixed by Mad Professor).
http://yesmaam.com.au/music/six-strings/declan-kelly-diesel-ndub/

http://www.dieselndub.com/

 

Of course there is, a social conscience, a charismatic front man (albeit with very dubious dance moves) and killer tunes, why wouldn't there be?

 

Golden Age & Too Much Sunshine are well worth the price of admission.

 

Great band, great conscience, fantastic songs and an absolute lack of pretense-what's not to like? I revisit them often, and will definitely check out some of the other less familiar albums in the thread.

 

Not really a fan, but I have a funny story. Back in 84 or 85, I went to k-mart to get Iron Maiden's Powerslave, and the dude behind the counter kept trying to convince me to by Midnight Oil. He failed.

 

Thanks! Didn't know about this. Had a skim through the tracks on Soundcloud and I'm liking PATP the best of them. It's all produced just a little to cleanly for me, like nearly all modern reggae.

 

I've just been revisiting Diesel And Dust...one of my most listened to albums from the late 80s and it still sounds good. "Put Down That Weapon" is a favorite.

 

If anybody subscribes to the Powderworks group in Yahoo, there have been rumblings of a reunion.

 

Well you can say you're Peter, say you're Paul
Don't put me up on your bedroom wall
Call me king of the mountain

Love that song.

 

PATP is the only song not mixed by Mad Professor.

 

I heard about this too. Think it was on the radio.

 

One of the greatest bands ever, certainly one of the most powerful live. Saw them in '88 and '92. Their whole catalog is tremendous (although the debut always sounded rinky-dink production wise to me, and not very strong songs).