Midnight Oil
Encyclopedia
Midnight Oil were an Australian rock band from Sydney originally performing as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst
, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player
/lead guitarist Jim Moginie
. While vocalist Peter Garrett
was studying at Australian National University
in Canberra, he answered an advertisement for a spot in Farm, and by 1975 the band was touring the east coast. By late 1976, Garrett moved to Sydney to complete his law degree, and Farm changed its name to Midnight Oil by drawing the name out of a hat.
Important to their development was manager Gary Morris who was able to negotiate favourable contracts with tour promoters and record companies and frustrate rock journalists. Guitarist Martin Rotsey
joined in 1977 and Midnight Oil, with Morris, established their own record label Powderworks, which released their debut eponymous album
in November 1978, and their first single "Run by Night" followed in December. Founding bass guitarist James, forced to leave due to illness in 1980, was replaced by Peter Gifford
. Gifford was himself replaced by Bones Hillman
in 1987. Through a long and distinguished career, the band became known for its driving hard-rock sound, intense live performances and political activism, particularly in aid of anti-nuclear
, environmentalist
and indigenous
causes.
Midnight Oil’s albums which peaked in the Australian Top Ten were 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
, Red Sails in the Sunset
, Species Deceases
, Diesel and Dust
, Blue Sky Mining
, Scream in Blue (Live)
, Earth and Sun and Moon
, Breathe, 20,000 Watt R.S.L.
, Redneck Wonderland
, The Real Thing
, Capricornia
and Flat Chat
. Australian Top Ten singles were "Power and the Passion
", "The Dead Heart", "Beds Are Burning
" and "Blue Sky Mine
". Aside from chart success, both "Power and the Passion" and "Beds Are Burning" were listed by Australasian Performing Right Association
(APRA) in the Top 30 best Australian songs
of all time in 2001. In December 2002, Garrett announced that he would seek to further his political career and Midnight Oil disbanded. But they would reform for two warm-up shows in Canberra leading up to their performance at one of the "Sound Relief
" charity concerts, in honour of the victims of the "Black Saturday" fires and the "Queensland
flood
s".
Midnight Oil won eleven Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA) Awards during its career, including induction into the Hall of Fame
in 2006. At the induction, ARIA chairman Denis Handlin described Midnight Oil as true legends that always led by example in a uniquely Australian way with music that is powerful, uncompromising, inspiring, entertaining and enduring.
In 2010 their album Diesel and Dust
ranked No. 1 in the book 'The 100 Best Australian Albums' by Toby Creswell
, Craig Mathieson
and John O'Donnell.
, bass guitarist Andrew James, and keyboard player
/lead guitarist Jim Moginie
were performing together. They adopted the name Farm in 1972, and played covers of Cream
, Creedence Clearwater Revival
and Led Zeppelin
songs. They placed an advert for a band member and Peter Garrett
(ex-Rock Island Line) became their new vocalist and synthesiser player, and began introducing progressive rock
elements of Focus
, Jethro Tull
and Yes
, as well as their own material. Garrett was studying at Australian National University
in Canberra, so Farm was only a part-time band. They played for the northern Sydney surfing community, and by 1975 the band was touring the east coast. In late 1976, Garrett moved to Sydney to complete his Law degree. Farm then became a full-time group and so changed its name to Midnight Oil by drawing a name out of a hat, leaving behind "Television," "Sparta" and "Southern Cross." Midnight Oil came from the Jimi Hendrix
song "Burning of the Midnight Lamp
".
audiences. Guitarist Martin Rotsey
joined in 1977 and Midnight Oil, with their manager Gary Morris, established their own record label Powderworks. In June 1978 they entered the Alberts Studio
in Sydney with producer Keith Walker, from local radio station 2JJ
, to record their debut eponymous album, Midnight Oil
, which was released by Powderworks in November 1978 and peaked at No. 43 on the Australian albums charts. Midnight Oil's first single "Run by Night" followed in December, but had very little chart success peaking at No. 100 on the singles charts. The band built a dedicated fan base, initially restricted to Sydney, which was extended to other Australian cities through constant touring – performing some 200 gigs in their first year. They became known for their furious live performances, which featured the two guitarists Moginie and Rotsey, the drumming and vocals of Hirst and the presence of the towering, bald Garrett as lead singer.
The Midnight Oil LP disappointed some critics as it did not capture their powerful live performances, with undemanding playing and Garrett’s vocals sounding stilted. Their second album Head Injuries
, released on Powderworks in October 1979, was produced by former Supercharge
member Leszek Karski. It mixed solid guitar rock with progressive flourishes and was an improvement by highlighting the group’s strengths and growth. It peaked at No. 36 and by mid-1980 had achieved gold status. In April 1980 founding bass guitarist Andrew James left because of ill-health and was replaced by Peter Gifford
(ex-Huntress, Ross Ryan Band). Further interest in Midnight Oil was generated by the popular Bird Noises
EP
, also produced by Karski, which peaked at No. 28 on the Australian singles charts. One of its four tracks was the surf-instrumental "Wedding Cake Island" named after the rock outcrop
in the ocean off Sydney's Coogee Beach. The band's third LP Place without a Postcard
, released by CBS Records
in November 1981, was recorded in Sussex
with English producer Glyn Johns
(The Rolling Stones
, The Who
). Creative tensions between the band and Johns plagued the recording and the group were not totally happy with the outcome. Johns had an arrangement with A&M Records
and they asked Midnight Oil to return to the studio to record material suitable for an American single release – they refused and returned to Australia. Place without a Postcard peaked at No. 12 on the albums charts and related singles "Don’t Wanna be the One" and "Armistice Day" reached the Top 40 in Australia.
outlook. Although consistently championed by Sydney alternative rock station Double Jay
and its FM band successor Triple J, Midnight Oil was almost totally ignored by Australia's mainstream commercial radio stations in their early career. Manager Morris developed a reputation as one of the toughest managers and became notorious for banning critics or journalists, who were usually given free admission to concerts, for writing unfavourable reviews. Writer and critic Bruce Elder
, in a mid-1980s newspaper review described their music as "narrow and xenophobic", and declared Midnight Oil were:
In retaliation, Morris banned Elder from Oils shows permanently. Elder later recanted, describing them as the only Australian band to have developed a truly Australian sound.
The frostiness of Midnight Oil's relationship with the traditional music media quickly saw the band develop a strong "street cred", and a reputation for making no compromises with the music industry. In the early 1980s the band was scheduled to appear on an episode of the all-powerful Australian Broadcasting Corporation
(ABC) TV pop show Countdown, but on the day of the show they were "bumped" from the line-up. Countdown required artists to mime their songs during 'live' performances, Midnight Oil and Morris insisted they perform completely live and have their sound engineer supervising – neither side backed down. According to Countdown producer Michael Shrimpton, the band had arrived late for rehearsal, and due to the show's very tight schedule and budget there was a strict policy that latecomers were not allowed to appear, and as such they were told they could not perform that day. In response, the group declared that they would never appear on the show, a promise they faithfully kept. Countdown presenter Molly Meldrum
shaved his head bald, imitating Garrett, for its final show on 19 July 1987 and expressed regret that Midnight Oil had never appeared on the show.
Fans of the group were drawn to the band's "us and them" mindset, and fan loyalty to the Oils' ideas and music was fierce. Two venues at which they built significant fan bases from their early live performances were the Sydney northern beaches pub The Royal Antler at Narrabeen and the Bondi Lifesaver club near Sydney's Bondi Beach. Politically oriented rock of the style produced by the band was something of a new concept for the Australian music scene, and Peter Garrett quickly earned a reputation as one of the most charismatic and outspoken musicians in the country. He recalled that there were dangers in playing the pub scene:
, which included the singles "Power and the Passion
" and "Read about It
". The album peaked at No. 3 and "Power and the Passion" peaked at No. 8. The album also includes their denunciation of American military interference in foreign affairs in "US Forces
" and their critique of imperialist repression in "Short Memory". 10 to 1 was recorded in London during September and produced by Englishman Nick Launay
, who had previously worked with acts including The Jam
, XTC
, Peter Gabriel
, PiL
, Gang of Four
and The Birthday Party
. Launay worked on several other major Australian recordings in this period including INXS
' The Swing, Models
' The Pleasure Of Your Company and The Church
's Seance.
The album remained in the Australian charts for 171 weeks. It retained their live energy but was more adventurous and radical than previous work. Their ascendancy was signalled by a series of concerts on the release of the album at Sydney's Capitol Theatre, one of which was filmed and recorded and later released on their 2004 Best of Both Worlds
DVD. The band also played their first shows outside Australia during this time, with the album being released in US on Columbia Records
, where it charted in 1984 on the Billboard 200
; in the UK it was released on CBS
.
in October 1984, which was recorded in Japan, produced by Launay again. It peaked at No. 1 for four weeks on the Australian charts, and charted on the Billboard 200. Singles from the album were released in US and UK but had no chart success. Whilst the album showed an over-reliance on technical wizardry, their lyrical stance was positive. The band continued to expand their sound and explore themes of politics, consumerism, militarism, the threat of nuclear war and environmental issues. The album cover by Japanese artist Tsunehisa Kimura
featured a photomontage
of Sydney – both city and harbour – cratered and devastated after a hypothetical nuclear attack. Live concert footage of "Short Memory" was used in the Australian independent anti-nuclear war movie One Night Stand
. A promotional video for "Best of Both Worlds", later on Best of Both Worlds
, received airplay worldwide on cable music TV station MTV.
Garrett ran as a Nuclear Disarmament Party
(NDP) candidate for a NSW seat in the Australian Senate
during the December 1984 federal election, Garrett obtained 9.6% of votes but was unable to obtain the required quota of 12.5%. In April 1985, Garrett, with some 30 other members, walked out of the national conference and resigned from the NDP claiming it had been infiltrated by a Trotskyist group. Although unsuccessful in that federal election, Garrett was now a recognised public figure.
in Port Jackson
to celebrate Triple J's tenth birthday, before a select audience of fans who had won tickets in a radio competition. The concert was filmed, simulcast on ABC-TV and Triple J, and released on video, which was remastered for their 2004 Best of Both Worlds DVD.
produced with Francois Kevorkian
was released by CBS/Columbia; it peaked at No. 1 on the Australian singles charts for six weeks. Species Deceases, featuring the track "Hercules", featured a return to their pub rock sound with hard hitting firepower. Midnight Oil spent several months in 1986 on the Blackfella/Whitefella tour of outback Australia
with indigenous groups Warumpi Band
and Gondwanaland
, playing to remote Aboriginal communities and seeing first hand the seriousness of the issues in health and living standards. The tour was criticised by some journalists for being a one-off event instead of a long-term attempt to build bridges between communities. The band was galvanised by the experiences and made them the basis of Diesel and Dust
, released in 1987 and produced by Warne Livesey. The album focused on the need for recognition by white Australia of past injustices involving the Aboriginal nation and the need for reconciliation. Peter Gifford left the band before the album's release due to extensive touring schedules, and was replaced by Bones Hillman
, formerly of The Swingers
.
Diesel and Dust peaked at No. 1 on the Australian albums charts for six weeks, No. 21 on the Billboard 200 charts
in 1988, and No. 19 on the UK albums charts. "Beds Are Burning
" was their biggest international hit single, peaking at No. 6 in Australia, and No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100
, No. 6 on the UK singles charts. "The Dead Heart" peaked at No. 6 in Australia, and charted on the Hot 100 and in the UK. "Put Down that Weapon" also charted in Australia, while "Dreamworld" charted on Billboards Mainstream Rock Tracks
and at No. 16 on its Modern Rock Tracks
.
At the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA) 1988 Awards
ceremony, Midnight Oil won "Best Cover Art" for Diesel and Dust and both "Best Single" and "Best Song" for "Beds Are Burning
". A fracas developed between Morris, accepting awards for Midnight Oil, and former Countdown compere Ian Meldrum who was presenting: Meldrum objected to Morris making political commentary from the podium.
There were concerns about Diesel and Dust and Midnight Oil's attempts to express indigenous issues
to white
urban audiences - namely, the question "who holds the power to tell whose history?" The lyrics of "The Dead Heart" tell the story of colonisation
from an indigenous point of view
but some critics felt they reinforced the "primitive" stereotype
. Use of the bullroarer
was criticised as belonging to sacred rituals, and therefore not appropriate for rock songs. "The Dead Heart" had been written in response to a request by organisers of the 1985 ceremony to return control of Uluru
to its indigenous caretakers
; Midnight Oil had originally resisted adding an indigenous group to a concert bill, but the organisers insisted, arguing that the band would reach a wider audience within the predominantly Caucasian
urban centres. Midnight Oil requested that all royalties
from the song go to indigenous communities
. In addition, two indigenous groups, Warumpi Band and Gondwanaland, toured with them.
Following the 1988 American tour in support of Diesel and Dust with Australian band Yothu Yindi
, Midnight Oil launched the Burning Bridges album with various artists contributing, including Paul Kelly
, Scrap Metal, Coloured Stone, Hunters & Collectors
, James Reyne
, The Saints
, Crowded House
, INXS
and Yothu Yindi. All sales proceeds were donated to the National Coalition of Aboriginal Organisations.
During 1989–1993 and 1998–2002 Garrett was the President of the Australian Conservation Foundation
, whilst during 1993–1998 he was on the International Board of Greenpeace
. In 1990 Midnight Oil played an impromptu lunchtime set in front of Exxon
headquarters in New York with a banner reading, "Midnight Oil Makes You Dance, Exxon Oil Makes Us Sick," protesting the Exxon Valdez oil spill
the previous year.
, produced by Livesey, was released by CBS/Columbia. It peaked at No. 1 on the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA) albums charts. It stayed at No. 1 for two weeks in Australia and had Top 5 chart success in Sweden, Switzerland and Norway. It peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 and No. 28 on the UK charts. The album was more defiant and outspoken; the single "Blue Sky Mine" describes asbestos exposure in the Wittenoom mine tragedy. The single peaked at No. 8 on the ARIA singles charts, top 15 in Norway and Switzerland, No. 47 on Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on both their Mainstream and Modern Rock Tracks charts, and appeared on the UK charts. The second single, "Forgotten Years," was more moderately successful, reaching No. 26 on the ARIA singles chart, No. 97 in the UK, No. 11 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks, and No. 1 on the Modern Rock Tracks.
In Sydney in 1990, while Midnight Oil were taking a break, Hirst joined up with guitarist Andrew Dickson, drummer Dorland Bray of Do-Ré-Mi
, guitarist Leszek Karski (Midnight Oil producer) and bass guitarist Rick Grossman
of Hoodoo Gurus
to form a side project called Ghostwriters
. The name refers to the practice of ghostwriting, wherein famous writers contribute under assumed names in order to remain anonymous. Ghostwriters' line-ups – both live and in the studio – changed considerably through the years, with only founders Hirst and Grossman being mainstays. Between successive album releases Hirst and Grossman returned to active involvement with Oils and Gurus respectively. Ghostwriters have released Ghostwriters (1991), Second Skin (1996), Fibromoon (1999) and Political Animal (2007).
At the 1991 ARIA Awards ceremony, Midnight Oil won 'Best Group' and an 'Outstanding Achievement Award' and 'Best Cover Art', 'Best Video' and 'Album of the Year' for Blue Sky Mining. Morris, accepting awards for Midnight Oil, was criticised for a speech lasting 20 minutes.
Scream in Blue (Live)
, their June 1992 live album produced by Keith Walker, contained material from concerts between 1982–1990, including "Progress" from their Exxon Valdez protest gig. It peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA albums charts; Top 50 in Austria, Sweden and Switzerland; and appeared on the Billboard 200.
album, produced with Nick Launay, was released in April 1993 and also drew critical acclaim and international success, peaking at No. 2 on the ARIA albums charts, top 20 in Sweden and Switzerland, Top 50 on Billboard 200, and top thirty in the UK albums chart. The single "Truganini" referenced multiple issues, including the 'last' Tasmanian Aboriginal, the treatment of indigenous artist Albert Namatjira
, the Australian flag debate
, and republicanism
. Liner notes for the single claimed "Truganini was the sole surviving Tasmanian Aborigine, the last of her race, when she died in 1876." The Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, representing over 7000 contemporary Tasmanians, called for the single to be boycotted as it perpetuated a 'white' myth about the extinction of Tasmanian Aborigines
. Their Native Title claims hinged upon establishing links with ancestral lands. Morris responded with, "My suggestion to these people is to stop shooting themselves in the foot and let a band like Midnight Oil voice its appeal to White Australia on behalf of Black Australia". Critics contended that Morris disparaged Indigenous Australians' ability to represent themselves and over-estimated Midnight Oil's ambassadorial powers while diminishing their errors, while some indigenous activists saw benefit in Midnight Oil's highlighting of the issues. Nevertheless, "Truganini" released in March peaked at No. 10 on the ARIA singles charts, No. 10 on Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks and No. 4 on their Modern Rock Tracks charts, and top thirty for the UK charts.
In 1993, the band also participated in the Another Roadside Attraction
tour in Canada, and collaborated with The Tragically Hip
, Crash Vegas
, Hothouse Flowers
and Daniel Lanois
on the one-off single "Land
" to protest forest clearing
in British Columbia
.
was released in 1996, it was produced by Malcolm Burn
and had a loose, raw style with almost a low-key sound. It peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA albums chart, and had Top 40 success in New Zealand and Switzerland. They returned to No. 1 on the ARIA albums charts with the compilation
20,000 Watt R.S.L.
in 1997 on Sony Records, which achieved 4×Platinum sales. Later albums, Redneck Wonderland
in 1998, The Real Thing
in 2000 and Capricornia
in 2002 again renuniting with producer Warne Livesey, all charted into the ARIA Top Ten.
. Then Prime Minister John Howard
had triggered controversy that year with his refusal to embrace symbolic reconciliation and apologise to Indigenous Australians and members of the stolen generations. Midnight Oil performed their reconciliation-themed single "Beds Are Burning
" at the ceremony with the word SORRY
conspicuously printed on their clothes as a form of apology to indigenous people for their suffering under white settlement, and to highlight the issue to Howard, who was in the audience at the Olympic stadium. Midnight Oil had consulted with tour mates Yothu Yindi and other indigenous activists, so that their performance would bring popular protest to the world arena. In 2001, whenAustralasian Performing Right Association
(APRA) surveyed 100 music industry people for their Top 10 Best Australian songs of all time, "Beds Are Burning" was voted No. 3 behind The Easybeats
' "Friday on My Mind
" and Daddy Cool
's "Eagle Rock
". At the 2001 APRA Awards
ceremony "Beds are Burning" was shown on video and introduced by Australian Democrats
Senator Aden Ridgeway
as an indigenous
spokesperson on Reconciliation. "Power and the Passion" was also listed in APRA's Top 30 best Australian songs
.
under the Nuclear Disarmament Party
banner, and narrowly lost. He won the seat of Kingsford Smith
at the 2004 General Election for the Australian Labor Party
and was selected as Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment, Heritage and the Arts. On Thursday, 29 November 2007, Prime Minister elect, the Hon Kevin Rudd MP, named Garrett as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts. The other members of the band continued to work together but not under the Midnight Oil name, bringing the band's career to a close.
After a warm up gig the previous evening at the Manly-Warringah Leagues Club the band, including Garrett, reunited to perform at the WaveAid
concert on 29 January 2005, to raise funds for the victims of the 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami
. The concert, which took place at the Sydney Cricket Ground
, also included performances by Powderfinger
, Silverchair
, Nick Cave
, John Butler Trio
, Finn Brothers
and others.
On 29 October 2006 Midnight Oil was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame
with ARIA chairman Denis Handlin describing them:
Rob Hirst
in his acceptance speech thanked his family, band mates, and support from fellow Australians. He also lamented the fact that unlike the Vietnam war which had inspired some of the best protest songs ever written, very few had been written because of the invasion of Iraq. Flat Chat
, another compilation album, was released in November and peaked at No. 21 on the ARIA album charts.
Rumours of an appearance by Midnight Oil at the Sydney leg
of the Live Earth
concert in July 2007 were false. However Ghostwriters
, founded by drummer Hirst and Hoodoo Gurus
bass guitarist Rick Grossman
and including former Oils guitarist Martin Rotsey
, performed six tracks including the Oils' song "When the Generals Talk", whilst Peter Garrett
gave a speech introducing a reformed Crowded House
.
Aside from Ghostwriters, Hirst has also been a member of Backsliders
, performed with former Olympian Paul Greene
, with fellow Backsliders member Dom Turner
on The Angry Tradesmen and with Rotsey assisted on Jim Moginie
's solo album Alas Folkloric in 2006.
concert in Melbourne. A concert was held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
(MCG) on 14 March 2009 to raise money for victims of Victoria's February bushfire disaster
. The event was held simultaneously with a concert at the Sydney Cricket Ground
. All proceeds from the Melbourne Concert went to the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire relief. Appearing with Midnight Oil in Melbourne were Augie March
, Bliss N Eso with Paris Wells, Gabriella Cilmi
, Hunters & Collectors
, Jack Johnson
, Kasey Chambers
& Shane Nicholson with Troy Cassar-Daley
, Kings Of Leon
, Liam Finn
, Crowded House
, Jet
, Paul Kelly
, Split Enz
and Wolfmother
.
Hottest 100 of all time, voted by the Australian public.
Rob Hirst
-External links:*******...
, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
/lead guitarist Jim Moginie
Jim Moginie
James "Jim" Moginie is an Australian musician. He is best known for his work with Midnight Oil, of which he was a founding member, guitarist, keyboardist and leading songwriter...
. While vocalist Peter Garrett
Peter Garrett
Peter Robert Garrett, AM, MP , is an Australian musician, environmentalist, activist and politician.Garrett was lead singer of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil from 1973 until its disbanding in 2002...
was studying at Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
in Canberra, he answered an advertisement for a spot in Farm, and by 1975 the band was touring the east coast. By late 1976, Garrett moved to Sydney to complete his law degree, and Farm changed its name to Midnight Oil by drawing the name out of a hat.
Important to their development was manager Gary Morris who was able to negotiate favourable contracts with tour promoters and record companies and frustrate rock journalists. Guitarist Martin Rotsey
Martin Rotsey
Martin Rotsey is an Australian guitarist, and was a member of the rock band Midnight Oil from 1977 until the band's dissolution in 2002.In 2006, he joined fellow Midnight Oil member Rob Hirst's projects Ghostwriters and The Angry Tradesmen...
joined in 1977 and Midnight Oil, with Morris, established their own record label Powderworks, which released their debut eponymous album
Midnight Oil (album)
Midnight Oil is a self-titled debut album by Australian band Midnight Oil that was recorded in 1977 and released in November 1978 on the band's independent Sprint Music label. The album was later distributed by CBS Records....
in November 1978, and their first single "Run by Night" followed in December. Founding bass guitarist James, forced to leave due to illness in 1980, was replaced by Peter Gifford
Peter Gifford
Peter Gifford , sometimes known as "Giffo," is an Australian musician. From 1980 until 1987 he played bass guitar for Australian rock band Midnight Oil.-Midnight Oil:...
. Gifford was himself replaced by Bones Hillman
Bones Hillman
Bones Hillman is a New Zealand musician. He played bass guitar in his first band The Masochists, an early New Zealand punk act, formed with friends from the Auckland suburb of Avondale . In late 1977 he joined the Suburban Reptiles and appeared on their first single, "Megaton"...
in 1987. Through a long and distinguished career, the band became known for its driving hard-rock sound, intense live performances and political activism, particularly in aid of anti-nuclear
Anti-nuclear
The anti-nuclear movement is a social movement that opposes the use of nuclear technologies. Many direct action groups, environmental groups, and professional organisations have identified themselves with the movement at the local, national, and international level...
, environmentalist
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
and indigenous
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
causes.
Midnight Oil’s albums which peaked in the Australian Top Ten were 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 is an album by Midnight Oil that was released on vinyl in 1982 under the Columbia Records label. The lengthy name is often pronounced "ten-to-one" or "ten-nine-eight" by fans. It peaked at No. 3 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart and remained on the...
, Red Sails in the Sunset
Red Sails in the Sunset (album)
Red Sails in the Sunset is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 1984 under the Columbia Records label. This album was recorded and produced in Tokyo, Japan and is significant for becoming their first No. 1 album in Australia...
, Species Deceases
Species Deceases
Species Deceases is an EP by Midnight Oil that was released in 1985 under the CBS record label. It was released on 6 August 1985, the 40th anniversary of Hiroshima being bombed by the USA....
, Diesel and Dust
Diesel and Dust
Diesel and Dust is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 1987 under the CBS record label.The album is a concept album about the struggles of the Australian Aborigines and environmental causes, issues both near and dear to the band, and drew inspiration from the Black Fella White Fella tour...
, Blue Sky Mining
Blue Sky Mining
Blue Sky Mining is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 1990 under the Columbia Records label. It received high ratings from critics. A limited release of the record featured clear blue vinyl...
, Scream in Blue (Live)
Scream in Blue
Scream in Blue is a live concert album by Midnight Oil that was released in 1992 under the Columbia Records label. It contains songs carefully culled from 5 live concerts recorded over a 9 year period. The audiences sound quite large, but also included is material from a 1990 protest concert...
, Earth and Sun and Moon
Earth and Sun and Moon
Earth and Sun and Moon is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 1993 under the Columbia Records label.-Reception:-Track listing:# "Feeding Frenzy" – 5:07# "My Country" – 4:51...
, Breathe, 20,000 Watt R.S.L.
20,000 Watt R.S.L.
20,000 Watt R.S.L. is a compilation album by Australian rock band Midnight Oil released in October 1997 on their own label Sprint Music. The word "Collection" appears on the front of the CD along the hinge in the same type face as the title and the name of the band and may have been intended as...
, Redneck Wonderland
Redneck Wonderland
Redneck Wonderland is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 1998 under the Columbia Records label. The title of the album was inspired by a wall graffiti, a picture of which can be seen in the promotional Oil Rag Vol...
, The Real Thing
The Real Thing (Midnight Oil album)
The Real Thing is a compilation of studio and live acoustic recordings by Midnight Oil, and includes a cover version of Russell Morris's classic "The Real Thing"...
, Capricornia
Capricornia (album)
Capricornia is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 2002 under the Sony Music label in Australia, and the Liquid 8 record label internationally...
and Flat Chat
Flat Chat
Flat Chat is a compilation album from the Australian band Midnight Oil. It is a collection of their heavier rock songs, which gave them their reputation...
. Australian Top Ten singles were "Power and the Passion
Power and the Passion (song)
"Power and the Passion" is the first single by Midnight Oil from their widely-acclaimed 1982 studio album 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. The song is one of the band's most famous, and it appeared on every Midnight Oil tour since the issue of 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 as well as at the WaveAid...
", "The Dead Heart", "Beds Are Burning
Beds Are Burning
"Beds Are Burning" is a 1987/1988 worldwide hit single by Australian rock band Midnight Oil, the first track from their album Diesel and Dust. This song was the second from the album to be released as a single, and is among the band's best-known songs outside Australia.It reached No. 1 in the New...
" and "Blue Sky Mine
Blue Sky Mine
"Blue Sky Mine" is a song by Australian rock band Midnight Oil released as the first single from their album Blue Sky Mining. It peaked at #8 in the ARIA Singles Chart, #7 on Canada's Top 100 Singles Chart, #66 in the UK Singles Chart, #47 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #1 on both the Billboard...
". Aside from chart success, both "Power and the Passion" and "Beds Are Burning" were listed by Australasian Performing Right Association
Australasian Performing Right Association
The Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. The association's head offices located in Sydney Australia, and it has branch offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
(APRA) in the Top 30 best Australian songs
APRA Top 30 Australian songs
APRA's Top 30 Australian songs between 1926 and 2001 was a list created by the Australasian Performing Right Association to celebrate its 75th anniversary...
of all time in 2001. In December 2002, Garrett announced that he would seek to further his political career and Midnight Oil disbanded. But they would reform for two warm-up shows in Canberra leading up to their performance at one of the "Sound Relief
Sound Relief
Sound Relief was a multi-venue rock music concert held on 14 March 2009, which was announced by the Premier of Victoria, John Brumby on 24 February 2009...
" charity concerts, in honour of the victims of the "Black Saturday" fires and the "Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
s".
Midnight Oil won eleven Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA) Awards during its career, including induction into the Hall of Fame
ARIA Hall of Fame
Since 1988 the Australian Recording Industry Association has inducted artists into its ARIA Hall of Fame. While most have been recognised at the annual ARIA Music Awards, in 2005 ARIA sought to create a separate standalone "ARIA Icons: Hall of Fame" event as only one or two acts could be inducted...
in 2006. At the induction, ARIA chairman Denis Handlin described Midnight Oil as true legends that always led by example in a uniquely Australian way with music that is powerful, uncompromising, inspiring, entertaining and enduring.
In 2010 their album Diesel and Dust
Diesel and Dust
Diesel and Dust is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 1987 under the CBS record label.The album is a concept album about the struggles of the Australian Aborigines and environmental causes, issues both near and dear to the band, and drew inspiration from the Black Fella White Fella tour...
ranked No. 1 in the book 'The 100 Best Australian Albums' by Toby Creswell
Toby Creswell
Toby Creswell is an Australian music journalist and pop-culture writer. He was editor of Rolling Stone and a founding editor of Juice. In 1986 he co-wrote, with Martin Fabinyi, his first book Too Much Ain't Enough a biography of pub rocker and former Cold Chisel vocalist Jimmy Barnes...
, Craig Mathieson
Craig Mathieson
Craig Mathieson is an Australian music journalist and writer. His books include, Hi Fi Days and The Sell-In .-Biography:...
and John O'Donnell.
Farm: 1972–1976
In 1971, drummer Rob HirstRob Hirst
-External links:*******...
, bass guitarist Andrew James, and keyboard player
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
/lead guitarist Jim Moginie
Jim Moginie
James "Jim" Moginie is an Australian musician. He is best known for his work with Midnight Oil, of which he was a founding member, guitarist, keyboardist and leading songwriter...
were performing together. They adopted the name Farm in 1972, and played covers of Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
, Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
and Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
songs. They placed an advert for a band member and Peter Garrett
Peter Garrett
Peter Robert Garrett, AM, MP , is an Australian musician, environmentalist, activist and politician.Garrett was lead singer of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil from 1973 until its disbanding in 2002...
(ex-Rock Island Line) became their new vocalist and synthesiser player, and began introducing progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
elements of Focus
Focus (band)
Focus is a Dutch rock band which was founded by classically trained organist/flautist Thijs van Leer in 1969, and is most famous for the instrumental pieces "Hocus Pocus" and "Sylvia"...
, Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
and Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
, as well as their own material. Garrett was studying at Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
in Canberra, so Farm was only a part-time band. They played for the northern Sydney surfing community, and by 1975 the band was touring the east coast. In late 1976, Garrett moved to Sydney to complete his Law degree. Farm then became a full-time group and so changed its name to Midnight Oil by drawing a name out of a hat, leaving behind "Television," "Sparta" and "Southern Cross." Midnight Oil came from the Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
song "Burning of the Midnight Lamp
Burning of the Midnight Lamp
"Burning of the Midnight Lamp" is a song by The Jimi Hendrix Experience, first released as a mono single b/w "The Stars That Play with Laughing Sam's Dice" in the United Kingdom on August 19, 1967 . It later appeared on the band's final studio album, Electric Ladyland...
".
1976–1981
After changing its name to Midnight Oil, the group began to develop an aggressive, punk – hard rock sound for their pub rockPub rock (Australia)
Pub rock is a style of Australian rock and roll popular throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and still influencing contemporary Australian music today....
audiences. Guitarist Martin Rotsey
Martin Rotsey
Martin Rotsey is an Australian guitarist, and was a member of the rock band Midnight Oil from 1977 until the band's dissolution in 2002.In 2006, he joined fellow Midnight Oil member Rob Hirst's projects Ghostwriters and The Angry Tradesmen...
joined in 1977 and Midnight Oil, with their manager Gary Morris, established their own record label Powderworks. In June 1978 they entered the Alberts Studio
Albert Productions
Albert Productions, a division of music publishing and recording company Albert Music, is one of Australia's longest established independent Australian record label to specialise in rock and roll music. The label was founded in 1964 by Ted Albert, whose family owned and operated the Australian...
in Sydney with producer Keith Walker, from local radio station 2JJ
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
, to record their debut eponymous album, Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil (album)
Midnight Oil is a self-titled debut album by Australian band Midnight Oil that was recorded in 1977 and released in November 1978 on the band's independent Sprint Music label. The album was later distributed by CBS Records....
, which was released by Powderworks in November 1978 and peaked at No. 43 on the Australian albums charts. Midnight Oil's first single "Run by Night" followed in December, but had very little chart success peaking at No. 100 on the singles charts. The band built a dedicated fan base, initially restricted to Sydney, which was extended to other Australian cities through constant touring – performing some 200 gigs in their first year. They became known for their furious live performances, which featured the two guitarists Moginie and Rotsey, the drumming and vocals of Hirst and the presence of the towering, bald Garrett as lead singer.
The Midnight Oil LP disappointed some critics as it did not capture their powerful live performances, with undemanding playing and Garrett’s vocals sounding stilted. Their second album Head Injuries
Head Injuries
Head Injuries is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 1979 under the Columbia Records label. It was the last Midnight Oil album to feature Andrew James on bass who quit the band due to illness....
, released on Powderworks in October 1979, was produced by former Supercharge
Supercharge (band)
Supercharge were a 1970s English rock band from Liverpool, founded by singer/saxophonist Albie Donnelly. They had a number three hit single in Australia with "You've Gotta Get Up and Dance" in 1977.-History:...
member Leszek Karski. It mixed solid guitar rock with progressive flourishes and was an improvement by highlighting the group’s strengths and growth. It peaked at No. 36 and by mid-1980 had achieved gold status. In April 1980 founding bass guitarist Andrew James left because of ill-health and was replaced by Peter Gifford
Peter Gifford
Peter Gifford , sometimes known as "Giffo," is an Australian musician. From 1980 until 1987 he played bass guitar for Australian rock band Midnight Oil.-Midnight Oil:...
(ex-Huntress, Ross Ryan Band). Further interest in Midnight Oil was generated by the popular Bird Noises
Bird Noises
Bird Noises is an EP by Midnight Oil that was released in 1980 under Midnight Oil's Sprint Music independent label, and manufactured & distributed by the CBS record label.-Track listing:# "No Time for Games"...
EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, also produced by Karski, which peaked at No. 28 on the Australian singles charts. One of its four tracks was the surf-instrumental "Wedding Cake Island" named after the rock outcrop
Wedding Cake Island
Wedding Cake Island is an island off Coogee Beach, Sydney, which protects the beach from most swells. It is also known as Lemo's Island....
in the ocean off Sydney's Coogee Beach. The band's third LP Place without a Postcard
Place without a Postcard
Place Without a Postcard is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 1981 under the Columbia Records label. Cover photography and all other photographs by Robert Butcher.-Reception:The album scored 3/5 from Allmusic....
, released by CBS Records
CBS Records
CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
in November 1981, was recorded in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
with English producer Glyn Johns
Glyn Johns
Glyn Johns is a musician, recording engineer and record producer.-Career:He has worked with such artists as Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Easybeats, The Band, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Eagles, Eric Clapton, The Clash, The Steve Miller Band, Small Faces, Spooky Tooth, The Ozark...
(The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
). Creative tensions between the band and Johns plagued the recording and the group were not totally happy with the outcome. Johns had an arrangement with A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
and they asked Midnight Oil to return to the studio to record material suitable for an American single release – they refused and returned to Australia. Place without a Postcard peaked at No. 12 on the albums charts and related singles "Don’t Wanna be the One" and "Armistice Day" reached the Top 40 in Australia.
Fans, music industry, media
Driven largely by commercial pressures to stay with reliable chart-toppers and teenage pop sensations, the Australian music industry in the mid-1970s cast a dismissive eye toward most bands with an alternativeAlternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
outlook. Although consistently championed by Sydney alternative rock station Double Jay
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
and its FM band successor Triple J, Midnight Oil was almost totally ignored by Australia's mainstream commercial radio stations in their early career. Manager Morris developed a reputation as one of the toughest managers and became notorious for banning critics or journalists, who were usually given free admission to concerts, for writing unfavourable reviews. Writer and critic Bruce Elder
Bruce Elder
Bruce Elder is a journalist, writer and commentator. He is currently a full-time journalist with the Sydney Morning Herald specialising in travel and popular culture. His other areas of expertise include film, television, and popular music. He has written extensively around Australia and has a...
, in a mid-1980s newspaper review described their music as "narrow and xenophobic", and declared Midnight Oil were:
In retaliation, Morris banned Elder from Oils shows permanently. Elder later recanted, describing them as the only Australian band to have developed a truly Australian sound.
The frostiness of Midnight Oil's relationship with the traditional music media quickly saw the band develop a strong "street cred", and a reputation for making no compromises with the music industry. In the early 1980s the band was scheduled to appear on an episode of the all-powerful Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
(ABC) TV pop show Countdown, but on the day of the show they were "bumped" from the line-up. Countdown required artists to mime their songs during 'live' performances, Midnight Oil and Morris insisted they perform completely live and have their sound engineer supervising – neither side backed down. According to Countdown producer Michael Shrimpton, the band had arrived late for rehearsal, and due to the show's very tight schedule and budget there was a strict policy that latecomers were not allowed to appear, and as such they were told they could not perform that day. In response, the group declared that they would never appear on the show, a promise they faithfully kept. Countdown presenter Molly Meldrum
Ian Meldrum
Ian Alexander "Molly" Meldrum AM is an Australian popular music critic, journalist, record producer , and musical entrepreneur...
shaved his head bald, imitating Garrett, for its final show on 19 July 1987 and expressed regret that Midnight Oil had never appeared on the show.
Fans of the group were drawn to the band's "us and them" mindset, and fan loyalty to the Oils' ideas and music was fierce. Two venues at which they built significant fan bases from their early live performances were the Sydney northern beaches pub The Royal Antler at Narrabeen and the Bondi Lifesaver club near Sydney's Bondi Beach. Politically oriented rock of the style produced by the band was something of a new concept for the Australian music scene, and Peter Garrett quickly earned a reputation as one of the most charismatic and outspoken musicians in the country. He recalled that there were dangers in playing the pub scene:
10 to 1
Their Australian breakthrough and first international recognition came in 1982, with the release of 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 110, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 is an album by Midnight Oil that was released on vinyl in 1982 under the Columbia Records label. The lengthy name is often pronounced "ten-to-one" or "ten-nine-eight" by fans. It peaked at No. 3 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart and remained on the...
, which included the singles "Power and the Passion
Power and the Passion (song)
"Power and the Passion" is the first single by Midnight Oil from their widely-acclaimed 1982 studio album 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. The song is one of the band's most famous, and it appeared on every Midnight Oil tour since the issue of 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 as well as at the WaveAid...
" and "Read about It
Read about It
"Read About It" is the second single released by Australian rock band, Midnight Oil, from their 1982 studio album, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. It was a favorite with the band and with fans, appearing at least once on every tour since its release and appearing at the WaveAid concert...
". The album peaked at No. 3 and "Power and the Passion" peaked at No. 8. The album also includes their denunciation of American military interference in foreign affairs in "US Forces
US Forces (song)
"US Forces" is the third single released by Australian rock band, Midnight Oil, from their fourth studio album, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.The song denounces the United States Armed Forces' involvement in foreign affairs...
" and their critique of imperialist repression in "Short Memory". 10 to 1 was recorded in London during September and produced by Englishman Nick Launay
Nick Launay
Nick Launay is an English record producer and recording engineer. He is currently one of the most sought after producers in the world due to his current success with recent albums by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Arcade Fire, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds...
, who had previously worked with acts including The Jam
The Jam
The Jam were an English punk rock/New Wave/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped...
, XTC
XTC
XTC were a New Wave band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005. The band enjoyed some chart success, including the UK and Canadian hits "Making Plans for Nigel" and "Senses Working Overtime" , but are perhaps even better known for their long-standing critical success.- Early years:...
, Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
, PiL
PIL
PIL may refer to:* Private International Law* Carlos Miguel Jiménez Airport , in Pilar, Paraguay* Port Isabel-Cameron County Airport , in Port Isabel, Texas...
, Gang of Four
Gang of Four (band)
Gang of Four are an English post-punk group from Leeds. Original personnel were singer Jon King, guitarist Andy Gill, bass guitarist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham. They were fully active from 1977 to 1984, and then re-emerged twice in the 1990s with King and Gill...
and The Birthday Party
The Birthday Party (band)
The Birthday Party were an Australian rock band, active from 1973 to 1983.Despite being championed by John Peel, The Birthday Party found little commercial success during their career...
. Launay worked on several other major Australian recordings in this period including INXS
INXS
INXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...
' The Swing, Models
Models (band)
Models were an alternative rock group formed in Melbourne, Australia, in August 1978 and went into hiatus in 1988. They are often incorrectly referred to as The Models. They re-formed in 2000, 2006 and 2008 to perform reunion concerts. "Out of Mind, Out of Sight", their only No. 1 hit,...
' The Pleasure Of Your Company and The Church
The Church (band)
The Church is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980. Initially associated with new wave and the neo-psychedelic sound of the mid 1980s, their music later became more reminiscent of progressive rock, featuring long instrumental jams and complex guitar interplay...
's Seance.
The album remained in the Australian charts for 171 weeks. It retained their live energy but was more adventurous and radical than previous work. Their ascendancy was signalled by a series of concerts on the release of the album at Sydney's Capitol Theatre, one of which was filmed and recorded and later released on their 2004 Best of Both Worlds
Best of Both Worlds (Midnight Oil album)
Best of Both Worlds is a DVD-Video release of two significant concerts performed by Australian rock band Midnight Oil. The featured concerts are Oils on the Water and Saturday Night at the Capitol...
DVD. The band also played their first shows outside Australia during this time, with the album being released in US on Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, where it charted in 1984 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
; in the UK it was released on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
.
Red Sails in the Sunset
Midnight Oil undertook more politically motivated benefit concerts, including organising the Stop the Drop Nuclear Disarmament concert in 1983 which received a United Nations Media Peace Prize. 10 to 1 was followed by Red Sails in the SunsetRed Sails in the Sunset (album)
Red Sails in the Sunset is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 1984 under the Columbia Records label. This album was recorded and produced in Tokyo, Japan and is significant for becoming their first No. 1 album in Australia...
in October 1984, which was recorded in Japan, produced by Launay again. It peaked at No. 1 for four weeks on the Australian charts, and charted on the Billboard 200. Singles from the album were released in US and UK but had no chart success. Whilst the album showed an over-reliance on technical wizardry, their lyrical stance was positive. The band continued to expand their sound and explore themes of politics, consumerism, militarism, the threat of nuclear war and environmental issues. The album cover by Japanese artist Tsunehisa Kimura
Tsunehisa Kimura
Tsunehisa Kimura was a Japanese artist who created works using photomontage. His montages often contain themes of surreal urban destruction and chaos, or juxtaposition of man-made monuments and natural phenomena....
featured a photomontage
Photomontage
Photomontage is the process and result of making a composite photograph by cutting and joining a number of other photographs. The composite picture was sometimes photographed so that the final image is converted back into a seamless photographic print. A similar method, although one that does not...
of Sydney – both city and harbour – cratered and devastated after a hypothetical nuclear attack. Live concert footage of "Short Memory" was used in the Australian independent anti-nuclear war movie One Night Stand
One Night Stand (1984 film)
One Night Stand is a 1984 film directed by John Duigan.-Plot:In Australia, four teenagers in the Sydney Opera House are horrified to hear the news that nuclear war has broken out in Eastern Europe. They try to figure out the best way they can survive the coming conflagration...
. A promotional video for "Best of Both Worlds", later on Best of Both Worlds
Best of Both Worlds (Midnight Oil album)
Best of Both Worlds is a DVD-Video release of two significant concerts performed by Australian rock band Midnight Oil. The featured concerts are Oils on the Water and Saturday Night at the Capitol...
, received airplay worldwide on cable music TV station MTV.
Garrett ran as a Nuclear Disarmament Party
Nuclear Disarmament Party
The Nuclear Disarmament Party was a political party in Australia. The party was formed in 1984 and enjoyed considerable initial success.-Foundation, the 1984 election, and the split:...
(NDP) candidate for a NSW seat in the Australian Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
during the December 1984 federal election, Garrett obtained 9.6% of votes but was unable to obtain the required quota of 12.5%. In April 1985, Garrett, with some 30 other members, walked out of the national conference and resigned from the NDP claiming it had been infiltrated by a Trotskyist group. Although unsuccessful in that federal election, Garrett was now a recognised public figure.
Goat Island Triple J concert
In January 1985, Midnight Oil performed Oils on the Water, a concert on Goat IslandGoat Island (Port Jackson)
Goat Island is a rocky island in Sydney Harbour, in New South Wales, Australia. The island is some 400 m by 200 m in size and is located north-west of the Sydney central business district....
in Port Jackson
Port Jackson
Port Jackson, containing Sydney Harbour, is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia. It is known for its beauty, and in particular, as the location of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge...
to celebrate Triple J's tenth birthday, before a select audience of fans who had won tickets in a radio competition. The concert was filmed, simulcast on ABC-TV and Triple J, and released on video, which was remastered for their 2004 Best of Both Worlds DVD.
Diesel and Dust
In December 1985 the four-track EP Species DeceasesSpecies Deceases
Species Deceases is an EP by Midnight Oil that was released in 1985 under the CBS record label. It was released on 6 August 1985, the 40th anniversary of Hiroshima being bombed by the USA....
produced with Francois Kevorkian
François Kevorkian
François Kevorkian, alias François K, is a French DJ of Armenian origin, remixer, producer and record label owner. Having started his career in renowned clubs such as the Paradise Garage and Studio 54, the New York City resident is widely considered as one of the forefathers of house...
was released by CBS/Columbia; it peaked at No. 1 on the Australian singles charts for six weeks. Species Deceases, featuring the track "Hercules", featured a return to their pub rock sound with hard hitting firepower. Midnight Oil spent several months in 1986 on the Blackfella/Whitefella tour of outback Australia
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
with indigenous groups Warumpi Band
Warumpi Band
The Warumpi Band is an Australian band from the bush, coming from Papunya, Northern Territory, Australia.The band was formed in 1980 by Neil Murray, a Victorian "whitefella" working in the region as a schoolteacher and labourer, George Burarrwanga, from Elcho Island, and local boys Gordon and...
and Gondwanaland
Gondwanaland (band)
Gondwanaland, originally billed as Gondwanaland Project, were an ARIA Award winning Australian musical ensemble which combined indigenous Australian instruments such as didgeridoo and bullroarer with western instruments such as synthesizer and guitar....
, playing to remote Aboriginal communities and seeing first hand the seriousness of the issues in health and living standards. The tour was criticised by some journalists for being a one-off event instead of a long-term attempt to build bridges between communities. The band was galvanised by the experiences and made them the basis of Diesel and Dust
Diesel and Dust
Diesel and Dust is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 1987 under the CBS record label.The album is a concept album about the struggles of the Australian Aborigines and environmental causes, issues both near and dear to the band, and drew inspiration from the Black Fella White Fella tour...
, released in 1987 and produced by Warne Livesey. The album focused on the need for recognition by white Australia of past injustices involving the Aboriginal nation and the need for reconciliation. Peter Gifford left the band before the album's release due to extensive touring schedules, and was replaced by Bones Hillman
Bones Hillman
Bones Hillman is a New Zealand musician. He played bass guitar in his first band The Masochists, an early New Zealand punk act, formed with friends from the Auckland suburb of Avondale . In late 1977 he joined the Suburban Reptiles and appeared on their first single, "Megaton"...
, formerly of The Swingers
The Swingers
The Swingers were a New Zealand rock band. Formed out of the remnants of The Suburban Reptiles, the founding members were Phil Judd , Wayne Stevens , and Mark Hough . Formed in 1979, the band released the single "One Good Reason" which was a top 20 hit in New Zealand...
.
Diesel and Dust peaked at No. 1 on the Australian albums charts for six weeks, No. 21 on the Billboard 200 charts
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
in 1988, and No. 19 on the UK albums charts. "Beds Are Burning
Beds Are Burning
"Beds Are Burning" is a 1987/1988 worldwide hit single by Australian rock band Midnight Oil, the first track from their album Diesel and Dust. This song was the second from the album to be released as a single, and is among the band's best-known songs outside Australia.It reached No. 1 in the New...
" was their biggest international hit single, peaking at No. 6 in Australia, and No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, No. 6 on the UK singles charts. "The Dead Heart" peaked at No. 6 in Australia, and charted on the Hot 100 and in the UK. "Put Down that Weapon" also charted in Australia, while "Dreamworld" charted on Billboards Mainstream Rock Tracks
Mainstream Rock Tracks
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue...
and at No. 16 on its Modern Rock Tracks
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
.
At the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA) 1988 Awards
ARIA Music Awards of 1988
The Second Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 29 March 1988 at the Sheraton Wentworth Hotel in Sydney. Cliff Richard was the host, with Bryan Ferry, Feargal Sharkey and Ian "Molly" Meldrum included as presenters of the 21 awards...
ceremony, Midnight Oil won "Best Cover Art" for Diesel and Dust and both "Best Single" and "Best Song" for "Beds Are Burning
Beds Are Burning
"Beds Are Burning" is a 1987/1988 worldwide hit single by Australian rock band Midnight Oil, the first track from their album Diesel and Dust. This song was the second from the album to be released as a single, and is among the band's best-known songs outside Australia.It reached No. 1 in the New...
". A fracas developed between Morris, accepting awards for Midnight Oil, and former Countdown compere Ian Meldrum who was presenting: Meldrum objected to Morris making political commentary from the podium.
There were concerns about Diesel and Dust and Midnight Oil's attempts to express indigenous issues
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
to white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
urban audiences - namely, the question "who holds the power to tell whose history?" The lyrics of "The Dead Heart" tell the story of colonisation
Colonisation
Colonization occurs whenever any one or more species populate an area. The term, which is derived from the Latin colere, "to inhabit, cultivate, frequent, practice, tend, guard, respect", originally related to humans. However, 19th century biogeographers dominated the term to describe the...
from an indigenous point of view
Point of view (literature)
The narrative mode is the set of methods the author of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical story uses to convey the plot to the audience. Narration, the process of presenting the narrative, occurs because of the narrative mode...
but some critics felt they reinforced the "primitive" stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
. Use of the bullroarer
Bullroarer (music)
The bullroarer, rhombus, or turndun, is an ancient ritual musical instrument and a device historically used for communicating over greatly-extended distances. It dates to the Paleolithic period, being found in Ukraine dating from 17,000 BC...
was criticised as belonging to sacred rituals, and therefore not appropriate for rock songs. "The Dead Heart" had been written in response to a request by organisers of the 1985 ceremony to return control of Uluru
Uluru
Uluru , also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park....
to its indigenous caretakers
Property caretaker
A Property caretaker is a person, group or organization that cares for real estate for trade or financial compensation, and sometimes as a barter for rent-free living accommodations...
; Midnight Oil had originally resisted adding an indigenous group to a concert bill, but the organisers insisted, arguing that the band would reach a wider audience within the predominantly Caucasian
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
urban centres. Midnight Oil requested that all royalties
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
from the song go to indigenous communities
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
. In addition, two indigenous groups, Warumpi Band and Gondwanaland, toured with them.
Following the 1988 American tour in support of Diesel and Dust with Australian band Yothu Yindi
Yothu Yindi
Yothu Yindi are an Australian band with Aboriginal and balanda members formed in 1986. Aboriginal members come from Yolngu homelands near Yirrkala on the Gove Peninsula in Northern Territory's Arnhem Land...
, Midnight Oil launched the Burning Bridges album with various artists contributing, including Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly (musician)
Paul Maurice Kelly is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonica player. He has performed solo, and has led numerous groups, including the Dots, the Coloured Girls, and the Messengers. He has worked with other artists and groups, including associated projects Professor...
, Scrap Metal, Coloured Stone, Hunters & Collectors
Hunters & Collectors
Hunters & Collectors were an Australian rock music band formed in Melbourne in 1981, fronted by singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Seymour, they developed a blend of pub rock and art-funk...
, James Reyne
James Reyne
James Reyne is an Australian rock musician and singer/songwriter both as a member of the iconic 1980s band Australian Crawl and solo work.. He is a successful singer/ songwriter and prolific artist...
, The Saints
The Saints (band)
The Saints are an Australian rock band, which formed in Brisbane in 1974 as punk rockers. Founders were Chris Bailey , Ivor Hay , and Ed Kuepper . Alongside mainstay Bailey, the group has had numerous line-ups...
, Crowded House
Crowded House
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia and led by New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn. Finn is the primary songwriter and creative director of the band, having led it through several incarnations, drawing members from New Zealand , Australia and the United States...
, INXS
INXS
INXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...
and Yothu Yindi. All sales proceeds were donated to the National Coalition of Aboriginal Organisations.
During 1989–1993 and 1998–2002 Garrett was the President of the Australian Conservation Foundation
Australian Conservation Foundation
The Australian Conservation Foundation is an Australian non-profit, community-based environmental organisation focused on advocacy, policy research and community outreach.-History:...
, whilst during 1993–1998 he was on the International Board of Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
. In 1990 Midnight Oil played an impromptu lunchtime set in front of Exxon
Exxon
Exxon is a chain of gas stations as well as a brand of motor fuel and related products by ExxonMobil. From 1972 to 1999, Exxon was the corporate name of the company previously known as Standard Oil Company of New Jersey or Jersey Standard....
headquarters in New York with a banner reading, "Midnight Oil Makes You Dance, Exxon Oil Makes Us Sick," protesting the Exxon Valdez oil spill
Exxon Valdez oil spill
The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 24, 1989, when the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker bound for Long Beach, California, struck Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef and spilled of crude oil. It is considered to be one of the most devastating human-caused...
the previous year.
Blue Sky Mining
In March 1990, Blue Sky MiningBlue Sky Mining
Blue Sky Mining is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 1990 under the Columbia Records label. It received high ratings from critics. A limited release of the record featured clear blue vinyl...
, produced by Livesey, was released by CBS/Columbia. It peaked at No. 1 on the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA) albums charts. It stayed at No. 1 for two weeks in Australia and had Top 5 chart success in Sweden, Switzerland and Norway. It peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 and No. 28 on the UK charts. The album was more defiant and outspoken; the single "Blue Sky Mine" describes asbestos exposure in the Wittenoom mine tragedy. The single peaked at No. 8 on the ARIA singles charts, top 15 in Norway and Switzerland, No. 47 on Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on both their Mainstream and Modern Rock Tracks charts, and appeared on the UK charts. The second single, "Forgotten Years," was more moderately successful, reaching No. 26 on the ARIA singles chart, No. 97 in the UK, No. 11 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks, and No. 1 on the Modern Rock Tracks.
In Sydney in 1990, while Midnight Oil were taking a break, Hirst joined up with guitarist Andrew Dickson, drummer Dorland Bray of Do-Ré-Mi
Do-Re-Mi (band)
Do-Re-Mi aka Do-Ré-Mi were an Australian Rock/Pop band formed in Sydney in 1981 when Deborah Conway and Dorland Bray joined Helen Carter and later recruited Stephen Philip...
, guitarist Leszek Karski (Midnight Oil producer) and bass guitarist Rick Grossman
Richard Grossman (musician)
Richard Grossman is an Australian rock musician who has played bass guitar for two iconic bands Divinyls and Hoodoo Gurus. Hoodoo Gurus iconic status on the Australian rock scene was acknowledged when they were inducted into the 2007 ARIA Hall of Fame. For Grossman, this was his second Hall of Fame...
of Hoodoo Gurus
Hoodoo Gurus
Hoodoo Gurus are an Australian rock band, formed in Sydney in 1981, by the mainstay Dave Faulkner and later joined by Richard Grossman , Mark Kingsmill , and Brad Shepherd...
to form a side project called Ghostwriters
Ghostwriters
-Singles:* "Someone's Singing New York New York" Virgin Records * "Runaway Bay" Virgin Records* "World Is Almost At Peace" Virgin Records* "Second Skin" Mercury Records* "Impossible Shame" Mercury Records...
. The name refers to the practice of ghostwriting, wherein famous writers contribute under assumed names in order to remain anonymous. Ghostwriters' line-ups – both live and in the studio – changed considerably through the years, with only founders Hirst and Grossman being mainstays. Between successive album releases Hirst and Grossman returned to active involvement with Oils and Gurus respectively. Ghostwriters have released Ghostwriters (1991), Second Skin (1996), Fibromoon (1999) and Political Animal (2007).
At the 1991 ARIA Awards ceremony, Midnight Oil won 'Best Group' and an 'Outstanding Achievement Award' and 'Best Cover Art', 'Best Video' and 'Album of the Year' for Blue Sky Mining. Morris, accepting awards for Midnight Oil, was criticised for a speech lasting 20 minutes.
Scream in Blue (Live)
Scream in Blue
Scream in Blue is a live concert album by Midnight Oil that was released in 1992 under the Columbia Records label. It contains songs carefully culled from 5 live concerts recorded over a 9 year period. The audiences sound quite large, but also included is material from a 1990 protest concert...
, their June 1992 live album produced by Keith Walker, contained material from concerts between 1982–1990, including "Progress" from their Exxon Valdez protest gig. It peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA albums charts; Top 50 in Austria, Sweden and Switzerland; and appeared on the Billboard 200.
Earth and Sun and Moon
Midnight Oil's Earth and Sun and MoonEarth and Sun and Moon
Earth and Sun and Moon is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 1993 under the Columbia Records label.-Reception:-Track listing:# "Feeding Frenzy" – 5:07# "My Country" – 4:51...
album, produced with Nick Launay, was released in April 1993 and also drew critical acclaim and international success, peaking at No. 2 on the ARIA albums charts, top 20 in Sweden and Switzerland, Top 50 on Billboard 200, and top thirty in the UK albums chart. The single "Truganini" referenced multiple issues, including the 'last' Tasmanian Aboriginal, the treatment of indigenous artist Albert Namatjira
Albert Namatjira
Albert Namatjira , born Elea Namatjira, was an Australian artist. He was a Western Arrernte man, an Indigenous Australian of the Western MacDonnell Ranges area...
, the Australian flag debate
Australian flag debate
The Australian flag debate is a debate over whether the Australian flag should be changed in order to remove the Union Flag from the canton, often in connection with the issue of republicanism in Australia...
, and republicanism
Republicanism in Australia
Republicanism in Australia is a movement to change Australia's status as a constitutional monarchy to a republican form of government. Such sentiments have been expressed in Australia from before federation onward to the present...
. Liner notes for the single claimed "Truganini was the sole surviving Tasmanian Aborigine, the last of her race, when she died in 1876." The Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, representing over 7000 contemporary Tasmanians, called for the single to be boycotted as it perpetuated a 'white' myth about the extinction of Tasmanian Aborigines
Tasmanian Aborigines
The Tasmanian Aborigines were the indigenous people of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Before British colonisation in 1803, there were an estimated 3,000–15,000 Parlevar. A number of historians point to introduced disease as the major cause of the destruction of the full-blooded...
. Their Native Title claims hinged upon establishing links with ancestral lands. Morris responded with, "My suggestion to these people is to stop shooting themselves in the foot and let a band like Midnight Oil voice its appeal to White Australia on behalf of Black Australia". Critics contended that Morris disparaged Indigenous Australians' ability to represent themselves and over-estimated Midnight Oil's ambassadorial powers while diminishing their errors, while some indigenous activists saw benefit in Midnight Oil's highlighting of the issues. Nevertheless, "Truganini" released in March peaked at No. 10 on the ARIA singles charts, No. 10 on Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks and No. 4 on their Modern Rock Tracks charts, and top thirty for the UK charts.
In 1993, the band also participated in the Another Roadside Attraction
Another Roadside Attraction (festival)
Another Roadside Attraction is a now-defunct travelling music-and-arts summer festival developed by The Tragically Hip, the first of which took place in 1993. It promoted little-known bands and traveled all across Canada...
tour in Canada, and collaborated with The Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as The Hip, is a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario, consisting of Gordon Downie , Paul Langlois , Rob Baker , Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay . Since their formation in 1983 they have released 12 studio albums, two live albums, and 46 singles...
, Crash Vegas
Crash Vegas
Crash Vegas was a Canadian folk rock band which formed in 1988, and achieved moderate success in the early 1990s.-Biography:The band was formed by Michelle McAdorey and Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo in 1988. Jocelyne Lanois joined the band as bassist and shortly after Ambrose Pottie as drummer...
, Hothouse Flowers
Hothouse Flowers
The Hothouse Flowers are an Irish rock group that combines traditional Irish music with influences from soul, gospel and rock.-Career:The group first formed in 1985 when Liam Ó Maonlaí and Fiachna Ó Braonáin began performing as street musicians, or buskers, on the streets of Dublin,Ireland as "The...
and Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois born September 19, 1951 in Hull, Quebec) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has released a number of albums of his own work and has produced albums for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, Willie...
on the one-off single "Land
Land (song)
"Land" was a one-off charity single released in 1993, credited to The Tragically Hip, Midnight Oil, Crash Vegas, Hothouse Flowers and Daniel Lanois. All five artists were part of that year's Another Roadside Attraction tour....
" to protest forest clearing
Clearcutting
Clearcutting, or clearfelling, is a controversial forestry/logging practice in which most or all trees in an area are uniformly cut down. Clearcutting, along with shelterwood and seed tree harvests, is used by foresters to create certain types of forest ecosystems and to promote select species that...
in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
Breathe to Capricornia
BreatheBreathe (Midnight Oil album)
Breathe is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 1996 under the Columbia Records label.-Reception:-Track listing:-Midnight Oil:* Peter Garrett - Lead Vocals* Bones Hillman - Bass, Vocals* Rob Hirst - Drums, Vocals...
was released in 1996, it was produced by Malcolm Burn
Malcolm Burn
Malcolm Burn is a Canadian-born music producer, recording engineer and musician. In 2001, he won a Grammy Award with Jim Watts and Emmylou Harris for his work on Harris's Red Dirt Girl. -Biography:...
and had a loose, raw style with almost a low-key sound. It peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA albums chart, and had Top 40 success in New Zealand and Switzerland. They returned to No. 1 on the ARIA albums charts with the compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
20,000 Watt R.S.L.
20,000 Watt R.S.L.
20,000 Watt R.S.L. is a compilation album by Australian rock band Midnight Oil released in October 1997 on their own label Sprint Music. The word "Collection" appears on the front of the CD along the hinge in the same type face as the title and the name of the band and may have been intended as...
in 1997 on Sony Records, which achieved 4×Platinum sales. Later albums, Redneck Wonderland
Redneck Wonderland
Redneck Wonderland is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 1998 under the Columbia Records label. The title of the album was inspired by a wall graffiti, a picture of which can be seen in the promotional Oil Rag Vol...
in 1998, The Real Thing
The Real Thing (Midnight Oil album)
The Real Thing is a compilation of studio and live acoustic recordings by Midnight Oil, and includes a cover version of Russell Morris's classic "The Real Thing"...
in 2000 and Capricornia
Capricornia (album)
Capricornia is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 2002 under the Sony Music label in Australia, and the Liquid 8 record label internationally...
in 2002 again renuniting with producer Warne Livesey, all charted into the ARIA Top Ten.
Sydney 2000 Olympic Games performance
Midnight Oil again brought the politics of Reconciliation to the fore during their performance at the closing ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
. Then Prime Minister John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
had triggered controversy that year with his refusal to embrace symbolic reconciliation and apologise to Indigenous Australians and members of the stolen generations. Midnight Oil performed their reconciliation-themed single "Beds Are Burning
Beds Are Burning
"Beds Are Burning" is a 1987/1988 worldwide hit single by Australian rock band Midnight Oil, the first track from their album Diesel and Dust. This song was the second from the album to be released as a single, and is among the band's best-known songs outside Australia.It reached No. 1 in the New...
" at the ceremony with the word SORRY
National Sorry Day
The National Sorry Day is an Australian event, held each year on 26 May since 1998, to express regret over the historical mistreatment of Aboriginal peoples. The day was chosen in commemoration of the Bringing Them Home report being handed to the federal government on 26 May 1997. It is not an...
conspicuously printed on their clothes as a form of apology to indigenous people for their suffering under white settlement, and to highlight the issue to Howard, who was in the audience at the Olympic stadium. Midnight Oil had consulted with tour mates Yothu Yindi and other indigenous activists, so that their performance would bring popular protest to the world arena. In 2001, whenAustralasian Performing Right Association
Australasian Performing Right Association
The Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. The association's head offices located in Sydney Australia, and it has branch offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
(APRA) surveyed 100 music industry people for their Top 10 Best Australian songs of all time, "Beds Are Burning" was voted No. 3 behind The Easybeats
The Easybeats
The Easybeats were an Australian rock and roll band. They formed in Sydney in late 1964 and broke up at the end of 1969. They are regarded as the greatest Australian pop band of the 1960s, and were the first Australian rock and roll act to score an international pop hit with their 1966 single...
' "Friday on My Mind
Friday on My Mind
"Friday on My Mind" is a 1966 song by Australian rock group The Easybeats. Written by band members George Young and Harry Vanda, the track became a worldwide hit, reaching #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 1967 in the US, #1 in Australia and #6 in the UK, as well as charting in several...
" and Daddy Cool
Daddy Cool (band)
Daddy Cool is an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in 1970 with the original line-up of Wayne Duncan , Ross Hannaford , Ross Wilson and Gary Young . Their debut single "Eagle Rock" was released in May 1971 and stayed at number 1 on the Australian singles chart for ten weeks...
's "Eagle Rock
Eagle Rock (song)
"Eagle Rock" is a classic Australian song, released by Daddy Cool in May 1971 on the Sparmac Record Label. It went on to become the best selling Australian single of the year, achieving gold status in eleven weeks, and remaining at #1 on the national charts for a record ten weeks. "Eagle Rock"...
". At the 2001 APRA Awards
APRA Awards
The APRA Music Awards are several award ceremonies run in Australia and New Zealand by Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually....
ceremony "Beds are Burning" was shown on video and introduced by Australian Democrats
Australian Democrats
The Australian Democrats is an Australian political party espousing a socially liberal ideology. It was formed in 1977, by a merger of the Australia Party and the New LM, after principals of those minor parties secured the commitment of former Liberal minister Don Chipp, as a high profile leader...
Senator Aden Ridgeway
Aden Ridgeway
Aden Derek Ridgeway , Australian politician, was a member of the Australian Senate for New South Wales, from 1999 to 2005, representing the Australian Democrats. During his term he was the only Aboriginal member of the Australian Parliament.-Early history:Ridgeway was born in Macksville, New South...
as an indigenous
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
spokesperson on Reconciliation. "Power and the Passion" was also listed in APRA's Top 30 best Australian songs
APRA Top 30 Australian songs
APRA's Top 30 Australian songs between 1926 and 2001 was a list created by the Australasian Performing Right Association to celebrate its 75th anniversary...
.
Dissolution and reunion
Garrett announced his decision to quit Midnight Oil on 2 December 2002, to refocus on his political career. In the 1984 federal election, Garrett had stood for the Australian SenateAustralian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
under the Nuclear Disarmament Party
Nuclear Disarmament Party
The Nuclear Disarmament Party was a political party in Australia. The party was formed in 1984 and enjoyed considerable initial success.-Foundation, the 1984 election, and the split:...
banner, and narrowly lost. He won the seat of Kingsford Smith
Division of Kingsford Smith
The Division of Kingsford Smith is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It is located in the south-eastern suburbs of Sydney, on the north shore of Botany Bay, and the coast of the Tasman Sea...
at the 2004 General Election for the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
and was selected as Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment, Heritage and the Arts. On Thursday, 29 November 2007, Prime Minister elect, the Hon Kevin Rudd MP, named Garrett as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts. The other members of the band continued to work together but not under the Midnight Oil name, bringing the band's career to a close.
After a warm up gig the previous evening at the Manly-Warringah Leagues Club the band, including Garrett, reunited to perform at the WaveAid
WaveAid
WaveAid was a fund raising concert held on Saturday the 29th of January 2005 as a means for raising funds for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami. It was held at the Sydney Cricket Ground and broadcast on television by Channel [V] and MTV, and on radio...
concert on 29 January 2005, to raise funds for the victims of the 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
. The concert, which took place at the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
, also included performances by Powderfinger
Powderfinger
Powderfinger was an Australian rock band that formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their breakup the band lineup consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bassist John Collins, and drummer Jon Coghill....
, Silverchair
Silverchair
Silverchair were an Australian rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Merewether, Newcastle with the line-up of Ben Gillies on drums, Chris Joannou on bass guitar and Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars. The group got their big break in mid-1994 when they won a national demo...
, Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
, John Butler Trio
John Butler Trio
The John Butler Trio are an eclectic roots and jam band from Australia led by guitarist and vocalist John Butler. They formed in Fremantle in 1998 with Jason McGann on drums and Gavin Shoesmith on bass guitar...
, Finn Brothers
Finn Brothers
The Finn Brothers is a New Zealand Rock musical duo consisting of brothers Neil and Tim Finn. In June 1993 both members were awarded the OBE for their contribution to music....
and others.
On 29 October 2006 Midnight Oil was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame
ARIA Hall of Fame
Since 1988 the Australian Recording Industry Association has inducted artists into its ARIA Hall of Fame. While most have been recognised at the annual ARIA Music Awards, in 2005 ARIA sought to create a separate standalone "ARIA Icons: Hall of Fame" event as only one or two acts could be inducted...
with ARIA chairman Denis Handlin describing them:
Rob Hirst
Rob Hirst
-External links:*******...
in his acceptance speech thanked his family, band mates, and support from fellow Australians. He also lamented the fact that unlike the Vietnam war which had inspired some of the best protest songs ever written, very few had been written because of the invasion of Iraq. Flat Chat
Flat Chat
Flat Chat is a compilation album from the Australian band Midnight Oil. It is a collection of their heavier rock songs, which gave them their reputation...
, another compilation album, was released in November and peaked at No. 21 on the ARIA album charts.
Rumours of an appearance by Midnight Oil at the Sydney leg
Live Earth concert, Sydney
The Live Earth concert in Australia was held at Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney on 7 July 2007, in front of around 45,000 people. It was the first of the Live Earth concerts to kick-off the day-long event & promoted by Michael Chugg, Amanda Pelman of Chugg Entertainment, Joe Segreto of IMC /...
of the Live Earth
Live Earth
-Background:Founded by Emmy-winning producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Live Earth was built upon the belief that entertainment has the power to transcend social and cultural barriers to move the world community to action...
concert in July 2007 were false. However Ghostwriters
Ghostwriters
-Singles:* "Someone's Singing New York New York" Virgin Records * "Runaway Bay" Virgin Records* "World Is Almost At Peace" Virgin Records* "Second Skin" Mercury Records* "Impossible Shame" Mercury Records...
, founded by drummer Hirst and Hoodoo Gurus
Hoodoo Gurus
Hoodoo Gurus are an Australian rock band, formed in Sydney in 1981, by the mainstay Dave Faulkner and later joined by Richard Grossman , Mark Kingsmill , and Brad Shepherd...
bass guitarist Rick Grossman
Richard Grossman (musician)
Richard Grossman is an Australian rock musician who has played bass guitar for two iconic bands Divinyls and Hoodoo Gurus. Hoodoo Gurus iconic status on the Australian rock scene was acknowledged when they were inducted into the 2007 ARIA Hall of Fame. For Grossman, this was his second Hall of Fame...
and including former Oils guitarist Martin Rotsey
Martin Rotsey
Martin Rotsey is an Australian guitarist, and was a member of the rock band Midnight Oil from 1977 until the band's dissolution in 2002.In 2006, he joined fellow Midnight Oil member Rob Hirst's projects Ghostwriters and The Angry Tradesmen...
, performed six tracks including the Oils' song "When the Generals Talk", whilst Peter Garrett
Peter Garrett
Peter Robert Garrett, AM, MP , is an Australian musician, environmentalist, activist and politician.Garrett was lead singer of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil from 1973 until its disbanding in 2002...
gave a speech introducing a reformed Crowded House
Crowded House
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia and led by New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn. Finn is the primary songwriter and creative director of the band, having led it through several incarnations, drawing members from New Zealand , Australia and the United States...
.
Aside from Ghostwriters, Hirst has also been a member of Backsliders
Backsliders
The Backsliders are a three piece Australian band; self described as playing "Delta blues wall of sound". The current line up consists of Guitarist/Vocalist Dom Turner and drummer/percusionist Rob Hirst joined...
, performed with former Olympian Paul Greene
Paul Greene (athlete)
Paul Haydon Greene is a professional musician and was an Australian athlete who competed in the 1996 Olympics in the 400m and 4 x 400m relay...
, with fellow Backsliders member Dom Turner
Dom Turner
Dom Turner is an Australian blues guitarist, vocalist and key songwriter for the Australian Blues band, The Backsliders. Dom also has a number of solo projects including 'Dom Turner and Supro' and 'Dom Turner and the Nationals'...
on The Angry Tradesmen and with Rotsey assisted on Jim Moginie
Jim Moginie
James "Jim" Moginie is an Australian musician. He is best known for his work with Midnight Oil, of which he was a founding member, guitarist, keyboardist and leading songwriter...
's solo album Alas Folkloric in 2006.
2009 reformation
On 14 March 2009, a reformed Midnight Oil, with Garrett, headlined the Sound ReliefSound Relief
Sound Relief was a multi-venue rock music concert held on 14 March 2009, which was announced by the Premier of Victoria, John Brumby on 24 February 2009...
concert in Melbourne. A concert was held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
(MCG) on 14 March 2009 to raise money for victims of Victoria's February bushfire disaster
February 2009 Victorian bushfires
The Black Saturday bushfires were a series of bushfires that ignited or were burning across the Australian state of Victoria on and around Saturday, 7 February 2009...
. The event was held simultaneously with a concert at the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
. All proceeds from the Melbourne Concert went to the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire relief. Appearing with Midnight Oil in Melbourne were Augie March
Augie March
Augie March are an Australian indie/pop rock band. Formed in 1996 in Shepparton, Victoria, the band currently consists of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Glenn Richards, lead guitarist Adam Donovan, bassist Edmondo Ammendola, drummer David Williams, and keyboardist Kiernan Box...
, Bliss N Eso with Paris Wells, Gabriella Cilmi
Gabriella Cilmi
Gabriella Lucia Cilmi is an Australian singer-songwriter. In 2008, Cilmi was awarded six ARIA awards including Single of the Year and Best Female Artist....
, Hunters & Collectors
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, Jack Johnson
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, Kasey Chambers
Kasey Chambers
Kasey Chambers is an Australian country singer-songwriter. She is the daughter of steel guitar player Bill Chambers, and the sister of musician and producer Nash Chambers.-Solo success:...
& Shane Nicholson with Troy Cassar-Daley
Troy Cassar-Daley
Troy Cassar-Daley is a multi-award-winning country musician from New South Wales, Australia.He released his first EP, "Dream Out Loud", in 1994 and was nominated for his first Golden Guitar for Best Male Vocalist the same year...
, Kings Of Leon
Kings of Leon
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, Liam Finn
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, Crowded House
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, Jet
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, Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly (musician)
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, Split Enz
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and Wolfmother
Wolfmother
Wolfmother is an Australian rock band from Erskineville, Sydney. Formed in 2000, the group was originally a trio composed of vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, bassist and keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett. Wolfmother released their self-titled debut album in October 2005,...
.
Personnel
- Rob HirstRob Hirst-External links:*******...
– drums, vocals (1976–2002) - Andrew James – bass guitar (1976–1980)
- Jim MoginieJim MoginieJames "Jim" Moginie is an Australian musician. He is best known for his work with Midnight Oil, of which he was a founding member, guitarist, keyboardist and leading songwriter...
– lead guitar, keyboards (1976–2002) - Peter GarrettPeter GarrettPeter Robert Garrett, AM, MP , is an Australian musician, environmentalist, activist and politician.Garrett was lead singer of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil from 1973 until its disbanding in 2002...
– lead vocals, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
(1976–2002) - Martin RotseyMartin RotseyMartin Rotsey is an Australian guitarist, and was a member of the rock band Midnight Oil from 1977 until the band's dissolution in 2002.In 2006, he joined fellow Midnight Oil member Rob Hirst's projects Ghostwriters and The Angry Tradesmen...
– lead guitar (1976–2002) - Peter GiffordPeter GiffordPeter Gifford , sometimes known as "Giffo," is an Australian musician. From 1980 until 1987 he played bass guitar for Australian rock band Midnight Oil.-Midnight Oil:...
– bass guitar, vocals (1980–1987) - Bones HillmanBones HillmanBones Hillman is a New Zealand musician. He played bass guitar in his first band The Masochists, an early New Zealand punk act, formed with friends from the Auckland suburb of Avondale . In late 1977 he joined the Suburban Reptiles and appeared on their first single, "Megaton"...
– bass guitar, vocals (1987–2002) - Gary Morris – manager (1976–2002)
Auxiliary tour performers
- Charlie MacMahon - didgeridoo (1984, 1986)
- Gladdie Reed - trombone (1985–90)
- Chris AbrahamsChris AbrahamsChris Abrahams is a Sydney-based pianist, best known for his jazz work.Abrahams has been a member of the Benders, the Laughing Clowns, The Sparklers and The Necks. He has recorded several solo albums, as well as collaborations with Melanie Oxley from the Sparklers...
- keyboards (1993–94 and 2000 tours)
Hottest 100 of all time
In July 2009 Midnight Oil's "Beds Are Burning" came in at No. 97 in Triple JTriple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
Hottest 100 of all time, voted by the Australian public.
Studio albums
- 1978: Midnight OilMidnight Oil (album)Midnight Oil is a self-titled debut album by Australian band Midnight Oil that was recorded in 1977 and released in November 1978 on the band's independent Sprint Music label. The album was later distributed by CBS Records....
- 1979: Head InjuriesHead InjuriesHead Injuries is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 1979 under the Columbia Records label. It was the last Midnight Oil album to feature Andrew James on bass who quit the band due to illness....
- 1980: Bird NoisesBird NoisesBird Noises is an EP by Midnight Oil that was released in 1980 under Midnight Oil's Sprint Music independent label, and manufactured & distributed by the CBS record label.-Track listing:# "No Time for Games"...
- 1981: Place without a PostcardPlace without a PostcardPlace Without a Postcard is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 1981 under the Columbia Records label. Cover photography and all other photographs by Robert Butcher.-Reception:The album scored 3/5 from Allmusic....
- 1982: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 110, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 110, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 is an album by Midnight Oil that was released on vinyl in 1982 under the Columbia Records label. The lengthy name is often pronounced "ten-to-one" or "ten-nine-eight" by fans. It peaked at No. 3 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart and remained on the...
- 1984: Red Sails in the SunsetRed Sails in the Sunset (album)Red Sails in the Sunset is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 1984 under the Columbia Records label. This album was recorded and produced in Tokyo, Japan and is significant for becoming their first No. 1 album in Australia...
- 1985: Species DeceasesSpecies DeceasesSpecies Deceases is an EP by Midnight Oil that was released in 1985 under the CBS record label. It was released on 6 August 1985, the 40th anniversary of Hiroshima being bombed by the USA....
- 1987: Diesel and DustDiesel and DustDiesel and Dust is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 1987 under the CBS record label.The album is a concept album about the struggles of the Australian Aborigines and environmental causes, issues both near and dear to the band, and drew inspiration from the Black Fella White Fella tour...
- 1990: Blue Sky MiningBlue Sky MiningBlue Sky Mining is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 1990 under the Columbia Records label. It received high ratings from critics. A limited release of the record featured clear blue vinyl...
- 1993: Earth and Sun and MoonEarth and Sun and MoonEarth and Sun and Moon is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 1993 under the Columbia Records label.-Reception:-Track listing:# "Feeding Frenzy" – 5:07# "My Country" – 4:51...
- 1996: BreatheBreathe (Midnight Oil album)Breathe is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 1996 under the Columbia Records label.-Reception:-Track listing:-Midnight Oil:* Peter Garrett - Lead Vocals* Bones Hillman - Bass, Vocals* Rob Hirst - Drums, Vocals...
- 1998: Redneck WonderlandRedneck WonderlandRedneck Wonderland is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 1998 under the Columbia Records label. The title of the album was inspired by a wall graffiti, a picture of which can be seen in the promotional Oil Rag Vol...
- 2002: CapricorniaCapricornia (album)Capricornia is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 2002 under the Sony Music label in Australia, and the Liquid 8 record label internationally...
External links
- [ Midnight Oil] at Allmusic
- The Deadheart – fan website
- Midnight Oil Forum
- Midnight Oil's memories