Midnight Oil....

[Ron Jeremy]

Does anyone think that if they did love songs they would have made it??

I was just thinking, they are my favourite all time Australian group, but it makes you wonder sometimes if they wen't say Glam :lol: they would have been as big, maybe they would off??.......glam was very big in the early 80's....even though Oils originated in the mid too late 70's.

Anyway, my favourite album is definately 10-1.

Songs like Power & the passion, Short memory, Us Forces, read about it etc are all brillant songs, in saying this their most successful album overseas was the Dead Heart album, and why not Put down that weapon, beds are burning etc are amazing songs.

Trivia, Peter Garret use too have long blonde hair, why did he cut it??

 

[Alex28]

10-1 is my fave too, closely followed by Diesel & Dust.

If they sung love songs they wouldnt have the effect they had by being topical. 'Short Memory' is as revelant now as it was 20 years ago and will be in 20 years time.

My passion for their music has wavered a bit now given Garrett has sold out on his morals to run for labor. The day he said "Pine Gap is good" was the day I lost faith in him. Rob Hirst is still a god

 

[CC_Eagle]

The Oils had too strong a morals and beliefs to ever follow a lame,generic trend such as hair/glam 80s "rock". I think Peter cut his hair because he would be better noticed as a "skinhead" than just another singer with flowing long hair. Much like the Oils and their message, which is relevant to your opening question.

10-1 is one of, if not the greatest Australian album of all time. Was only listening to it on the weekend.
I don't think that Garrett has "sold out". It's just that he has more chance of making parliament and thus being able to make a difference with Labor than he would the Greens for obvious reasons. Pollie or not, there isn't an Aussie alive that I have more respect for.

 

[Cowboy Fan]

I think that 20, 000 watt RSL is the best album they have made if you can include a best of CD.

10-1 goes good aswell as D and D and Blue Sky Mining.

Cheers

 

[Ron Jeremy]

I disagree, i never liked 20,000 watt RSL, i actually saw them play in 98 at the Coogee bay hotel when they just released it, and they did put on a great show....however i really couldn't get into the songs live and off the album.

No one has answered my trivia question yet ;-)

 

[Anonymous]

Hmmm... given that 20000 Watt RSL is just their Greatest Hits album, I'm surprised you couldn't get into their songs... unless of course you just don't like the Oils fullstop.

 

[Ron Jeremy]

I was refering to Red neck wonderland, i'd like to clear that up. :roll:

Thats what happens when you try and type half tanked :?

 

[Bomber]

Wow, other Oils fans on the forum.....

My take on each of the Oils albums I have. Although every album had great songs, there were some absolute stinkers as well.

Place Without A Postcard - Very boring studio album, preferred the songs better on the Capitol Theatre live DVD, where songs such as Quinella Holiday and Lucky Country (see it if you haven't yet - the last third of the song is f**king classic) rocked.
Best Songs - Written In The Heart, Burnie, Brave Faces
WTF? - Loves for Sale (only song to be solely written by Martin Rotsey in the entire history of the Oils, now we know why)

10-1 - Absolute gold
Best Songs - Power And The Passion, Short Memory, US Forces, Somebody's Trying To Tell Me Something, Only The Strong, Outside World
WTF? - Scream In Blue

Red Sails In The Sunset - Interesting at best. Unmitigated crap at worst.
Best Songs - Kosciuszko...by a country mile
WTF? - Helps Me Helps You, Harrisburg

Diesel and Dust - An iconic album. National Gallery take note.
Best Songs - Beds Are Burning, Warakurna, Sometimes, Dreamworld
WTF? - Whoah, Arctic World

Blue Sky Mining - My first Oils album
Best Songs - Forgotten Years, Blue Sky Mine, One Country, River Runs Red
WTF? - Mountains Of Burma

Earth and Sun and Moon - The most melodicly beautiful Oils album
Best Songs - In The Valley (absolutle corker), Earth and Sun and Moon, Now or Never Land, Bushfire, Truganini
WTF? - Outbreak Of Love

Redneck Wonderland - Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Alright songs, wrong direction
Best Songs - Redneck Wonderland, Cemetary In My Mind, Comfortable Place On The Couch
WTF? - All the others

Capricornia - Very underrated album. Diesel and Dust Mk II
Best Songs - Too Much Sunshine (fantastic solo), Tone Poem, Capricornia, Under The Overpass, Golden Age, Mosquito March, Been Away Too Long
WTF? - Poets and Slaves (about 3 minutes too long and never gets out of second gear)

I always found it interesting that although Garrett was the public face and image of the Oils, at least 80% of the songs were written by either Rob Hirst or Jim Moginie. Although judging by the DVD footage he appears to be born with two left feet, Moginie was nevertheless a great composer and guitarist and never really got the credit that he deserved as a songwriter. Every song on 10-1 and Diesel and Dust was written or co-written by him for example.

Anyway, great music still.......never mind the politics

 

[Ron Jeremy]

Great overview dude.

I have to agree also that Kosciuszko is a great song.

Anyone also love Bedlam ( spelling) bridge off Blue Sky mining??...i reckon it was one of their all time best songs.

 

[Anonymous]

My fav Oils song is Hercules off the Species Deceases EP.

Fav overall CD is Capricornia. I agree, completely under-rated but it all has such a beautiful mood to it.

 

[Bomber]

Trivia question - which is the only Oils song where Jim Moginie sings solo (albeit for only 20 seconds or so)?

 

[Ron Jeremy]

Answer my trivia first ;-)

 

[Bomber]

Something to do with surfing....the aerodynamics

 

[Ron Jeremy]

;-) well close anyway.

Peter Garrett once got banged up pretty bad i'm lead to believed by a wave once...and a big part of miss reading that wave was due to the fact that his long blonde hair got in the way.

Well i've heard that story from many people so i guess it does have plenty of merrit.

 

[Cowboy Fan]

My favourite Oils song is Forgotten Years from the album Blue Sky Mining.

 

[CC_Eagle]

Listented to them tonight at work and was bellowing out the lyrics to all the songs...Had a great time..God I love the Oils..

 

[Southernsaint]

I always found it interesting that although Garrett was the public face and image of the Oils, at least 80% of the songs were written by either Rob Hirst or Jim Moginie. Although judging by the DVD footage he appears to be born with two left feet, Moginie was nevertheless a great composer and guitarist and never really got the credit that he deserved as a songwriter. Every song on 10-1 and Diesel and Dust was written or co-written by him for example.

Anyway, great music still.......never mind the politics

Bomber, brilliant synopsis of the Oils. First class & I pretty-much agree with your assesment.

The part of your post that I've highlighted above can never be over-stated. Whilst Garrett is an amazing front man, Hirst & Moginie were the driving force behind the band & deserve far more credit than they get.

I got the "Oils On The water" DVD when it came out. Even now, they're so different & fresh - still relevent, regardless of the changes in any band-members politics.

On a side-note, I've always laughed at how the Olis' (a "greenie" band, if you will) song "King Of The Mountain" is used for Bathurst each year as a backing song to 24 hours of massive fossil fuel wastage & carbon monoxide poisoning...

 

[Ron Jeremy]

I don't think Garrett was an amazing front man, certainly carismatic & distinctive though.

Rob Hirst for a while was my favourite drummer, is it true that he was a teacher at Straithfield High?

 

[CC_Eagle]

I always found it interesting that although Garrett was the public face and image of the Oils, at least 80% of the songs were written by either Rob Hirst or Jim Moginie. Although judging by the DVD footage he appears to be born with two left feet, Moginie was nevertheless a great composer and guitarist and never really got the credit that he deserved as a songwriter. Every song on 10-1 and Diesel and Dust was written or co-written by him for example.

Anyway, great music still.......never mind the politics

Bomber, brilliant synopsis of the Oils. First class & I pretty-much agree with your assesment.

The part of your post that I've highlighted above can never be over-stated. Whilst Garrett is an amazing front man, Hirst & Moginie were the driving force behind the band & deserve far more credit than they get.

I got the "Oils On The water" DVD when it came out. Even now, they're so different & fresh - still relevent, regardless of the changes in any band-members politics.

On a side-note, I've always laughed at how the Olis' (a "greenie" band, if you will) song "King Of The Mountain" is used for Bathurst each year as a backing song to 24 hours of massive fossil fuel wastage & carbon monoxide poisoning...

Big screen....projector mantled on the roof....professional hifi speakers w/ surround sound + "Best Of Both Worlds" DVD(Oils on the water) and having it blaring so loud that he neighbours can hear it (i live on an acerage as well) whilst me and my mate dance like Peter Garrett, pissed as farts for the entire concert Thats how I spent last Friday night! Agree totally with Bombers synopsis. I had 20K Volt going blasing in the car today whilst driving through Erina Fair carpark...Great fun

 

[et]

;-) well close anyway.

Peter Garrett once got banged up pretty bad i'm lead to believed by a wave once...and a big part of miss reading that wave was due to the fact that his long blonde hair got in the way.

Well i've heard that story from many people so i guess it does have plenty of merrit.

About the time he joined the ALP, there was a newspaper story which said another theory was that he cut it after his mother died in a house fire with him being unable to save her... He mentions her death in In the Valley. The fire definitely happened but the theory may be a bit of an urban myth.

My favourite album is definitely Diesel and Dust. If you get a chance to drive around in the middle of Australia you realise how perfectly these songs capture the place. Gunbarrel Highway is my favourite, followed by the Sometimes performance in New York City outside the Exxon building, and Surf's Up Tonight. Though I like nearly all of them.