Non-Prog Album Reviews

Band: Midnight Oil (Australia, 1976-2002)

Midnight Oil was an Australian alternative rock act. They are best known in the western world for their hit single, Beds are Burning, off the album Diesel and Dust (their 6th album), although I hear that they are well loved in their native Australia. For years before they were known as Midnight Oil, they toured as The Farm, and after Peter Garret joined the band, they incorporated some progressive rock elements into their sound. The band is known for its political activism, including holding a concert protesting the Exxon Valdez oil spill in front of the Exxon offices in New York. Frontman Peter Garrett was actively involved in politics during the career, and the reason for the bands split in 2002 was so that he could continue his political career.

Album: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (1982)

Midnight Oil is known for their hard rocking tracks, and even by this point that was considered a crucial part of their sound. However, they decided to begin this album with a bit more sedate sound. The opening track, Outside World, is mostly instrumental, with some sparse vocals. This was initially my favorite track off the album, for it was like nothing I had heard at the time, and it kept me coming back until the album grew on me more than I had expected it would.

But those who doubted that this album would rock would give their fears to rest with the next track, "Only the Strong", which I can only describe as a blistering, almsot angry rocker. This is followed by Short Memory, which is a bit less direct in its instrumental approach, yet none the less impassioned. The lyrics are extremely powerful, as it lists terrible things that man has done in succession, followed by the chorus of "Short Memory, must have a short memory".

Read About It is another impassioned song, and I remember seeing the video for this one and being stunned by the power of the video (which describes deforestation in australia and the rate at which species go extinct). The song still has strong bite on its own.

Scream In Blue is where the band shows off their progressive influences the most, I think. Once again, we are treated to some tumultuous, hard rocking instrumentals, which come to a sudden stop halfway through the song, where Peter Garret comes in with what I believe is one of his most potent vocal experiences (from the percentage of the Oils discography I've heard, anyways). When he utters the last line, "When I scream, I scream in blue, I scream in blue", I get shivers. 

The second half of the album begins with US Forces, which sounds like a pretty upbeat song but is once again full of politically charged lyrics (this time, the Oils are criticising America's foreign policy). This is followed by Power And The Passion, another excellent Oils single that rocks much harder than US forces. The middle section gives the band some chance to show off, including some excellent drumming from Rob Hirst.

Maralinga follows Power And the Passion, and it is probably the most sedate track on the album, barring Outside World, but without the cool atmosphere of the aforementioned track. Regardless, it is still an excellent track, but I would argue that it is the weakest on the album.

Nonetheless, it is followed by the extremely catchy "Tin Legs and Tin Mins", before the album finishes on a blistering note with "Somebody's Trying To Tell Me Something". (At the end of the album, there is a long sustained note. On the vinyl, this was held into the runout groove (I know that term because I looked it up on wikipedia :) ), and on the CD this is emulated by the vote being sustained for 40 seconds.