Midnight Oil: Classic or G'dud!

I'm glad Garrett's decided to stop talking the talk but keeping walking the walk. Though I don't want to see him do that funny walk ever again.

* -- That's "The Angels" to all you marsupials in the land downunder.

Having a video does not equate with having a "hit". Ask John Q. Public on the street to name a Midnight Oil song, and if they can do it, it'll invariably be "Beds Are Burning." Yes, they had other songs (so did Devo), but the only one anyone seems to remember is that one.

nope, not SURE -- that's why I said "I think." I mean, I've never seen them mention it in an interview. But there's definitely some stuff on those Angels albums that sounds proto-Midnight-Oil to me.

Best two albums: Head Injuries (1979) and Place Without a Postcard (1981) -- neither of which saw a US release until 1990, after many people quit caring about the Oils at all.

See, that's why I miss your music writing Lee.

Remember when that Screaming Blue Messiahs dude was around and it seemed like bald people were about to seize control?

I've never been a fan of them much, but the Guitarist (called 'Bones'), is a family friend of a friend of mine, so I got back stage passes to what turned out to be their last show at The Forum in Melbourne late last year.

Garret gave a big speech at the Feb 14 Anti-War Rally in Melb (200,000), one day before the Feb 15 rallies the world over. So yeeea...

yeah i think this album is the best set of tunes, and heavy only in a very artful way -- the production emphasises the subtle and non-repetetive elements -- i still love it though i know it completley (and the only song that sucks would be called "US Forces")

ok they dumbed down later for all their big arena hits (and when i saw them live there was just one good song guitar solo etc. in the whole show, in the encore, v. dissapointing) but they'd changed for u2 type demographic by then

CLASSIC!!! I mean, who else dances like Peter Garrett! haha

The Oil's 1979-1985 albums are absolute cult classics down here in OZ. Some of the songs on 'Red Sails...' are like nothing I've ever heard before, like 'When the Generals Talk' and that huge explosion of beautiful sound at the end of 'Kosciuscko'! Brilliant! My favourite Aussie band, bloody legends.

http://www.alp.org.au/people/nsw/garrett_peter.php

(they did seem to think that the story was funny, so bully for them for having a sense of humor.)

10,9,8... = OK Computer
Red Sails = Kid A

fucking classic, until the bottom fell out with that tired-ass-sounding blue sky mining.

That's great.

Similar to Colin Hay's story about someone requesting the "one about the goats".

My favourite track is "no time for games" from the Bird Noises EP.

I think the political stuff and the rock gelled well for them.

The drummer (Rob Hirst?) is phenomenal too, one particular huge solo on Power in the Passion.

I'd have liked Blue Sky Mining to have been recorded with less gloss, but a lot of the songs on there are good and therefore a keeper. The only studio album of theirs I don't care if I ever hear again is Redneck Wonderland... it had no ambition, no direction, no anything. Capricornia was a commendable swan song, though.

"Stars Of Warburton" sounded really nice today. BSM has aged a little better these days (and D&D probably hasn't)

Dud. I threw on Diesel And Dust the other day and it was basically mediocre "college rock" with some guy obnoxiously yelling vague platitudes or suggesting we give the land back to the aborigines. "Sometimes" worked the best as far as the vague platitudes go. I need to listen to my copies of Blue Sky Mining and Earth Sun And Moon to see if they've aged just as horribly. And every time I see them on VH1 Classic they scare me even more.
I'm glad Garrett's decided to stop talking the talk but keeping walking the walk. Though I don't want to see him do that funny walk ever again.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, March 17, 2003 5:12 PM (6 years ago) Bookmark

this is perhaps Miccio's most perceptive post ever.

I'd disagree. D&D really sort of embraces its own timeframe without becoming a victim of it. On the other hand, I hear BSM and all I hear (aside from a few good songs) is 19901990199019901990!

with garrett possibly going onto some sort of leftist politics career (although i haven't seen him involved in anything yet)

innocent times

thing the naysayers have to account for is that they sorta rocked, once upon a time.

Red Sails is far and away my favorite Oils record (and that guitar solo in "Best of Both Worlds" melts my cerebellum).

classic. the dead heart should be the national anthem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTGx59dm3XY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmHco4ie9EE

butts are burning

Watching the Capitol set from the Best of Both Worlds dvd on youtube. So damn good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyqWoq2STjw&list=PL92319EECC1754042

Man, I forget sometimes how insane this band was. That's some nearly-Clash-level shit there.

They don't get their due, at least Stateside. A truly great rock band.

Man, I just got to "Armistice Day" and my god does it rule.

It's a shame that they didn't really break big in the US until their music was on the downswing with D&D, but I can't imagine radio accommodating anything from 10,9,8 or Red Sails. Those records still sound like they're from the future.

less of a correction, more of an addition. it's been a whole 3 hours since he posted video of himself talking to Bolta on Sky News:

IDENTITY POLITICS USED BY ELITES TO KEEP THE REST OF US IN CHECK

The claims of victimisation by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex highlight the fraudulent nature of identity politics. By dividing us on race and gender, the “woke” elites divert attention away from their own privilege!

I missed that Latham was actually elected in that capacity! Ewwww NSW!

(xp) Fair enough. I thought that he's an interviewee rather than an interviewer on Sky these days (not watching video to confirm). The difference is negligible, admittedly.

I owned Scream in Blue at one time, and recall that it was a good 'un.

Don’t forget the role Daniel Johns from Silverchair played in Garrett’s downfall

VG: what is the biggest Aussie band in Australia?

AC/DC vs. INXS

oh also is Nick Cave extra big there or just regular high end of indie popularity like here?

also I forgot Divinyls were from Australia!

AC/DC vs. INXS

The Bee Gees formed in Australia, if you want a three-way battle.

Cold Chisel and Powderfinger are secretly the most popular Aus acts within Australia. (A lie, probably, but it would be amusing if the statistically correct answer was something that never really traveled well.)

Cave albums routinely go comfortably top #10 in Aus nowadays, so he's pretty popular. Close to a household name, I'd say. Though my mother, for instance, can only name the Kylie duet. (I inadvertently tested this recently!)

Mum only pays attention to Cave to tease me about how old he’s getting lol

Rural wise i think AC/DC is def more broadly popular, and across most ages over 40’s 50’s etc

INXS maybe more popular w under 40’s idk and prob women? but thats a big maaaaybe bc they kinda fucked themselves w all the stupid shit they did after Hutchence died lol

i dont farkin know tbh

Chisel and Powderfinger def feel like much bigger cultural presences

Don’t forget the role Daniel Johns from Silverchair played in Garrett’s downfall

idk if I knew it to forget. too late if so!

The difference is negligible, admittedly.

yeah this is the thing, whether he's streaming drunk on facebook live on a $100k parliamentary pension, paid less than that (+ parl pens) to host on Sky News, or paid less again (+pp) to guest, it's still his main activity, and legislating isn't.

plus he's how he made himself eligible to that voting bloc (2 out of 42 seats: he ran on stopping immigration, blocking renewable energy, requiring DNA tests for indigenous dole recipients, and banning the burqa; used his maiden speech to argue that ppl shouldn't be fired for telling gays that they are cursed to hell)

According to a Herald Sun article reposted to this forum thread, it's AC/DC over Bee Gees with INXS third, although international impact is considered. Every band mentioned in this revive is in the list.

(xp) Also happy to be reminded of Johns's role!

I grew up in 80s Sydney and all the bands mentioned in this thread were ubiquitous with the exception of the Go-Betweens, who were very niche indie back then and never had a hit, I don't think even Streets of Your Town charted.

it got a bit of TV play at the time, and became one of the two Go-Bes songs guest programmers would pick on rage through the '90s, but only charted in NZ.

(Cattle & Cane ranked at #11 and #27 on the first two Hot 100s, clung on desperately at #96 in the final year when Nirvana and nationalisation broke the poll.)

The Hottest 100 returns have been wretched for at least a quarter of a century

Final (?) album and final (?) tour coming up. The former (promo snips of which were pretty solid) reportedly recorded before the death of Bones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV-QrTrpNzg

Actually, I guess the new album is already out? Man, what a world we live in.

for those upthread curious about the Daniel Johns incident https://amp.smh.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/i-should-shut-up-and-stick-to-singing-20070709-gdqktg.html

Classic. Bought 10 to 1 when it came out, it didn't leave my turntable for months. Watched their evolution from there through the Diesel and Dust album and tour, when they were at their height as a live band. Still one of the most electrifying live acts I've ever seen, albeit much diminished the last time I saw them, circa Redneck Wonderland. The new album so far is . . . good. Doesn't look like I'll get a chance to see this final tour; the only possible date is at the Hollywood Palladium, but I have something else that I likely can't get out of.

I hadn't really paid attention to Garrett's political career, and now I wish I didn't know.

garrett's political career was a disaster really, he clearly sold out to no real benefit & then was thrown under the bus for something that wasn't really his fault

he could have very comfortably fit into the greens without having to compromise but back in 2004 when he was recruited to labor the greens were a much smaller political presence here

Yeah, that's my impression. Really ill-advised. He always struck me as being pretty smart, but it seems like he got completely turned around.

I gotta say, back in the day I really disliked Midnight Oil for their earnestness and bombast, but now, I really dislike Midnight Oil for their earnestness and bombast.

still really really like em. he dngaf if he bugged you afaict. until elected i guess.

It's possible he still views it as the right move. Parachuted into a safe ALP seat and a steady income. Not sure he'd have been pre-selected as effortlessly in the Greens let alone be elected into one of their very limited number of viable (presumably upper house) slots. He might have to have done more tedious unpaid stuff before his parliamentary career even began. Like everyone ever associated with the ALP he's likely convinced himself that "change from within" is/was an actual thing, and preferable to messing about with smaller parties who threaten to stand for something.

That's just fuckin' sad.

that uh, seems like imaginary things but i’m not aussie and have no heroes

It doesn't pay to have heroes, honestly.

To be fair, he had been a candidate for a tiny party decades earlier. I don't really blame him for trying something else tbh. The ALP are hardly the most monstrous option.

Yeah, the Nuclear Disarmament Party, right?

Like everyone ever associated with the ALP he's likely convinced himself that "change from within" is/was an actual thing

This is obviously the calculus he made; he found out that getting fucked by a thousand rats can also happen from within.

The ALP are hardly the most monstrous option.

At the time, this was certainly true. It would be far more of a betrayal if he’d lined up for a parachute after 2018.

He was my local member, and you certainly did see him around and about. Don't think you can fault him for trying, but obviously it didn't turn out well.

Hoping, without any enthusiasm, for a Labor win this time around. Labor is a hollowed out nothing these days, but anything to get rid of Scummo I guess

Ablo’s my local member, imagine how these four years have felt

I have postal ballots sitting here and have toyed with voting informal for the first time. I guess the fact we can now at least let our preferences exhaust before electing Labor in the senate is making the utter inevitability of my HoR ballot converting into a vote for my local Labor candidate seem increasingly absurd and unsupportable lol. It'd be an irrational move. But the idea of my ballot inexorably making its way onto the Labor pile so reliably for soooo many years is really bugging me lately.

Proportional representation in both houses NOW! etc, etc.

I will vote Green and, with zero enthusiasm, preference Labor. However vacuous their current policies are, I don't think I can physically stand another 3 years of the coalition.

^ Basically what I did in the HoR in the end. (No real sensible alternatives amongst the microparties standing in my electorate.)

Just posted it! Thanks Midnight Oil thread on the interwebs for reminding me to vote. :)

Perhaps unexpectedly, this thread has given me a chance to get at least passingly acquainted with the current state of Australian politics. It's both appalling and not surprising that the current state looks very much like that of U.S. politics.