Midnight Oil

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Midnight Oil

Background information
Origin Australia
Genre(s) New Wave
Alternative Rock
Rock
Years active 1970–2002
Website Official website
Former members
Peter Garrett
Rob Hirst
Jim Moginie
Martin Rotsey
Bones Hillman
Peter Gifford
Andrew James

Midnight Oil was an Australian rock band active from the early 1970s until 2002. The band was known for its driving hard rock sound, intense live performances, and its overt left-wing political activism, particularly in aid of environmentalist causes.

The lineup included Rob Hirst on drums, Peter Garrett on vocals, Jim Moginie on keyboard/guitar, and Martin Rotsey on guitar. Andrew James was the band's first bass player followed byPeter Gifford from 1980 and he was replaced in 1987 by Bones Hillman.

Contents

[edit] History

The Oils, as they are known to their fans, began as a progressive rock band called Farm in the early 1970s, then under the Midnight Oil name developed into an aggressive, punk - hard rock group associated with the surfer community near Sydney. One of their early fan bases was at the Sydney northern beaches pub The Royal Antler at Narrabeen.

Although consistently championed by Sydney alternative rock station Double Jay and its FM band successor Triple J, Midnight Oil, like many independent bands of the period, were almost totally ignored by Australia's mainstream commercial radio stations.

The Oils developed a strong "street cred" and a reputation for making no compromises with the music industry. In support of this, it was often stated that they were one of the few major Australian bands of the era never to have appeared on the all-powerful ABC TV pop show Countdown. While this was strictly true, the fact is that they had indeed been scheduled to appear in the early Eighties, but they were "bumped" from the show. According to producer Michael Shrimpton, on the day of the taping, the band had arrived late for rehearsal but (due to the show's very tight schedule and budget) there was a strict policy that latecomers were not allowed to appear, so they were told they could not perform that day. In retaliation, the group declared that they would never appear on the show, a promise they faithfully kept.

Manager Gary Morris also developed a fearsome reputation as one of the toughest managers in the business and he became equally notorious for banning any critics or journalists (who were usually given free admission to concerts) if they wrote unfavourable reviews. One famous case in the mid-80s involved writer and critic Bruce Elder, who in a newspaper review described the band's music as "narrow and xenophobic"; in retaliation, Morris banned him from Oils shows permanently. In later years Elder recanted and described them as the only Australian band to have developed a truly original Australian sound.

Nevertheless, they built up an intensely dedicated fan base through constant touring and their blistering live performances, featuring the scorching twin-guitar attack of Moginie and Rotsey, the powerhouse drumming and soaring vocals of drummer Rob Hirst and the manic, whirling-dervish presence of their towering, bald lead singer Peter Garrett, who quickly earned a reputation as one of the most charismatic and outspoken musicians on the Australian music scene.

Their first two albums, 'Midnight Oil' and 'Head Injuries' are now regarded as classics of Australian indie rock, mixing solid guitar rock with progressive flourishes; both were released independently through the M7 label (a subsidiary of the Seven TV Network) and both were produced by Triple J live concert sound producer Keith Walker.

Further interest was generated by the popular Bird Noises EP, produced by former Supercharge member Lesek Karski, which featured the surf-instrumental 'Wedding Cake Island' (named after a rock outcrop in the ocean off Sydney's Coogee Beach). Legend has it that this track originally featured a vocal that was removed prior to release, supposedly because of its forthright lyrical content.

The third LP Place Without A Postcard (1981) was recorded with legendary English producer Glyn Johns but it was apparently an uneasy match and the band were not totally happy with the outcome.

[edit] Rise to fame

Their major Australian breakthrough and their first international recognition came in 1982, with the release of 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, which included the singles "Power and the Passion" and "Read About It"; their classic denunciation of American military interference in foreign affairs in "US Forces"; and their lamentations of various oppressive governmental actions throughout history in "Short Memory". Their ascendance was signalled by a series of landmark concerts at Sydney's Capitol Theatre, one of which was filmed and recorded, and which has recently been released on DVD. The band also played their first shows outside Australia.

10-1 was produced by Englishman Nick Launay, who had previously worked with The Jam, XTC, Peter Gabriel, PiL, Gang of Four, The Birthday Party, and Killing Joke, and who had engineered for leading producers including John Leckie, Steve Lillywhite, Hugh Padgham and Tony Visconti. It was one of four classic albums Launay produced in Australia that year, the others being The Church LP Seance, The Models' commercial breakthrough The Pleasure of Your Company, and INXS's "The Swing".

It was followed by Red Sails in the Sunset (1984), in which the band continued to expand their sound and explore their preoccupations with politics, consumerism, militarism, the nuclear threat and environmental issues. The album cover featured a startling photomontage of Sydney - both city and harbour - cratered and devastated after a hypothetical nuclear attack. Live concert footage from this time period was also used in the Australian-indie movie One Night Stand the story of which revolves around a group of teenagers hanging out in an abandoned Sydney Opera House as the outbreak of nuclear war in eastern Europe is set to bring about the end of the world.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1- the band's major breakthrough
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10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1- the band's major breakthrough

In 1985, arguably at their peak, Midnight Oil performed another landmark outdoor concert on Goat Island in Sydney Harbour, in order to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Triple J, before a select audience of fans who had won tickets in a radio competition. This concert was also filmed and recorded by the ABC and was simulcast on ABC-TV and Triple J. It has recently been remastered and released on DVD.

In 1984, Garrett ran for political office in Australia under the Nuclear Disarmament Party banner, and lost. Between 1988 and 1992, the band's Diesel and Dust and Blue Sky Mining discs became known worldwide, as did their political activism for causes ranging from nuclear disarmament to indigenous rights and environmental issues. Their subsequent albums sold less well outside Australia, but the Oils maintained a following throughout the 1990s and into the new century.

The band famously performed during the closing ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Backstage the band removed boiler suits and walked onstage revealing the word "SORRY" conspicuously printed on their clothes, serving as an apology to the Aboriginal people for their more than 200 years of suffering under white settlement. The SORRY shirts were also specifically aimed at conservative Prime Minister John Howard, who was in the audience. The Prime Minister triggered a degree of controversy that year with his refusal to embrace symbolic reconciliation and apologise to Aboriginal Australians and members of the stolen generation.

The Midnight Oil lineup remained quite stable over the band's long career: Garrett as lead singer (and, early on, synthesizer), Jim Moginie on guitar and keyboards, Martin Rotsey on guitar, and Rob Hirst on drums. Andrew "Bear" James, the first bass player, left in 1979, replaced by Peter Gifford, who left in 1989 to be replaced by New Zealander Bones Hillman (ex Swingers), who remained with the group until its dissolution in 2002. Gary Morris was the band's manager and effective sixth member (often credited with the simple title "Business" on albums) throughout.

[edit] Dissolution and reunion

Manly Leagues Club
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Manly Leagues Club

Garrett decided to quit the band on December 2, 2002 to focus on his political career. He won the seat of Kingsford Smith at the 2004 federal election for the Australian Labor Party. The other members of the band resolved to continue working together, but not under the Midnight Oil name, bringing the band's career to a close.

The members of the band, including Garrett, reunited to perform at the WaveAid concert on January 29, 2005 to raise funds for the victims of the December 26, 2004 tsunami that struck nations bordering the north-eastern Indian Ocean. The concert, which took place at the Sydney Cricket Ground, also included performances by Powderfinger, Silverchair, Nick Cave, the John Butler Trio, the Finn Brothers and others. The only other show the group has performed since breaking up was a warm up gig the night before WaveAid at the Manly-Warringah Leagues Club. There are no current plans to reunite the band.

[edit] Post dissolution

On the 29 October 2006 Midnight Oil was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

A number of Oil tracks were featured in the Triple M Essential 2006 Countdown. Tracks featured are as follows:

  • Put Down That Weapon (1639/2006)
  • Wedding Cake Island (1431/2006)
  • Forgotten Years (1018/2006)
  • Blue Sky Mine (769/2006)
  • Best Of Both Worlds (713/2006)
  • Beds Are Burning (576/2006)
  • Dreamworld (534/2006)
  • The Dead Heart (426/2006)
  • King Of The Mountain (399/2006)
  • Read About It (355/2006)
  • When The Generals Talk (263/2006)
  • U.S. Forces (217/2006)
  • Short Memory (96/2006)
  • Power And The Passion (30/2006)

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

Numbers in brackets indicate original release year and peak position in Australian charts.

[edit] Videos

  • Black Fella White Fella (1987) - Australian Broadcasting Corporation documentary on the Black Fella White Fella tour of Aboriginal settlements with Aboriginie rock band Warumpi Band which inspired the writing of the album Diesel and Dust
  • Black Rain Falls (1990) - Footage of the 1990 Exxon Valdez protest
  • 20,000 Watt R.S.L. (1997) - Live footage, video clips and band interviews
  • Best of Both Worlds (2004) - Footage from two live shows including the Triple J 10th anniversary performance on Goat Island, Sydney Harbour

[edit] External links

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