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Earth and Sun and Moon

Midnight Oil - Earth and Sun and Moon Audio CD

A fair review of the Midnight Oil "Earth and Sun and Moon" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Midnight Oil reviews here, or go back to the Midnight Oil tabs.

Band: Midnight Oil
Title: Earth and Sun and Moon
Rating:

Release Date: 1993-04-20
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Feeding Frenzy 2: My Country 3: Renaissance Man 4: Earth and Sun and Moon 5: Truganini 6: Bushfire 7: Drums of Heaven 8: Outbreak of Love 9: In the Valley 10: Tell Me the Truth 11: Now or Never Land

Absolutely Five Stars! A Masterwork!
In addition to the great mix and the soulfully heavy guitar riffs, are the sounds of warmly overdriven tubes from a Hammond B-3 through a Leslie (or some similar combination of organ sounds). Every now and then you pick up on of those discs in which every song is a winner, the sound quality is superb and certain tracks are outstanding! This is definitely one of those CD's. While the instruments used are evidently a tip of the hat to an earlier time, this is no 70's album by any stretch of the imagination. It is by all means a modern creation that is uniquely Midnight Oil.

My personal favorites are "Feeding Frenzy," featuring Hammond Organ and that obligatory 70's sound of the Mellotron and "Renaissance Man," "Bushfire" and "Outbreak of Love" are both haunting and captivating.

I love this "album" from start to finish. It is truly a classic! The places lacking in musicality are made up for by highly developed lyrics and vice versa. I can't understand why I only had to pay $1. 50 for it. I would have paid full price when it came out had I known how great it was.

I almost missed this one...............
A couple of years back I put EASAM in the player and really listened and to me this is without a doubt they're best CD. After Blue Sky Mine I thought the Oils had peaked and I bought this CD back in 93 and listened to it and though eh not as good as Blue Sky Mine. Every song except the last one is very good. Blue Sky mine is a very good CD also and Diesel and Dust is also good. The last CD Capricornia is a good CD but not like the top 3 just mentioned. If I could recommend buying their CD's it would be in this order:
1. Blue Sky Mine
2. Earth and Sun and Moon
3. Diesel and Dust
4. Capricornia.
5. Live CD Scream in Blue.

Midnight Oil Always Burns it Up!
What do you think the 60's and most of the 70's was about on the music scene,Disco? The new political views of a dissatisfied generation created rock and roll as we know it today! Gee, I thought you knew. I would like to challenge past reviewers on other 'Oil' albums as well as here to explain how politics and music don't mix. That being said, I will add that Midnight Oil's music never was written to just entertain and get drunk and/or stones on. It was and is a call to action! Political action, both locally and worldwide. A lot of people have ripped into Peter Garrett and accused him of being a sell out for entering the Australian political arena. I just think it proves he's willing to put his money where his mouth is! Bravo and Kudos to Minister Garrett! He is now fighting for his principles and for indigenous peoples in Australia and world-wide. If you get a chance, you should check out his speech given to St. Thomas More's Forum on Oct. 18,2006 titled,'Peacemaking for Christians in the 21st Century' It pulls no punches and is right on!.

A decent record, but not up to Midnight Oil's best
5 stars). (Actually: 3.

Midnight Oil was one of the best bands of the 1980's with four outstanding records (10,9. 8. . , Red Sails in the Sunset, Diesel and Dust, Blue Sky Mining) and one of the finest live records ever made (Scream in Blue). Their star began to decline a bit in the 1990's as the band members decided to devote more time to family, political activism (including Peter Garrett's political career). Earth, Sun and Moon reflects this reduced focus, as they seemed to try to make a good record instead of a great one.

The record is well-produced, has a very 'live in studio' feel, and sounds great on long drives. The songs themselves have a steadier and slightly slower pace. Jim Moginie has added more bluesy sounds to his diverse palatte, both on guitar and organ, but Rob Hirst seems less active this time around. The frenetic energy that gave rise to Midnight Oil's improvisation and experimentation is not captured in this recording, leaving one wanting a bit more.

The songs drag on a bit too long and are missing the catchy hooks that make so many Midnight Oil songs memorable. 5 of the 11 tracks run over 5 minutes in length, and no song is under 4 minutes, which is much longer than prior Midnight Oil recordings. The choruses are often drawn out, and consequently, some of the melodies fall flat.

The lyrics are more focused on national issues in Australia, and seem to serve as the perfect platform (whether intentional or not) for Garrett's political career. The passion is very much alive, focused (perhaps too narrowly), but the band shows it still knows how to evoke emotions with its direct, defiant and poignant deliveries.

The most memorable songs on this record from my point of view are: 'Renaissance Man', 'Earth and Sun and Moon', 'Truganini', and 'Now and Never Land'. Other worthy tracks are 'In the Valley' and 'Tell me the Truth'.

'Truganini' is as good a song as the band has ever written. It has the passion, creativity and musical dexterity of the best Midnight Oil songs. 'Feeding Frenzy' and 'Renaissance Man' show a deft touch with transitions, melody and demonstrate an ability to incorporate blues into the Midnight Oil framework without missing a beat.

'Earth, Sun and Moon' and 'In the Valley' show the band emphasizing melody over power effectively.

This record will probably have some appeal to those who are not fans of their 80's records, as they sound more like a straight ahead blues/folk rock band, and the musicianship is excellent, while the vocals, though loud, are somewhat more subdued. However, when compared with prior works, one feels as if the band had stopped making music their all-consuming ambition, as the band members moved into their 30's, stopped long tours and focused more on family and on Australia.

.

Highly Recommended!
Though a new producer, Nick Launay, was called in to produce, it's another slightly slick produced album - which is in no way meant as a negative observation. "Earth and Sun and Moon" from 1993 continues Midnight Oil's commercial success of their two previous albums, "Diesel and Dust" and "Blue Sky Mining". All three albums are among my favourites and all contain great songs and great playing.

Midnight Oil succeeds in combining various musical styles like, rock, soul, funk or folk into their own easily recognizeable sound. Other strengths are their fine vocal harmonies and their unique sense of creating catchy choruses.

On this album all their virtues are there. The hit single "Truganini", the title-track and "My Country" are fine examples of Midnight Oil soul-rock with a catchy chorus.

"Bushfire" is a quiet acoustic track and another favourite.

The outstanding track, though, is the exquisite "In the Valley" - great folkish melody - extremely catchy chorus - clever lyrics - in short one of the few songs that seem to have it all.

Highly recommendable album!.

You can see a complete list of all Midnight Oil discography, or go back to the Midnight Oil tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.