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Midnight Oil - 20,000 Watts R.S.L.: Greatest Hits Audio CD

A fair review of the Midnight Oil "20,000 Watts R.S.L.: Greatest Hits" 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.

Midnight Oil Band: Midnight Oil
Title: 20,000 Watts R.S.L.: Greatest Hits
Rating:
Release Date: 1997-11-04
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: What Goes On 2: Power and the Passion 3: Dream World 4: White Skin Black Heart 5: Kosciuszko 6: Dead Heart 7: Blue Sky Mine 8: US Forces 9: Beds Are Burning 10: One Country 11: Best of Both Worlds 12: Truganini 13: King of the Mountain 14: Hercules 15: Surf's Up Tonight 16: Back on the Borderline 17: Don't Wanna Be the One 18: Forgotten Years

Outstanding Rock
The only song that I had heard prior to purchasing this was Beds are Burning. As a casual fan of Midnight Oil, I wasn't sure if I would like this CD. I picked this CD up so that I could have that one song. Naturally, I could have purchased the song as an MP3 and saved myself a bit of money. I'm glad I didn't.

Several songs stand out on this CD:

1. Beds are Burning. . . the driving beat and intense lyrics will leave you deep in thought.
2. One Country. . . is something of a lyrical continuation of Beds are Burning (content-wise). It is at times haunting and challenging.
3. Surf's Up Tonight. . . the singing makes you long for a world without our present ecological problems.

This is well worth the price and highly recommended by one who was once ignorant of what M. O. had to offer the world. .


The Oils

It is a very good example of them through various phases. If you ever liked the Oils and never owned any of their music - just get this.
Love it.


Midnight Oil - Dusting Off Down Under
The band split in 2002 when charismatic front-man Peter Garrett left the band to run for political office, where he still serves today as part of Australia's center-left government. Aussies Midnight Oil had a career run of twenty five years, which kicked into high gear when they had their first surprise hit off of a concept album written about the plight of native Aboriginals. The other members, for the most part, have kept their hands in the music business, and guitarist Jim Moginie is now heading up a reissue project of the group's recordings, beginning with the CD "Diesel and Dust" which includes the hit "Beds Are Burning. " The new reissue will include a bonus track called "Gunbarrel Highway. "

A follow up documentary is also in the works for release on DVD that will retrace the band's journey through Kintore East and Yuendemu, which were both immortalized on "Beds Are Burning. " The original members still get together and play music, with the exception as noted of Peter Garrett, and original bassist Peter Gifford, who left the group after the extensive touring done by the band to promote Diesel and Dust. He is now the Lamborghini-driving owner of a company that makes micro bikinis and lingerie, called Wicked Weasel.

In their day, Midnight Oil was one of the most explosive acts to grace a stage. I saw them many times during the late 80's-early 90's, and they never put on a bad performance. It's thrilling to know some of their work is being remastered. If you somehow missed this band when they were together, this is a great opportunity to get to know one of the best rock acts to come from that era. If you can find a copy, "Midnight Oil:20,000 Watts R. S. L. " is a DVD that captures the band live in concert - an experience that will change your concept of this remarkable band by showing first hand what an "Oils" concert was like - a powerful, unforgettable experience by a truly unique group of artists.


Solid Collection for First Time Fans
Most of their albums are well represented here, giving the casual listener a broad overview of the history of the group. This collection would serve as a great introduction to any music fan who hasn't purchased a Midnight Oil album. The liner notes by author Tim Winton are very well done, deftly illustrating the impact Midnight Oil's music and political interests have had on Australians at home and abroad. My one complaint with this collection would be that there are no songs from the first album presented here, nor any tracks from the incredible live album Scream in Blue Live. Rather than include the two cuts from the then upcoming Redneck Wonderland album, I would have liked to have seen selections from those two albums, in particular the song "Powderworks". This song should have had priority over "What Goes On" or "White Skin Black Heart". It's not that those aren't good songs, it's just that "Powderworks" is a much more vital part of the group's history. I suspect it was more of the record company's doing then the band's. Still, my whiny fan-boy complaint aside, this really is a great collection of songs. Hopefully, anyone who purchases it will be moved to obtain the actual releases and thus experience more than just the "hits". .


Awesome Aussies
If fellow Aussies Men at Work were playing for your ear, Midnight Oil was definitely playing for your mind as well. Midnight Oil was a great political/social commentary band, and this album collects their best stuff from the 80s. The songs on her have great messages, delivered in straightforward, no nonsense, rock. This stuff actually makes the listener think about things like justice and fairness. The really good tunes:

Dream World
Kosciusko
Dead Heart
Blue Sky Mine - great tune about mine workers used up by the mines
Beds are Burning
Forgetten Years - excellent song yearning for the end of war's waste .


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.

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