Diesel and Dust

Amazon.com
Few would claim that Midnight Oil's Peter Garrett is the world's greatest rock vocalist, but he clearly means what he sings. On Diesel and Dust, Garrett and company serve up a collection of solid pop-rock songs that follow the groundwork laid by their early albums. Intrinsic to their sound is a guitars-bass-drums attack spiced occasionally with horns and keyboards and capped with Garrett's throaty vocals. Garrett's lyrics on Deisel and Dust are noteworthy because they are not about love or personal relationships but instead address larger issues. "Beds Are Burning" is a call to return the land expropriated from Australia's aboriginal peoples, while "The Dead Heart" and "Bullroarer" celebrate their rich cultural heritage. Many bands and artists have made some sort of political or social concern apparent in their work, but few have done so as consistently, dedicatedly, and tunefully as Midnight Oil. --Al Massa

Reader Reviews
Even though they had been known in their native Australia for years, it wasn't until 1987 and their hit "Beds Are Burning" that the politically conscious Midnight Oil, led by gangling seven foot tall bald lead singer Peter Garrett garnered attention on the other side of the Pacific--i.e. the USA. It hit Billboard's Top 20 on the Hot 100. The constant theme of this album is the return of the aborigines' land to the rightful owners and the criticism of companies that exploit the land for its resources. The anthemic "Beds Are Burning" is about returning the aborigines land to them: "The time has come/to say fair's fair/to pay the rent/to pay our share." The song says, the Australian desert can go up to 45 degrees C (113 F). Hot! I wonder if many Native Americans found this song popular, as they too suffer the same plight, especially the Navajo people in the area I live in. The mid-paced "Put Down That Weapon," which has a throbbing bass, seems to be a thematic holdover from their bomb album, the countdown-titled 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1. Key lyric: "Put down that weapon or we'll all be gone/You must be crazy if you think you're strong." "Dreamworld" has a quicker pace than "Beds Are Burning" and sadly tells the aborigines that "your dreamworld is about to end." As for Garrett, he says, "Take me to a place where the dreaming never ends/open wide drive that mystery road." In other words, somewhere that has been left untouched by whites. The elegiac "Arctic World" describes the soulessness of the exploiter company man, but it's also the despair of the activist who is frustrated from what looks like a losing battle. The rocking "Warakurna" challenges white land occupation and laws in favour of aboriginal tradition: "This land must change or land must burn" and "White law could be wrong/black law must be strong." The equally engaging second single, "The Dead Heart," spoken from the aborigines' point of view, is another number that pulls no punches from the outset: "We don't serve your country/don't serve your king/know your custom don't speak your tongue/white man came took everyone." Like the Native Americans of old, they have had to put up with their land being taken and exploited. In Australia, it's "mining companies, pastoral companies, uranium companies, collected companies," with the mentality that they have more say than people. For those wondering what a "Bullroarer" is, it's a wooden slat attached to a string that makes a roaring sound when spun around quickly. There's the sound of one at the beginning of the track. Its use is varied, from curing sickness, warning women and children away from sacred ceremonies, or to symbolize totemic ancestors. "Sell My Soul" describes hardships and the conflicts of not selling one's traditional ways in favour of white ways, and the quick-paced "Sometimes" describes the overpowering industrial concrete and steel jungle, and tells the aborigine not to give in. This album got me turned on to Midnight Oil and I have four of their other albums as a result. Question: if you copy one of their CDs to a CD-R, would that be known as burning the Midnight Oil? Sorry, I couldn't resist.  Comment | Permalink |  (Report this)


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