Midnight Oil

When Midnight Oil released this album in 1982, the band was still (somehow) unknown outside their native Australia. But the success of this LP set them up for a major international breakthrough, which was aided by an astounding 100 weeks on Australian charts and a supporting slot on the Who Rocks America tour. The themes here are heavy: nuclear disarmament, environmental protection and aboriginal rights take center stage, and they paved the way for singer Peter Garrett's later political career.

The Aussies are coming! The Aussies are coming! Well, it doesn't have quite the same ring
as that other, more famous warning of impending attack upon these shores, but it is true
that the island continent has been mounting an impressive musical offensive. From Men at
Work to AC/DC, INXS to Divinyls, the bands of Oz have been leaving their mark with music
that reflects the youth, vitality and social upheaval of a culture that's just beginn... More >

Figures that a major-label, major-management band expressly obsessed with nuclear holocaust and man's inhumanity to man should smell slightly progressive, which I do not use in the lefty sense. The multiplex structures, emphatic mix, and sardonically melodramatic vocals all add a pompous air to music that comes on as uptempo rock and roll. Message: everything would be quite all right if human beings weren't such stupid fools--and major power brokers have nothing to do with it. (Grade: C+)