Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My favorite album of all time., March 22, 2006
This is, in my opinion, Midnight Oil's greatest masterpiece, the best rock album ever made, and one of the finest albums of any genre.
OUTSIDE WORLD is one of the most unique songs you'll ever hear. More experimental than rock with a pulsing heartbeat-like bassline, erie keyboards, strings, guitars, and drums. An amzing collaboration between songwriting genius Jim Moginie and recording genius Nick Launay. So beautiful and evocative that I am tempted to say it is my favorite track. The lyrics deal with isolation and economic exploitation. This song sets the tone for the rest of the album
ONLY THE STRONG is the epitome of what rock music is all about coupled with a complexity of song structure that many rock groups lack. The drums are absolutely astounding and the guitars sound enormous. Peter Garrett's vocals are ferocious and this studio recording does succeed in capturing Midnight Oil's live energy is a studio cut. The lyrics seem to deal with the subject of political prisoners or perhaps the eugenics movement which wrongfully incarcerated in mental institutions anyone they deemed to be "febbleminded" or otherwise genetically inferior. The magestic outro is beautiful and unexpected upon first listening.
SHORT MEMORY is a 3/4 waltz time Middle Eastern sounding avant-garde protest song about imperialism and war.The message is "Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it." That message is conveiged loud and clear in what is perhaps Midnight Oil's most universally applicable piece of musical activism. This song warned way back in 1982 that the CIA collaboration with the foreign Mujaheddin Jihadists in Afghanistan was an act of imperialism rather than altruism. The improvised section in the middle of the song is outstanding with middle eastern guitar riffs colliding with dynamic percussive piano. This song and "Don't Ask Me Questions" by Graham Parker were the only songs I could relate to for weeks after 9/11.
READ ABOUT IT is another of Midnight Oil's greatest rock songs. Distorted electric guitar, cowbell, ultra fast drum rolls, a driving beat, and lush acoustic guitar strummery lay down a heavy duty track.The lyrics deal with ignorance, information warfare, the Cold War imperialism of the USA and the USSR, the nuclear arms race, and the exploitation of working class labor by capitalism and communism alike.The compelling chorus points a finger at the ignorant masses that "wouldn't read about it". Essential listening.
SCREAM IN BLUE is half instrumental, half lyrical. The instrumental begins with heavily distorted atonal guitar riffs twisting their way forward toward another middle eastern influenced surf rock escape with outstanding guitar and drum work by Rotsey, Moginie, and Hirst. This cresendos into an a wall of white noise that reaches a fever pitch before being abruptly cut off in an amazing example of producer Nick Launay's electronic studio wizardry. The feedback and squalor is replaced by a clever jazz influened contra bass line by Peter Gifford and a gorgeous piano ballad reminicent of John Lennon. The song sung by Garrett is creepy and ominous yet beautiful, a sad song about unrequited love.
US FORCES is a protest song about the presense of U.S. military bases around the world. Garrett was very involved in protesting Pine Gap, Eschelon, and U.S. nuclear weapons bases in Australia and the Pacific at the time and consequentlly wrote a song about said issues. The song is as experimental as anything else on the album beginning with the three strummed acoustic guitar chord comming to a crecendo in unison with a dynamic synth patch. This is repeated four times and is quite unusual. When garrett begins singing it is all the more dramatic.
POWER AND THE PASSION is one of the earliest examples of a rock band doing hip hop. The song is built around a drum machine rythym. The funky guitars snake in and out of the beat and the bassline is one of the funkiest basslines you'll ever hear. Garrett raps about the Americanisation and commercialisation of Austrailian culture ending with the Emiliano Zappata quote, "It's better to die on you're feet than live on your knees." The song features a freewheeling drum solo by Rob Hirst the ends in the sound of shattering glass and an intense horn driven outro.
MARALINGA is one of The Oils most underrated, beautiful, and poiniant songs. The melodies are gorgeous and the production is visionary. The lyrics tell the sad true story of the Australian Aboriginies of the small town of Maralinga. Maralinga was the site of nuclear weapons testing and uranium mining and many locals died of cancer while refusing to leave their ancestral homeland. The last verse is emotionally overwhelming.
TIN LEGS AND TIN MINES is a soft piano driven song about high technology and the looming threat of an Orwellian police state.
, "turning to terror as the script is read out". Literary Edgar Allen Poe quoting lyrics set to one of the most beautiful melodies imaginable. The strings, piano, guitars, and amazing drums outro nicely as the ominous harpsichord segeway into SOMEBODY'S TRYING TO TELL ME SOMETHING overwhelms the subtlety with sonic terror leading into the strangest surf rocker of all time.
SOMEBODY'S TRYING TO TELL ME SOMETHING is perhaps about the record companies and Midnight Oil's refusal to sellout to their label's A& R's worthless advice while recording their previous album, the excellent PLACE WITHOUT A POSTCARD. This song is crazy. Garrett screams. Gifford solos on a fretless bass. The guitars play surf rock riffs that sound like Pink Floyd gone punk. There are sudden stops and starts and finally this amazing album ends with an example of electronic studio experimentation that is perhaps the most dynamic outro in recorded history. You have to buy 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 to hear what I'm talking about.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As good of a album that you will ever get!, February 16, 2006
This album is just Brilliant in everyway!, some reviewers quote themselves as speechless when trying to describe this album and i agree. This is one of those albums that you just have to throw yourself into and listen to what the songs are about and how the band compliments each other . You wont be dissapointed, it will give you faith in the positive qaulities and possiblities of music. A True Gem!!!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Oils biggest & best!, May 28, 2000
Where does one begin when discussing the greatness of this album? It has 6 songs that are a huge part of the Oils repetoire: "Only the Strong," "Short Memory," "Read About It," "Scream in Blue," "US Forces," and "Power and the Passion." The other four songs are fantastic too, especially "Outside World" & "Maralinga." The group was incredibly focused on this album. The lyrics are as sharp as a sword, and the music is a swirling tornado of brilliance! From the raw agression of "Only the Strong," to the low bass rumble of "Short Memory" to the guitar chaos and then sweet lilt of "Scream In Blue" to the in your face message of "Read About It," this album is unbelievable from start to finish. Its great to inspire you to not give up on the state of the world...it makes you want to go out and fix it. The only negative thing I can say about this album is about the album cover (which is kind of silly, but actually represents the fragmented world they're railing against.) This album proves the band is bigger than "Diesel & Dust" and that they were doing great work before "Diesel & Dust." I recommend all Midnight Oil albums, but this one ranks up there with "Head Injuries," "Diesel & Dust," "Blue Sky Mining," "Species Deceases," Earth & Sun & Moon," and "Redneck Wonderland." get one, get them all! Midnight Oil is one of the greatest bands on the planet....thanks Australia.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
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5.0 out of 5 stars
More stars please
This CD in my mind has a better collection of songs than 20000 watt, they could have put the entire 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1,0 album instead and I would have agreed.
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Published on December 14, 2005 by J. Upton
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is Midnight Oil's 
