20,000 Watts R.S.L.: Greatest Hits

Midnight Oil

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 4, 1997)
• Original Release Date: November 4, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000002C4D
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #55,098 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Like the Violent Femmes and Concrete Blonde, Midnight Oil has released a few all-around terrific albums and several others with just a couple great songs. Collecting the familiar radio hits ("Blue Sky Mine," "Forgotten Years," "Beds Are Burning") and standout tracks from less worthy CDs ("Surf's Up Tonight," from 1996's otherwise forgettable Breathe the Australian rock band's highly political first career retrospective is a good starting point for new fans. This collection could have delved more into the classic albums, such as 1988's Diesel and Dust, but then every working band has to maintain the illusion that its later work is also vital. --Steve Knopper

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of the Best., February 24, 2000

By	Jason Stein (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I don't want to offend any Midnight Oil fans by saying that I think this is a great cd. I don't own any individual cds, but as far as greatest hits compiliations are concerned, this one is solid. In America, only Beds Are Burning, The Dead Heart, Blue Sky Mine, Forgotten Years and Truganini were hits...and they're all here plus great songs I hadn't heard before. I do think that Midnight Oil is one of Australia's finest exports. This is a must have for any serious music fan.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars not too shabby, August 1, 2004

By	Davy (Athens, GA) - See all my reviews

this is the australian band's greatest hits collection, and while i like listening to the actual LPs a bit more--because their generally very cohesive albums with steady thematic undertones--this gives a satisfactory view of their career on the charts, including all the hits and cult-favorites. there are some positively scorching numbers on here...songs so full of passion that even their biggest hit, "beds are burning," pales in comparison and seems almost flakey. great liner notes tell the inspiring true story of the band's rise to fame and influence.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Australians stand tall!, June 24, 2002

By	Tim Ho (Seattle WA) - See all my reviews

This greatest hits album once again confirms for me that Midnight Oil are so much more than a rockband; they are the nation's collective social conscience!

From Power and the Passion (a meditation on activism amongst the complacency and political apathy of white middle-class Australia), progressing on to US Forces (decrying the rapacious greed of the US bureaucracy); from Truganini (concerning the injustice of Aboriginal land expropriation) to Hercules (appealing for Pacific nuclear testing to cease), the humanistic message of the Oils is never compromised. Garrett's chanting, thrusting voice unequivocally captures the urgency of their message.

Of course, not all of their songs concern politics. Many simply reflect the band's reverence towards the Australian landscape ("Surf's Up Tonight," "King of the Mountain").

My only possible complaint about this album are the new releases that have been included from Red Neck Wonderland (which i consider to be a large mistake). The woeful "What Goes On" and "Black Skin White Heart" are both examples of the band's unfortunate tendency to let the music take a backseat to politics. But this is only a minor quibble.

Otherwise, this is the real Australia!!!