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I remember the terrific 1987 hit "Beds Are Burning", but until I heard this album, that was the extent of my exposure to Australia's Midnight Oil. I knew that "Beds Are Burning" was a very political track, a protest song about returning Australian land to the indigenous desert-dwelling Pintupi. The lyrics leave no doubt about it: "The time has come/A fact's a fact/It belongs to them/Let's give it back." But I had no idea that the entire album would deal with ecological and political issues. Believe me, it does. The 11 tracks are all about themes such as mistreatment of indigenous peoples, progess and civilization versus nature and beauty, and nostalgia for the primitive desert life.
As far as the band's sound is concerned, "Beds Are Burning" pretty much sets the standard for the entire album, and the end product is what I would call "danceable rock". Most of the tracks have several or all of these attributes: constant thumping bass, melodic guitar, moody synths to provide atmosphere, and steady drumming. Those that stray from this don't wander very far. "Beds Are Burning" makes excellent use of horns. "Arctic World" is a slower track, complete with piano and strings to complement the synths. "Whoah" is very solemn; acoustic guitar provides the main background for vocals which include some lines that are chant-like. "Sometimes" is probably the most upbeat track; a brisk pace and brighter mood are apparent from the word "GO".
The themes I mentioned above are presented in some pretty obscure lyrics which turn out to be rather fine pop poetry. The album's title comes from "Warakurna": "Diesel and dust is what we breathe/This land don't change and we don't leave/Some people live, some never die/This land don't change, this land must lie...Some people laugh, some never learn/This land must change or land must burn." Nuclear holocaust is the fear in "Put Down That Weapon": "And if the skies go dark with rain/Can you tell me does our freedom remain...And if the sea goes boiling black/Can you tell me what you'll do about that...Put down that weapon or we'll all be gone." Cultures clash in "Gunbarrel Highway": "We burnt all the trees to keep us alive/Sat 'round the fire, sang like a choir/With the ashes of a civilization in our eyes...I come alive, I read the signs on the Gunbarrel Highway/I hear the sound, it's the wheels as they drive/And the cultures collide on that highway." Nostalgia for the loss of the primitive life is expressed in "Bullroarer": "It's a knock 'em down storm/See the tin roof shake/Wild dog howls and the long grass whistles and the tall trees break/I've seen the wild horses/I've heard the bullroarers...Shifting sands and broken plans/Lead me on to my homeland."
One thing that surprised me is that the album is not as "hard rock" as I expected. "Beds Are Burning" leaned toward rock rather than pop, and the band's appearance, as seen in the video, was that of a rock band. But the line between rock and pop is frequently ill-defined, and I believe this was particularly true in the 80's. Also, I should add that I have not listened to any of Midnight Oil's other albums, even though there have been many.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2016
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Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2019
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Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2007
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Top reviews from other countries
Crazy For Music
Great album...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 11, 2016Verified Purchase
Carla Delacourt
1 great track
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 10, 2018Verified Purchase
Rabb
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Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 21, 2017Verified Purchase
Simon
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Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 21, 2019Verified Purchase
DAVID CAMPBELL
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Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 15, 2021Verified Purchase
