It's Official!! Midnight Oil join the ARIA Hall of Fame!

Australia's best ever rock band will be inducted at the ACER Arena ceremony on October 29th!!
Better still, I'm gonna be there!!
Of course music is a matter of personal taste, some are even disappointed in Peter Garrett's 'politics' of late BUT I return to the story of the 1990 Earthquake Relief Concert held at Newcastle's International Sports Centre [now known as Energy Australia Stadium] where a massive crowd witnessed a full day of Aussie rock and roll from the likes of: The Angels, Split Enz, Crowded House, Barnesy, Ian Moss. It was a brilliant day and anyone there will remember the human towers reaching 20m into the air of the group blanket tossing where the smallest female in any group was hoisted aloft by ten or twelve close mates all grabbing a corner or side of a blanket and flicking them skywards.

At the press conference the groups were asked "this is the cream of Aussie rock, its a great cause and its going to be huge... how did you decide the running order... as one they all said... well, the Oils will go last, and before them its a matter of who cares, we'll just work it out!!"

12 million albums worldwide, only missing fame of Silverchair/ACDC proportions because collectively they came home after 18 months on the road and took a year off... crazyness by all measures... except the value of family, sanity and longevity!!

Disneyworld Florida must have seemed an awefully low point after that and I for one am glad they bailed on the mooted US Tour with INXS and did another 12 months run of shows at home before Peter announced he was leaving...

I have reflected a few times this year on how much I miss the buzz of seeing these boys live and how it feeds my soul and keeps me hopeful to know that a gig was always not too far away!!

I was only sharing the story of the all night drive to Parkes to lead a workshop after a Friday night at Newcastle Workers... it was either the second last or last time I saw them there... I must check that diary!!

Eskimo Joe are good, the Chair are inspired... Missy Higgins is great!! BUT none comes close to the affinity, power, transformational energy and passion of the Oils!!

Oils!! Oils!! Oils!! Oils!!
I hope whoever it is has a good speech [Tim Winton comes to mind also] because if not they will likley be drowned out by the call!!

SMH October 15, 2006 12:01am

LEGENDARY Australian rockers Midnight Oil are to be recognised for a long career that combined worldwide musical success with strident political activism.
The five-piece group will be inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame in Sydney later this month.
Midnight Oil sold more than 12 million copies of their 14 albums worldwide, using their fame to bring global attention to issues such as Aboriginal rights and the plight of impoverished workers.
ARIA Awards committee chairman Ed St John said Midnight Oil "is one of the greatest rock'n'roll bands this country has ever produced".
"They were incredibly successful all over the world, but much more importantly, they made music that mattered," he said today.
"They covered subjects that had rarely been addressed in a rock song before: land rights, the environment, social justice, war, human rights and Australian history.
"The sound of their music, created by five supremely talented singers and musicians, evoked the very essence of Australia."
The band's lead singer, Peter Garrett, now a federal Labor MP, said being chosen for the Hall of Fame was a "mighty honour".
Midnight Oil are the final musicians to be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame this year, joining Divinyls, Icehouse, Daddy Cool, Lobby Loyde, Rose Tattoo and Helen Reddy.
Previous inductees include Dame Joan Sutherland, AC/DC, Men At Work, The Bee Gees, INXS, Olivia Newton John and Split Enz.
Midnight Oil's induction will take place at the 2006 ARIA Awards event at Sydney's Acer Arena on October 29.

So, there you have it... I am looking forward to surviving the teeny bopper screams and boorish pop star behaviour just to pay homage to the incredible work of Moginie & Rotsey, the rythms of Hirst and more recently Hillman and the distinctive "he can't sing but he's got 'something'!" tones of Peter Garrett.

Inductees don't usually/always perform but we'll see...
Maybe Powderfinger, the Chair, or one of the tribute album bands will do the honours....

BUT please, please join me in wishing that for all the buzz it would create, ARIA resist the temptation to ask Bono to induct the Band.... Bernard Fanning, John Butler, Paul Kelly please...

Instores October 28th 'Flat Chat' a compilation of a few of the Oils 'faster' tracks!!