20 Years since 'Diesel and Dust' for Midnight Oil

Here's your big chance... what's all the fuss about Midnight Oil? What is it about their music that made them world famous? Social justice? Aboriginal issues? What would they know about that?

Over twenty years ago Midnight Oil toured the outback of Australia, living and playing music in remote and urban settings right across the top end. Thye undertook this as part of the 'Blackfella/Whitefella' Tour with the Warumpi Band.

They came back inspired and having written seminal tracks for their 'Diesel and Dust' album that would take Midnight Oil to the world and bring indigenous issues to the forefront of mainstream media. This impact was celebrated with their performance at the Sydney Olympics. In their own small way they paved the path for Yothu Yindi, Archie Roach and others.

At the end of January 2008 you will be able to purchase a re-released version of the 'Diesel and Dust' CD with a DVD of a couple of songs and the 'Blackfella/Whitefella' documentary which has been seen on the ABC many years ago!!

Don't take my word for it... buy your own copy of this brilliant recording and see what all the fuss is about!! Keep in mind they are absolutely brilliant played live... lucky it'll be hot summer weather at end of January, so you need to dim the lights, grab a cool drink, sit in the dark and crank the stereo up and enjoy!!

Perhaps my abiding memory of that experience will be the way in which the Diesel and Dust set within any concert became a moving highlight... often started by all the inventive ways they could play an instrumental intro to 'The Deadheart' seeing how long it took for cluey audience members to begin chanting "do, do, do, do ,do do, do, do! do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do!" as the gangling rhythms of Jim Moginie and Martin Rotsey set the mood to transport your imagination to central Australia!!

"Strict Rules" was a revealing book that documented the Tour and a segement of that ended up as part of the Year 10 English Moderator exam a few years back. It's a great read from a journo who travelled with the group. The same poster and excerpt of the bands thoughts came with the vinyl record. Colleague Rob McFarlane found a vinyl of the original album and gave it to me as a generous gift that will eventually find its way into a frame with my autographed t-shirt, 2 drum sticks and a few other bits of memorabilia when I get around to it!!