So it looks like my all-time favorite band, Midnight Oil, is releasing re-masters of their entire catalogue! That’s 17 albums! Here’s what their website says…
According to Jim Moginie who has been busy overseeing the project, revisiting original tapes and working with producers Nick Launay and Warne Livesey to ensure that everything sounds as good as it can;
“a lot of these [older] records were made for vinyl, so a lot of the frequencies were cut out because there were certain sounds you couldn’t put on records. This was a good chance to get them back up to scratch, because now we can make them as loud and big sounding as [we] want, with all the added depth using the original master tapes. It’s the audiophile nerd side of us that accounts for some of that.”
This is amazingly awesome for me. I bought each of their albums on cassette tape up until the 90s when I got a CD player. I literally played some of them to death. Once I started collecting everything on CD I would occassionally find one of their older albums in the “great price” bin. Sometimes I would grab two of these so I could give one away.
I’ve been intending to write a full day’s worth of reading on my love affair with the Oils, but just simply haven’t had the time. If you’ve never been a true fan of something — completely passionate about a hero, a motivator, an artist — you cannot comprehend what these guys meant to me. These albums had so much to say. I couldn’t listen without questioning my own politics and ethics.
I had the good fortune of seeing them in Kansas City in 2002, just months before they broke up. The show was incredible. They played songs from recent albums, but also gave us some real treats with a few selections from their early (angry) years. They even played one I thought I’d never hear live, Brave Faces. [Flower people were so beautiful, but straight and loud’s the way!] They played the night before in St. Louis. I had thoughts of going but then, for a lot of reasons, I didn’t. I still really regret that decision because they finished that show with Lucky Country, another song I never thought I’d hear live. To get you into the feel of this band, here’s the performance of Lucky Country at MTV Unplugged. You’re going to want to watch all the way to the end of the video. Good stuff! Oh, and you might want some lyrics to go with it.
(The guy playing the slide is Jim Moginie, the fella who’s quoted above.)
Infinitewell 
Man that is awesome! I wondered if they would ever do a compilation of that magnitude. I really wish that a lot of old (by old I mean vinyl) would put aside thier differences and do that.
Thats very exciting! Can’t wait to hear it!
Yes, it is good news, and some of the old stuff will be good to hear with a more updated format. Wish they’d do the same with some other live stuff from their vaults.
A nice ode to an awesome band. I caught the Oils twice in DC as they wound up what was a stellar “straight and loud” career. Living on the east coast for a time I should’ve tried to see them more, too, but we have our memories….
I hope you’ll post again as you digest the new digital versions of the classics. Too many people writing about Britney Spears, not enough people writing about, you know, music.
Right on Terry, cannot wait to get all the re-polished classic. Even now after listening to the Oils for the last 20+ years they still rev my heart and the rant at the end of Lucky Country still gives me goosebumps. I was so lucky to also get to hear Brave Faces on the last tour (and Lucky Country as well). Thank goodness I still have New Model Army to fill the void of incredible social/political rock, they are the only band that gives me the chills when I see them live.
Hey Terry,
I flew up from Dallas to see the Oils at the Beaumont Club, KC, 2002 after a shitty day at work – what a tonic – was able to see them from a 2nd row vantage point.
Got them all to sign my shirt, caught a Hirst drumstick, shared a lager with them on the patio and got a photo taken with Pete outside the tourbus – true Nirvana for an Oils fan.
Being who they are, and that they rarely do a lot of the above, it should have clicked that this was going to be their last tour.
Here’s hoping that the new digital remasters do the music justice.
godd news, of course, but i hope that we will be able to buy the other CDs re mastered because i heard that there were, except diesel and dust, only be on i-tunes :-*/
long live the Oils ^^
Thanks Terry, I hadn’t realised that “Lucky Country” was covered at the MTV gig.
Bungadoo,
I didn’t catch a drumstick from that show, but there *is* an interesting story there…
A drumstick came right to my hands and this guy beside me grabbed it and threatened a fight if I didn’t let go. I wasn’t about to get kicked out over a stupid squabble, so I let go. Thing is, as I was holding it I noticed that Rob hadn’t even used it. He just pulled it out of the cache and tossed it randomly. After the show the roadies were doing their thing and I got one’s attention. He kindly handed me a drumstick Rob had dropped by his kit. It was beat to death! I mean, I don’t see how his kit was still standing after taking that kind of abuse. I still consider that ravaged drumstick it to be one of the coolest mementos I’ve ever culled from a concert.
And yeah, later with the band was really awesome. Some really great gents.
Hey Terry,
I didnt have to fight for mine – came pretty much directly to me and it was one of the unused variety -weird how people get so worked up for stuff like that – I must admit I was keen to get stuff from an oils concert as I had never been in a situation like that but I wouldnt whack anyone for it…..I got Rob to try and sign mine – only so much surface area on a drumstick… he managed to scribble something indecipherable.
The roadies were cool – a mate of mine offered the roadie some cash for some sticks and I managed to con him out of the setlist as well – its torn to shreds but just happens to have”Brave faces” 3rd song on the list…