I find I listen to a lot of music that came from the years 1986 to 1988 quite often. That’s when I was younger and very impressionable and fell in love with music. This is one of those albums that I bought after hearing the single “Beds are Burning” repeatedly on the radio. I was very surprised at the spiritual undertones behind the music. This is very moving and upbeat music that actually speaks to you. I’m sure that there are many hidden meanings that I haven’t begun to explore as yet. This is a prime example of how social commentary can be delivered via music without excessive anger or rage. Many of the lyrics deal with racism and other societal ills, but this is still music that is fun to listen to.

The album opens with “Beds are Burning”. There are only a few guitar parts on this song. It relies mostly on a rocking drum beat and steady bass line to make the song flow. A subtle use of horns give this song a different atmosphere than one would expect from a rock song, but it really works here. You finally hear some interesting guitar work on the intro to “Put Down That Weapon”. The harmony vocals on this song are nothing short of beautiful and singer Peter Garret nearly whispers on the chorus:

“And if we think about it
and if we talk about it
and if the skies go dark with rain
can you tell me does our freedom remain?
Put down that weapon or we’ll all be gone
You must be crazy if you think you’re strong
And it happens to be an emergency
Some things aren’t meant to be
Some things don’t come for free…”

I find that it is difficult to not stop and ponder those words. Before the album becomes too somber, the next song is very upbeat and fun. It is called “Dreamworld”. This is the fastest song on the album, and is meant to be danced to. However, the album once again makes a very drastic shift in tempo. “Arctic World” is one of the slowest songs on the record. The music is very sparse. It’s not busy and the listener is always waiting for the song to build up to something which never happens. That anticipation is why I always listen to this song intently. Pianos and strings are very prevalent on this song and create a very melancholy ambiance. This song segues into my favorite on the album, “Warakurna”. This song has one of the best guitar riffs of the whole album, and some interesting chord work. Essentially this song has some of the best-written music that I’ve ever heard. It is from a completely different school of thought than traditional rock and roll, but the band’s unorthodox timings and tempo changes really show their musicianship.

The second half of Diesel and Dust starts with the haunting “The Dead Heart”. This song tells the story of how Europeans robbed the land of Australia from the Aborigines. I guess I forgot to mention these guys are Australian. The ending of the song preaches that companies have more rights than people. This song also has one of the most powerful choruses I’ve ever heard:

“We carry in our hearts the true country
and that cannot be stolen
We follow in the steps of our ancestry
And that cannot be broken…”

The acoustic guitar driven ballad “Whoah” tells the story of how a simple faith can help guide you through the day. This is another one of those songs that stays with you long after you listened to it. It builds up at the end and prepares you for the fantastic “Bullroarer”. This is another favorite of mine from this album. It actually has an instrumental break in the middle, which is something that’s lacking in the other songs. It is an interesting look at the band’s ability to just open up and jam on a song. A change of pace is “Sell My Soul”. This song is a keyboard fanfare with a quarky rhythm. It also has the only true guitar solo on the album. The album closes with “Sometimes”. This is an uplifting song that I remember hearing at a multimedia motivational presentation when I was in high school. It’s about not quitting. We could all use a little more optimism, especially in music.

I find myself listening to this album quite often. I recommend to it to everyone. This music isn’t strictly rock and roll, and fans of all types of music will enjoy it. It has traces of Christian rock and country blended together in such a way that classifying it into a genre serves no purpose. I promise that this album won’t disappoint you.


Song Selection:
1. Beds Are Burning
2. Put Down That Weapon
3. Dreamworld
4. Arctic World
5. Warakurna
6. The Dead Heart
7. Whoah
8. Bullroarer
9. Sell My Soul
10. Sometimes

Top picks: Beds Are Burning, Warakurna, The Dead Heart, Bullroarer

Songs to Skip: none

Band Members:
Peter Garret: vocals
Peter Gifford: bass, vocals
Jim Moginie: guitar, keyboards, vocals
Martin Rotsey: guitar
Rob Hirst: drums, vocals



Discography

Midnight Oil (1978)
Head Injuries (1979)
Bird Noises EP (1980)
Place Without a Postcard (1981)
10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 (1982)
Red Sails in the Sunset (1984)
Species Deceases EP (1985)
Diesel And Dust (1988)
Blue Sky Mining (1990)
Scream In Blue Live (1992)
Earth and Sun and Moon (1993)
Truganini (Maxi Single) (1993)
Breathe (1996)
20,000 Watt RSL (Greatest Hits) (1997)
Redneck Wonderland (1998)
The Real Thing Live (2000)
Capricornia (2002)


Recommended: Yes