Music Review by Bill Rendall

10 to 1 - Midnight Oil

In the early eighties hard rock guitar rang out throughout sweaty bars in Australia. Midnight Oil came from this background of pub rock. Late in 1982 they released their masterpiece 10 to 1 which sounds undeniably like progressive rock.

Midnight Oil proudly combine a political message with their music. Songs such as US Forces voice their protest against US foreign policy. Short Memory suggests that we have forgotten the past injustices of colonial exploitation.

The Power and the Passion is the album's highlight. It captures the Australian spirit perfectly. The title is also an apt description of the band.

Jim Moginie and Martin Rotsey complement each other very effectively on guitar, whether it be pile driving riffs or atmospheric arpeggios. Moginie adds variety with keyboards on some songs.

Peter Garrett, the lead singer of the Midnight Oil, is an iconic figure in Australian rock with his large frame, his energetic jerky dancing style and his bald head. He sings in a lower voice than most rock singers but has an undeniable presence. Rob Hirst fills out the vocals with higher harmonies and occasional turns at lead.

Midnight Oil followed up 10 to 1 with the worthy but underrated Red Sails in the Sunset. This album is also in the progressive rock vein. It has an anti-nuclear theme. Around the time of its release Garrett unsuccessfully stood for election to the Australian Senate as a member of the Nuclear Disarmament Party.

The band enjoyed greater commercial success with the later album Diesel and Dust and the hit single Beds are Burning. However, their later musical output veered away from their flirtation with progressive rock and doesn't appeal to me so much.

I highly recommend the video recorded in 1985 on Goat Island in Sydney harbour. It captures Midnight Oil at the peak of their career. There are some great aerial shots of Sydney harbour at dusk. There is no barrier between the stage and a small audience invited to celebrate ten years with the JJJ radio station. Some audience members get up on stage to dance in similar style with Garrett.

In recent years Garrett was elected to the Australian Parliament as a member of the Labour Party and Midnight Oil dissolved. It remains to be seen if Garrett will have a greater effect on Australian government policy working from within the system rather than as an external protester.