Midnight Oil are an Australian rock band composed of Peter Garrett, Rob Hirst (drums), Jim Moginie and Martin Rotsey (guitar). The group was formed in Sydney in 1972 by Hirst, Moginie and original bassist Andrew James as Farm: they enlisted Garrett the following year, changed their name in 1976, and hired Rotsey a year later. Peter Gifford served as bass player from 1980 to 1987, with Bones Hillman then assuming the role until his death in 2020. Midnight Oil have sold over 20 million albums worldwide as of 2021.
Midnight Oil is the debut album by Australian rock band Midnight Oil which was recorded in 1977 and released in November 1978 on the band's independent Powderworks label. It reached the top 50 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart. The album was later distributed by CBS Records and issued as a CD. The LP has a blue cover, however, the CD has a black cover. Because of the blue cover, the former version is often referred to, by fans, as the "blue album" or "the Blue Meanie". The lead single, "Run by Night", became the band's first minor hit in Australia and appeared on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart Top 100. It also had a video clip.
Head Injuries is the second studio album by Australian pub rockers Midnight Oil, released in October 1979 on their own Powderworks label and distributed by Columbia Records. The album was produced by Leszek J. Karski, recorded at 'Trafalgar Studios' in Sydney. It was the last Midnight Oil album to feature founding bass guitarist Andrew James, who quit the band due to illness. It peaked at No. 36 on the Australian Kent Music Report and by mid-1980 had achieved gold status in Australia.
Place Without a Postcard is the third studio album by Australian alternative rockers Midnight Oil, released in November 1981 under Sprint Music and the Columbia Records label. It peaked at No. 12 on the Kent Music Report albums chart and the related singles "Don't Wanna Be the One" and "Armistice Day" reached the associated Top 40 chart.
Scream in Blue is a live album by Midnight Oil that was released in May 1992 under the Columbia Records label. It contains songs carefully culled from 5 live concerts recorded over a 9-year period. The audiences sound quite large, but also included is material from a 1990 protest concert held on the street in front of Exxon headquarters in New York City. The album is mixed so as to sound like one continuous concert.
Redneck Wonderland is the tenth studio album by Midnight Oil that was released in July 1998 under the Columbia Records label, which peaked at No.7 on the ARIA Albums Chart. The title of the album was inspired by a wall graffiti, a picture of which can be seen in the promotional Oil Rag Vol. VI issued along with album release. The album was certified Gold in Australia in 2014. The album's eponymous song was ranked number 93 in Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time. The album marked a shift to an electronic influenced hard rock style.
Bird Noises is the first extended play by Australian rock group, Midnight Oil, which was released on 24 November 1980 under the band's own independent label, Powderworks Records / Sprint Music. It was produced by Leszek Karski and manufactured and distributed by CBS/Columbia. Bird Noises reached the Top 30 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart.
Species Deceases is an extended play by Australian rock music group, Midnight Oil, which was released on 26 November 1985 under the CBS record label. Species Deceases debuted at No. 1 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart for six weeks from December 1985 to January 1986. It was the first Australian single and/or EP to reach the number-one spot on its chart appearance and remains Midnight Oil's only No. 1 on the national singles chart.
Robert George Hirst is an Australian musician from Camden, New South Wales. He is a founding member of rock band Midnight Oil on drums, percussion and backing vocals from the 1970s until the band took a hiatus in 2002. The band resumed activity as a group in 2017. Hirst also wrote a book, Willie's Bar & Grill, recounting the experiences on the tour Midnight Oil embarked on shortly after the 11 September terrorist attacks in 2001.
James Moginie is an Australian musician. He is best known for his work with Midnight Oil, of which he is a founding member, guitarist, keyboardist and leading songwriter.
Ghostwriters are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1990, principally involving Midnight Oil drummer Rob Hirst and Hoodoo Gurus bassist Richard Grossman. Their highest-charting single was "Someone's Singing New York New York" (1991) written by Hirst. It reached No. 29 on the ARIA Australian Singles Chart.
20,000 Watt R.S.L. is a compilation album by Australian rock band Midnight Oil released on 13 October 1997 on their own label Sprint Music. The word "Collection" appears on the front of the CD along the hinge in the same type face as the title and the name of the band and may have been intended as part of the album's title; however, it does not appear on the spine. The release has also been distributed inside a cardboard sleeve which adds "Midnight Oil: The Hits" to the album art, distinguishing it as a compilation album.
The Real Thing is a mostly acoustic live album by Midnight Oil, which includes four additional studio recordings, among them a cover version of Russell Morris's classic "The Real Thing". It was initially issued in Australia with a bonus disk of interview material listed as containing 2 tracks but the CD was divided into 30 tracks, dividing the interview up so that past albums and each track on "The Real Thing" gets a short discussion followed by snippet from the album or song being discussed. Later international releases had a bonus disk with videos of "Cemetery In My Mind" and "Redneck Wonderland".
Capricornia is the eleventh studio album by Australian band Midnight Oil, released in February 2002 by Columbia Records in Australia and Liquid 8 Records in America.
Best of Both Worlds is a DVD-Video release of two significant concerts performed by Australian rock band Midnight Oil. The featured concerts are Oils on the Water and Saturday Night at the Capitol (1982). Best of Both Worlds was released in 2004 by Triple J as part of their Live at the Wireless program. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2004 it won Best Music DVD.
"Power and the Passion" is the second single from Midnight Oil's 1982 album 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. The song is one of the band's most famous, and it was performed on every Midnight Oil tour since the issue of 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 as well as at the WaveAid concert.
"Read About It" is a song by Australian rock band Midnight Oil, released as the third and final single from their 1982 studio album, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. It was a favourite with the band and with fans, appearing at least once on every tour since its release and appearing at the WaveAid concert. Very few other Midnight Oil songs have appeared so often.
"Somebody's Trying to Tell Me Something" is a song by Midnight Oil drawn from their 1982 studio effort 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. The song more or less disappeared after the tour for the album ensued. It was performed on May 18, 2017, at the Vic Theatre in Chicago on The Great Circle tour, when the band played 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 in full.
"Put Down That Weapon" is a song by Australian rock band Midnight Oil. The song was released in December 1987 as the third single from their sixth studio album, Diesel and Dust.
The Makarrata Project is the twelfth studio album by Australian band Midnight Oil, released on 30 October 2020 by Sony Music Australia. The album is the first new material from the band since 2002's Capricornia, their first studio album to hit #1 on the ARIA Charts since 1990's Blue Sky Mining, and one of the final releases to feature bassist and backing vocalist Bones Hillman before his death in November 2020.
