Midnight Oil - Midnight Oil (1978)

Midnight Oil - Midnight Oil (1978)

Tracklist front / back album covers

Side one

1. "Powderworks"   5:35

2. "Head over Heels"   4:08

3. "Dust"   3:21

4. "Used and Abused"   3:13

Side two

5. "Surfing with a Spoon"   5:23

6. "Run by Night"   3:59

7. "Nothing Lost – Nothing Gained"   8:31

Midnight Oil Band Members / Musicians

Peter Garrett – lead vocals

Rob Hirst – drums, vocals

Andrew James – bass guitar

Jim Moginie – guitar, keyboards

Martin Rotsey – guitar

Producer – Keith Walker

Engineer – Keith Walker

Studios – Albert Studios (recorded, mixed), Sydney

Design – Jan Paul, Midnight Oil (sleeve & cover)

Photography – Kathleen O'Brien, Kevin Fewster; Jan Paul (back cover)

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.

Midnight Oil (known informally as "The Oils") are an Australian rock band composed of Peter Garrett (vocals, harmonica), Rob Hirst (drums), Jim Moginie (guitar, keyboard) 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 1980–1987, with Bones Hillman then assuming the role until his death in 2020. Midnight Oil have sold over 20 million albums worldwide as of 2022.

Midnight Oil issued their self-titled debut album in 1978 and gained a cult following in their homeland despite a lack of mainstream media acceptance. The band achieved greater popularity throughout Australasia with the release of 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (1982) – which spawned the singles "Power and the Passion" and "US Forces" – and also began to attract an audience in the United States. They achieved their first Australian number one album in 1984 with Red Sails in the Sunset, and topped their native country's singles chart for six weeks with the EP Species Deceases (1985).

Midnight Oil Band Members / Musicians

Peter Garrett – lead vocals, harmonica (1976–2002, 2005, 2009, 2016–present)

Rob Hirst – drums, backing and occasional lead vocals (1976–2002, 2005, 2009, 2016–present)

Jim Moginie – guitars, keyboards, backing vocals (1976–2002, 2005, 2009, 2016–present)

Martin Rotsey – guitars (1977–2002, 2005, 2009, 2016–present)

Andy Bickers – saxophone (2019, 2021–present)

Adam Ventoura – bass, backing vocals (2021–present)

Leah Flanagan – backing vocals (2021–present)

Liz Stringer – backing vocals, acoustic guitar (2021–present)

Andrew James – bass (1976–1980)

Peter Gifford – bass, backing vocals (1980–1987)

Bones Hillman – bass, backing vocals (1987–2002, 2005, 2009, 2016–2020; died 2020)

Charlie McMahon – didgeridoo (1984, 1986)

Glad Reed – trombone (1985–1990, 2009)

Chris Abrahams – keyboards (1993–1994, 2000)

Jack Howard – trumpet, flugelhorn, keyboards, percussion (2017)

Midnight Oil Discography

Studio albums

1978 Midnight Oil

1979 Head Injuries

1981 Place without a Postcard

1982 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

1984 Red Sails in the Sunset

1987 Diesel and Dust

1990 Blue Sky Mining

1993 Earth and Sun and Moon

1996 Breathe

1998 Redneck Wonderland

2002 Capricornia

2020 The Makarrata Project

2022 Resist