10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (Midnight Oil, 1982)

Seeing that I had ten possibilities for Midnight Oil, it's a little surprising they didn't show up here until July. Oh well. They are a little different than the rest of the stuff here, so a quick explanation is in order. I first saw Midnight Oil on TV in 1993 performing "Truganini". I went out and bought that album, then noticed they had about nine other albums to choose from. Randomly, I selected Head Injuries from 1979 (a totally different album!) and then worked to fill in the gap of all the albums in-between. Somehow between their 1970's and 1990's output, I managed to embrace all of the rest in spite of my inclination to dismiss the eighties as a musically weak period.

The Countdown album (I can't keep typing all those numbers!) is one of my favorite. It's a big shift in sound from their first three albums in terms of production, courtesy of Nick Launay who was behind the band's best albums. However, unlike a lot of bands that "went eighties" you can still hear and feel the "real" instruments that make up the backbone of the album. For example, a song like "Read About It" clearly shows a lot of slick production work, but the mandolin-esque strumming in front and center in the mix and drives the song.

I like the think of the first nine albums by Midnight Oil in groups of three. The first three were the "punk" albums, the second three were the "eighties" albums with enhanced production. The last three (the "nineties" albums) maintain the higher production levels, but with earthier sounds. After 1996's Breathe, the formula breaks down, though I've only heard the barest scraps of the last two albums, so I wouldn't call myself an authority figure on the band's later period (actually would I dare even consider myself an authority on any period?).

Finally, one of my biggest regrets is missing the opportunity to see the Oils in concert. I was just too young to go out on a weekday night to the Warfield in San Francisco. That would have been my big chance to also see the Counting Crows before they were famous (for the record, I'm not a fan, but it would have made a great "opening act before they were famous" story!).