Midnight Oil: Peter Garrett (vocals); Jim Moginie (guitar, keyboards, background vocals); Martin Rotsey (guitar); Peter Gifford (bass, background vocals); Rob Hirst (drums, background vocals).

Additional personnel: John Ockwell (cello); Jeremy Smith (French horn); Glad Reed (trombone); Warne Livesey (keyboards).

Recorded at Alberts Studios in Sydney, Australia.

Revered in its native Australia and renowned in other parts of the globe, Midnight Oil didn't achieve runaway international success until its sixth album, 1988's DIESEL AND DUST. Fronted by bald, towering singer Peter Garrett, the politically outspoken rock band certainly exuded no obvious qualities of celebrity, yet its insistent single "Beds Are Burning," a rallying cry for aboriginal rights, turned ears around the world with its plaintive vocals, chiming guitars, bold horns, and driving rhythms. Admirably, the group managed to follow up that ubiquitous song with other fine tunes, most notably "The Dead Heart," a brooding anthem that furthered the former number's anti-colonial stance, and the deceptively upbeat "Dreamworld." While DIESEL is considerably more melodic than preceding Oil outings (see the synth-heavy "Put Down That Weapon"), it is no less passionate in its dedication to social and environmental issues, making it the crowning achievement of the ensemble's decades-long run.

What the critics say…

Rolling Stone (11/89) - 4 Stars - Excellent - Ranked # 13 in Rolling Stone's "100 Best Albums Of The Eighties" survey.
CMJ (1/6/03, p.15) - Included in CMJ's list of "Top 25 College Radio Albums of All Time"
CMJ (1/5/04, p.22) - Ranked #1 in CMJ's "Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1988"