Diesel and Dust is the sixth studio album by Australian rock band Midnight Oil, released in August 1987 by SPRINT Music label under Columbia Records. Diesel and Dust was produced by Warne Livesey and the band. It is a concept album about the struggles of Indigenous Australians and environmental causes, issues important to the band. It drew inspiration from the Blackfella/Whitefella Tour of remote Indigenous communities with the Warumpi Band and Gondwanaland in 1986. The album peaked at No. 1 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart for six weeks.
Diesel and Dust has been critically lauded since its release. Rolling Stone editors named it the best album of 1988 (the year of its United States release), and later ranked it the 13th greatest record of the 1980s. In October 2010, Diesel and Dust was listed at number 1 in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums. In December 2021, the album was listed at no. 5 in Rolling Stone Australia's "200 Greatest Albums of All Time" countdown.
Bed are Burning is one of the great songs of the 80s but I’d kind of forgotten how great Dreamworld is! And then even more in the distant recesses of my mind was The Dead Heart which is terrific! Great album!
Diesel and Dust is the result of the Australian band Midnight Oil getting involved and inspired by the native people of Australia and concerns about us all f***ing up nature. This fact should be a reason to give still album an additional star. It is the home of one of the greatest rock hits of the 1980s ("Beds Are Burning"). The other songs (f.e. "The Dead Heart", "Bullroarer", "Sometimes") are also ok. Normally I hate the 1980s upfront drum sound, but in this case this just emphasizes the urgence and commitment of the lyrics and performance. All in all it's not the best album ever made, but a good and sincere one.
Wow, forgot about this one. The Beds are Burning song was a big international hit for a while in the late 80s, enough of a phenomenon that I recall it provoking some media discussion in the U.S. about the issues of Australian aboriginal peoples, not much on our radar at the time. Solid rock throughout, I like how determinedly Australian it is. For its era a superior product.
Pretty cool politically charged alt rock album. "Beds are Burning" slaps and is the obvious standout, but it's surprisingly more consistent than I expected from a band I erroneously had mentally classified as a one-hit wonder beforehand. 3/5.
Absolutely solid share. Beds Are Burning is an iconic 80's song. A worthy project comprising more than competent rock and roll. I was surprised at how many of the songs I still recognize.
One of my favorite albums in college and it holds up well today, even though the activism is certainly australian forward. This is peak Oils... though Beds are Burning was certainly the mainstream darling, The Dead Heart and Bullroarer are every bit as strong. Love this album.
I know about this band only due to Todd in the Shadows' one hit wonderland.
Could see this replace something else.
My personal rating: 4/5
My rating relative to the list: 4/5
Should this have been included on the original list? Slight yes.
Just alright, enjoyed some of the more expansive instrumentals (especially the Cure-like guitar), but the overdone vocals made this one feel a bit campy.
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