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Last year was the first proclaimed MOD when I made a playlist of my favorite songs from Midnight Oil’s 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th albums, Diesel & Dust, Blue Sky Mining, and Earth & Sun & Moon. These are the three albums I owned at the time and had listened to a lot when they first came out. It was on December 23, 2024 that I made the proclamation. At that point I decided to try to collect their discography. I haven’t gotten there yet, but I have acquired their first five albums (thanks, discogs!) Please note that looking at a fan website, I see I missed, “Bird Noises,” which is a 4 track EP released in 1980, after the first 2 albums. MOD 2025 will include information about each of the first 5 albums and will also have a playlist of my favorites from them. Bird Noises will have to wait for another time.

MO’s eponymous debut album was released in November 1978. The album cover is blue and has the nickname the blue album; however when it was released on another label on CD it had a black cover. The band line-up of Peter Garrett on vocals and synthesizer, Rob Hirst on drums, Andrew James on bass, and Jim Moginie on keyboards and lead guitar were known at the time as Farm and played progressive and surf rock. They renamed themselves Midnight Oil and began playing punk-hard rock. With the addition of guitarist Martin Rotsey and manager Gary Morris, they started their independent label, Powderworks.

My favorites from the debut album are Powderworks, which has fabulous dueling guitars and has themes of disillusionment and discouragement; Dust – the bass rules until the guitars and drums step in to share in its glory.

Second studio album, Head Injuries, was released in 1979, on their Powderworks label and distributed by Columbia Records. Andrew James, the founding bassist, quit after this album due to illness. He was replaced by Peter Gifford. The iconic Midnight Oil logo with the open hand, appeared first on the back cover of the first album, and has since featured on all other albums, publications, merchandise and their touring equipment.

Australian music reviewer, Stuart Coupe said about Head Injuries:

Right from the opening bars of ‘Cold Cold Change’, it’s obvious that Head Injuries is a major development for Midnight Oil. This really sounds like the band live – soaring guitars, relentless thrashing of drums, Peter’s strong voice… gee wiz, he’s learnt how to pronounce words. You can understand the lyrics without referring to the lyric sheet.

One favorite from it is Cold Cold Change. Opening lyrics:

Cold cold change, we were so excited
But you came and went so soon
Cold cold change, we were not invited
We smiled all the while we were taken in

This could apply to a lot of situations. Unknown what the band was thinking of at the time.

The other is Section 5 (Bus to Bondi.) It reaches the right spots for me musically. I love the energy in this one. The lyrics suggest a resolve to succeed despite setbacks in the past.

Third album is Place without a Postcard, released in 1981. Recorded in England and released under Sprint Music and Columbia Records label. After multiple listens, my one favorite on this album is Don’t Wanna Be the One.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 is their fourth studio album, released in 1982 and was the band’s first album released in the U.S. Where the first three albums were more hard core, this one was described as new wave and art rock. Quotes others have written about the album:

With that album, we were one of the first Australian bands to get into sequencers and synthesisers. It was quite a landmark album at the time, and still stands up really well…
–Rob Hirst, drummer for MO

We wanted, as a band, to make this album lyrically stronger, because these are fucking desperate times. It’s very important for us to get immediate, because we can’t go on making records like this for years and years and people can’t go on ignoring it.
–Peter Garrett, singer for MO

It’s remarkably listenable and catchy, offering up one passionate anthem after another. The band’s politics are both well considered and unapologetically upfront throughout … 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 was [Midnight Oil’s] first undeniably great album and still ranks with their very best.
–Mark Deming, reviewer at Allmusic.com

…sounds like the end of the world turned up to 10.
–David Fricke

This album is my favorite of the first 5, as you can tell by how many of the tracks I like on it.
My favorite tracks on 10 … 1 are:

Outside World – wonderful sci fi sound effects

Short Memory – a litany of human histories evil acts and wondering why we keep on doing them.

Scream in Blue – fantastic instrumental intro!

Tin Legs and Tin Mines

Fifth studio album is Red Sails in the Sunset, released in 1984. Under the Columbia Records label, it was recorded and produced in Tokyo, Japan and is significant for becoming their first No. 1 album in Australia – it also entered the United States Billboard 200. Red Sails in the Sunset contains the only Midnight Oil tracks with lead vocals provided by drummer, Rob Hirst, “When the Generals Talk” and “Kosciusko”. 

Being a procrastinator, I didn’t spend as much time with this album as the others. Favorites are the opener, When the Generals Talk, and the next to the last cut, Bells and Horns in the Back of Beyond.

Info gathered mostly from wikipedia and the fan page linked above.