Album FAQ - Miscellaneous

How many albums have the Oils released?
The current count is ten full length albums.

How many EP's have the Oils released?
The Oils have released two EP's.

Who wrote "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda"?
"The Band Played Waltzing Matilda was written by Scottish/Australian folk singer Eric Bogle. It was played several times by the Oils when they appeared on US radio in October 1996 and appeared on the Finnish(?) release of Surf's Up Tonight.

What is Advance Australia Fair?
This is the national anthem of Australia.

Where can I find Bytes and Abacus and Lights?
BAL is a Powderworkers compilation tape - it is not distributed for cash, and so can only be obtained from another Powderworker.

Where can I find Strike Now?
SN is a Powderworkers compilation tape - it is not distributed for cash, and so can only be obtained from another Powderworker.

Where can I find Songs For The Whitehouse Gangsters?
SFTWG is a Powderworkers compilation tape - it is not distributed for cash, and so can only be obtained from another Powderworker.

What is "Deadicated"?
Deadicated is a Grateful Dead tribute album, which features a track by Midnight Oil (cover of GD song - Wharf Rat). The album features artists such as Suzanne Vega, Elvis Costello and Janes Addiction. Wharf Rat can also be found as a B-side to the Sometimes (Live) single.

What remixes of Midnight Oil songs have been done?
Blue Sky Mine - Food on the Table Mix
Beds Are Burning - Kintore East
Beds Are Burning - Luongo 7"
Beds Are Burning - Percapella Kangaroo
Beds Are Burning - Yuendumu Percapella
Beds Are Burning - Tamarama
Beds Are Burning - Instrumental Ayers Rock
Beds Are Burning - Kintoris
My Country - 12" Giant Leap
The Dead Heart - Extended
Power and the Passion - Special Version
Power and the Passion - Glitch Baby Glitch
Truganini - Long Road Train
Truganini - Short Road Train
Outside World - Instrumental
King of the Mountain - Nix Mix
King of the Mountain - Mountain Mix

There are different versions of Glitch but I don't know what they are called.

What are the current sales figures for the albums?
These can be found in the Dead Heart homepage at http://www.deadheart.limey.net

What is the Green Disc?
The green disk was issued only as a promo. It contains remixes and alternative versions of songs, in a foldout cardboard case.

When was Unplugged recorded?
The original recording of MTV Unplugged was made on the 20th April 1993 (according to MTV's web page), or the 16th April (according to Oilbase), probably during the Oils US tour in support of Earth and Sun and Moon.

When was Unplugged first aired?
The Unplugged show was first broadcast on the 3rd June 1993.

Was a video of the Oils on MTV Unplugged ever released?
As far as is known, there is no official video of the Oils on Unplugged. However many fans may have dubbed copies of the original broadcast. It is known to be on the Eye Contact video.

What tracks were played on Unplugged?
Feeding Frenzy
Sell my Soul
Short Memory (also broadcast on WNEW)
Tell me the Truth
Blue Sky Mining
Lucky Country
Now or Never Land
Antarctica
The Dead Heart
In the Valley
Beds Are Burning
One Country (by request)
Earth and Sun and Moon
Truganini
Drums of Heaven
My Country
Warakurna
We Gotta Get out of this Place (a cover)

What other artists appeared with the Oils on Unplugged?
Adam Plack - didgeridoo on "The Dead Heart".
Chris Abrahams - piano, organ.
Bashiri Johnson - percussion.

What are the Eye Contact and The Evening Wore Out Your Shoes videos?
These are Oils videos compiled by the members of the Powderworks mailing list. They are not official releases and are not sold at all. They can only be obtained by contacting a Powderworker who will offer to dub the videos for you (for the price of the videos and postage.) Eye Contact consists of 2 vloumes, both 3 hours long. The Evening Wore Out Your Shoes (TEWOYS) consists of 4 volumes, each 2 hours long.

What are the track listings for Eye Contact?

What are the track listings for TEWOYS?

Volume 1
Truganini SNL
My Country SNL
My Country acoustic Tonight Show (Leno)
Outbreak of Love Letterman
Surfs Up Tonight Letterman (bushmen)
P&P Video
Read About It
Best of Both Worlds
Dead Heart
Beds are Burning
Dreamworld
Blue Sky Mine
Forgotten Years
King of the Mountain
Bedlam Bridge
One Country
Sometimes
Story Hall Concerts 86
Stand in Line from "An evening with MO clip from BFWF"

Volume 2
Montreal Concert
Read About it.
Progress
Sleep
Only the Strong
No time for games
US Forces
Kosciusko
Tin Legs & Tin Mines
Power & The Passion
I Don't Wanna Be The One
Jimmy Sharman's Boxers
Best of Both Worlds
The making of Earth, Sun & Moon.
The making of BSM
Radio 1990 excerpts of Peter as video host
Cold Cold Change video
US Forces video BFWF mix

Volume 3
Intimate & Interactive from Much Music, Toronto (clayquot sound footage)
Outbreak of Love
My Country
Truganini all three from the video single tape. (Real Good)

Volume 4
Yothu Yindi "Into the Mainstream" 1988 tour with Oils
Hultsfred Festival Concert/ interview footage (swedish subtitles)
Forgotten Years video
Bonus Big Pig Videos

What is the Best of the B-Sides CD?
Best of the B-Sides is a promotional CD that was distributed to radio stations at around the time of the release of 20000 Watt RSL . It was supposed to be given away as competition prizes, but has inevitably found it way into a number of on-line music stores.

What songs are on the best of the Best of the B-Sides CD?
You May Not Be Released� (3:38)
Instant Karma (live)� (3:12)
Progress (live)� (4:07)
Wharf Rat� (6:05)
Used and Abused (live)� (3:25)
No Reaction (live)� (3:02)
Ships of Freedom� (4:07)
My Country (live)� (5:47)

� B-side to Forgotten Years (UK) and extra track on some copies of Blue Sky Mining.
� From Exxon protest (May 30th 1990 - New York City).
� From Sometimes-Live single (UK). Wharf Rat also available on Grateful Dead tribute album - Deadicated.
� From In The Valley single (UK). My Country recorded in Ronnie Scotts, London.

What are the origins of the Powderworks label?
Powderworks was a label formed by the oils, but it was actually run by some other guy. Basically 7 records were distributors, like Festival or CBS at the time. Powderworks distributed through 7 'cause they were the only "Australian owned" distributor - Festival sort of was, it was owned by Rupert 'I used to be an Aussie' Murdoch. 7 never had significant success & went broke in the late 1970s. Powderworks, which basically released records that were self-funded (i.e.the label didn't actually have money itself, self-financed bands were released on it) then moved to a distribution deal with RCA. Again the bands had to do all the actual promo work themselves, the label existed as a release format, but not much else. As pointed out, it did fade in the mid-1980s. It did ironically make some money out of the Oils first 'chart' success, being 'Bird Noises' which was reasonably successful at the time...

Who recorded the song Land?
The song Land was recorded by some of the members of Midnight Oil, along with members of Hothouse Flowers and The Tragically Hip.