tdh Opinions Reviews P.W.A.P

Place Without a Postcard

Reportedly, CBS, the record label that gave us Men at Work and vegamite sandwiches, refused to release this album in the US when it first came out because it was "too Australian." It's also one of Midnight Oil's best albums. The songs slam and roar with authority. Is it "Australian?" Well, one song celebrates Ned Kelly, an Aussie Robin Hood, suggesting that "he'd make those robbers swing." Who are the robbers? Tourists who mindlessly snap pictures and developers who plunder the outback. They also make a number of references to going to the track and winning the quinella, whatever in the heck that is.

Another, "Loves on Sale" suggests that anything can be had, for a price, while The anti-pollution "Burnie" slowly cooks along, foreshadowing such later songs as "Mountains of Burma." Listening to this album gives lie to its title. With these snapshots, who needs a postcard?

Reviewer: the lizard king