To be honest I hated Midnight Oil when I first heard them. Peter Garret does have a fairly abrasive vocal delivery about him, which takes a bit more than the one listen to get past. Then I started taking notice of the lyrics and the great performances from the rest of the band, and eventually the whole thing just fits together. Give them a bit more of a chance I'd say. I started a thread about the Oils a while back right about here, and there's a 10 track mixtape I made of their work which you'd probably be interested in (if you dig the album I sent you of course).

As for Hoodoo Gurus, you're right, it's terrific pop-rock. I haven't delved into their discography as much as I have with the Oils just yet, but their second album, Mars Needs Guitars, is pretty popular too.

Anyway, good to hear you're giving the albums a good listening :thumb:

Im definitely gonna give the Midnight Oil album another listen because I certainly didnt dislike it, it does sound like something I need to give a bit of a time to. If I get into it I think I'll definitely check out the mixtape as well, could be a good point of reference.

Ill give The Celibate Rifles a go next too.

Cold Chisel are one of the iconic Australian bands, Breakfast at sweethearts is a classic tune and some of the Jimmy Barnes solo stuff ispretty good too.

There is fair bit of disdain for Chisel and Barnes in Australia. Blame Classic Rock radio and beer drinking BBQ yobbos for overplaying their music to the point that it has become an aural form of Chinese water torture. If I ever hear Chisel/Barnes again it will be far too soon.

Hmm but surely that would mean they are met with disdain by some people because of their overall popularity in Australia?

There are a lot of bands I can think of that get similar treatment in this country. A lot of the time because people simply don't like their music which is cool but I've seen a fair bit of Oasis hating because of the loud mouthed, pisshead, scally fans they seem to produce, Radiohead hating because of apparantly the legions of mathematics students with no social life that stop in and listen to them while everyone else goes out and gets laid and the overall effort some people will make to distance themselves from "those kinds of people". You know, the classic stereotypes.

Good points you raise.

To the first point you raise they were very very popular indeed. It reached a point that they both Chisel and Barnes as a solo artiste could produce some poor music and it sold such was their popularity. There are bound to be elitists who dislike anyone who is popular but I think that it went a bit further than that with Chisel/Barnes. I have memories of Jimmy himself discussing over exposure in an interview and admitting that even he was embarrassed by it.

I don't think anyone dislikes Jimmy Barnes per se. He seems an alright type of bloke when I have seen him interviewed. I understand what you are saying but in defence of my point I could not care less as to personalties in the end, it is the music. This Radiohead v Oasis V Blur etc etc is to me teenybopper stuff and why the hell anyone with any serious views gets involved in that type of discussion baffles me somewhat. I am not a fan of the Barnes style of Rock vocal per se so he was always on a hiding to nothing with me but by the nature of the Male Australian from the sprawling Suburbs this macho rock singing was seemingly a badge of musical honour.

As to over playing, for a good 20 odd years they have been hammered. The song by Cold Chisel, Khe San, for example I liked initially but to have the ****ing thing rammed down the throat on all fronts on a daily basis by commercial radio, Karaoke singers, bronzed males at BBQ's, the next door neighbour playing loud at midnight, it being used every ANZAC day and on and on and on, you get the picture, become too much for a lifetime. As I said before, if I ever hear it or any other song sung by Barnesy it will be far too soon.

Hmm yeah I kinda get what you mean. I mean, there are a lot of artists that I dont listen to or at least dont listen to anymore because of over exposure and the fact that I hear them so much when I dont even want to hear them that I have little need to hear them in my own time. No fault of the artist of course, nor does it tarnish the music but it lowers the likelihood that I'm gonna give any of my time to listening to them when theres so much music out there I don't hear all the time and so much I haven't even heard yet. Nirvana spring to mind right away, I have Nevermind, Unplugged, In Utero and Bleach from my teenage days but I cant remember the last time I listened to any of them.

Im a little confused by what I have quoted above though because the second statement seems to be contradicted by this first? I'm probably just not reading it right or understanding your intentions correctly.

My replies to your comment are contradicted by each other???

I took the first part of your reply with the word "popularity" to equate with record sales etc so therefore certain members of the music listening world will never like them no matter what.

The 2nd part on the general saying that the gossip column issues, if there are any, are not part of my intentions of being dismissive of them.

Aussie bands... hmmm... in no particular order or chronology;


Laughing Clowns are a favourite. The Saints, The Cruel Sea, Pony Face, Dirty Three, Boys Next Door, The Birthday Party, Dead Can Dance, Hunters and Collectors, The Reels, Paul Kelly, Not Drowning Waving, Cosmic Psychos, Celibate Rifles, The Scientists, Something For Kate, George, Hard Ons, Radio Birdman, The Fauves, The Drones, Firekites, The Go Betweens, Josh Pyke, The Necks, The Panics, Spiderbait, The Audreys, Died Pretty, The Darling Downs.



Sorry to bump an old thread. Came up when I searched The Cruel Sea.

Thought I'd bump this for a Scientists flashback.




May as well put up some Beasts of Bourbon while I'm at it.




Might as well make it a Kim Salmon three-fer with Darling Downs.