[tweetmeme]Midnight Oil this month will release for the first time remastered CDs of the band’s full catalog from 1978 to 1993 — the group’s first eight full-length albums, plus two EPs — and also will finally issue its 1990 VHS release “Black Rain Falls” on DVD and digitally.
The CD remasters and the “Black Rain Falls” DVD are all set for release on June 20 in Australia to coincide with a new exhibit “The Making of Midnight Oil,” which opens the same day at the Manly Art Gallery and Museum, according to an announcement on Midnight Oil’s website.
Remastered editions of the band’s classic catalog were released digitally in 2008 to coincide with the expanded CD reissue of 1987′s Diesel and Dust. The new release will mark the first time on CD for remastered editions of Midnight Oil (1978), Head Injuries (1979), Place Without a Postcard (1981), 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 (1982), Red Sails in the Sunset (1984), Blue Sky Mining (1990) and Earth and Sun and Moon (1993), plus the Bird Noises (1980) and Species Deceases (1985) EPs.
It’s not known if those titles will receive CD releases outside of Australia.
As for “Black Rain Falls,” it captures the events of
May 30, 1990, when the Aussie rockers — who were in New York to play three nights at Radio City Music Hall
during the
Blue Sky Miningtour — pulled up in front of Exxon’s
Sixth Avenue headquarters on a flatbed truck, unfurled a banner that read “Midnight Oil makes you dance, Exxon oil makes us sick” and proceeded to play a 30-minute lunch-hour set in protest of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. (“I love it when the suits clap,” frontman
Peter Garrettfamously said.)
The DVD will be Region 0, meaning it can be played worldwide, according to the Oils’ Facebook page. An international release is expected in July. Below, check out a trailer for the DVD release.
The new archival releases come as talk of Midnight Oil reunion continues to heat up, with drummer Rob Hirst recently telling Faster Louder that the band’s waiting for former government minister Garrett — who recently hopped onstage with Hunters & Collectors — to finish writing his autobiography.
He said:
“Peter’s writing his memoirs at the moment so that might take a while, but I think everyone’s up for it. Bonesy’s (Bones Hillman, bass) living in Nashville, and by all accounts playing better than ever – the callouses on his fingers must be enormous by now! And of course Martin (Rotsey), Jim (Moginie) and I all play in The Break, so everyone’s around. We’ll just see down the track. Hopefully it won’t be so long that we won’t be able to put on the sort of show that we’d like to put on.”
Below, check out the trailer and tracklist for “Black Rain Falls.”
Post by Midnight Oil.
Tracklist: Midnight Oil, “Black Rain Falls”
1. “Progress” (Live)
2. “Sometimes” (Live)
3. “Dreamworld” (Live)
4. “Blue Sky Mine” (Live)
5. “River Runs Red” (Live)
6. “Instant Karma” (Live)
7. “King of the Mountain” (Music Video)
