h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I bought "Diesel and Dust" on the strength of "Beds are Burning" and even now I still listen to it a fair bit. I've never seen any of their other albums in the UK, would have bought them if I had.

I heard Beds are Burning in around 1988 when it came out in UK, didn't hear the title and didn't hear the name of the band. About a year later we finally heard it again and immediately bought the CD.

And what an album, it is up there with my top 5 of all time, and I never miss an opportunity to play it to anyone who ends up at our place. Beds are Burning is very powerful, but I prefer Sometimes.

Probably because when we saw them at the wee Suchtorf open air festival doing that I was completely and utterly gobsmacked by the band. I have seen literally hundreds of live shows, but it is rare indeed to see a crowd so galvanized as this band managed.

thinks Blue Sky Mining is better, but I still prefer Diesel and Dust. Which means that (when we are together) if we play one, we have to play the other, and thus the discussion starts again.

to Play D&D

Fab article.

>> I bought "Diesel and Dust" on the strength of "Beds are Burning" and even now I still listen to it a fair bit. I've never seen any of their other albums in the UK <<

I, like probably most people in the UK, did the same. BSM was released in the UK, and also E&S&M, and I picked both those up. Then I kinda relaxed.

I made my first trip to God's Own Country in 1998, and, on a visit to a Melbn CD shop, picked up 2 albums who's existence I'd never even previously suspected: 10-1 and Red Sails. Well, this opened my eyes somewhat, and shortly thereafter, the wonderful world of the world wide web was opened to me, and I discovered plenty much back catalogue that I was previously unaware of. Also managed to pick up all subsequent releases, although, it has to be said, some of it I had to order from Australia, as UK webistes didn't stock them, or if they did they were at exorbitant "import" prices.

To date, I have all their CDs apart from the EPs, their eponymous 1st album, and Scream In Blue.

My favourite album is Breathe. This is an album which most die-hard Oils fans don't like, but hey, I've never been one to follow the crowd.

RF

I'm sorry, I never noticed I wasn't subscribed to my own entry

> I bought "Diesel and Dust" on the strength of "Beds are Burning" and even now I still listen to it a fair bit. I've never seen any of their other albums in the UK - order while you can, some have been deleted!

It's a permanent fixture (D&D) in the car - hot sunny day (remember those?), off for a climb, what better to start the day than those first riffs of 'Beds...' ? Adrenaline, anyone? Try 'Put Down That Weapon'. Or 'Whoah' for the way home? Classic.

Rich Rich!!! Look!!! People are talking about you in their weblogs!!!


http://www.totalobscurity.com/

About....three quarters of the way down the main page.

Sorry it just really overexcited me because I hadn't been expecting to find you suddenly there.


Kat

*faints*

*recovers*

WHOOHOO!!!!!

He linked it too!!!!!!

I first discovered the Oils looking through my parent's record collection.
As a young Australian teenager, the music is incredible. It's tuneful, political, reassuring, warning. It is unlike any other music one can hear.
Personally, although I like Diesel and Dust, 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (10 to 1) is much better. How can you go past "Short Memory"? Or "US Forces"? Or "the Power and The Passion"?
By the way, down here in Australia, Peter Garrett is currently working hard in the federal parliment, where he is the Labour member for the seat of Kingsford-Smith, which consists of inner-suburban Sydney around the University of New South Wales. He seems to get his face in the news often enough.
Congrats on the blog reference. It's a terrific h2g2 article, and you should be proud of it. I just wish I wrote it.

I first discovered them when an Aussie working at the hotel played me D&D. Astounding stuff, and good to hear that the next generation find it as inspiring after all these years. I agree that 10 to 1 was incredible, but for me Diesel and Dust sounds like no other album ever has.

Anyway, I was wondering if you'd like to collaborate sometime on a biography of Peter for the Guide? A potted history of his political life to date really, his inspirations and so on. I've been half-researching that one for a while. Maybe I can come up with a broad outline and you could help me in fleshing out the detail? Just an idea

It's really great to hear that Peter Garrett is doing what seems to be his passion. I remember seeing him at a wee open air in Germany... oh years and years ago and he really has a passion for things.

And of course they were fantastic

And I'm sure I said that all before, but I could say it again and again and again and it would never be less true.

I just got an mp3 player so I can have music when I jog. Diesel & Dust was the first thing I put on it - only it makes me run too fast because I get all caught up in the passion of it!!

Oh, the power and the passion...

Yes, MO have written some incredible stuff in their time, not just about politics, but worldwide and environmental issues too, as well as Australan history (I knew nothing aout Jimmy Sharman's boxers until I heard the song).

Sadly, I never got to see them live (missed them by a day on my first trip to Oz ), then their European tour was cancelled shortly before Garrett left. I have heard that they were an amazing live act. One thing about them playing live was that they positively chose to play the small venues. Although they also played the festivals, they could've gone down the "stadium rockers" route but chose not to - they preferred playing to a small crowd in a sweaty pub!

Right, I'm off to change the CD player and put Redneck Wonderland on...

RF

I've just upgraded various bits of my PC so I can actually watch DVD's on it; to test it I needed a DVD and went for the 20000 Watt RSL compilation. I idly flicked through to the Blackfella/Whitefella section.

It dawned on me that I hadn't seen it since I wrote the entry, so last time I saw it I didn't know 'The Dead Heart' was written for the Uluru handover. So the significance of the Oils playing it to the Aboriginal communities at Warakurna was lost on me to this point.

Must have been some moment for them, even by their standards. Great stuff