1231. Alice Cooper Band / Muscle of Love. 1973. 2.5/5

By the time that this album came around to being released, the Alice Cooper Band was on top of the world, literally. Their previous album, “Billion Dollar Babies”, had gone to number 1 in the US and UK as well as number 4 in Australia, and had been the culmination of a long building string of success. You can hear all about that on the episode that appears in Season 4 of this podcast. It was widely and critically acclaimed, so you would think that the band would have had the world at its feet. Instead, the cracks were beginning to appear in the framework. And to be fair, it was understandable why. “Muscle of Love” was about to become the band’s 7th studio album release in just four years. Add to this the constant touring that the band did to promote those albums, and they would already have been exhausted. Add to this the ‘trappings’ of success, and you had a whole other set of problems attached.
“Muscle of Love” was to become the first Alice Cooper album without Bob Ezrin as producer since the "Easy Action”. At the time, this was explained away as Ezrin having been ill and being unable to do the duties as required by the band at the time, though in later interviews it was reported that a disagreement over the arrangement of the song that became “Woman Machine” on the album was the reason for the split. Apparently, guitarist Michael Bruce stood his ground and refused to change the arrangement as Ezrin wanted, which led to more than words being exchanged and the separation of the two parties that had had so much success together. And it had only been eight months since “Billion Dollar Babies” had been released, a very short space of time in which to tour and then come up with a slew of new songs and then record them and then release the album. Whatever else was going on behind the scenes, and it was obvious that there was, this alone would have made “Muscle of Love” a difficult birth.

It is interesting the couple of directions that this album takes, and the reasons that have come for that to occur. In interviews at the time of the album’s release, Alice is quoted as saying the band was looking to go back and make an album with a more basic rock sound. It was felt that the previous album had had a lot of time in the studio making it sound right, whereas this time around they wanted to be able to just play a song in its entirety, to be more natural in the way the songs were played rather than over produced.
Both Alice and bass guitarist Dennis Dunaway have suggested, and which is confirmed when listening to the album, that there is a loose theme of sexual habits that flows through many of the songs on the album. The title track is the main purveyor of this, as the “Muscle of Love” being sung about is both conceptually attributed to the heart and the male genitalia. “Woman Machine”, of which the basics of the song date back to the beginning of the band, is about a female robot who can do... well... the things that you want. “Never Been Sold Before” speaks of the musings of a prostitute, while the opening track “Big Apple Dreamin’ (Hippo)” is about the Hippopotamus Club in New York, which the band apparently attended frequently in the day. And then there is “Working Up a Sweat” which follows along the same lines as the song that follows it, “Muscle of Love” It is an interesting flow of these songs, ones that no doubt added to the shock value of the band at the time.
Other songs on the album of course have no such desire, and indeed have other content apart from the sexual. “Teenage Lament ‘74” relates the problems faced by every teenage boy who tries to change things about themselves just to be cool or hip or even just to fit in. Still a great song to this day. “Crazy Little Child” goes the other route and talks about teenage crime. And then there is “The Man with the Golden Gun”, a song that was written to be theme song of the James Bond movie of the same name. Apparently it arrived a day late, and the producers had already chosen another song for that theme before they heard the Alice Cooper song. It contains a lot of sound effects that fit in with that James Bond theme, along with supporting vocals from artists such as Ronnie Spector, the Pointer Sisters and Liza Minelli to fill it out. A missed opportunity to follow up the Wings theme song for “Live and Let Die”.
Once again, Glen Buxton is credited as lead guitarist on this album, but did not play on anything that made the cut for the album. Due to his addictions, it was decided he either shouldn’t or couldn’t contribute to the album, and his parts were played by session musicians including Dick Wagner, who would have more to do down the track.

It was only a couple of episodes ago that I spoke of how I went about catching the entire catalogue of Alice Cooper albums, starting with the 1980’s and then back through the popular albums to see what I may have missed along the way. “Muscle of Love” came in that second or third period of finding the band’s albums, once I had digested the big releases of both the band and then the solo act that followed. So it is fair to say that this album already had a great deal to beat by the time I got around to getting it and listening to it. And as a result, it wasn’t one that really captured my imagination at that time. It sits right between two amazing albums, the Alice Cooper Band’s “Billion Dollar Babies”, and Alice Cooper’s first solo outing with “Welcome to my Nightmare”. That’s some tough competition. And while it does still compare favourably with the rest of the original band’s work, and those who grew up with the albums from the 1970’s would still rank it highly, as a kid whose high school years were the 1980’s it is those albums that appeal to me most.
I’ve listened to this on my rotation for the past couple of weeks, and again when I just sit down with this on my stereo in the Metal Cavern and turn it up, it still sounds great and is enjoyable to listen to. The title track is such a brilliantly upbeat song, I often wonder why they couldn’t make the whole album like this song. But that wasn’t to be. It is the one main song that leaps off the vinyl or off the Spotify playlist when you listen to the album, the one excellent shining light. But if you want me to listen the ten best Alice Cooper Band slash solo albums, this doesn’t get a look in.
With a few months of this album’s release, the band split up, and this became the final album of the actual Alice Cooper Band. Vincent Furnier legally changed his name to Alice Cooper, went off and did the “Welcome to my Nightmare” solo album (with the return of Bob Ezrin as producer), and never looked back. Michael Bruce, Glen Buxton and Dennis Dunaway formed the short-lived band Billion Dollar Babies and released one album. “Muscle of Love” closes that one door and opened another, and the story of Alice Cooper continued in the hands of the frontman only.

1230. Billy Idol / Rebel Yell. 1983. 4/5

Billy Idol had already had a solid career in music long before he became a successful solo act with the release of his first self-titled album in 1982. Originally hailing from the UK, he had been a staple of the growing punk movement in the mid-to-late 1970’s, first being the guitarist of the band Chelsea. Unsatisfied however he soon left the group, and with band mate Tony James they formed the band Generation X. With Billy Idol as lead singer, the band achieved success in the United Kingdom and released three studio albums over the next three years before disbanding.
In 1981, Idol moved to New York City to pursue his solo career. Here he met up with an up and coming guitarist called Steve Stevens, and they hit it off immediately. With Idol’s punk-like image combined with the growing glam metal scene, the pair looked like a match made in heaven. The pair pulled their band together, and eventually recorded their debut album, the self-titled "Billy Idol”. On the back of singles such as “Hot in the City” and “White Wedding”, and being picked up for heavy rotation on MTV, the album became a hit, and the band and its titular star were underway.
Keith Forsey returned to produce the follow up, and the trio of Forsey, Idol and Steven went to work on what was to become “Rebel Yell”. Idol apparently came up with the title for the album at a party he was attending where many guests were drinking Rebel Yell bourbon, and he liked the name. It of course then also became the titular song that dominated the album. Also, during the recording of the album, Idol had been fighting with the record company over creative control of the project. At the height of this, he stole the master tapes of the recordings, which he eventually returned to the studio when he had won his battle. It was at his time that Forsey informed him that he had in fact stolen the wrong tapes, and his tapes had never left the studio. Someone’s album could have met with a messy end over that dispute.

The album’s title track, “Rebel Yell,” is one of the most iconic songs of the 1980s. It features a catchy guitar riff and a memorable chorus that is sure to get stuck in your head. How this only reach number 9 on the charts in the US and 7 in Australia is beyond me. As terrific as “White Wedding” is as a song, this is the one that everyone knows, that everyone rocks out to, that you sing along to at top volume when it comes on. A terrific video clip featuring Billy, and that amazingly iconic solo from Steve Stevens. If you were to make a mixed tape of the 1980’s (and yes many of you would have no idea what that actually is) then surely this song has to be on it.
“Daytime Drama” is a typically new wave song that highlights the drama of relationships which, I believe, and it is only my thoughts, that mirrors the daytime soaps that proliferated the screens in the 1980’s, such as Days of our Lives and The Young and the Restless. The album’s second single, “Eyes Without a Face,” follows, and is a slower ballad that showcases Billy Idol’s vocal range. He had done songs like this before, but this was perhaps the best example of the range that Idol had with his voice, and the diversity the band had to create such a song, so different from the types of songs that they were best known for. The song was also a commercial success and peaked at number four in the US, helped by its susceptibility of radio airplay, as well as the growing medium of MTV. “Blue Highway” closes out side one of the album, and again delves into love and relationships, and a yearning for freedom. It’s a hard rock song with a great tempo and super riff that lifts the album again in a positive fashion.
The album’s third single, “Flesh for Fantasy,” opens up the second side of the album, and is a hard rock song that features a driving beat and a catchy chorus. Back to the hard rock roots of the band, the attitude is what drives this song beyond the average, a song that in the hands of another vocalist would not have worked as well as it did. It eventually reached only 29 on the US charts, which perhaps doesn’t reflect how popular it was at the time with his core audience. This is followed by the album’s fourth single, “Catch My Fall,” which is a slower ballad that features a piano and a string section. The song was not as successful as the previous three singles, and perhaps it was overkill going for another track of this type, but in the course of the album it is still a good song. “Crank Call” is a fun track highlighted by Stevens on guitar and bass, before launching in to “Do Not Stand in the Shadows”, a great fast paced hard rock track that lets Idol rip in with his vocals again in their best fashion. This is the song I would have released as that fourth single, because of the great energy it puts out, and would have allowed Billy to again put himself forward in a video clip such as his best efforts. The album then concludes with “The Dead Next Door” which for me is a very strange choice given the soft and quiet nature of the track. The end of “Do Not Stand in the Shadows” to me is the perfect finish to the album, “The Dead Next Door” is an extra four minutes of sleep music to finish off instead.

When the first album came out, I was completely obsessed with “White Wedding” as a song. In fact, it and Chris de Burgh’s “Don’t Pay the Ferryman” were the first two songs on a compilation cassette I was given for my birthday that year, and I wore out that tape just listening to those two songs. Then “Rebel Yell” came out, and that song caught my imagination as well. This was all in the days prior to me buying albums of bands, so the singles were what I had.
Flash forwards a few years, and I get my first listen to this album. And I knew the singles from the album very well, but from the first time I listened to this I thought it was just terrific. Even the slower songs have a depth about them that I enjoyed, which isn’t always the case when it comes to albums of such style. Especially I enjoyed “Blue Highway” and “Do Not Stand in the Shadows”, I felt they were terrific songs that were under utilised and certainly under appreciated when it came to Billy Idol’s work. In terms of album releases from the early 1980’s, I think this is up with the very best. And it is important to note that even though the album artist is credited to only Billy Idol, there are other very important people involved. Steve Stevens, not only as the lead guitarist and other instruments in the recording process as well, but as a co-composer of all of the tracks here, does a fantastic job. While the album is promoted by Idol’s presence, his writing and playing is just as important to the final product. And the producing of Kevin Forsey again is a major contributing factor to the eventual success of this album.
Overall, “Rebel Yell” is a great album that showcases Billy Idol’s and Steve Stevens talent as songwriters and performers. The album features a mix of new wave, hard rock, and pop rock that is sure to please fans of all genres. The album’s title track, “Rebel Yell,” is one of the most iconic songs of the 1980s, and it is a must-listen for anyone who is a fan of music from that era. Or essentially, any era.

1229. The Clash / Give 'Em Enough Rope. 1978. 3/5

On the back of their self titled debut album in 1977, The Clash had begun their rise in the punk scene of the UK in particular. In and amongst the plethora of bands that seemed to crop up one day and be gone the next, The Clash and contemporaries the Buzzcocks were the driving force of the movement where it wasn’t necessarily the shock of the music and lyric topics that caught the attention, but the maturity of it. Touring behind that first album The Clash played on their own ‘Out of Control’ tour, which apart from a small riot when their first gig in Belfast was cancelled at the last minute due to the insurance being pulled from the venue, created a storm of the music kind. They also played at the ‘Rock Against Racism’ carnival in London later that year, which was attended by 100,000 people. In between this they released two non-album singles to great acclaim. “Clash City Rockers” was played on a BBC children's morning show after its release, alongside the unreleased (at that time) “Tommy Gun”, while “(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais” became a favourite with Clash fans and was voted single of the year in the 1978 NME Readers' Poll.
Before the Clash began recording their second album, their American based record company asked if they could produce an album with a 'cleaner’ sound than their debut, in order to reach American audiences. Sandy Pearlman, known for his work with Blue Öyster Cult, was hired to produce the record. Bass guitarist Paul Simonon later recalled, "Recording that album was just the most boring situation ever. It was just so nitpicking, such a contrast to the first album ... it ruined any spontaneity."
When the album arrived, it received mixed reviews in the UK music press, where some complained about its relatively mainstream production style in comparison to that debut album. Despite the backlash from sections of the music press, NME readers voted it the second best album of 1978 and The Clash were voted the best group in the same end of year poll.

"Give 'Em Enough Rope” is often overlooked in the band’s discography. It opens with the track “Safe European Home,” which is a fast-paced punk rock song that features Mick Jones’ guitar work and Joe Strummer’s vocals. The song describes Strummer's and Jones uneasy writing trip to Jamaica and their experiences with racism and violence. Jones later commented on the trip by saying, "we went down to the docks, and I think we only survived because they mistook us for sailors”. The song also contains references of Jamaican culture and buildings like the Sheraton hotel in Kingston. This is followed by “English Civil War,” which is a slower song that features a catchy chorus, and which is derived from an American Civil War song, "When Johnny Comes Marching Home", that was popular among both sides of the conflict. Guitarist and vocalist Joe Strummer had learned the song at school and suggested to his bandmates that they should update it. The Clash’s version is about the state of politics in the UK at that time and warns against what things may come.
“Tommy Gun” is one of the most well-known songs from the album and from The Clash’s entire catalogue. The song features a driving beat and lyrics about gun violence. The lyrics especially deal with Middle Eastern terrorism, specifically the hi-jacking of aircraft. It is an especially interesting beginning to the album, with the band not shying away from what was going on in the world at home and abroad at this time, and not afraid to exhort their opinions on those matters. Listening to it today is just as revealing and important as it was when these songs were written all those years ago.
Continuing in this vein is “Julie’s Been Working for the Drug Squad”, a fast-paced punk rock song that features lyrics about drug enforcement, and acts as a commentary on the infamous "Operation Julie" drug bust that saw the largest LSD production ring in the world, based in Wales, dismantled by an undercover police operation. Side one is then closed out by “Last Gang in Town,” which is a more mid-paced song about gang violence.
Side two opens up with “Guns on the Roof,” a great song that is set up beautifully by Mick Jones and his excellent guitar riffs and solo work, as well as the rumbling bass of Simonon and terrific drumming from Headon. It is a song that talks about global terrorism, war and corruption, which in part was inspired by an incident that resulted in the Metropolitan Police's armed counterterrorist squad raiding The Clash's Camden Market base. Paul Simonon and drummer Topper Headon were arrested and charged with criminal damage for shooting racing pigeons with an air-gun from the roof of their rehearsal building. Strummer’s vocals here leave no doubt as to the band’s feelings about the whole incident.
“Drug-Stabbing Time” is strongly anti-drug lyrically with another great riff through the song and combined vocals that describes the paranoia of being caught in the act, which is somewhat ironic given the band's (specifically Mick Jones's) drug usage at this time. “Stay Free” moves back in style, and feels like a song that was written for that American market the band’s record company was looking for. “Cheapskates” is dominated by Strummer’s chanting thoughts firing out of the speakers, and the album then concludes with "All the Young Punks (New Boots and Contracts)" to round out the band’s second LP.

The Clash came to me, like many of my generation, through the radio hit “Rock the Casbah”, and the splash it made with one of my oldest school friends at that time, who then chased down every release by the band, which in time then found its way into my hands as well. And this all occurred at around the time that I was beginning to move away from just radio singles, and taping them off Kasey Kasem’s American Top 40 every Sunday arvo, and looking to move into whole albums by bands. Compilation tapes were still important in that, because it was a way of discovering multiple bands. So The Clash was a band that I listened to when I went around to this particular mate’s house, but were still some way away from me having a huge interest in them. That is a long winded way of saying that while I enjoyed The Clash, I didn’t really listen to their albums often or a lot.
In many ways, that is still the case, but the order I would choose to listen to them would be from first release to last release, meaning “Give ‘Em Enough Rope” rates very highly for me as a The Clash album. It is the punk sound I enjoy from them most rather than the reggae or rockabilly or straight rock they utilised in pieces later in their career. And while the producer of this album apparently felt so little about Joe Strummer’s vocals that he tried to have the drums drown them out on this record, I actually think they are quite good here. In fact the whole band sounds great. Mick Jones on guitar is wonderful once again, while I am still extremely impressed at how the bass and drums of both Paul Simonon and Topper Headon still hold up today. To me they often get overlooked for their contributions to the band, and certainly on this album I believe they are excellent and an important part of the success of this album. The reviews of the day were generally critical of the more produced sound of the album, and it is obviously a difference between the first two albums by the band. I have been listening to it now for a couple of weeks, and it still sounds great each time it comes up in my rotation. I enjoy the music, but it is the lyrics that I enjoy the most, the shaking of the fist at authority, and the standing up and telling it as they see it. Whatever else this album may be, its commentary on the era it was released is as fascinating today as it must have been on its release.

1228. Iron Maiden / Live at Donington 1992. 1993. 5/5

As has been noted on a few recent episodes in regards to Iron Maiden albums, 1992 and 1993 were not easy years for the band. Bruce Dickinson had already made his decision and announced that he was quitting the band by the time the Fear of the Dark tour concluded late in 1992, and yet the band had already announced further dates for 1993, which Bruce somewhat reluctantly agreed to complete, which took up another 6 months of 1993. During this time, the band did not get on as they had done, and by its conclusion it is probably fair to say that everyone was relieved.
With Bruce leaving the band, they had decided to record and release two separate live albums in 1993, being “A Real Live One” - the episode of which you can find in Season 4 of this podcast - and “A Real Dead One” - the episode of which you can find just a few episodes back here in Season 5. While both sold well as you would expect, one of the main criticisms of the releases was that they were both a collection of live songs, taken from different concerts at different times during the tour. Having had the wonderful “Live After Death” album eight years beforehand, what most Maiden fans were after was another complete concert recording, which reflected how Maiden sounded at that time.
Now, whether this was taken on board by the management and record company, or whether they just saw another opportunity to make a great big pile of cash, something facilitated the release of this album, along with the concert footage in full on video as well, which is the complete set of Iron Maiden’s headlining gig at Castle Donington in August 1992, one where perhaps for the final time before the full reformation of the band seven years later showcased just how good this band was when they were at the peak of their powers. The fact that the gluttony of releasing three live albums in the space of eight months was possibly overlooked in the chase for sales didn’t stop the fans from rushing to their record retailers and buying all three albums up in huge numbers.

Initially this was a limited edition 2 CD release, with the plain white cover and not meant to be a full album release. As such, when it first went on sale 30 years ago it was highly sought. Eventually, with all things such as this, it was re-released to a wider audience worldwide and on various formats.
The gig contains the full setlist from the Fear of the Dark tour than the band was in the middle of at the time, this containing a large mix of recent release songs and then the well worn classics (not as well worn then as they are now!). The then current album had plenty of representation, with “Be Quick or Be Dead”, “From Here to Eternity”, “Wasting Love”, “Afraid to Shoot Strangers”, and “Fear of the Dark” all appearing in the first half of the setlist. All of the versions are great here, even the title track, which I admit I have tired of over the years. But the versions done on this tour, when the song was fresh and new, are all terrific, and is again here. Also, as I am sure was made obvious on previous episodes, I am not a fan in any way of the song “Wasting Love”. To me it was a mistake releasing it as a single, and in ever playing it live, as it is a momentum killer. On the other hand, “Afraid to Shoot Strangers” is a gem, mixed with both high velocity power and also emotion. A great song performed beautifully here. These songs on the first CD are all perfectly interspaced with old and new, with “The Number for the Beast” and “Wrathchild” coming at the top of the song list, and ten “Can I Play With Madness?”, “Tailgunner” ad “The Evil That Men Do” providing a great lift as soon as they come out of the speakers. The whole first CD – well, OK, apart from “Wasting Love” - is a real triumph.
The second CD starts with three fantastic songs from the then middle age of Iron Maiden’s great hits, the brilliant “Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter”, the magnificent “The Clairvoyant” and the fantastic “Heaven Can Wait”. What a truly awesome run of three songs to be able to watch live in concert. Action packed, fast paced and Bruce’s vocals at the top of their game.
This then leads us into the prehistoric era of the band, finishing off the night with those great songs that their earliest fans grew up with and still demand in the live setting. You know them all. “Run to the Hills”, “2 Minutes to Midnight”, “Hallowed Be Thy Name”, “The Trooper”, and then “Sanctuary” into “Running Free”. A pretty fair way to finish off your night, and this album. The final song “Running Free” also features an appearance from former guitarist Adrian Smith, coming on stage to be reminded of what he left behind when he left the band in 1989.

It was an interesting time when this live album came out. As already mentioned, this was the third live album that Iron Maiden had released in 1993, which is overkill in anyone’s language. Beyond this, there were mixed emotions, because when this album was actually recorded it would have been one of the highlights of the band’s career, headlining the Donington Festival in front of 80,000 fans, and yet when it was released just over a year later, it was at one of the lowest ebbs that the band had faced. And as a fan I felt that same way. This was a great album, showcasing everything brilliant about one of my favourite all time bands, and yet it was also showcasing what we would now miss with the departure of Bruce Dickinson.
This album is not in question in regards to quality and quantity. As I often remark, live albums should be an automatic 5/5 rating, because they have the band’s best songs played in their best environment. And that is certainly the case here. While the other two live albums released in 1993 may have some flaws, this full concert album does not. A great set list, all performed fantastically.
Is it an essential album for fans of the band? In the main, if you have “Live After Death” you have the band’s best live album. Both the “Maiden Japan” EP and “Maiden England” album from the Seventh Son tour are also terrific, and this actually makes a solid set with those three albums. Iron Maiden does have a lot of live albums now, but this is still great to listen to.
I saw Iron Maiden for the first time two months after this gig was played, in Sydney in October 1992. Due to a terrible mix and soundboard problems it was, unfortunately, a forgettable concert in the main. And this album was both a relief that it is so good when it came out, and a disappointment because the night I saw them sounded nothing like this. Thankfully for me, better Maiden concerts were to come, but not for a very very long time.

1227. Midnight Oil / Midnight Oil. 1978. 4/5

Midnight Oil the band was formed over a number of years, with the original members coming together from a variety of backgrounds. The original trio of drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James, and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie performed together in a band called "Farm" as far back as 1972, and played cover version of songs by bands such as Cream, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Led Zeppelin. Eventually they decided to advertise for other players to come on board, an advert that was answered by Peter Garrett, who came to the band as lead vocalist and synth player. Garrett was studying in Canberra which made the band really a part-time gig, as the others were all based in Sydney. Having started playing on Sydney’s north shore, by 1975 the band was touring the Australian east coast on a regular basis. This then led to Garrett moving to Sydney the following year to complete his law degree, but also allowing the band to become a whole group rather than working in dispatches from different cities. It also led to the four piece deciding to change their name to Midnight Oil.
Following this, the group began to refine their sound, and began to develop a more aggressive, hard rock sound that was being more sought after in the Sydney pub rock scene. To help increase this, Martin Rotsey joined in 1977 to become the second guitarist with the band and Midnight Oil, with their manager Gary Morris, established their own record label Powderworks. The band had built a dedicated fan base in Sydney, which grew through constant touring, performing around 200 gigs in their first year as Midnight Oil. They became known for their furious live performances, and when they entered the studio to record their debut album, the hope was that they could transfer that energy onto vinyl. Sometimes that is not easy thing to do.

The album opens with “Powderworks”, a fast-paced rocker that sets the tone for the rest of the album. The song features a catchy riff, a driving rhythm section, and Peter Garrett’s distinctive vocals. The lyrics are about the band’s frustration with the music industry and their desire to make their own music. This is followed by “Head Over Heels”, a slower and more melodic track that showcases Jim Moginie’s keyboard skills. The song is a love song with a twist, as Garrett sings about a woman who is “head over heels in love with herself”.
The third track on the album is “Dust”, a dark and atmospheric song that deals with environmental issues. The song features a haunting synthesizer melody, a heavy bass line, and Garrett’s ominous vocals. The lyrics focus on the effects of pollution and nuclear war on the planet. The song is one of the earliest examples of the band’s social and political commentary, which would become more prominent in their later albums. “Used and Abused” is a hard-hitting punk rock styled song that criticizes consumerism and materialism. It features a fast tempo, a distorted guitar sound, and Garrett’s angry vocals. The lyrics are about the exploitation of the average person by corporations and advertisers, and how they waste their lives chasing after money and possessions.
Opening up the second side of the album is “Surfing with a Spoon”, a fun and upbeat song that celebrates surfing and freedom. The song features a catchy chorus, a surf rock guitar sound, and Garrett’s playful vocals, based around escaping from the pressures of society and enjoying life on the beach.
“Run by Night”, the band’s first single and one of their most popular songs, features another catchy hook, a grooved bass line, and Garrett’s confident vocals singing about living on the edge and taking risks in life.
The closing track is “Nothing Lost - Nothing Gained”, a complex and progressive rock song that features a long instrumental section, with various changes in tempo, mood, and style. The song showcases the band’s musical skills and versatility, as well as their experimental side. The lyrics are about finding balance and harmony in life, and accepting the consequences of one’s actions.
The album is an impressive debut that introduces the band’s unique sound and vision while displaying the band’s talent, creativity, and passion for music. Mixed with this the album also suffers from some flaws, such as uneven production quality, lack of cohesion in the tracks, and does not fully reflect the band’s live potential at the time, something that many fans of the day were disappointed with, and which would be rectified in their subsequent albums.

Growing up in Australia, Midnight Oil is a right of passage. And people can guess your age from which album you choose to offer as your favourite. Those older than me will often suggest Blue Sky Mining or Diesel and Dust as the ultimate. Those younger than me will likely to choose an album such as “Head Injuries” as the one that showcased them best. For me, it has always been “10-1” that is the go to album. All of this is to suggest that I had well and truly digested most of Midnight Oil’s great albums before I eventually got around to listening to this album. And I don’t really know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Because even from the first time I listened to this album I really enjoyed it, but also knew that their material further along the road was more polished, more intense and more amazing overall.
I wasn’t old enough to see them in concert in their early days, in sweaty Sydney pubs where the walls would bleed from the energy perspiring from band and crowd. Those that did generally found this album to be a tame imitation of the band they knew, which was always going to be a problem when trying to replicate that in the studio.
Looking back though, and listening to the album now, all of the bones are there for what was built upon this first foray onto vinyl. The experimenting of the sound in each song perhaps doesn’t give a true indication of what the band was when this was released back in 1978, but it gave the band its start, and the ability to widen their fan base, and push on to become the band they became.
For the fan of the band there is still lots to like about this album. It isn’t one of their biggest albums, and certainly not their most commercial, but if you turn it up loud and just let it come at you, then the misgivings of youth will still find you in the music.