Another instant classic

Essentially, this single embodies everything that I love most about the Oils. This song undergoes numerous time changes, for example, making it a sort of radio-friendly version for a 70s progressive rock number. Further adding to it's complexity are the subtle alterations and additions made to the arrangement by the band as they plow through it. Towards the end, the song whips into a rockin' frenzy, and blends high pitched guitars into organ wailing so seemlessly, it's inspired. Also, Peter's lyrics during the climax manage to instill spiritual meaning to what appears at first to be a pointless song. Yep, the trademark qualities that make Midnight Oil such a special band are all present, and this is a remake! Less proficient artists botch remakes routinely, but the Oils have what it takes to make a vintage sixties Oz hit relevent to today. (Incidentally, many fans may be shocked to hear that the band is releasing a remake, but they are far from running out of ideas; Rob Hirst is still a songwriting machine whose side project- the Ghostwriters- is going strong as an intentionally indie band.) Finally, the b-side live and judicously mixed instrumental, "Eye Contact," aptly captures the frentic fretwork of the Oils world class guitar duo, while the fierce live version of "Pictures" has a different enough arrangement from the original studio version to make it fresh again, and features Peter Garrett refering to Bill Clinton as the "seven second statesman," making it a true collector's item!

Midnight Oil: "The Real Thing" indeed!

It's hard to believe that the Oils have been around for almost 25 years. And what better way to culminate that with a remake of a 60's classic from Australia! Here on "The Real Thing", Garrett and company add a psychedelic vibe to the song along with buzzy guitars and powerful drums. The result is a catchy and infectious "meat and potatoes" song. I think it's appropriate for the Oils to cover this song since they've been making music their way for the past 25 years. Hence, they are "The Real Thing"!

By the way, if you liked this single, you should get The Real Thing (the album). In addition to the title track, it also features three new numbers: "Say Your Prayers", "Spirit Of The Age", and "The Last Of The Diggers". On top of that, the album has TEN unplugged classics (among them, "The Dead Heart", "Blue Sky Mine", and "Truganini" to name a few). And last but not least, the LIMITED edition has a bonus disc which contains an interview with the band AND two music videos ("Redneck Wonderland" and "Cemetery In My Mind")! As far as I know, the album's only available in Australia. Hopefully, the album will be released here in the States soon.

The OILS are BACK!

Excelent SINGLE!...

The OILS are BACK.. if you are a OIL HEAD!, you should definitely buy this single..

The B Side, PICTURE, is also excelent!.. is worth every penny you pay for it.

I have been waiting about 3 years to realease the MTV Unplugged they did it NOT Exactly they have several songs on the REAL THING complete album, but you have to find it in Auction from someone in Australia, becuase in the U.S. they haven't realease it yet (July 18)..

So WAIT!.. or buy this single, to get a preview!..