Midnight Oil

Essential Oils

Sony Music

Street: 04.30

Midnight Oil = Richard Hell and the Voidoids + The Saints + Thompson Twins

Similar to The Essential Clash, although with better pun usage, Essential Oils’ double-disc-load takes you on a tour spanning an entire Midnight Oil lifetime—from second-wave punk through poppy new wave. Disc 1 begins with “Run By Night” and the sound of mildly distorted guitar accompanied by wooden sticks racing to pound 16th notes from the metal hi-hats. By the end, the first disc echoed, electronic thumps replace the drums and synth overpowers the guitar. Slide in Disc 2 and the familiar bass line of “Beds Are Burning” will remind you why Midnight Oil sounded familiar—the feeling may be lost by Track 18. A friend once told me he didn’t like anthologies because you miss out on so many songs. Due to the inclusion of “Beds Are Burning,” I don’t feel I missed anything. –Steve Richardson