[Mike Blackwood]

I made a Midnight Oil driving cd the other day, with one track from each 
of the albums/ep's (except for SiB-live, since whatever I chose would 
result in there being 2 tracks from a single album... yes, I'm anal 
retentive).  This made for a 14-track wonder-album, plus the 2 unreleased 
Oils originals as bonus tracks (The RSITS demo "I Want To Live Here" and 
the Capricornia-era live track "Stand Your Ground").  I remember being 
very pleased with the mix and planning to revise it in a vew years when 
the next album came out and made it incomplete... :-(

Anyway, as my wife and I drove around listening to it, I commented on how 
the Oils were the only band I knew where 4 of the 5 members could sing 
well enough to be lead vocallists. (I have the Hunting Party and Fuzzface 
Ep's, and all the Ghosties albums, which backed up my claims.  It was 
hearing Rob on Kosciuszko and Bones on Luritja Way that prompted my 
comments in the car.)  Anyway, I'd like to see the Oils continue as the 4 
remaining members, with Rob, Jim and Bones all taking lead vocals on 
whatever songs they feel best suited to...  That way there's no lead 
vocallist per se, but each singer can play to his strengths.  I think they 
might even be able to do the old Oils classics, as long as they put their 
own spin on the vocals and didn't try to copy Peter's style.

Now, I do think the Hillman/Hirst/Moginie/Rotsey lineup will need a new 
name, to distinguish them from the Garrett-identified entity of Midnight 
Oil.  Maybe just shorten the name to Midnight.  Or 12:00am Hydrocarbon, 
or...  ;-)

Mike Blackwood
(thinks 12:00am Hydrocarbon would be a great name for a bootleg!)

ps: my driving cd, "Stand Your Ground", is
	01 Surfing With A Spoon
	02 Is It Now?
	03 I'm The Cure
	04 Lucky Country
	05 Short Memory
	06 Kosciuszko
	07 Blossom and Blood
	08 Bullroarer
	09 One Country
	10 Drums of Heaven
	11 E-Beat
	12 White Skin Black Heart (rusty wheel mix)
	13 Last of the Diggers
	14 Luritja Way
	15 I Want To Live Here (unreleased 1983 demo)
	16 Stand Your Ground (unreleased 2001 live performance)