Peter Garrett, the former front man of Midnight Oil, popped up in my social media algorithm and I had a sudden thought that I might own one of his solo albums. I checked the CD shelves. Cathy helpfully suggested it might be in with the Midnight Oil CDs and sure enough, there it was, ready for me to have a listen.
This album was released 10 years ago and, according to the sleevenotes, was a product of Peter Garrett writing his memoir of life as the frontman of one of Australia's best known bands and his subsequent commitment to environmentalism and land rights that led him into politics.
Peter recorded this album shortly before Midnight Oil reformed for the Great Circle tour in 2017 (which we went to!) and it does feel like a warm up piece. Oils guitarist Martin Rotsey plays on it and both late bassist Bones Hillman and the other guitarist Jim Moginie helped co-write a track each.
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| Peter's explanation for the origin of the album |
So, with that level of involvement from his band mates, it's no surprise that this sounds very much like Midnight Oil Lite. The tracks are melodic, reflecting more of Rotsey's guitar style. It was also a family affair with Peter's three daughters all contributing in some way, including harmonised backing vocals on the opening track.
Overall, this is a musically solid, reflective album with some lovely emotional tracks on. As a solo project (at least in theory) it stands up with the output of the band, which is unusual. Definitely one to listen to if you are a Midnight Oil fan, like me, or even if you're not, it's a very accessible collection of tunes that I think many people would enjoy hearing.
Details
Year of release: 2016
Tracks: 9
Favourite track: Homecoming, which is the one co-written with Bones Hillman. It gave me a small sense of hirraeth.
Track to skip: There are only 9 tracks and the songwriting is very lean, so I haven't been skipping any.
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