20,000 Watt R.S.L.

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20,000 Watt R.S.L.
20000 Watt RSL album.jpg
Greatest hits album by Midnight Oil
Released 12 October 1997
Recorded 1979–1997
Genre Rock
Length 75:55
Label Sprint Music / CBS Records
Midnight Oil chronology
Breathe
(1996)Breathe1996
20,000 Watt R.S.L.
(1997)
Redneck Wonderland
(1998)Redneck Wonderland1998
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 3/5 stars [1]

20,000 Watt R.S.L. is a compilation album by Australian rock band Midnight Oil released in October 1997 on their own label Sprint Music.[2][3] The word "Collection" appears on the front of the CD along the hinge in the same type face as the title and the name of the band and may have been intended as part of the album's title; however, it does not appear on the spine. The release has also been distributed inside a cardboard sleeve which adds "Midnight Oil: The Hits" to the album art, distinguishing it as a compilation album.

The compilation covers the majority of Midnight Oil's career, starting with their 1979 album Head Injuries, and includes tracks from all their major studio releases (and one EP), even including two songs from Redneck Wonderland, which was released after the compilation in 1998.[3]

The album peaked at #1 on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) album charts,[4] and achieved 4×Platinum sales,[5] it also peaked at #18 in New Zealand.[6] The R.S.L. in the title refers to the Returned and Services League of Australia.

Midnight Oil released a more comprehensive compilation album, the double-disc Essential Oils, in 2012. "What Goes On" is the only 20,000 Watt R.S.L track not present on Essential Oils.

Background

Midnight Oil was an Australian rock band from Sydney formed in 1976 with vocalist Peter Garrett, drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboardist/lead guitarist Jim Moginie,[2][3] Guitarist Martin Rotsey joined in 1977[3] and Midnight Oil established their own record label Powderworks,[3] they released their second album Head Injuries on this label in October 1979.[3] Founding bass guitarist James left due to illness in 1980, he was replaced by Peter Gifford, Gifford was himself replaced by Bones Hillman in 1987.[2][3]

Australian Top Ten singles were "Power and the Passion", "The Dead Heart", "Beds Are Burning" and "Blue Sky Mine".[4] Aside from chart success both "Power and the Passion" and "Beds Are Burning" were listed by Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) in the Top 30 best Australian songs of all time in 2001.[7] Through a long and distinguished career, the band became known for its driving hard-rock sound, intense live performances and political activism, particularly in aid of anti-nuclear, environmentalist and indigenous causes.[8]

Track listing

Songwriters according to Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA):[9]

  1. "What Goes On" (Garrett, Hillman, Hirst, Moginie, Rotsey)
  2. "Power and the Passion" (Garrett, Hirst, Moginie)
  3. "Dreamworld" (Garrett, Hirst, Moginie)
  4. "White Skin Black Heart" (Garrett, Hillman, Hirst, Moginie, Rotsey)
  5. "Kosciusko" (Hirst, Moginie)
  6. "The Dead Heart" (Garrett, Hirst, Moginie)
  7. "Blue Sky Mine" (Garrett, Hillman, Hirst, Moginie, Rotsey)
  8. "US Forces" (Garrett, Moginie)
  9. "Beds Are Burning" (Garrett, Hirst, Moginie)
  10. "One Country" (Garrett, Moginie)
  11. "Best of Both Worlds" (Hirst, Moginie)
  12. "Truganini" (Hirst, Moginie)
  13. "King of the Mountain" (Hirst, Moginie)
  14. "Hercules" (Garrett, Hirst, Moginie)
  15. "Surf's Up Tonight" (Garrett, Hillman, Hirst, Moginie, Rotsey)
  16. "Back on the Borderline" (Garrett, Hirst, James)
  17. "Don't Wanna Be the One" (Garrett, Hirst, Moginie, Rotsey)
  18. "Forgotten Years" (Hirst, Moginie)

Chart positions

Year Chart Position
1997 Australian ARIA Albums Chart 1
New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart 18

Year-end charts

Chart (1997) Position
Australian Albums Chart[10] 28

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[11] 5× Platinum 350,000

^shipments figures based on certification alone

Personnel

Midnight Oil
Additional personnel

References

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External links

Preceded by
Anthology 1: Greatest Hits 1987-1997
by John Farnham
Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album
26 October – 1 November 1997
Succeeded by
My Best Friend's Wedding: Music from the Motion Picture
by Various artists