Redneck Wonderland

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
1998 album for Columbia by the veteran Australianalternative rock act. 12 tracks, including the singles'White Skin Black Heart', 'Cemetery In My Mind' and 'RedneckWonderland'. The album's sound is reminiscent of their 1983album '10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1'.

Tracks:

Redneck Wonderland
Concrete
Cemetery In My Mind
Comfortable Place On The Couch
Safety Chain Blues
Return To Sender
Blot
The Great Gibber Plain
Seeing Is Believing
White Skin Black Heart
What Goes On
Drop In The Ocean

Amazon.com

Meet the new Oils, same as the old Oils. Well, sort of. On Redneck Wonderland, the Australian group's 12th long player, Peter Garrett & Co. conjure a brave new sound, employing heavy distortion, synths, and clanging metallic percussion to drive home their proclamations on race, ecology, and national policy. When rock & roll mixes with politics, the music often suffers, but the Oils have always been at their best when speaking directly from their hearts, as on "White Skin Black Heart," "What Goes On," and the title track. Certainly Aussie-centric screeds such as "The Great Gibber Plain" will have more resonance Down Under but, more often than not, the Oils speak plainly, pointedly, and with a sense of urgency missing from their music since their landmark albums Diesel and Dust and Blue Sky Mining. --Daniel Durchholz

Customer Reviews:

Oils Bring Back The Rock!.......2007-06-12

I have read several of the reviews here and just had to comment on them. Those who like it seem to refer to it as a new direction for Midnight Oil that works. Those who don't like it complain that the melody is missing. It seems that these folks like the more acoustic/mellow sound of Midnight Oil ("Earth and Sun and Moon," "Diesel and Dust," "Blue Sky Mining," etc.).

I have been a Midnight Oil Fan since about '82, when "10. . .1" was released (their first US release). It was like nothing I'd ever heard. I found the music a bit disturbing, yet beautiful. By the time "Red Sails. . " was released I was in love with this band and excited to hear the more experimental sounds of "Red Sails in The Sunset" (What is that brass woodwind interlude all about?). Those two albums form the core of my love for this band. In the decades since that time, I have collected every album and EP the Oils have released, but those two remain the benchmark by which all others are judged (yes, I know that's a personal thing - music is subjective, after all).

When "Diesel and Dust" was released I was happy that the group had found success stateside and it gave me about a year of "I told you so. . ." conversations with friends who always wondered why I was so in love with this quirky Australian band. "D&D" is a great pop album and is an amazing achievement. It contains some of my favorite songs by the group (however, "Beds are Burning" ranks with my least favorite), but it was very commercial and I was a bit sad that my "secret band" was now being played all over the radio. But again, I was glad to see them reap the rewards of over a decade slugging it out in the underground (at least in the US).

The two albums after "Diesel and Dust" found the Oils softening their sound further. Even the rockers featured thin guitar sounds (hear "Blue Sky Mine") with two much chorus and not enough "balls." Great songs, with wimpy, sterile execution. Not bad, but certainly not the rock I'd come to love on the first two albums I'd heard by these guys. And the weirdness had all but vanished by the time "Earth and Sun and Moon" was released.

I recently viewed their video compilation DVD and watched the videos in chronological order. This really gave me a sense of how the band progressed from a scrappy Aussie surf/bar band to a skilled, powerful, experimental political band to a commercial arena rock band with a message ("the Australian U2"). From the first videos where Peter Garret dances around like a madman to the later ones where he's riding on the back of a jeep and the entire band is outfitted in dated 80s-wear, I really got a sense of how they had changed both musically and physically.

It reminded me of why I started to lose interest around the time of "Blue Sky Mining," was disappointed by "Earth and Sun. . ." and didn't even bother to purchase "Breathe" until about a year or two after it was released. These guys had peaked and I could feel the decline. The question was how long would they stick it out.

I got a promo copy of "Redneck Wonderland," just prior to its release. I still listened to their earlier work on a regular basis and was curious to see if this one would be yet another trek into the mellow acoustic sound they'd grown into, but didn't work for me.

I was happily surprised to see that this album was not more of the same. It harkened back to the sound that made me fall in love with them in the first place. The guitars were heavy and raw. Peter Garrett was angry. In fact, the whole band sounded pissed off.

In addition, they brought back a lot of foreign sounds - noises that were a bit uncomfortable, but somehow made sense.

I've always thought that Midnight Oil recognized how they had lost their way and that this album was their attempt to get back to their roots. To me it's the hardest (rock) album they had released since "Red Sails. . ." It is rare for a band that has been around for over 20 years (as the Oils had been at the time this was released) to release something this energetic, raw and "new" sounding - especially following their less challenging output from the late-80s through the mid-90s.

Obviously, I am a big fan of this band. But if your experience with their music is similar to what I have described above, you may want to pick this up. If you're a fan of their softer side, (e.g. turn it up every time "Beds Are Burning," comes on the retro station) then perhaps you should stay away from this one.

Those who call this album garbage either love the mellower side or must not be too familiar with their earlier work (or perhaps we are just hear this one differently), because the early stuff is a bit awkward, disturbing and difficult. And that's when I like them best.

Unfortunately, they released "Capricornia" after this, which might as well have been called "Earth and Sun and Moon Part 2." But for a moment, they awoke and created one last rocker that is the quite enjoyable "Redneck Wonderland."

One of the best.......2007-01-14

Redneck Wonderland is one of the best rock albums by Midnight Oil or any other band.

The music sounds like a cross between 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 and Blue Sky Mining with plenty of new sounds and ideas thrown in.

Sorry Guys, this one is just plan BAD !!!! (Zero stars).......2006-01-25

I guarantee,if you are a fan of Midnight Oil's: Earth & Sky & Moon(on my desert island disc list), Diesel & Dust, Blue Sky Mining, 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1, Red Skies in the Sunset or any other Oil record actually...you will want to pass on this ill conceived, extremely poorly written body of songs!
I have nothing good to say about this LP and it boggles this listeners mind to read the great reviews written here about the record (and which influenced/suckered me into buying it)- I heard nothing good songwise on my copy and it has since been traded back to my used CD store (joining a pile of six other returned copies). I suppose, the fanatical Midnight Oil fan, who would gladly buy an LP of lead singer Peter Garrett farting and call it brilliant, would rate this rubbish so highly (and would explain the great reviews here), but this descriminating longtime fan calls a pass on this dud!

Differen, for better or for worse.......2005-12-14

Having owned every single Oil's track on the market, I feel I have a right to say that this is an extremely different CD to the norm. Much heavier and with a different sense of anger, a loud and brash one, the oils go where they have never before.

Wether this is a good thing or not is debatible. Those who like it heavier will enjoy this, however I don't feel that is the kind of fan-base the oils have. It's different, it's new (only a few repeated songs this time round) and it's good. Like it or leave it, you have to give the oils credit; trying something new and doing well at it.

Not my fav. but it's the oils, and that is good enough for me.

A Redder Shade of Neck.......2005-03-21

Just when you thought Midnight Oil was the greatest group in the world, they release a lackluster album like 1996's Breathe. Thankfully, Redneck Wonderland forgoes the pseudo-country feel of Breathe and proves that Midnight Oil are still relevant. Songs like Concrete and Cemetary In My Mind shake you and almost force you to turn up the volume. This may be too intense for some. For Oil newbies, check out Earth & Sun & Moon, Blue Sky Mine, or Diesel and Dust first.

[DW]

Average customer rating:

Redneck Wonderland

Manufacturer: Columbia
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00007JRD2
Release Date: 2006-09-26

Album Description

1998 album for Columbia by the veteran Australianalternative rock act. 12 tracks, including the singles'White Skin Black Heart', 'Cemetery In My Mind' and 'RedneckWonderland'. The album's sound is reminiscent of their 1983album '10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1'.

Average customer rating:

Redneck Wonderland
Midnight Oil
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000OCXM2W
Release Date: 2007-03-15

Album Details

1998 Album for this Columbia by the Veteran Australian-alternative Rock Act.

Average customer rating:

A new forum for the Oils with hints of their old riffs

Redneck Wonderland
Midnight Oil
Manufacturer: Pid
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Alternative Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00000BIDE
Release Date: 1998-09-01

Tracks:

Redneck Wonderland
Concrete
Cemetery In My Mind
Comfortable Place On The Couch
Safety Chain Blues
Return To Sender
Blot
The Great Gibber Plan
Seeing Is Believing
White Skin Black Heart
What Goes On
Drop In The Ocean

Album Description

Customer Reviews:

A new forum for the Oils with hints of their old riffs.......1998-12-12

I have been listening to the Oils for close to 13 years now and am always pleased with their latest product. Redneck Wonderland is no exception. This album takes to a different palate - one very similar to the sounds of 10,9,....2,1. The album has a rough edge to it. Not the produced sound of Earth and Sun and Moon. It is a wonderful follow up to Breathe with the same heavy distorted power tunes. It reminds me of a dialed up Bird Noises. I am constantly celebrating the new and inventive directions this band takes with their music. You will not be disappointed with the same powerfully political and idealogical lyrics that we have come to count on from this band. Nice work boys. Goodonya mates.

Average customer rating:

Redneck Wonderland
Midnight Oil
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B0002XND7M
Release Date: 2004-01-06

Album Description

The first single & title track of their 1998 album,described as a return to the form of '10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1'.It's backed with 'The Great Gibber Plan' (Ambient Version).Color picture disc. Slimline jewel case. 1998 Columbiarelease.

Average customer rating:

Razor-sharp, fierce, satisfying.
Midnight Oil are the best.

Redneck Wonderland
Midnight Oil
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Alternative Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00000C33B

Customer Reviews:

Razor-sharp, fierce, satisfying........2000-07-26

The verse's electronic beats flash by almost like an afterthought, and the massive, roaring choruses take your head off. This is "Breathe" cranked to 11, and that doesn't do it justice. No slick production masks the fire in this music--it's intense and intensely sincere. Oil fans will want this for the b-side--an ambient version of "Great Gibber Plain" that, in true Oils fashion, is an entirely different performance than what's on the album; it's a haunting, floating rendition.

Midnight Oil are the best........2000-06-14

This is a good CD single with some good songs, but it's not the best the Oil's have done. Definatly worth getting a copy if you can for Midnight Oil fans.

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