Midnight Oil

  Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett has become a politician and serves as a minister in Australia’s cabinet. No one should be surprised, given the calls to political activism in his lyrics. But, as becomes apparent on the reissue of Midnight Oil’s classic of alternative album rock, Diesel and Dust, Garrett’s efforts weren’t merely pamphlets set to music. The band had a keen ear for rock ’n’ roll, building their fist-shaking anthem for Aboriginal rights, “Beds are Burning,” on the riff from “Peter Gunn” and infusing their best songs with an urgency that transcends the issues they addressed. Legacy Edition also includes video clips and a 1987 tour documentary.