Midnight Oil

[Powderworks] Oil and UB40, SRV, M Burn, etc.

Laura Wolfe Laura Wolfe" <casalobo@lightspeed.net
Sat, 9 Mar 2002 15:41:51 -0800


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Responses and comments re: other messages:

I'm not sure what UB40's audience thought about Oil on the 85 tour?  =
They got a good response and always did an encore, and the horn section =
of UB40 came out for the end of Power and the Passion (that got a big =
response, of course).  But I'm sure many of them found the Oils too =
aggressive, too loud, impossible to dance to (except the verses of P&P), =
and too overtly political (although UB40 started out as a political =
reggae band -- UB40 is the form number of the unemployment application =
in the UK).  I think it was a badly conceived match and was probably a =
waste of Oil's time for that six weeks.  Their show at Irvine on 8/9/85 =
was 45 minutes of absolute intensity: Best of Both Worlds, Read About =
It, U.S. Forces, Kosciusko, Short Memory, Only the Strong, Don't Wanna =
Be the One, Power and the Passion, and Stand in Line.  Put THAT in your =
pipe and smoke it!

Quick correction re: SRV opening for Men at Work in Seattle in 82.  He =
was killed in a helicopter crash in August 1990, quite a while later.

Re: Malcolm Burn's production of "Breathe."  In a word, it sucks.  When =
Rob told me they were on their way to New Orleans to record with Burn, I =
asked who he was.  When he told me that he was a protege of Daniel =
Lanois (whom I like and respect), I told him that sounded like a really =
bad match to me.  I cautioned him to watch the drum sounds, something =
that Lanois (and his engineer, Burn) are lousy with.  I told him the =
drums would come out sounding like boxes or tin cans, and he said he'd =
keep an eye (ear) out for that problem.  And I was right (for once).  =
But I was certain there would be a clash of musical sensibilities and =
that it would hurt the album.  Just think what Warne Livesey or Nick =
Launay could have done with the same material, recorded in Sydney or =
London.  Everything that Lanois or Burn produce sounds the same.  Kind =
of lo-fi, basically.  It works great on Lanois' solo albums and for =
artists like Dylan and Emmylou Harris, but NOT for a guitar band like =
the Oils.  Like most Oil fans, I often wonder why they don't ask ME =
these things and then do what I tell them.  ;-)   I would have =
recommended Gavin McKillop (Toad the Wet Sprocket, The Chills, =
mid-period still-rockin' Goo Goo Dolls) or Jerry Harrison (ex-Talking =
Heads, who produced the first few, fantastic sounding albums by Live, as =
well as Crash Test Dummies and one other completely different act that =
escapes me at the moment) somewhere along the line.  Steve Lillywhite =
might have been a good choice, too (U2, Simple Minds, more recently Dave =
Matthews Band's first few CDs).

OK, climbing down off my soapbox now.

Bill Wolfe

The thought manifests as the word;
the word manifests as the deed;
the deed develops into the habit;
and habit hardens into character.
So watch the thought and its ways with care,=20
and let it spring from love
born out of concern for all things.
-- The Buddha


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<META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2600.0" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Responses and comments re: other=20
messages:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I'm not sure what UB40's audience =
thought about Oil=20
on the 85 tour?&nbsp; They got a good response and always did an encore, =
and the=20
horn section of UB40 came out for the end of Power and the Passion (that =
got a=20
big response, of course).&nbsp; But I'm sure many of them found the Oils =
too=20
aggressive, too loud, impossible to dance to (except the verses of =
P&amp;P), and=20
too overtly political (although UB40 started out as a political reggae =
band --=20
UB40 is the form number of the unemployment application in the =
UK).&nbsp; I=20
think it was a badly conceived match and was probably a waste of Oil's =
time for=20
that six weeks.&nbsp; Their show at Irvine on 8/9/85 was 45 minutes of =
absolute=20
intensity: Best of Both Worlds, Read About It, U.S. Forces, Kosciusko, =
Short=20
Memory, Only the Strong, Don't Wanna Be the One, Power and the Passion, =
and=20
Stand in Line.&nbsp; Put THAT in your pipe and smoke it!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Quick correction re: SRV opening for =
Men at Work in=20
Seattle in 82.&nbsp;&nbsp;He was killed in a helicopter crash in August =
1990,=20
quite a while later.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Re: Malcolm Burn's production of =
"Breathe."&nbsp;=20
In a word, it sucks.&nbsp; When Rob told me they were on their way to =
New=20
Orleans to record with Burn, I asked who he was.&nbsp; When he told me =
that he=20
was a protege of Daniel Lanois (whom I like and respect), I told him =
that=20
sounded like a really bad match to me.&nbsp; I cautioned him to watch =
the drum=20
sounds, something that Lanois (and his engineer, Burn) are lousy =
with.&nbsp; I=20
told him the drums would come out sounding like boxes or tin cans, and =
he said=20
he'd keep an eye (ear) out for that problem.&nbsp; And I was right (for=20
once).&nbsp; But I was certain there would be a clash of musical =
sensibilities=20
and that it would hurt the album.&nbsp; Just think what Warne Livesey or =
Nick=20
Launay could have done with the same material, recorded in Sydney or=20
London.&nbsp; Everything that Lanois or Burn produce sounds the =
same.&nbsp; Kind=20
of lo-fi, basically.&nbsp; It works great on Lanois' solo albums and for =
artists=20
like Dylan and Emmylou Harris, but NOT for a guitar band like the =
Oils.&nbsp;=20
Like most Oil fans, I often wonder why they don't ask ME these things =
and then=20
do what I tell them.&nbsp; ;-)&nbsp;&nbsp; I would have recommended =
Gavin=20
McKillop (Toad the Wet Sprocket, The Chills, mid-period still-rockin' =
Goo Goo=20
Dolls) or Jerry Harrison (ex-Talking Heads, who produced the first few,=20
fantastic sounding albums by Live, as well as Crash Test Dummies and one =
other=20
completely different act that escapes me at the moment) somewhere along =
the=20
line.&nbsp; Steve Lillywhite might have been a good choice, too (U2, =
Simple=20
Minds, more recently Dave Matthews Band's first few CDs).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>OK, climbing down off my soapbox =
now.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Bill Wolfe</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The thought manifests as the =
word;<BR>the word=20
manifests as the deed;<BR>the deed develops into the habit;<BR>and habit =
hardens=20
into character.<BR>So watch the thought and its ways with care, <BR>and =
let it=20
spring from love<BR>born out of concern for all things.<BR>-- The=20
Buddha<BR></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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