Midnight Oil Members Release Limited Edition CD

Midnight Oil members Rob Hirst, Jim Moginie and Hamish Stuart have joined forces on the Red Continent EP, a limited-edition CD run exclusively distributed through Songland Records.

With just 500 copies of the four-track EP for sale, this release will be highly sought after – the three Oils members will sign all copies, and you can purchase yours for just $14.95. Not bad for a signed CD.

If you want a copy, you can email songlandrecords@gmail.com and provide your full name, address, phone number and the number of CDs you’re after. If you’re buying from outside Australia, be aware of the high shipping cost – more expensive than the EP you’re ordering.

The Red Continent EP, unless subject to distribution and production, will be released on Friday, 8 September.

While the release features Hirst, Moginie and Stuart’s names on the cover, they’re not the only ones who worked on the Red Continent EP. They recruited longtime mates – producer Warne Livesey mixed and lent some bass playing, William Crighton added backing vocals, and Hunters & Collectors’ Jack Howard provided brass.

The EP’s title track is touted as a sort of follow-up to the iconic Midnight Oil track, Power And The Passion, with a press release noting, “The song makes a headlong attack at the havoc being wreaked on our ancient country by the climate crisis and poses the existential question ‘how do you fight a fire, when you’re running for your life?’ The conclusion? ‘There’s only one road in, only one road out … you’ve got to fight’.”

The Red Continent EP follows another rare CD release Midnight Oil was involved in. In May, in support of The Australian Road Crew Association, the Oils released Midnight Oil: Live At The Old Lion, Adelaide, 1982.

“I’m exhausted listening back to the tape; it’s relentless,” Hirst said about the release. “We were, excuse the pun, a well-oiled machine, angry young men against the world.”

In October 2022, Midnight Oil delivered their final gig in a powerful yet bittersweet fashion. After 50 years, thirteen studio albums and thousands of shows spread over more than twenty countries, one of the best Australian bands ever called it a day.

The Music concluded about the final show, “Midnight Oil will never be forgotten, but neither should their legacy and what they’ve been working so long to achieve. For now, let’s remember them however we choose to do so because everyone has an ‘Oils’ story, and they should always be told.” Check out the full review here.