Sound Advice: CD Reviews - Midnight Oil (20.000 Watt R.S.L.)

CD Review:
This compilation has everything you would want from Midnight Oil and more. In fact the 'more' part is its main problem. Now few would ever argue that less songs on a compilation disc makes it better, I mean you want as much as you can get from a band that you love, but this is one that needs a reduction.

Where this compilation fails, and it is directly related to the purpose of a greatest hits package, is that it gives the listener something he doesn't want. A greatest hits package is marketed to new listeners as fans will already have many of the albums the songs were taken from. The market is for those who have heard a song they have liked on the radio, or have been told of the greatness of the band from a friend or magazine, and now want to listen some of their output. They figure that a greatest hits package will reduce the likelihood of having to listen to 8 mediocre songs in order to get to 2 good ones that a regular release sometime entails.

This is where 20,000 Watts R.S.L. will be a disappointment. The album does have all the band's great songs like "Beds Are Burning," "Blue Sky Mine," and "Power and the Passion," as well as others, but it includes other songs of questionable importance like "What Goes On." In fact there are too many songs of this type on this release and that is its mistake.

This 18 track CD could be reduced to 12 and it would improve the experience of listening to it. At present you will have to hit the next button on your remote. Hell, having the songs in chronological order would have been an improvement also.

Scott D. Brown