20000 Watts R.S.L. - The Midnight Oil Collection

Rating:
Summary: Essential for fans and neophytes...
Review: "20,000 Watt RSL" is a superb visual compilation of Oils video clips and live performances and a rich documentation of Australia's finest ever rock group.
The U.S. release of this DVD (originally released in Australia in 2000) proves a fitting follow-up to this year's "Capricornia," the band's best release since 1990's "Blue Sky Mining," and the intensity and spirit of those records is sharply evidenced throughout these performances.
The videos are of course superb, and play like a "greatest hits" of Oils singles, but it is the live clips that shine; "Armistice Day" from Melbourne in 1982, "No Time for Games" and "Lucky Country" from the Capitol Theatre in Sydney in the same year. Having seen Garrett flail around the stage at Irving Plaza in May, it's clear he hasn't slowed down in 20 years. Clips of "Harrisburg" and "Sleep" had me reaching for my copy of "Red Sails in the Sunset" (1985) for the first time in a long time: what a stunning album, filled with the deeply layered atmospherics and acoustics that have articulated the sound of their continent so beautifully over the years. Listen to "Bells and Horns in the Back of Beyond" and you'll realize just how subtle and inventive this band can be. "20,000 Watts" highlights also include clips from the unforgettable 1990 5th Avenue show outside Exxon's HQ. If you enjoy this then get hold of a copy of "Black Rain Falls" for the whole concert.
Running in at over 2 ½ hours, this is a generous and comprehensive visual history of a band that has deserved much more commercial and critical acclaim it has received. Check this out and then check out the real thing when they return to the US in the fall. If you're impressed, then also take a listen to drummer Rob Hirst's band Ghostwriters, who have released three stunning albums in Australia in the past decade - "Ghostwriters," "Second Skin" and "Fibromoon." He's the best drummer I've ever seen, and these records are a testament to his talents as a vocalist and song-writer. Seriously good music.

Rating:
Summary: One word... AWESOME!!!!
Review: First and foremost, I wasn't a big Oils fan before purchasing this DVD. So I am not one of those die hard fans that are blinded and would praise the DVD regardless of whether it is 'really' good or not. This being said...

I am now a HUGE fan of the Oils.

I have not been smitten by a band like this since I saw Stop Making Sense by the Talking Heads.

Don't let the "I don't know any of their songs" mentality sway you from this purchase. As with me, it is likely that you have only heard their one hit in the US, Beds are Burning. That is the music business today. Good bands have been replaced by marketing schemes.

Peter Garrett (lead singer) is what I would call one hell of an "imposing figure" on stage. How can you not like this guy? He reminds me of the dude from the movie The Hills Have Eyes on speed or some kind of frenzy induced drug. He is remarkable in how he articulates the lyrics... the passsion. The drive. The force. The energy. The heart.

BUY THIS DVD...
smack that bad boy in your dvd player...
crank it up...
I said to CRANK IT UP!!!!

then to introduce you to one of your new favorite bands,
play Redneck Wonderland...
That riff is now stuck in my head...

daw daw daw
daw dah daw daw
daw daw dah
daw daw daw daw daw...
I don't wanna run... I don't wanna hide....

......


Rating:
Summary: Great Collection of Midnight Oil
Review: Great collection of Midnight Oil's music videos from TV and live perfomances. Great sound and imagery make this a worthy buy for 'Oil fans.

Rating:
Summary: Great collection of Midnight Oil sights & sounds
Review: Great DVD for the Midnight Oil fan. Includes 19 Midnight Oil Videos (clips as they refer to them down under) Also has the Oil's discussing several videos, Peters run for Senate as well as their involvment in the Clayoquot Sound issue. Also has 19 Live videos from different concert events. They even included discussions on playing live, their first album as well as the Exxon protest and several other issues. Sound and picture is fantastic as everything has been digitally remastered. Now I'll have to go find my Black Fella, White Fella VHS tape and watch that again as well. Includes bonus video of Redneck Wonderland. A must for Oils fans!!

Rating:
Summary: Great collection of Midnight Oil sights & sounds
Review: Great DVD for the Midnight Oil fan. Includes 19 Midnight Oil Videos (clips as they refer to them down under) Also has the Oil's discussing several videos, Peters run for Senate as well as their involvment in the Clayoquot Sound issue. Also has 19 Live videos from different concert events. They even included discussions on playing live, their first album as well as the Exxon protest and several other issues. Sound and picture is fantastic as everything has been digitally remastered. Now I'll have to go find my Black Fella, White Fella VHS tape and watch that again as well. Includes bonus video of Redneck Wonderland. A must for Oils fans!!

Rating:
Summary: Nice Work Aussie
Review: If you are a Midnight oil fan you need this DVD. Great video clips, i was looking for their video clips and just found 2 videos online. beds are burning and the dead hearts. The only song they didn't perform in this Video is my favorite (Warakurna). But still i give them 5 stars they really know how to rock the hose i love to have my beers on saturday watching them play again and again. Get it!! is worth the Bucks ...@!

Rating:
Summary: A Must Have
Review: If you're a big fan of The Oils, this DVD is a must! It's great to see the video's and live performances. With Midnight Oil receiving such little radio and TV airplay, it's very enjoyable to watch every minute of this DVD. It was also great to gain some insight to the band's music through the interviews. Other's have described this DVD, so I won't get into it. Again, if you really like the band, you won't be disappointed with this collection!

Rating:
Summary: Nice 'Oil Collection
Review: Nice collection of Midnight Oil's music videos. Contains hit music videos seen on TV and live perfomances. Great sound and imagery make this a worthy buy for 'Oil fans.

Rating:
Summary: A Complete Video Companion
Review: Scandously overlooked in my native Uk, with no DVD's available and most albums out of stock, this is a great and varied collection of live performances,video extracts and interviews from their career 1978-2002.
Video's from the early years that you seldom see on the vapid,useless commerical video channels are intriguing whilst the set of live performances shows how good a band they were.
Its a shame they didnt include the releases in date order(vids and clips? was confusing as there were no clips...everything was its proper length).More chat about how songs were written would have been good but you can't fault this amazing collection from the best band in the world

Rating:
Summary: Oil to the End
Review: The volume of work in this DVD makes it a great buy compared to other band's DVDs.The 20000watts R.S.L. collection DVD has clips, their production videos and videos which are live song performances. I watched the DVD yesterday with my wife and enjoyed the chance to relive their early video clips. Midnight Oil's raw sound was wonderful and reminded me of the days when I waited up late on weekends to catch them on the U.S.A. channel Night Flight(young MTV rarely showed the alternative bands at that time). If you are recent fan of midnight oil this will give you a broad spectrum of their musical works.I was able to show my daughter the songs she danced to as an 18 month old child (she's 13 now.)My wife still laughs at the way I would try to dance like Peter. I saw them at Red Rocks in 1990 and am happy that they included their live performances for those that have not been at their concerts.Take time to enjoy it for yourself.