Midnight Oil

At last -- Midnight Oil captured live at the peak of their prowess! Recorded on the Red Sails in the Sunset tour, Best of Both Worlds contains the best of Midnight Oil's material -- the songs from Red Sails and 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 -- right before Diesel and Dust and a certain song about burning beds turned them into international one-hit wonders. No, this collection is from Pete Garrett's political heyday -- when he wouldn't think twice about stopping a show in mid-song if his audience was misbehaving in his mind. A time when he wouldn't think twice about using Midnight Oil's arena-ready rock to encapsulate his political polemic. This was the tightest band on the planet for a time -- and this was that time. "US Forces," "When the Generals Talk," "Tin Legs and Tin Mines," "Power & the Passion," "Short Memory," "Only the Strong" -- and, of course, the showstopping, "Jimmy Sharman's Boxers." The list of highlights goes on and on. Anyone who was fortunate enough to see an early Oil show knows how dynamic and furious this record is just from having been there. For any other fans of the band, forget about the burning bed song not being on here: this is a better record for it. Best of Both Worlds is the sound of a legendary live band at the top of the their legendary live game. And as this collection clearly shows, they were ready for their close up. ~ Tomas Mureika, All Music Guide