In 1988, Larry Livermore , owner of Lookout! Records , saw the band play an early gig and signed them to his label.
Diesel and Dust peaked at No. 1 on the Australian albums charts for six weeks, No. 21 on the Billboard 200 charts in 1988, and No. 19 on the UK albums charts. ” Beds Are Burning ” was their biggest international hit single, peaking at No. 6 in Australia, and…
Read More
Following a lengthy break, the band recruited multi-instrumentalist Martin McCarrick and guitarist Jon Klein . The quintet recorded a multifaceted album, Peepshow in 1988, with non-traditional rock instrumentation including cello and accordion . Q magazine praised the album in its 5-star review: ” Peepshow takes place in some distorted fairground…
Read More
The band continued as a three-piece, with Wire switching from rhythm guitar to bass, and in 1988 they released their first single, ” Suicide Alley “. Despite its poor recording quality, this single provides an early insight into both Bradfield’s guitar work and Moore’s live drumming. NME gave “Suicide Alley”…
Read More
At the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) 1988 Awards ceremony, Midnight Oil won ” Best Cover Art ” for Diesel and Dust and both ” Best Single ” and ” Best Song ” for ” Beds Are Burning “. A fracas developed between Morris, accepting awards for Midnight Oil, and…
Read More
Something Happens’ first release was the self-released “Two Chances” EP, which attracted the attention of Virgin Records . After initially declining the label, the band agreed to a second proposal and released a live EP, I Know Ray Harman , in 1988.
Woodward left the band in early 1988, reportedly because he believed that the band were moving away from their punk roots.
Following the 1988 American tour in support of Diesel and Dust with Australian band Yothu Yindi , Midnight Oil launched the Building Bridges – Australia Has A Black History album with various artists contributing, including Paul Kelly , Scrap Metal , Coloured Stone, Hunters & Collectors , James Reyne ,…
Read More
Don Gehman was unable to produce R.E.M.’s fifth album, so he suggested the group work with Scott Litt . Litt would become the producer for the band’s next five albums. Document (1987) featured some of Stipe’s most overtly political lyrics, particularly on “Welcome to the Occupation” and “Exhuming McCarthy”, which…
Read More
At the 1988 Brit Awards , at the Royal Albert Hall , the band were given the British Phonographic Industry ‘s Lifetime Achievement Award. The short set they played there was the last time Jones played with the Who until 2014.