Diesel and Dust is the sixth studio album by Australian rock group Midnight Oil which was released in August 1987 by Spirit Music label under Columbia Records. Diesel and Dust was produced by Warne Livesey and the band. It is a concept album about the struggles of Indigenous Australians and environmental causes, issues both near and dear to the band. It drew inspiration from the Blackfella/Whitefella Tour of remote Indigenous communities with the Warumpi Band and Gondwanaland in 1986. The album peaked at No. 1 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart for six weeks.

The rhythm of "Beds are Burning" is said to be inspired by the noise of their vehicles' wheels on the corrugated dirt roads in the region.^{[citation needed]} The track "Gunbarrel Highway" was not included on the United States version of the album. Reportedly, because the line "shit falls like rain on a land that is brown" was deemed too offensive for US audiences.

In 1989, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it No. 13 on their list of the 100 best albums of the 1980s. In October 2010 it was listed at No. 1 in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums.

Background[link]

Midnight Oil spent several months in mid-1986 on the Blackfella/Whitefella Tour of outback Australia with indigenous music groups Warumpi Band and Gondwanaland, playing to remote Aboriginal communities and seeing first hand the seriousness of the issues in health and living standards.^[1] The tour was criticised by some journalists for being a one-off event instead of a long-term attempt to build bridges between communities.^[2] The band was galvanised by the experiences and made them the basis of their next album, Diesel and Dust, which was released in August 1987 and produced by Warne Livesey and the band.^[3] The album focused on the need for recognition by white Australia of past injustices involving the Aboriginal nation and the need for reconciliation. Peter Gifford left the band before the album's release due to extensive touring schedules,^[4] and was replaced on bass guitar by Bones Hillman, formerly of The Swingers.^[3] The track "Gunbarrel Highway" was not included on the United States version of the album. Reportedly, because the line "shit falls like rain on a land that is brown" was deemed too offensive for US audiences.^[5]

Diesel and Dust peaked at No. 1 on the Australian albums charts for six weeks,^[6] No. 21 on the Billboard 200 charts in 1988,^[7] and No. 19 on the UK albums charts.^[8] "Beds Are Burning" was their biggest international hit single, peaking at No. 6 in Australia,^[6] and No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100,^[9] No. 6 on the UK singles charts.^[8] "The Dead Heart" peaked at No. 6 in Australia,^[6] and charted on the Hot 100^[9] and in the UK.^[8] "Put Down that Weapon" also charted in Australia,^[6] while "Dreamworld" charted on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks and at No. 16 on its Modern Rock Tracks.^[9]

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".^[10][11] A fracas developed between Gary Morris, their manager who was accepting awards for Midnight Oil, and former Countdown compere Ian Meldrum who was presenting: Meldrum objected to Morris making political commentary from the podium.^[11]

There were concerns about Diesel and Dust and Midnight Oil's attempts to express indigenous issues to white urban audiences - namely, the question "who holds the power to tell whose history?"^[2] The lyrics of "The Dead Heart" tell the story of colonisation from an indigenous point of view but some critics felt they reinforced the "primitive" stereotype.^[2] Use of the bullroarer was criticised as belonging to sacred rituals, and therefore not appropriate for rock songs.^[2] "The Dead Heart" had been written in response to a request by organisers of the 1985 ceremony to return control of Uluru to its indigenous caretakers; Midnight Oil had originally resisted adding an indigenous group to a concert bill, but the organisers insisted, arguing that the band would reach a wider audience within the predominantly Caucasian urban centres.^[12] Midnight Oil requested that all royalties from the song go to indigenous communities.^[13] In addition, two indigenous groups, Warumpi Band and Gondwanaland, toured with them.

Following the 1988 American tour in support of Diesel and Dust with Australian band Yothu Yindi, Midnight Oil launched the Burning Bridges album with various artists contributing, including Paul Kelly, Scrap Metal, Coloured Stone, Hunters & Collectors, James Reyne, The Saints, Crowded House, and INXS.^[1] All sales proceeds were donated to the National Coalition of Aboriginal Organisations.^[1]

During 1989 to 1993 and 1998 to 2002, Peter Garrett, the band's lead singer, was the President of the Australian Conservation Foundation, whilst during 1993 to 1998 he was on the International Board of Greenpeace.^[14] In 1990 Midnight Oil played an impromptu lunchtime set in front of Exxon headquarters in New York with a banner reading, "Midnight Oil Makes You Dance, Exxon Oil Makes Us Sick," protesting the Exxon Valdez oil spill the previous year.^[4]

Reception[link]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[15]
Rolling Stone	[16]
Robert Christgau	B+ [17]

According to Australian rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, Diesel and Dust showed "Midnight Oil [had] reached the peak of its powers with the release of the groundbreaking ... album. ... [it] is arguably one of the greatest Australian albums of all time. Powerful, dynamic and passionate songs like 'Beds are Burning', 'Put Down that Weapon', 'Dreamworld', 'The Dead Heart' and 'Sell My Soul' were statements of intent and a call to action backed by the strength of their convictions".^[1]

In 1989, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it No. 13 on their list of the 100 best albums of the 1980s. In October 2010 it was listed at No. 1 in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums.^[18]

Track listing[link]

1. "Beds Are Burning" (Rob Hirst, James Moginie, Peter Garrett) – 4:14
2. "Put Down That Weapon" (Moginie, Hirst, Garrett) – 4:38
3. "Dreamworld" (Moginie, Garrett, Hirst) – 3:36
4. "Arctic World" (Moginie, Garrett) – 4:21
5. "Warakurna" (Moginie) – 4:38
6. "The Dead Heart" (Hirst, Moginie, Garrett) – 5:10
7. "Whoah" (Moginie, Garrett) – 3:50
8. "Bullroarer" (Hirst, Moginie, Garrett) – 4:59
9. "Sell My Soul" (Moginie, Garrett) – 3:35
10. "Sometimes" (Moginie, Garrett, Hirst) – 3:53
11. "Gunbarrel Highway" (Midnight Oil) - 3:38 ^

^ Not available on the US or the Canadian LP. As of 2008, the track is available on Canadian CD.

Personnel[link]

• Martin Rotsey - guitars
• Peter Gifford - bass, vocals
• Robert Hirst - drums, vocals
• Jim Moginie - guitars, keyboards
• Peter Garrett - vocals

Notes[link]

• "Holden wrecks" ("Beds Are Burning") refers to the GMH Holden, the Australian make of car.
• Warakurna is a small town in Western Australia, close to the Northern Territory border, which the band visited on their Black Fella White Fella tour.
• "In Redfern as there is in Alice" ("Warakurna") refers to Redfern, an area in Sydney, and to Alice Springs, principal town in the centre of Australia.
• "Lasseter" ("Warakurna") was a gold-seeking con man (died 1931) after whom the Northern Territory highway to Ayers Rock is named.
• The "dead heart" is a traditional way of referring to the underpopulated desert centre of Australia, a continent which is largely desert with most of the people distributed along the coasts.
• A bullroarer is a traditional Aboriginal musical instrument which produces a whirring sound.

Chart positions[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Midnight Oil

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2009)

"The Dead Heart" is a song by Australian rock band Midnight Oil. It was first released as a single in Australia in 1986 and in the United Kingdom and the United States in 1988 after it had been included on the 1987 album, Diesel and Dust. It peaked at number four on the Australian singles chart and at number eleven on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

Charts[link]

Cover versions[link]

Sydney-based punk rock band, Frenzal Rhomb recorded a significantly up-tempo version of the song for the 2001 album, Power & The Passion: A Tribute to Midnight Oil. In 2010, Canadian band Alexisonfire recorded a version for their limited edition tour EP.

This 1980s rock song-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (June 2010)

Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Cockburn performing at the City Stages festival in Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Background information
Born	(1945-05-27) May 27, 1945 (age 67)
Origin	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Folk, rock
Instruments	Guitar, vocals
Years active	1967–present
Website	www.brucecockburn.com

Bruce Douglas Cockburn OC ( /ˈkoʊbərn/ KOH-bərn; born May 27, 1945)^[1] is a Canadian folk/rock guitarist and singer-songwriter. His most recent album was released in March 2011. He has written songs in styles ranging from folk to jazz-influenced rock to rock and roll.

Biography[link]

Bruce Cockburn was born in 1945 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and spent some of his early years on a farm outside Pembroke, Ontario. He has stated in interviews that his first guitar was one he found around 1959 in his grandmother's attic, which he adorned with golden stars and used to play along to radio hits.^[2] Cockburn was a student (but did not study music) at Nepean High School, where his 1964 yearbook photo states his desire "to become a musician."^[3] He attended Berklee School of Music in Boston for three semesters in the mid-1960s. In 1966 he joined an Ottawa band called The Children, which lasted for about a year. In the spring of 1967 he joined the final lineup of The Esquires. He moved to Toronto that summer to form The Flying Circus with former Bobby Kris & The Imperials members Marty Fisher and Gordon MacBain and ex-Tripp member Neil Lillie. The group recorded some material in late 1967 (which remains unreleased) before changing its name to Olivus in the spring of 1968, by which time Lillie (who changed his name to Neil Merryweather) had been replaced by Dennis Pendrith from Livingstone's Journey. Olivus opened for The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream in April 1968. That summer Cockburn broke up the band with the intention of going solo, but he ended up in the band 3's a Crowd with David Wiffen, Colleen Peterson, and Richard Patterson, who had played with him in The Children. Cockburn left this band in the spring of 1969 to pursue a solo career.

Cockburn's first solo appearance was at the Mariposa Folk Festival in 1967, and in 1969 he was the headliner. In 1970 he released his first, self-titled, solo album. Cockburn's guitar work and songwriting skills won him an enthusiastic following. His early work featured rural and nautical imagery, Biblical metaphors, and the conviction that heaven is close despite hardship. Raised as an agnostic, early in his career he became a devout Christian.^[4] Many of his albums from the 1970s refer to his Christian belief, which in turn informs the concerns for human rights and environmentalism expressed on his 1980s albums. His references to Christianity in his music include the Grail imagery of 20th-century Christian poet Charles Williams and the ideas of theologian Harvey Cox.^[5]

While Cockburn had been popular in Canada for years, he did not have a big impact in the United States until 1979, with the release of the album Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws. "Wondering Where the Lions Are," the first single from that album, reached No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US in June 1980, and earned Cockburn an appearance on NBC's hit TV show Saturday Night Live.

Cockburn was married from 1969 to 1980 to Kitty Cockburn, and has a daughter Jenny (born in July 1976) from that marriage. He wrote the song "Little Seahorse" in late 1975 about the time when his daughter was in utero. It appears on his album In the Falling Dark.

Through the 1980s Cockburn's songwriting became first more urban, more global and then more political; he became heavily involved with progressive causes. His growing political concerns were first hinted at in three discs: Humans, Inner City Front, and The Trouble with Normal. These concerns became more evident in 1984, with Cockburn's second US radio hit, "If I Had a Rocket Launcher" (No. 88 in the US) from the Stealing Fire album. He had written the song a year earlier, following a visit to Guatemalan refugee camps in Mexico that were attacked before and after his visit by Guatemalan military helicopters. His political activism continues to the present. Cockburn has travelled to many countries (such as Mozambique and Iraq), played many benefit concerts, and written many songs on a variety of political subjects ranging from the International Monetary Fund to land mines. His internationalist bent is reflected in the many world music influences in his music, including reggae and Latin music.

In 1991 Intrepid Records released Kick at the Darkness, a tribute album to Cockburn whose title comes from a phrase in his song "Lovers in a Dangerous Time." It features the Barenaked Ladies' cover of that song, which became their first Top 40 hit and was an element in their early success. This lyric was also referenced by U2 in their song "God Part II" from their album Rattle and Hum.

In the early 1990s Cockburn teamed with T-Bone Burnett for two albums, Nothing but a Burning Light and Dart to the Heart. The latter included a song, "Closer to the Light," inspired by the death of songwriter Mark Heard, who was a close friend of Cockburn and Burnett. Cockburn frequently refers to Heard as his favourite songwriter and was one of many artists who paid tribute to Heard on an album and video titled Strong Hand of Love. On the album Cockburn performs the title song.

In 1998 Cockburn travelled with filmmaker Robert Lang to Mali, West Africa, where he jammed with Grammy Award-winning blues musician Ali Farka Toure and kora master Toumani Diabate. The month-long journey was documented in the one-hour film River of Sand, which won the Regard Canadien award for best documentary at the Vues d'Afrique Film Festival in Montreal. It was also invited for competition at the International Festival of Environmental Films in Paris.^[6]

Some of Cockburn's previously published material had been collected in several albums: Resume, Mummy Dust, and Waiting for a Miracle. His first greatest hits collection was Anything Anytime Anywhere: Singles 1979–2002, released in 2002.

In January 2003 Cockburn finished recording his 21st album, You've Never Seen Everything, which features contributions from Emmylou Harris, Jackson Browne, Sam Phillips, Sarah Harmer, Hugh Marsh, Jonell Mosser, Larry Taylor and Steven Hodges. (Taylor and Hodges, formerly of Canned Heat who performed at Monterey and Woodstock in the 1960s, may be known best for their work with Tom Waits).

Cockburn performed a set at the Live 8 concert in Barrie, Ontario, on July 2, 2005. Speechless, an instrumental compilation of both new and previously released material, was released on October 24, 2005. His 22nd album, Life Short Call Now, was released on July 18, 2006.

Canadian senator and retired general Roméo Dallaire, who is active in humanitarian fundraising and promoting awareness, appeared on stage at the University of Victoria with Cockburn. The October 4, 2008, concert was held to aid child soldiers.^[7]

In 2009 Cockburn travelled to Afghanistan to visit his brother, Capt. John Cockburn, and to play a concert for Canadian troops. He performed his 1984 song "If I Had a Rocket Launcher" and was temporarily awarded an actual rocket launcher by the military. Cockburn has stated that, while unsure of the original Invasion of Afghanistan, he supported Canada's role there.^[8]

Cockburn released his studio album Small Source of Comfort in 2011. A cheerful and experiential instrumental recalling Rouler sa Bosse from "Salt, Sun and Time" and entitled Lois on the Autobahn is a tribute to Cockburn's mother, Lois, who succumbed to cancer in 2010.^{[citation needed]}

Soundtracks[link]

Cockburn wrote and performed the theme song for the children's television series Franklin. He composed and performed, with Hugh Marsh, the music for the National Film Board of Canada documentary feature Waterwalker (1984), directed by Bill Mason. He also composed two songs for the classic English-Canadian film Goin' Down the Road (1970), directed by Donald Shebib.

In 2007 Cockburn's music was featured in the movie adaptation of Irvine Welsh's best-selling novel Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance.

Covers and tributes[link]

Cockburn has had his songs covered by artists as diverse as Barenaked Ladies ("Lovers in a Dangerous Time"), Judy Collins ("Pacing The Cage"), Jimmy Buffett ("Pacing the Cage", "Anything Anytime Anywhere", "All the Ways I Want You", "Wondering Where the Lions Are" – in the movie Hoot), Michael Hedges ("Wondering Where the Lions Are"), Lori Cullen ("Fall"), Anne Murray ("One Day I Walk", "Musical Friends"), Dianne Heatherington and Ani DiFranco ("Mama Just Wants to Barrelhouse All Night Long"), The Rankin Family ("One Day I Walk"), Dan Fogelberg ("Lovers in a Dangerous Time"), Donavon Frankenreiter ("Wondering Where the Lions Are"), Vigilantes of Love ("Wondering Where the Lions Are"), Tom Rush ("One Day I Walk'), George Hamilton IV ("Together Alone"), the Jerry Garcia Band ("Waiting for a Miracle"), Holly Near ("To Raise The Morning Star"), and k.d. lang ("One Day I Walk"). In addition, fellow Canadian singer songwriter Steve Bell recorded an entire album of Bruce Cockburn songs titled My Dinner With Bruce, and jazz guitarist Michael Occhipinti released an album containing jazz arrangements of Cockburn's songs.^[9]

Awards and honours[link]

Cockburn was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1982 and was promoted to Officer in 2002.

On March 5, 2001, during the 30th Annual Juno Awards ceremony, Cockburn was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. The Cockburn tribute during the awards included taped testimonials from U2's Bono, Jackson Browne, Cowboy Junkies' Margo Timmins, and Midnight Oil's Peter Garrett. The Barenaked Ladies performed their version of Cockburn's "Lovers in a Dangerous Time". Best Female Artist nominees Jann Arden and Terri Clark performed "Wondering Where the Lions Are", and Sarah Harmer performed "Waiting for a Miracle".

The Canadian Association of Broadcasters honoured Cockburn by inducting him into the Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony was held on October 22, 2002, in Vancouver as part of the Gold Ribbon Awards Gala at the organization's 76th annual convention.

On November 27, 2002, the CBC's Life and Times series aired a special feature on Cockburn titled The Life and Times of Bruce Cockburn, produced by Robert Lang of Kensington Communications in Toronto.

The cover artwork for his 1999 album Breakfast in New Orleans, Dinner in Timbuktu, which is dominated by bold text in the Helvetica font, was included in the exhibition "50 Years of Helvetica", which ran from April 2007 to March 2008 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.^[10]

In May 2007 he received two honorary doctorates, the fourth and fifth of his career. In early May he received an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Queens University in Kingston, Ontario,^[11] and later in the month he received an Honorary Doctor of Letters at the convocation of Memorial University of Newfoundland for his lifelong contributions to Canadian music, culture and social activism. Cockburn previously received honorary doctorates from York University in Toronto, Berklee College of Music, and St. Thomas University in New Brunswick.^[12]

"Humans"[link]

The discussion group "Humans" is one of the oldest e-mail lists devoted to a specific artist.^[13] The liner notes for Cockburn's album The Charity of Night mentions the group.^[14]

Equipment[link]

Cockburn has played guitars manufactured by a number of companies and luthiers over the years. Many early photos show him playing guitars made by the Canadian instrument-maker Larrivée. His request for an acoustic with greater access to higher frets directly led to Jean Larrivée's "C" series of guitars. These innovative acoustics incorporated a cutaway, a previously rare feature on flat-top acoustics. Cockburn has owned at least two guitars made by Toronto luthier David Wren, a student of Larrivée, but these guitars were lost in a fire.

In recent years, Cockburn has been performing on guitars custom-made by Linda Manzer, a Canadian luthier and another of Larrivée's protégés. Cockburn also plays a Resolectric guitar model from the National Guitar Company, and a steel-bodied Dobro resonator guitar. Cockburn has also begun playing a Baritone guitar made by Ontario-based luthier Tony Karol.

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• Bruce Cockburn–1970
• High Winds, White Sky–1971
• Sunwheel Dance–1972
• Night Vision–1973
• Salt, Sun and Time–1974
• Joy Will Find a Way–1975
• In the Falling Dark * −1976
• Further Adventures Of * – 1978
• Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws * – 1979
• Humans * – 1980
• Inner City Front * – 1981
• The Trouble with Normal * – 1983
• Stealing Fire * – 1984
• World of Wonders – 1986
• Big Circumstance – 1988
• Nothing but a Burning Light – 1991
• Christmas – 1993
• Dart to the Heart – 1994
• The Charity of Night – 1996
• Breakfast in New Orleans, Dinner in Timbuktu – 1999
• You've Never Seen Everything – 2003
• Speechless – 2005
• Life Short Call Now – 2006
• Small Source of Comfort – 2011-03-08

* = Reissued with additional tracks 2002–2003

Live albums[link]

• Circles in the Stream+–1977
• Bruce Cockburn Live* —1990
• You Pay Your Money and You Take Your Chance—1997
• Bruce Cockburn—Live on World Cafe—2002 (Bonus disc from Borders Books and Music)
• Slice O' Life—Solo Live—2009

+ = Reissued by Rounder Records, but no additional tracks

* = Reissued with additional tracks 2002–2003

Compilations[link]

• Resume *—1981 (US only)
• Mummy Dust *—1981 (Canada only)
• Rumours of Glory *—1985 (Germany only)
• Waiting for a Miracle: Singles 1970–1987 *—1987 (Canadian version is 2 discs, American version is 1)
• If a Tree Falls *—1990 (Australia only)
• Anything Anytime Anywhere: Singles 1979–2002 *—2002
• Speechless *—2005 (all instrumental album)

* = These releases compile previously released material, but also include one or more newly recorded tracks

Other releases[link]

• "Ribbon of Darkness," a track on "A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot"
• "Strong Hand of Love," a track on the Mark Heard tribute albums Strong Hand of Love (1994) and Orphans of God (1996)
• "Lord of the Starfields" (with Rob Wasserman), "Lovers in a Dangerous Time" (with Rob Wasserman), and "Cry of a Tiny Babe" (with Lou Reed, Rosanne Cash, and Rob Wasserman), all on The Best of the Columbia Records Radio Hour, Volume 1 (1995)
• "Last Night of the World" on the WXPN compilation album, Live at the World Café - Volume 9 (1999)

Chart singles[link]

Notes

• 1 ^ "Going to the Country" peaked at No. 4 on the RPM Adult Contemporary (A/C) chart in November 1970. However, at the time, and for the Adult Contemporary chart only, RPM only charted A/C songs that qualified as Canadian Content. This policy was changed mid-way through the song's chart run, and all A/C records regardless of national origin were eligible for the chart. Under these new criteria, "Going to the Country" peaked at No. 11 in December 1970.
• 2 ^ The song "Fascist Architecture" was released to radio under the title "I'm Okay." It peaked at No. 1 on the RPM Adult Contemporary (A/C) chart in March 1981. However, at the time, and for the Adult Contemporary chart only, RPM once again only charted A/C songs that qualified as Canadian Content. This short-lived policy was again abandoned later in 1981.

See also[link]

• Canadian rock
• Music of Canada

Notes and references[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Bruce Cockburn

• Official website
• Bruce Cockburn at Allmusic
• Bruce Cockburn at the Internet Movie Database
• Bruce Cockburn – a view from the Woodpile (photos of Bruce at work)
• True North (Cockburn's label / manager) page
• Gavin's Woodpile- The Bruce Cockburn Newsletter
• The Cockburn Project, documenting the work of Cockburn
• Humans, an e-mail discussion group about Cockburn's music

Song collections and biographies[link]

• All the Diamonds A collection of early music by Bruce Cockburn. Ottawa Folklore Centre Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
• Rumours of Glory The second volume of Bruce Cockburn songs. Ottawa Folklore Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Related video[link]

• Video interview on CBC News: The Hour from November 24, 2005. (Discusses his view of the world, with personal stories drawn from his own experiences travelling overseas.)
• Ernest Brown: Pioneer Photographer with original soundtrack by Bruce Cockburn.