20,000 Watt R.S.L.

20,000 Watt R.S.L.
Greatest hits album by Midnight Oil
Released	12 October 1997
Recorded	1979–1997
Genre	Rock
Length	75:55
Label	Sprint Music / CBS Records
Midnight Oil chronology
Breathe (1996) 20,000 Watt R.S.L. (1997) Redneck Wonderland (1998)

Professional ratings
Review scores
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Allmusic

20,000 Watt R.S.L. is a compilation album by Australian rock band Midnight Oil released in October 1997 on their own label Sprint Music. The word "Collection" appears on the front of the CD along the hinge in the same type face as the title and the name of the band and may have been intended as part of the album's title; however, it does not appear on the spine.

The compilation covers the majority of Midnight Oil's career, starting with their 1979 album Head Injuries, and includes tracks from all their major studio releases (and one EP), even including two songs from Redneck Wonderland, which was released after the compilation in 1998.

The album peaked at #1 on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) album charts, and achieved 4×Platinum sales, it also peaked at #18 in New Zealand. The R.S.L. in the title refers to the Returned and Services League of Australia^{[citation needed]}.

Background

Midnight Oil was an Australian rock band from Sydney formed in 1976 with vocalist Peter Garrett, drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboardist/lead guitarist Jim Moginie, Guitarist Martin Rotsey joined in 1977 and Midnight Oil established their own record label Powderworks, they released their second album Head Injuries on this label in October 1979. Founding bass guitarist James left due to illness in 1980, he was replaced by Peter Gifford, Gifford was himself replaced by Bones Hillman in 1987.

Australian Top Ten singles were "Power and the Passion", "The Dead Heart", "Beds Are Burning" and "Blue Sky Mine". Aside from chart success both "Power and the Passion" and "Beds Are Burning" were listed by Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) in the Top 30 best Australian songs of all time in 2001. Through a long and distinguished career, the band became known for its driving hard-rock sound, intense live performances and political activism, particularly in aid of anti-nuclear, environmentalist and indigenous causes.

Track listing

Songwriters according to Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA):

1. "What Goes On" (Midnight Oil) (from Redneck Wonderland, 1998)
2. "Power and the Passion" (Rob Hirst, Jim Moginie, Peter Garrett) (from 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1982)
3. "Dreamworld" (Moginie, Garrett, Hirst) (from Diesel and Dust, 1987)
4. "White Skin Black Heart" (Midnight Oil) (from Redneck Wonderland, 1998)
5. "Kosciuszko" (Hirst, Moginie) (from Red Sails in the Sunset, 1984)
6. "The Dead Heart" (Hirst, Moginie, Garrett) (from Diesel and Dust, 1987)
7. "Blue Sky Mine" (Midnight Oil) (from Blue Sky Mining, 1990)
8. "US Forces" (Moginie, Garrett) (from 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1982)
9. "Beds Are Burning" (Hirst, Moginie, Garrett) (from Diesel and Dust, 1987)
10. "One Country" (Moginie, Garrett) (from Blue Sky Mining, 1990)
11. "Best of Both Worlds" (Hirst, Moginie) (from Red Sails in the Sunset, 1984)
12. "Truganini" (Hirst, Moginie) (from Earth and Sun and Moon, 1993)
13. "King of the Mountain" (Hirst, Moginie) (from Blue Sky Mining, 1990)
14. "Hercules" (Moginie, Garrett, Hirst) (from Species Deceases, 1985)
15. "Surf's Up Tonight" (Midnight Oil) – from Breathe, 1996)
16. "Back on the Borderline" (Andrew James, Garrett, Hirst) (from Head Injuries, 1979)
17. "Don't Wanna Be the One" (Hirst, Garrett, Martin Rotsey, Moginie) (from Place without a Postcard, 1981)
18. "Forgotten Years" (Hirst, Moginie) (from Blue Sky Mining, 1990)

Chart positions

Year	Chart	Position
1997	Australian ARIA Albums Chart	1
	New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart	18

Personnel

• Martin Rotsey – guitars
• Jim Moginie – guitars, keyboards, vocals
• Rob Hirst – drums, vocals
• Peter Garrett – vocals, harmonica
• Peter Gifford – bass, vocals on tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 14, 17
• Bones Hillman – bass, vocals on tracks 1, 4, 7, 10, 12, 13, 15, 18
• Andrew James – bass on track 16

External links

• Midnight Oil
• ARC Album Review

Preceded by Anthology 1: Greatest Hits 1987-1997 by John Farnham

Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album 26 October – 1 November 1997

Succeeded by My Best Friend's Wedding: Music from the Motion Picture by Various artists