ARCA’s Midnight Oil CD Debuts In ARIA Top 10!

The Australian Road Crew Association (ARCA)’s CD release of Midnight Oil LIVE At The Old Lion Adelaide 1982 has been a huge chart success.

In the latest Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) charts, commencing May 22, the record debuted at #7 on the Top 50 Albums.

It also came in at #1 on the NSW/ACT Chart and #3 on the Physical Album Chart.

“Frog” Harris, of Canberra store Songland Records playing an instrumental role.

“A Top 10 debut is an amazing result…and totally unexpected,” says ARCA co-founder Ian “Piggy” Peel.

“That a gig from 1982 means so much to so many people and is another indication that what we do as crew is unique – we’ve done 20 million streams of our Desk Tape Series in just a few years – and more fans are interested in the history of Australian music.

“In the case of this release, many of the songs were played for the first time on that tour.

“It’s raw Oils, remarkable players with their powerful sound coming right through on the recording, and before their global breakthrough.”

At the time the band had been on the road for five years doing 150 shows a year, and capable of creating a thunderstorm on stage, as this recording by sound engineer Mark Woods shows.

Oils drummer co-founder, drummer and songwriter Rob Hirst remembers when he first heard the ARCA tapes, “I was just exhausted! We played the songs 30% to 40% faster than when we recorded them.

“We used to nail my drum kit to the stage because I used to leap in the air just to get an extra wallop on the drums!”

ARCA created the Desk Tape series to raise money for Support Act’s Roadies Fund to provide financial, health, counselling and well being services for roadies and crew in crisis.

The series were of tapes recorded by a crew member off the mixing desk and released through ARCA’s Black Box Records/MGM.

The June 2023 edition, out early June, Melbourne mega-thrash/metal/punk band Depression’s LIVE at the Seaview Ballroom 1987 is the 35th release.

See https://australianroadcrew.com.au/the-desk-tape-series/ for the full list.

Midnight Oil LIVE At The Old Lion Adelaide 1982 was first released digitally in Dec. 2022.

Peel says that the success of the Oils CD has led to the association working at issuing more digital-only format releases on CD format.

ARCA is also about to announce the CD release of a massive catalogue of Australian jazz tracks donated by one of the legends of Aussie music.

An admirer of the Desk Tape Series and ARCA’s tireless work for crews, “Frog” Harris approached ARCA about a CD version.

ARCA was initially reluctant about the extra cost. Undaunted, and with blessing from his friend Rob Hirst, Harris reached out to Oils fans Powderworkers. Within 24 hours Songland received enough orders to cover costs.

Harris coordinated with Oils management, ARCA and MGM, calling his role “the obstinate little *** that wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

Substantial orders also came from the JB Hi-Fi chain and MGM’s My Waterfront platform.

When the release came out, the demand by global Powderworkers grew five times more, and a second pressing had to be hastily done!

Harris says, “I am really happy that this project will earn some really good funds through CDs, given the pittance that streaming platforms pay.”

“Acts do a great job creating the music and live show but without the roadies we have nothing.

“They are so devoted to the artform and they deserve all the support they can get.”

TRACK LISTING

1 Written In The Heart

2 Brave Faces

3 Armistice Day

4 I’m The Cure

5 Bus To Bondi

6 Quinella Holiday / Loves On Sale

7 Some Kids

8 Burnie

9 Cold Cold Change

10 Powderworks

11 Koala Sprint

12 Back On The Borderline

13 Don’t Wanna Be The One

14 Wedding Cake Island

15 Stand In Line

16 No Reaction