Scream In Blue (Live)

Culled from a handful of concerts between 1982 and 1990, Scream in Blue is evidence of what longtime Midnight Oil fans had been claiming for years: that the group’s studio output couldn’t hold a candle to its unruly live performances. Listeners will immediately spot the differences in these versions of “Dreamworld,” “Beds Are Burning,” and “Sometimes,” all of which are played with much more grit and urgency than their studio counterparts. While the Oils became exponentially more popular over the course of the '80s, some of the most vital performances here are from early in the band’s career. In their onslaught of volume and incinerating passion, “Brave Faces” and “Only the Strong”—both recorded in Sydney in 1982—can be compared to The Clash and The Who. Some of the disc’s most essential songs are its most unusual. A spare acoustic reading of “Burnie” captures Peter Garrett’s voice in all its bent vulnerability, while “Progress,” recorded on the streets of Manhattan during a 1990 Exxon protest, might be the single most definitive performance of the Oils’ career.