During the 2002 ‘Capricornia’ tour, Midnight Oil singer Peter Garrett announced to his bandmates he was retiring. After many years of being an activist and voice for political and social justice, he had decided to actually seek government office.
He was successfully elected as a representative and held several positions from 2004 through 2013, when he resigned without seeking reelection. His time in office, which included environmental and educational issues, was not without controversies. This can be said of most public servants, but perhaps his previous status as a finger-pointing rock star made him a larger target.
2016. A reflective Garrett is writing his memoir, and during a rush of creativity begins to write songs. One thing led to another and he was in the studio recording A Version Of Now.
First things first. Peter’s voice. It’s an acquired taste, and if you never cared for it, this record won’t change that. I love his distinctive sound myself, and it’s good to hear it ringing just as strong as ever.
Does it sound like a new Midnight Oil record? Not really. Although Oils guitarist Martin Rotsey is on board, the rest of the players are pulled from various Australian bands and bring their own sounds with them. It’s not nearly as layered as the last few Oils albums – it has a simplicity and immediacy to it that strongly lend to the ‘Now’ feel Peter claims he wanted. It has at times a reckless, or better yet, ‘carefree’ sound. It is a rock record, from the loping bass line of ‘Tall Trees’ to the driving beat of ‘Kangaroo Tail’, but not as intense a landscape as a typical Midnight Oil outing. Frequently throughout the album are the background vocals of Peter’s daughters, which is a surprisingly nice touch.
Lyrically, Peter does indeed talk about what ‘Now’ means to him. He talks about his time in politics on ‘I’d Do It Again’:
I didn’t Jump I wasn’t pushed
I went of my own accord to do what I could
I got my hands dirty I had a go
To try and even up the score
I had to leave the show
The refrain of the song repeats unapologetically ‘But if I ever went around I’d do it again’
There are frequent references to his wife, including the love song ‘My Only One.’ Peter seems to be a man reinvigorated, not sitting on past laurels, but ready for the next chapter in his life. He sings of a better world on ‘It Still Matters’ and he often touches on his pride of being Australian, along with several Aussie references that may leave you scratching your head. Take an elevator to ‘that Woolies in the sky’? You can Google it, I suppose.
This record has a vibe to it… it truly seems to have been thrown together quickly to catch a sense of ‘Now’… but that’s a good thing.
Cons? It can be pretty wordy at times, and hard to keep up with, but that’s a small complaint.
Do I recommend the album? Of course. Peter is one of my personal heroes, a man who put his money where his mouth is and came through the other side whole and still determined to ‘breathe and be free.’
I think this record stands as being Peter’s biggest plunge into songwriting, with Midnight Oil’s Rob Hirst being the primary writer for Peter’s voice for years.
Although I like A Version of Now quite a bit, I can’t help feel some excitement that maybe it is leading to a new Midnight Oil record. The band has announced they will tour in 2017, so who knows? Wikipedia ages Peter at 63. Here’s hoping that at least some of us have the same forward-looking zeal and energy at that age… or any age.
Dann Gunn
[2016 Independent | Purchase: petergarrett.com.au ]
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