Midnight Oil – Power And The Passion (Special Version) (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983

“Power and the Passion” is the second single from Midnight Oil’s 1982 album 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (following “US Forces”). The song is one of the band’s most famous, and it was performed on every Midnight Oil tour since the issue of 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 as well as at the WaveAid concert.

The lyrics mention former Australian prime minister Gough Whitlam and his dismissal in 1975, as well as the Pine Gap spy base, which remains controversial issues in Australia to this day. The song also makes reference to the McDonald’s Big Mac and paraphrases Emiliano Zapata with the line “It’s better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.”

The song includes a drum solo by Rob Hirst; it is the only studio recording by Midnight Oil to feature a drum solo.

n May 2001 the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations, named “Power and the Passion” as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time. It was the second Midnight Oil song in the list with “Beds Are Burning” declared third behind the Easybeats’ “Friday on My Mind” and Daddy Cool’s “Eagle Rock”.

It was performed by the band at the 2009 Sound Relief concert in Melbourne.

The US 12-inch single release features a little-known specially remixed version, mixed by Francois Kevorkian and Dominic Malta at RPM Sound Studios specifically for the North American market. This special version, which runs for 6:42, did not appear on the 12-inch single as released elsewhere in the world, including in Australia, whose 12-inch single featured the standard album version which runs for 5:38. The remix features echo effects added to Peter Garrett’s vocals and a continuation or reprise of Rob Hirst’s drum solo after the nominal ending of the song.

SIDE A:
Power And The Passion (Special Version) 6:42
Engineer, Mixed By – Dominic Maita*, François Kevorkian
Mixed By [Assistant] – Mike Krowiak
Written-By – Moginie*, Garrett*, Hirst*

SIDE B:
Glitch Baby Glitch (Power And The Passion Dub) 4:44
Engineer, Mixed By – Dominic Maita*, François Kevorkian
Mixed By [Assistant] – Mike Krowiak
Remix – François Kevorkian
Written-By – Moginie*, Garrett*, Hirst*

Wedding Cake Island 3:08
Engineer, Mixed By – Nick Launay
Written-By – Midnight Oil

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Columbia ‎– 44 04976
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1983
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, New Wave

CREDITS:
Producer –Midnight Oil, Nick Launay

NOTES:
Special version from the Columbia Lp: “10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1”

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
Isolation: Auralex Acoustics ISO-Tone Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck 
Phono Pre-amp:
Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube:
Tung-Sol 12AX7 TubeGold Pins
Soundcard:
Novation Audiohub 2×4 Audio Interface
Record Cleaning:
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans:
Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2, ocenaudio
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

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Jason63
Jason63
July 1, 2019 10:29 pm

Thank you very much for this one Paul.

James R
James R
May 27, 2018 3:35 am

REALLY interesting. Didn’t know about either of these P&P mixes. The Kevorkian mix does… kind of odd things with the drum solo which is kind of the centrepiece of the song. And completely different mix of Wedding Cake Island? Amazing stuff.

Fitzysbuna
Fitzysbuna
May 10, 2018 10:50 pm

thanks for this and all the great stuff !

Stephen
May 9, 2018 8:17 pm

It’s great to hear Wedding Cake Island – their early surf punk roots being clearly visible.

Thanks Paul!

Guss
Guss
May 9, 2018 7:00 pm

Thank Paul, nice song, never heard this dub version, i have a copy with 7:09 of Glitch Baby Glitch.

Greg
Greg
May 9, 2018 5:36 pm

This is like a Holy Grail for me. I have 2 (or 3) copies if the (New Zealand) 7″, and the B side is called “Power And The Dub” but it’s such a bad pressing in all cases. I just listened to “Glitch Baby Glitch” and it’s that same mix, only a million times better sounding. A massive thanks for this one Paul! A nice surprise out of the blue.

Kaex
Kaex
May 9, 2018 4:21 pm

AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE !

OI OI OI !

Thanks for this one Paul 😉

micmij
micmij
May 9, 2018 3:57 pm

Great stuff, Paul!

memoryboy
memoryboy
May 9, 2018 3:01 pm

One of my favorite bands and favorite songs by them. Thanks Paul.

Daniel
Daniel
May 9, 2018 12:55 pm

Excellent choice. Never heard this remix before. That’s a great one. Thank you so much Paul.

Todd
Todd
May 9, 2018 11:51 am

Lovin’ it. Haven’t heard some Midnight Oil in a while, and this is an excellent track. Thanks Paul!

Jeff
Jeff
May 9, 2018 11:32 am

Although I say it (almost)every time, you Paul really outdo yourself with this rescuing of the infamous 12-inch dance disc from falling away from the world’s consciousness. Burning The Ground is such a rousing testament to the power of music, especially music that moves and motivates us on a physical, emotional, mental and spiritual level. I am aghast with ecstasy when I see what’s all here for us to dive into and revel in. I am so enthused that this track appears here on your site. I don’t think I’ve ever heard these mixes before and I’m already stimulated beyond… Read more »

Russ
Russ
May 9, 2018 11:20 am

Thanks for this!! I had the Canadian single so it didn’t have this remix. The dub I used on many mixed tapes!