Cover of Diesel & DustMost people I've seen dancing in retro clubs remember the first single from Diesel and Dust ("Beds are Burning").But the album as a whole is probably one of the top - certainly in my top 20 - albums of the 80s. And there are PLENTY of albums from the 80s that are exemplary.
What set D&D apart for me was the combination of political sincerity (Garrett is still a politico), classic album mix (still love the way those guitars bounce all over each other), and the songs - well, you'd be hard-pressed to find more economically blissful songs on one album.
It seemed for a while there that between The Oilers and Crowded House, Australia/NZ were becoming the new caretakers of truly wonderful pop and rock. By this time, remember, Stock Aitken and Waterman had started taking over UK markets with their dance-oriented brand of radio pulp.
But Diesel and Dust (along with The House's Crowded House, Temple of Low Men and later Woodface), still holds up today as a collection of songs that exceed expectation and indeed many peers' lifespan.
To whit: The Dead Heart - the opening track to side B (yes, we had vinyl records then).
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