Species Deceases
EP by
Midnight Oil
Released26 November 1985 (1985-11-26)
RecordedSeptember 1985 Paradise Studios, Darlinghurst
Genre
Length16:22
LabelSprint / Columbia
ProducerMidnight Oil, François Kevorkian
Midnight Oil chronology
Red Sails in the Sunset
(1984)		 Species Deceases
(1985)		 Diesel and Dust
(1987)

Species Deceases is an extended play by Australian rock music group, Midnight Oil, which was released on 26 November 1985 under the CBS record label. Species Deceases debuted at No. 1 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart for six weeks from December 1985 to January 1986.[1][2][3][4] It was the first Australian single and/or EP to reach the number-one spot on its chart appearance and remains Midnight Oil's only No. 1 on the national singles chart.[2][5]

Background

On 26 November 1985, Australian rock music group, Midnight Oil, released a four-track extended play, Species Deceases.[1][6] At the time Midnight Oil consisted of Peter Garrett on lead vocals and harmonica; Peter Gifford on bass guitar and backing vocals; Rob Hirst on drums and backing vocals; Jim Moginie on lead guitar and keyboards; and Martin Rotsey on lead guitar.[1][6] It was produced with Francois Kevorkian at Paradise Studios, Darlinghurst for Sprint Music and distributed by the CBS/Columbia label. Species Deceases became a big favourite of FM Radio around the world, with all four songs enjoying frequent airplay, sometimes all of them played back-to-back.[6][7]

According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, Species Deceases, with the track "Hercules", featured "a stripped-back pub-rock sound. In terms of sheer sonic firepower, it was one of the band's hardest hitting works".[1]

A line from the song "Blossom and Blood" appeared in the message that got flashed on infected computers by the worm WANK: "You talk of times of peace for all and then prepare for war."

Trivial Note

Species Deceases was certified platinum on 14 December 1985, two weeks after its release. The following day, and six years after its release, their second album Head Injuries was certified gold.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Progress"Moginie, Garrett3:57
2."Hercules"Moginie, Garrett, Hirst4:38
3."Blossom and Blood"Hirst, Moginie4:35
4."Pictures"Hirst, Moginie, Garrett, Rotsey, Gifford3:12
Total length:16:22

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1985/86) Peak
position
Australian (Kent Music Report)[8][9] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1985) Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[9] 75
Chart (1986) Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[10] 38

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[11] 2× Platinum 140,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Personnel

Midnight Oil
Production work
  • Producer – Midnight Oil, Francois Kevorkian
  • Engineer – David Price
    • Assistant – Tom Colley
  • Mixer – David Price, Midnight Oil
  • Studio – Paradise Studios, Darlinghurst
Art work
  • Artwork concept – Midnight Oil, Philip Ellett

Credits:[1][6][7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Midnight Oil'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86448-768-2. Archived from the original on 13 August 2004. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  2. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
  3. ↑ Ryan (bulion), Gary (31 March 2010). "1985 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung). Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  4. ↑ Ryan (bulion), Gary (30 March 2009). "1986 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung). Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  5. ↑ Hung, Steffen. "Midnight Oil discography". Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung). Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Holmgren, Magnus; Stenerlöv, Carl-Johan. "Midnight Oil". Australian Rock Database. Passagen.se (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 27 September 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  7. 1 2 Species Deceases (Media notes). Midnight Oil. Columbia. 1985. EX 12023.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988.
  9. 1 2 "Kent Music Report No 599 – 30 December 1985 > National Top 100 Singles for 1985". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 23 January 2023 – via Imgur.
  10. ↑ "National Top 100 Singles for 1986". Kent Music Report. No. 650. December 1986. Retrieved 24 January 2023 – via Imgur.
  11. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2014 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
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