Diesel And Dust
by Midnight Oil

Diesel And Dust by Midnight Oil
Year: 1987
Release date: 1987-08-21
Overall rank: 909th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
76/100 (from 331 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 20 albums of 1987 (17th)
Award Top albums of the 1980s (138th)
Award Top 1,000 albums of all time (909th)

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Diesel And Dust Midnight Oil audioCD Used - Very Good
Condition: Very Good


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Midnight Oil (LP, Vinyl, Columbia, 40967, Rock, Diesel and Dust)
Condition: Used


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Midnight Oil Diesel And Dust 1987 Columbia BFC 40967 Vinyl Record - Untested
Condition: Used


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Midnight Oil bestography

Diesel And Dust is ranked as the best album by Midnight Oil.

Midnight Oil album bestography « Higher ranked
-
This album (909th)
Diesel And Dust
Lower ranked (1,771st) »
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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Diesel And Dust track list

  Track ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 80 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Track pick (1000 - 100 votes) Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Diesel And Dust rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 909th | 1980s rank: 138th | 1987 rank: 17th
Filter Filter
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YearSourceChartRankRank Score
2026 paladisiactop 65r albums (64), #0601-0700*5/66 -
2026 Patman360Top 72 Music Albums of 198724/723
2026 Norman BatesTop 100 Music Albums of 198796/1000
2026munsonTop 100 Greatest Music Albums43/10058
2026matterhornriderTop 48 Music Albums of 198716/483
2026fabm0Platinum year 198753/94 -
2026 ExTeaSeaTop 100 Music Albums of the 1980s49/10010
2026JohnnyoTop 100 Music Albums of 198756/1002
2026Exist-en-cielTop 50 Music Albums of 198740/501
2026 imacgillTop 100 Music Albums of the 1980s71/1006
2026stevengnzTop 98 Music Albums of 198767/982
2026 RomanelliTop 55 Music Albums of 198737/552
2026 PurplepashTop 50 Music Albums of 198736/502
2026JohnnyoFavourite albums by Australian artists38/89 -
2026 RomanelliMy Overall Chart: 1801-190038/100 -
2026 jhuikTop 100 Greatest Music Albums73/10028
2026bonnequestionTop 100 Music Albums of the 1980s91/1002
2026 TamthebamTop 100 Music Albums of 198730/1004
2026stangetzawayTop 100 Music Albums of the 1980s35/10013
2026shanelovesyou1111Top 65 Music Albums of 198729/653
Total Charts: Help The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. 297
Total Rank Score: Help The total rank score. 1,908
You can include this album in your own chart from the My Charts page!

Diesel And Dust collection

Diesel And Dust ratings

Average Rating: 
76/100 (from 331 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album.  | Show all 331 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
85/100
 
03/12/2026 00:33 alexandermause  Ratings distribution  1,55586/100
 
100/100
 
02/01/2026 02:09 BraddlesHendo  Ratings distribution  3,76775/100
 
80/100
 
01/12/2026 10:59 Rafion  Ratings distribution  93579/100
 
80/100
 
01/10/2026 10:58 Tamthebam  Ratings distribution  23,03069/100
 
70/100
 
12/15/2025 01:24 Exist-en-ciel  Ratings distribution  8,32270/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 6% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 75.6/100, a mean average of 75.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 75.7/100. The standard deviation for this album is 13.7.

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Diesel And Dust comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 24 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
100/100
From 02/01/2026 02:15 | #312922
Time has come to say fairs fair classi album from start to finish. Part of Australia’s Artistic and Heritsge. Really a concept album about the rights of Indigenous Australians
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 06/11/2023 13:28 | #297549
Bem divertido!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 01/24/2023 20:30 | #293225
I liked this album more than I thought I would. It's more than Beds Are Burning.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
65/100
From 09/18/2022 13:49 | #289757
I loved Beds Are Burning as a single way back at the time but only got to give this album a listen in 2022. To be honest I was a little disappointed as I don't think the other tracks reached the same level and I had anticipated finding a few gems. Overall it isn't bad, but not one I expect to return to too often
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
65/100
From 09/02/2022 12:12 | #289214
This is a record that I never really connected with in terms of its music and sound and I still struggle to really relate to it now. It lacks the edge and the power of records in its genre and feels a bit lacklustre on the whole. This may be due to the simplicity of the instrumentation or because there isn't a load to really get stuck into on here. Most songs are pretty similar and you do get bored of the style by the time you reach the conclusion of the record. I am not a major fan of the voice as well as it seems a bit generic for me. However, there are a few great tracks on here such as The Dead Heart and Warakurna which make this record worthwhile just for those two. Also, I think the lyrics of this album are a major strength as well as they have a good message and are well written. It isn't preachy but the message is clear and you can't miss it. Overall, I just could never connect with the music on here and I found the sound quite boring but I can see why so many people love it.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 03/18/2022 16:01 | #282997
Didn't really connect with much of it, being a dumb American, but Beds Are Burning (and this album in general) is a classic in my opinion
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 06/09/2020 10:27 | #253137
Good album to listen once in a while. Bought it because of Beds are burning. That song is a true classic!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 04/19/2020 16:59 | #250221
I went through a period of loving Aussie rock so much back in the late eighties that I wound up spending my junior year of college in Perth. Of all those Australian bands that I loved back then, Midnight Oil was probably the best, and is the one that has had the most staying power for me. They made a number of good albums, but Diesel and Dust was their best. It brings together the guitar-driven, punk sensibilities of their earlier albums with the more meticulously produced, more obviously political, more mainstream later works. "Beds Are Burning" was the hit single from this album, but I think "The Dead Heart," also released as a single, is even better: a moving, beat-driven meditation on the theft of land from the continent's aboriginal people.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 06/27/2019 01:11 | #238369
A great Australian album that confronts the lack of respect for Indigenous Australians who are the real owners of this great country for thousands of years. Belter tracks throughout from Bed Are Burning to Dreamworld to The Dead Heart and finishing in great fashion with Sometimes. A great album for all.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 06/22/2019 21:49 | #238094
Has been rated as he best ever Australian album. Whilst it would not be my favourite, it's hard to argue otherwise. In so many ways it is the quintessential Aussie album.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 1987
1. The Joshua Tree by U2
2. Appetite For Destruction by Guns N' Roses
3. Sign "O" The Times by Prince
4. Strangeways, Here We Come by The Smiths
5. You're Living All Over Me by Dinosaur
6. Document by R.E.M.
7. Bad by Michael Jackson
8. Music For The Masses by Depeche Mode
9. Sister by Sonic Youth
10. Substance by New Order
11. Hysteria by Def Leppard
12. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me by The Cure
13. Kick by INXS
14. Louder Than Bombs by The Smiths
15. Darklands by The Jesus And Mary Chain
16. Come On Pilgrim by Pixies
17. Diesel And Dust by Midnight Oil
18. Paid In Full by Eric B. & Rakim
19. Tango In The Night by Fleetwood Mac
20. Tunnel Of Love by Bruce Springsteen