As a general rule, I'm not a big fan of political music. More often than not, whenever a band has a strong political bent, the music suffers in favor promoting of the message. Of course there are exceptions; The Clash and Public Enemy immediately come to mind. But for me, the biggest exception is Midnight Oil. Not only were they one of the most staunchly political bands ever, but many of their songs were about very regional Australian issues. But they overcame my prejudice by wrapping their messages in great songwriting, and then presented it with one of the best live shows I've ever seen. So in honor of Earth Day yesterday, I figured we'd dip into their catalog for today's monday morning b-side.
Midnight Oil - "Instant Karma (Live)" (mp3)
This cover of John Lennon's "Instant Karma" was recorded on May 30, 1990 in New York City. The band set up on the back of a flatbed truck and played a lunchtime set in front of the Exxon building on 6th Avenue, fourteen months after the Valdez disaster. It was released on Best Of The B-Sides, a 1997 promo CD used to promote their greatest hits album 20,000 Watts R.S.L.
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