10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 is the fourth studio album by Midnight Oil, released in 1982 by Columbia Records. It hit number 3 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart during 171 total weeks. The band's first US release, it peaked at number 178 on the Billboard 200. At the Countdown Music Awards, it was nominated for Best Australian Album. In October 2010, the album made the Top 40 of the book 100 Best Australian Albums. It is listed in the Triple J Hottest 100 Australian Albums of All Time, 2011, at number 21. In December 2021, it was number 19 in Rolling Stone Australia's "200 Greatest Albums of All Time" countdown.

Content

The album's closing track "Somebody's Trying to Tell Me Something" contains a note held by the group which continues into the album's runout groove, and emulated on the CD version for just over 40 seconds. This is an approximation of a locked groove, a method used a number of times on vinyl albums (such as Diamond Dogs and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band) wherein the ending sound continues into the runout groove indefinitely until the turntable arm is lifted or the automatic return, present on some turntables, kicks in. Garrett noted: "We wanted, as a band, to make this album lyrically stronger, because these are fucking desperate times. It's very important for us to get immediate, because we can't go on making records like this for years and years and people can't go on ignoring it."

Reception

Mark Deming at AllMusic wrote: "It's remarkably listenable and catchy, offering up one passionate anthem after another. The band's politics are both well considered and unapologetically upfront throughout ... 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 was [Midnight Oil's] first undeniably great album and still ranks with their very best." The Sun-Herald added: "This extraordinary collection of songs marked the evolution of Midnight Oil from explosive live band to studio act capable of great invention without ever sounding poxy." David Fricke said the album "sounds like the end of the world turned up to 10".

Track listing

Charts

Weekly

Year-end

Certifications

Personnel

Midnight Oil Additional personnel