Editing Place without a Postcard

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Use Australian English|date=May 2013}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Place without a Postcard
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[Midnight Oil]]
| cover      = MidnightOil_PlaceWithout.jpg
| alt        =
| released   = {{Start date|1981|11||df=y}}
| recorded   = June–July 1981<br />Warnham Lodge Farm, [[Sussex]], England
| venue      =
| studio     =
| genre      = *[[Post-punk]]
*[[new wave music|new wave]]
*[[hard rock]]<ref name="allmusic.com">{{cite web |last1=Ruhlmann |first1=William |title=Midnight Oil - Place Without a Postcard Album Reviews, Songs & More {{!}} AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/place-without-a-postcard-mw0000199670 |website=allmusic |access-date=14 March 2023 |language=en}}</ref>
| length     = {{Duration|m=40|s=57}}
| label      = Sprint Music / [[CBS]]
| producer   = [[Glyn Johns]]
| prev_title = [[Bird Noises]]
| prev_year  = 1980
| next_title = [[10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1]]
| next_year  = 1982
| misc       = {{Singles
 | name        = Place without a Postcard
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[Don't Wanna Be the One]]
 | single1date = October 1981
 | single2     = [[Armistice Day (song)|Armistice Day]]
 | single2date = May 1982
}}}}

'''''Place Without a Postcard''''' is the third studio album by Australian rock band [[Midnight Oil]], released in November 1981 under Sprint Music and the [[Columbia Records]] label. It peaked at No.&nbsp;12 on the [[Kent Music Report]] albums chart and the related singles "[[Don't Wanna Be the One]]" and "[[Armistice Day (song)|Armistice Day]]" reached the associated Top&nbsp;40 chart.

==Background==
The band's third LP ''Place Without a Postcard'', released by [[Columbia Records|CBS Records]] in November 1981, was recorded in [[Sussex]] with English producer [[Glyn Johns]] ([[The Rolling Stones]], [[The Who]]) at a studio/barn on Johns' property.<ref name="ARDb">{{cite web |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120927020538/http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/m/midnightoil.html |url=http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/m/midnightoil.html |title=Midnight Oil |last1=Holmgren |first1=Magnus |last2=Stenerlöv |first2=Carl-Johan |publisher=[[Australian Rock Database]]. Passagen.se (Magnus Holmgren) |archivedate=27 September 2012 |url-status=usurped |accessdate=12 February 2014 }}</ref><ref name="Howl">{{cite web |archiveurl=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20120726191200/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/14231/20120727-0512/www.howlspace.com.au/en/midnightoil/midnightoil.htm |url=http://www.howlspace.com.au/en/midnightoil/midnightoil.htm |title=Midnight Oil |publisher=Howlspace |editor=Ed Nimmervoll |editor-link=Ed Nimmervoll |archivedate=26 July 2012 |accessdate=22 January 2014 }}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Garrett said, "The main reason we travelled to Britain was that, at that time, the feeling was that the records
sounded better."<ref>{{cite magazine| magazine= Australian Musician | title=A Studio Tour| date=Winter 1998|page=13|issue=14}}</ref> Creative tensions between the band and Johns plagued the recording and the group were not totally happy with the outcome. Johns had an arrangement with [[A&M Records]] and they asked Midnight Oil to return to the studio to record material suitable for an American single release – the group refused and returned to Australia.<ref name="Howl"/> ''Place without a Postcard'' peaked at No.&nbsp;12 on the albums charts and related singles "[[Don't Wanna Be the One]]" (No.&nbsp;40) and "[[Armistice Day (song)|Armistice Day]]" reached the Top 40 in Australia.<ref name="Kent">{{Cite book |title=[[Kent Music Report|Australian Chart Book 1970–1992]] |author-link=David Kent (historian) |last=Kent |first=David |publisher=Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. |year=1993 |isbn=0-646-11917-6 }}</ref> Cover and other photography by Robert Butcher.

==Critical reception==
{{music ratings
|rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
|rev1score = {{rating|3|5}}<ref name=AM/>
|rev2 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
|rev2score = {{rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="RS">{{cite book |title=The Rolling Stone Album Guide |date=1992 |publisher=Random House |page=473}}</ref>
}}
''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]'' praised the "fatter sound and more focused songs."<ref name=RS/> ''[[Trouser Press]]'' wrote that "the experimentation yielded valuable lessons, and James Moginie, the group's most prolific composer, also began to jell his distinctive guitar sound, as well as creatively exploring keyboards."<ref>{{cite web |title=Midnight Oil |url=https://trouserpress.com/reviews/midnight-oil/ |website=Trouser Press |access-date=24 August 2023}}</ref>

[[AllMusic]]'s William Ruhlmann wrote:

"The band was experiencing growing pains, trying to stretch musically, and, at least at first, this made for a dilution of their hard rock focus moving toward a pop style they hadn't fully developed. ''Place Without a Postcard'' had its share of powerfully performed songs, but its sound was light compared to the band's first two albums, the stylistic experiments were not yet bearing fruit, and, with an emphasis placed on the vocals, Peter Garrett sounded overly strident."<ref name=AM>Ruhlmann, William. [https://www.allmusic.com/album/place-without-a-postcard-mw0000199670 ''Place without a Postcard'' review]. [[AllMusic]]. Retrieved 15 September 2018.</ref>

==Track listing==
{{Track listing
| headline        = Side one
| title1          = [[Don't Wanna Be the One]]
| writer1         = Garrett, Hirst, Moginie, Rotsey
| length1         = 3:04

| title2          = Brave Faces
| writer2         = Garrett, Moginie
| length2         = 4:48

| title3         = [[Armistice Day (song)|Armistice Day]]
| writer3        = Hirst, Moginie, Rotsey
| length3        = 4:31

| title4         = Someone Else to Blame
| writer4        = Gifford, Hirst, Moginie
| length4        = 2:49

| title5         = Basement Flat
| writer5        = Garrett, Moginie, Rotsey
| length5        = 4:37
}}
{{Track listing
| headline       = Side two
| title6         = Written in the Heart
| writer6        = Hirst, Moginie, Rotsey
| length6        = 3:15

| title7         = [[Burnie]]
| writer7        = Garrett, Moginie
| length7        = 4:50

| title8         = Quinella Holiday
| writer8        = Garrett, Moginie
| length8        = 2:35

| title9         = Loves on Sale
| writer9        = Garrett, Rotsey
| length9        = 2:22

| title10         = If Ned Kelly Was King
| writer10        = Garrett, Moginie
| length10        = 3:41

| title11         = Lucky Country
| writer11        = Garrett, Hirst, Moginie, Rotsey
| length11        = 4:55

}}

==Charts==
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
!scope="col"| Chart (1981/82)
!scope="col"| Position
|-
!scope="row"| Australian [[Kent Music Report]]<ref>{{cite book|title=[[Kent Music Report|Australian Chart Book 1970–1992]]|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=[[St Ives, New South Wales|St Ives, NSW]]|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6}} NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until [[Australian Recording Industry Association|ARIA]] created their own [[ARIA Charts|charts]] in mid-1988.</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 12
|-
|}

==Certifications==
{{certification Table Top}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Australia|artist=Midnight Oil|title=Place without a Postcard|award=Platinum|number=2|certyear=2014|refname="Album Certification"|access-date=31 December 2014}}
{{certification Table Bottom|nosales=yes}}

==Personnel==
;Midnight Oil
* [[Peter Garrett]] – lead vocals
* [[Peter Gifford]] – bass, vocals
* [[Rob Hirst]] – drums, vocals
* [[Jim Moginie]] – guitars, keyboards
* [[Martin Rotsey]] – guitars

;Production
* [[Glyn Johns]] – production, engineering
* Sean Fullen – assistant engineer

;Design
* Robert Butcher – design, album cover photo

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.midnightoil.com Midnight Oil]

{{Midnight Oil}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Midnight Oil albums]]
[[Category:Sprint Music albums]]
[[Category:1981 albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Glyn Johns]]