The Silver River

A moving and inspiring memoir of families lost and rediscovered, by a founding member of legendary band Midnight Oil.

For fifty years, songwriter, guitarist and keyboard player Jim Moginie was a driving force behind one of Australia's most iconic rock bands, Midnight Oil. As they made their way through the nascent domestic punk scene and the uncharted musical territory of the Western Desert to the concert halls of Europe and America, the band members developed a feeling of 'five against the world'. For Jim, this de facto family was a bulwark against a nagging sense that something was missing from his life: he'd long known that his biological mother had given him up for adoption as a baby. While Midnight Oil grappled with the challenges of chart success, their political activism and global tours, Jim's quest to find his birth family increasingly led him in different directions, to the quiet suburbs of Canberra and the meandering rivers and verdant hills of rural Ireland - and emotional reunions with long-lost relatives.

Threaded with vivid recollections of childhood, behind-the-scenes stories of band life and fascinating insights into the creative processes that produced some of this country's most beloved songs, The Silver River is at once a lyrical coming-of-age story, a heart-warming family chronicle and a must-read for anyone interested in the history of Australian music.

Heartwarming and Heartbreaking

I so loved this book. Jim does a really good job narrating his story and taking us along on his rich journey, discovering everything from his roots to realizing it was time to retire from the band. He gives us a very human look at the Oils and their battles, his soothing voice easily transporting us back through their history. I felt his loss of Bones (something we’re all still feeling). Beautifully done.

Oil for the soul

Truth and discovery and loss and love all told with a ringing soundtrack of purely Australian Midnight Oil musical power playing in the background.

Great book.

Fantastic!! A really great book for the generally curious fan and the diehard Oils fan! Really well done.