FlashBack! - Powderfinger - Odyssey Number Five (2000) (album stream)

Odyssey Number Five is the fourth studio album by Australian rock band Powderfinger, produced by Nick DiDia and released on 4 September 2000.

Voted #1 last week-end in Triple J's Top 100 All Time Greatest Australian Albums list. How they can claim it to be an ALL TIME list with only 2 70s albums in it beats me, so as far as I'm concerned, the list is complete and utter rubbish. Little River Band and several other major Australian top bands aren't even in the list at all. If they'd rename it to Post-70s Greatest Australian Albums they'd have some credibility, but until then their list is just a pompous joke.



The album produced four singles. The most successful, "My Happiness", reached #4 on the ARIA Singles Chart, won the 2001 ARIA Music Award for "Single of the Year", and topped Triple J's Hottest 100 in 2000. The album also featured "These Days", which topped Triple J's Hottest 100 in 1999. The album was also ranked at number 1 in Triple J's Hottest 100 Australian Albums of All Time poll in 2011.

Many critics lauded the album as Powderfinger's best work; one stated that the album was "the Finger's Crowning Glory", however, others were critical of the "imitation" contained in the album. Overall, the album won five ARIA Music Awards in 2001 and was certified platinum seven times. Odyssey Number Five was Powderfinger's first album to chart in the United States, and the band toured extensively around North America to promote its release.

Background, recording, and production
In a 1999 interview, Powderfinger bassist John Collins hinted that the group's next album would be similar to their previous album, Internationalist, while frontman Bernard Fanning said in September 2000 that lyrics on the album, like those on "Waiting for the Sun", were his "most personal and direct yet". Fanning said his lyrics were based on the "obstacles in the way of being in a relationship, especially in our work situation".

Powderfinger worked with producer Nick DiDia on Odyssey Number Five, as they had done on Internationalist, finishing the album in August 2000 after six weeks of recording. The band spent this time ensuring higher quality songs than on Internationalist, which had featured out-of-tune guitars on "Passenger".

Odyssey Number Five was Powderfinger's shortest album when recorded, running for approximately 45 minutes. The focus of the album centered on restraint, with more simplistic lyrics than previously, and with a plain and simple message intended. Fanning said of his songwriting ethic: "You try and make it something that’s got some substance, but also, you can never do that at the cost of it having relevance to what you’re singing." Powderfinger manager Paul Piticco commented that "their ethos is to be pushing the limits of their songwriting ability".

Like Powderfinger's previous album Internationalist, Odyssey Number Five commented on social and political issues heavily, with the primary point of focus being Aboriginal affairs. The lyrics of "Like a Dog" attacked former Prime Minister of Australia John Howard's Liberal government for its treatment of Indigenous Australians, and for breaking the "relaxed and comfortable" promise he made in the Australian federal election, 1996. Lead singer Bernard Fanning related this to the band's other ethical stances—refusing to appear on Hey Hey it's Saturday, for its anti-gay commentary, or not allowing Powderfinger songs to be used in jingles, amongst others—stating, "We're not here to set an example. We just want to be happy with ourselves and not end up with a guilty conscience." Fanning said that despite "Like a Dog" being about a political issue, it was not a political song, rather just Powderfinger "voicing our opinions". The band worked with boxer Anthony Mundine on the song's music video, whom Fanning praised as "the perfect lead, in terms of what the song is about and the fact that he’s prepared to speak up for what he believes in."

As well as providing social commentary, Odyssey Number Five also discussed love, a recurring motif in Fanning's songwriting. Fanning noted that one of the causes of this was his passion for soul and gospel music, stating that he "listen[s] to a lot of soul music that's unashamedly about love and how good it makes you feel". Lead guitarist Ian Haug agreed, and also noted that the band as a whole were fully committed to Fanning's lyrics, stating "It's really important for us to agree with what Bernard is singing."

Odyssey Number Five marked Powderfinger's first successful attempt to enter the United States market. Fanning told Billboard in a 2001 interview that the band were not taking anything for granted, however, stating, "In America, we haven't really done any work yet to deserve any major popularity", with the "vibes" on previous albums failing to reach the American mainstream. Powderfinger toured extensively around the country, performing in 22 cities. As a result of these efforts, "My Happiness" was briefly placed on rotation on KROQ and several other radio stations. The song ultimately peaked at #23 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. This success was assisted by the band appearing on Late Night with David Letterman, and by supporting Coldplay on tour. Guitarist Darren Middleton summarised their work in the United States by stating "This year has been a bit of a blur."

Reception
Odyssey Number Five mostly gained positive reviews, and was more successful than its predecessor, Internationalist. Entertainment Weekly reviewer Marc Weingarten gave the album a B+. He stated that album entered new "terrain" in guitar rock, complimenting the "scratching and clawing guitars", drawing comparisons to Travis ("prim") and Oasis ("mock-grandiose").

Allmusic reviewer Dean Carlson disliked the album, giving it a rating of one and a half stars. He described it as "little more than a slightly off-base perspective into the world of mid-90s American grunge", and described it as highly similar to Neil Young. Carlson's only praise was for songs "Odyssey #5" and "My Happiness", stating that "[t]oo often, Powderfinger is too earnest, a bit too careful in their career". Carlson noted that despite his critique, the album achieved some success in the American market.

Devon Powers of PopMatters complimented Fanning's vocals, and said the focus of the album was "meaty, rolling ballads". Powers said that many of the songs on the album were "the kind of songs you put on repeat for hours, or days". The main critique was for the "faster numbers", stating that "Like a Dog" "sounds mostly a little bored". The review concluded by noting that the best songs on Odyssey were those not available as "fleeting radio singles and background music".

Odyssey Number Five won the 2001 ARIA Awards for "Album of the Year", "Highest Selling Album", "Best Rock Album", "Best Cover Art", and "Best Group". "My Happiness" won the award for "Single of the Year", while "Like a Dog" was nominated for "Highest Selling Single" and "Best Video". At the 2002 ARIA Awards, "The Metre" was nominated for "Best Group". The album was named "Album of the Year" by Rolling Stone Australia readers, with "My Happiness" taking out "Song of the Year" and Powderfinger receiving "Band of the Year".

Personnel

Powderfinger
Bernard Fanning – guitars and vocals
Darren Middleton – guitars and backing vocals
Ian Haug – guitars
John Collins – bass guitars
Jon Coghill – drums and percussion

Additional musicians
Nick DiDia – percussion
Alex Pertout – percussion
Matt Murphy – Hammond organ, Wurlitzer and Prophet synthesizer
Daniel Denholm – string arrangements
Jun Yi Ma – violin
Naomi Radom – violin
Fiona Ziegler – violin
Jacob Plooij – violin
Mandy Murphy – viola
Felicity Wyithe – viola
Peter Morrison – cello
Maxime Bibeau – contrabass guitar
Damien Bennett – backing vocals

Tiddas
Lou Bennett – backing vocals
Sally Dastey – backing vocals
Amy Saunders – backing vocals

Production
Nick DiDia – production, engineering and mixing
Matt Voigt – assistant engineering
Anton Hagop – assistant engineer
Stewart Whitmore – digital editing
Stephen Marcussen – mastering
Anton Hagop – assistant production
Kevin Wilkins – art direction and photography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey_Number_Five

Links
http://www.powderfinger.com
http://www.facebook.com/powderfinger
http://twitter.com/powderfinger_au.
http://www.myspace.com/powderfinger