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Odyssey Number Five is the fourth studio album by the Australian rock band Powderfinger, produced by Nick DiDia and released on 4 September 2000 by Universal Music. It won the 2001 ARIA Music Award for Highest Selling Album, Best Group and Best Rock Album.[14] The album is the band's shortest yet, focusing on social, political, and emotional issues that had appeared in prior works, especially Internationalist.
Many critics lauded the album as Powderfinger's best work, one stating 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, and earned an eighth in 2004. Odyssey Number Five was Powderfinger's first album to chart in the United States, as well as the most successful to chart in the U.S. and the band extensively toured North America to promote its release.
Background, recording, and production
In a 1997 interview, Powderfinger bassistJohn Collins hinted that the group's next album would be similar to their previous album, Internationalist,[15] while frontmanBernard Fanning said in September 2000 that the lyrics on the album, like those on "Waiting for the Sun", were his "most personal and direct yet".[16] Fanning said his lyrics were based on the "obstacles in the way of being in a relationship, especially in our work situation".[16]
Powderfinger worked with producerNick DiDia on Odyssey Number Five, as they had done on Internationalist, finishing the album in August 2000 after six weeks of recording.[17] The band spent this time ensuring higher quality songs than on Internationalist, which had featured out-of-tune guitars on "Passenger".[17]
Odyssey Number Five was Powderfinger's shortest album when recorded, running approximately 45 minutes. The focus of the album was on restraint, with more simplistic lyrics than previously, and with a plain and simple message intended.[16] 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."[16] Powderfinger manager Paul Piticco commented that "their ethos is to be pushing the limits of their songwriting ability".[16]
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.[16] The lyrics of "Like a Dog" attacked former Prime Minister of AustraliaJohn Howard's Liberal government for its treatment of Indigenous Australians, and for breaking the "relaxed and comfortable" promise he made in the 1996 Australian federal election.[17][18] 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."[19] Fanning said that despite "Like a Dog" being about a political issue, it was not a political song, rather just Powderfinger "voicing our opinions".[20] 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."[20]
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".[21] 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."[21]
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",[22] with the "vibes" on previous albums failing to reach the American mainstream.[23] 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-FM and several other radio stations. The song ultimately peaked at #23 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.[22][24] This success was assisted by the band appearing on the Late Show with David Letterman, and by supporting Coldplay on tour.[25] Guitarist Darren Middleton summarised their work in the United States by stating "This year has been a bit of a blur."[25] For the TV documentary series Great Australian Albums, group members described their working on Odyssey Number Five for series 2, episode 4 in 2008.[26]
A 23-second sample from "My Happiness", which went on to become Powderfinger's most successful single, and helped break into the American market.[24]AllMusic's Dean Carlson commented that in the song, Powderfinger "drowns a hip-hop-inspired guitar riff better than most bands of their stature".[4]
A 15-second sample from "Like a Dog", which aggressively attacks the Howard government, asking "why the hell won’t John Howard say sorry to the Aboriginal people!"[27] The song's riff was written by Haug, and was influenced by his love of Iggy Pop.[28]
Odyssey Number Five was released on 4 September 2000, on the Grudge/Universal record labels. The album was released in the United Kingdom on Polydor, with 15 minutes of video and an additional track, "Nature Boy", at a later date. A sampler version was released in the United States in 2001, containing five tracks.[29]
Four singles were released from the album. "My Kind of Scene" was the first, released as a promotional single in June 2000. The track was written for the 2000 film Mission: Impossible 2, and appeared on its soundtrack. Collins and Middleton recalled that the song was written and produced with photos of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman on the wall of the band's studio "as inspiration". They noted that the band made three songs in response to the Mission: Impossible 2 request, and that "My Kind of Scene" was chosen over "Up & Down & Back Again" and "Whatever Makes You Happy".[17]
The second single from the album was "My Happiness", released on 14 August 2000 in Australia. "My Happiness" entered the ARIA Singles Chart at #4, and spent 24 weeks on the chart, making it Powderfinger's highest-charting single in Australia.[30] It peaked at #7 on the New Zealand singles chart, and spent 23 weeks in the top 50. Furthermore, "My Happiness" was Powderfinger's first single to chart in the US, reaching #23 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.[24]
"Like a Dog" was released as the third single on 15 January 2001. The song was heavy in political sentiment, akin to "The Day You Come" on Internationalist.[20] The riff for the song was written by Ian Haug, and the song's music video featured Australian Aboriginal boxerAnthony Mundine, and was based on the 1980 Martin Scorsese film Raging Bull. DrummerJon Coghill said the song revolved around the question of "why the hell won't John Howard say sorry to the Aboriginal people!"[27] "Like a Dog" spent one week on the ARIA Singles Chart, at #40.[30]
Two songs from the album, "The Metre" and "Waiting for the Sun", were released as a double A-side to form the final single. The single was released on 21 August 2001, and included a cover of Iron Maiden's "Number of the Beast". "Waiting for the Sun" was written by Fanning as a devotional, gospel style song. He said of the song; "It's about being in a relationship and being really heavily happy with it."[16] "The Metre" spent one week on the ARIA Singles Chart, at #31.[30]
In August 2020, Powderfinger released a "20th anniversary deluxe edition", with 10 additional tracks, four of them previously unreleased.[31]
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").[7]
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.[32] Despite this, Carlson praised the songs "Odyssey #5" and "My Happiness", stating that "too 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.[32]
Devon Powers of PopMatters complimented Fanning's vocals and said the focus of the album was "meaty, rolling ballads".[12] Powers noted that many of the songs on the album were "the kind of songs you put on repeat for hours, or days".[12] The main critique was for the "faster numbers", stating that "Like a Dog" "sounds mostly a little bored".[12] The review concluded by noting that the best songs on Odyssey were those not available as "fleeting radio singles and background music".[12]
Odyssey Number Five won the 2001ARIA 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".[33] 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".[34]
In December 2021, the album was listed at no. 16 in Rolling Stone Australia's ‘200 Greatest Albums of All Time’ countdown.[35]
Track listing
All songs written by Powderfinger, except when noted:[36]
Powderfinger were an Australian rock band formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their break-up in 2010, the line-up consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bass guitarist John Collins and drummer Jon Coghill. The group's third studio album Internationalist peaked at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart in September 1998. They followed with four more number-one studio albums in a row: Odyssey Number Five, Vulture Street, Dream Days at the Hotel Existence and Golden Rule. Their top-ten hit singles are "My Happiness" (2000), "(Baby I've Got You) On My Mind" (2003) and "Lost and Running" (2007). Powderfinger earned a total of eighteen ARIA Awards, making them the second-most-awarded band, behind Silverchair. Ten Powderfinger albums and DVDs certified multiple-platinum, with Odyssey Number Five—their most successful album—achieving eightfold platinum certification for shipment of over 560,000 units.
Parables for Wooden Ears is the debut studio album released by the Australian band Powderfinger. It was released on 18 July 1994 by Polydor Records, after recording at the Metropolis Studios in Melbourne during February 1994. The album peaked a number 51 on the ARIA charts, selling 10,000 copies.
Internationalist is the third studio album by Australian alternative rock band Powderfinger. The album was released on 7September 1998 and was often labelled Powderfinger's most adventurous work, with greater experimentation than in previous works.
Double Allergic is the second studio album by Australian alternative rock band Powderfinger. Released in Australia on 2 September 1996 Polydor, the album was produced by Tim Whitten and widely considered Powderfinger's mainstream breakthrough.
Fingerprints: The Best of Powderfinger, 1994–2000 is a greatest hits album by Australian alternative rock band Powderfinger, released on 30 October 2004 in Australia.
Dream Days at the Hotel Existence is the sixth studio album by Australian rock band Powderfinger, released by Universal Music on 2 June 2007 in Australia, 19 November 2007 in the United Kingdom, and 11 November 2008 in the United States on the Dew Process label. It was released in Australia with a limited edition bonus DVD, titled Powderfinger's First XI, featuring eleven music videos spanning the band's career, from the first single, "Tail" to "Bless My Soul", the band's latest single before the release of the album. A collector's edition, including a CD and DVD, was released on 18 April 2008.
"Lost and Running" is a song by Australian rock group Powderfinger. It was released as the first single from the group's sixth studio album Dream Days at the Hotel Existence. It is the band's twenty-second single and peaked at No. 5 on the Australian chart, the group's second highest-charting single after "My Happiness". It made its radio debut on 13 April on Triple J and was released to wide radio play and the band's MySpace on 16 April 2007. The single was officially released on 12 May 2007.
"Like a Dog" is a song by Australian alternative rock band Powderfinger. It was released as a single in 2001, and appeared on the band's fourth studio album, Odyssey Number Five. The song was later included on Fingerprints: The Best of Powderfinger 1994-2000.
"The Metre" and "Waiting for the Sun" are two songs released together as a double A-Side single by Powderfinger in support of their fourth studio album Odyssey Number Five. It was released on 27 June 2001 as the album's final single. "The Metre" and "Waiting for the Sun" both had music videos produced. "Waiting for the Sun" also featured on Powderfinger's compilation album Fingerprints: The Best of Powderfinger, 1994–2000.
"Passenger" is a song from Powderfinger's third studio album Internationalist. It was released as a single on 9 August 1999, and reached #30 on the Australian music chart. The single was nominated for Single of the year in 2000 at the Australian ARIA Music Awards. "Passenger" was also featured as the opening song performed by Powderfinger while supporting Crowded House's Farewell to the World charity concert in November 1996.
"D.A.F." is a song by Australian alternative rock band Powderfinger, released as a single from their second studio album, Double Allergic, on 5 August 1996.
"My Happiness" is a song by Australian rock band Powderfinger. It was released via record label Universal Music Australia in August 2000 as the first single from the band's fourth album, Odyssey Number Five. Powderfinger frontman Bernard Fanning wrote the lyrics for "My Happiness" as a reflection on the time the band spent touring to promote their work, and the loneliness that came as a result. It was inspired by his love of gospel and soul music. The rest of the band are co-credited with Fanning for composing the track. Despite its melancholy mood, "My Happiness" is considered by many to be a love song, a suggestion Fanning regards as mystifying.
"Sunsets" is a song released as the third single from Australian rock band Powderfinger's fifth studio album, Vulture Street. The single was released in January 2004. "Sunsets" earned a mixed response from reviewers. Some reviewers praised its appeal and aggression, while others appreciated the power ballad elements within it. Others, however, described the song negatively as "lumbering". "Sunsets" charted moderately, reaching No. 11 on the Australian Singles Chart.
"The Day You Come" is a song from the third studio album by Powderfinger. It was released as a single on 10 August 1998 by Universal Music Group. It won the 1999 ARIA Music Award for Single of the Year.
"Don't Wanna Be Left Out" and "Good-Day Ray" are songs from Powderfinger's third studio album Internationalist. These songs were released together as a single on 9 November 1998, which reached the top 60 on the ARIA Singles Chart.
"Living Type" is the third single released from Powderfinger's second album Double Allergic. The single was released on 11 November 1996. The song, written by Bernard Fanning, the band's lead singer, concerned the victims of Charles Manson. The song was well received by the public, who voted it onto the Triple J Hottest 100, 1996. This was the first time Powderfinger had appeared on the chart.
"These Days" is a 1999 song by Australian alternative rock band Powderfinger, later included on their fourth studio album, Odyssey Number Five.
"I Don't Remember" is a song by Australian alternative rock band Powderfinger, from the album Dream Days at the Hotel Existence. It made its radio debut on 9 July 2007 on Australian radio stations, and was subsequently released as a single and digital download on 4 August 2007 in Australia, 3 September 2007 in New Zealand, and 13 August 2007 in the United States. The song was written by Powderfinger lead singer Bernard Fanning, and influenced by bassist John Collins. The riff was then developed by guitarist Ian Haug. The song is about reconciling difficulties and arguments, rather than shifting the blame.
Golden Rule is the seventh and final studio album by Australian rock band Powderfinger, released on 13 November 2009. The album reunites the band with producer Nick DiDia, who produced several of the group's previous albums including, Internationalist, Odyssey Number Five and Vulture Street.
1 2 3 4 Yates, Rod (September 2000). "Trusty Old Jackets". Massive.
↑ "Time to be pragmatic". The Australian. News.com.au. 20 December 2007. Archived from the original on 29 December 2007. Retrieved 6 January 2008. In 1996, John Howard won by promising not a conservative revolution but to govern "for all of us" and to make Australians feel "relaxed and comfortable".
↑ "APRA Music Awards 2001". Winners. Australasian Performing Right Association. Archived from the original on 21 December 2007. Retrieved 24 December 2007.
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