''Vulture Street'' is the fifth studio album by Australian
alternative
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rock band by
Powderfinger, released on 29 July 2003 by
Universal Music. It won the 2003
ARIA Music Award for Best Rock Album.
Produced by
Nick DiDia, ''Vulture Street'' was certified
platinum, and spent 47 weeks on the
ARIA Charts and peaked at #1.
Singles from the album included "
(Baby I've Got You) On My Mind
"(Baby I've Got You) On My Mind" (also known simply as "On My Mind") is the first single from the fifth studio album by Powderfinger. It was released as a single on 16 June 2003 and reached 9 on the Australian Singles Chart, the band's third-hi ...
", "
Since You've Been Gone", "
Love Your Way
"Love Your Way" is a song from Powderfinger's fifth studio album '' Vulture Street''. It was the second single released from ''Vulture Street'' in September 2003 and reached No. 37 on the Australian music chart.
The single's artwork is a ...
" and "
Sunsets".
The album received nominations for ARIA Awards in five different categories in
2003, which included "Album of the Year", "Best Group" and "Best Rock Album". ''Vulture Street'' also received the award for "Best Cover Art", which featured
Czech supermodel Eva Herzigová.
''Vulture Street'' was described by certain critics as "a rawer, louder, but by no means unrefined" album. The title of the album was taken from an
iconic street in the inner southern suburbs of
Brisbane,
Queensland, the city in which all Powderfinger members grew up.
Background, recording and production
Following their last record, the highly successful ''
Odyssey Number Five'', the band agreed that they wanted to continue in their musical careers, but wanted to have more fun with it. They were no longer
dole reliant, as they had been when they made their debut album, ''
Parables for Wooden Ears
''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 was r ...
''. Drummer
Jon Coghill told ''
The Sydney Morning Herald'' "we wanted to have more fun and enjoy that we were a band, rather than chase what you're supposed to do", and guitarist
Ian Haug said "We all found that this is really important to us, but we wanted to make it more fun".
Powderfinger did not enter the recording studio with a specific plan on what they wanted ''Vulture Street'' to be, but that they "felt that
hey
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wanted to write a rock album".
In the end, the album became "stuff that makes you want to jump around and feel good about yourself"—guitarist
Darren Middleton said this had not been the band's intention.
Coghill said the band wanted to make an album that was fun to perform live and listen to—most of the songs on the album were performed and released live on ''
These Days: Live in Concert''.
Like Powderfinger's two previous albums, ''Vulture Street'' was produced by
Nick DiDia. It was
mixed by
Brendan O'Brien, who had worked with Powderfinger inspiration
Neil Young.
The album was recorded over a seven-week period in Sydney. Prior to recording, the band had written about 50 songs, which was trimmed to the final 11.
A significant number of songs on the album were producing during
jam sessions, with DiDia giving the band additional space to move in. Middleton said in an interview that the band "always start things spontaneously, because that's when you're thinking less and just playing."
In producing ''Vulture Street'', Powderfinger moved in a different direction to their previous works, especially ''
Odyssey Number Five'',
starting with opening song "Rockin' Rocks", which was written according to Middleton after "a couple of months trying really hard to write this new rock album" but not making anything they really liked. He also said the band could easily have written many "
The Metre"-like songs, but didn't do that "for our own interest in the band and music".
In an interview with
ninemsn,
lead singer Bernard Fanning said the band "tapped more into that energetic rock thing and made it really different from our other albums" when creating ''Vulture Street''. He also said the band were a lot more serious when making this album, and this was partly due to "the way we've matured as musicians".
Album and single releases
''Vulture Street'' was released on 29 July 2003 in Australia, with the band launching the album at the Tivoli nightclub on 52 Costin Street Fortitude Valley,
Brisbane.
A special edition
DVD was included with selected early copies of ''Vulture Street''. The DVD included a documentary with all of the albums' songs and several music videos.
''Vulture Street'' entered the
ARIA Charts in Australia at #1, and the
RIANZ Charts in New Zealand at #17.
''Vulture Street's'' first single, "
(Baby I've Got You) On My Mind
"(Baby I've Got You) On My Mind" (also known simply as "On My Mind") is the first single from the fifth studio album by Powderfinger. It was released as a single on 16 June 2003 and reached 9 on the Australian Singles Chart, the band's third-hi ...
", was released in June 2003. It entered the
ARIA charts at #9 on 29 June 2003, and spent 13 weeks in the top 50. The song was nominated for "Song of the Year" and "Best Video" at the
2003 ARIA Awards, but won neither.
"
Love Your Way
"Love Your Way" is a song from Powderfinger's fifth studio album '' Vulture Street''. It was the second single released from ''Vulture Street'' in September 2003 and reached No. 37 on the Australian music chart.
The single's artwork is a ...
" was released as the second single from ''Vulture Street'', and spent two weeks on the ARIA charts, entering at #37.
The third single, "
Sunsets", was released in January 2004. It earned the band a nomination for "Best Group" at the
2004 ARIA Awards, but again was unsuccessful.
"Sunsets" charted better than most of its predecessors, reaching #11 on the ARIA Chart, and entering the RIANZ Chart in New Zealand at #38, the first single from ''Vulture Street'' to do so. The fourth and final single, "
Since You've Been Gone", was released in March 2004. It wasn't as successful as its predecessors, and failed to make the ARIA top 50. "Since You've Been Gone" was written by Fanning as a tribute to his brother.
Music and lyrics
The music on ''Vulture Street'' was more
rock orientated than Powderfinger's past work, especially ''Odyssey Number Five''. The opening track, "Rockin' Rocks", was described by ''
Harp'' as "far too cheesy to open this record—or any record, for that matter".
[Melanie Haupt (June 2005)]
Powderfinger, Vulture Street
'' Harp''. Accessed 26 July 2008. The song became the band's opening track for live performances, though.
[Kenneth Nguyen (9 December 2003)]
Powderfinger - Rod Laver Arena
'' The Age''. Accessed 26 July 2008. The first single, "
(Baby I've Got You) On My Mind
"(Baby I've Got You) On My Mind" (also known simply as "On My Mind") is the first single from the fifth studio album by Powderfinger. It was released as a single on 16 June 2003 and reached 9 on the Australian Singles Chart, the band's third-hi ...
", was one of the heavier songs on the album; varying reviewers alikened it to
AC/DC,
Bad Company, and
Stereophonics,
[Jason MacNeil. Overview">Vulture Street > Overview ]Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...
. Accessed 26 July 2008.[ Ty Burr]
Vulture Street
'' Entertainment Weekly''. Accessed 26 July 2008.[ Bernard Zuel (11 July 2003)]
Powderfinger, Vulture Street
'' The Sydney Morning Herald''. Accessed 26 July 2008. and musicOMH called it "an unashamed full-tilt rocker".
[Simon Evans]
Powderfinger - Vulture Street
musicOMH. Accessed 26 July 2008. ''dB'' magazine said the title of "
Stumblin'", released as a single from ''
These Days: Live in Concert'' after appearing on ''Vulture Street'', was representative of the "classic rock clichés" on the album.
[Ben Revi]
Powderfinger
''dB''. Accessed 26 July 2008.
Second single "
Since You've Been Gone" contained similar lyrical features to "(Baby I've Got You) On My Mind", but with a more mellow sound. Fanning wrote it following the death of his brother, to help deal with the event.
"
Sunsets" also dealt with this theme; Fanning told ''
MTV Scene
MTV is a 24-hour general entertainment channel specialising in music and youth culture programming which serves Australia and New Zealand. It is operated by parent company Paramount Networks UK & Australia headquartered in London with a local of ...
'' "we write unashamedly about that emotional attachment". "
Love Your Way
"Love Your Way" is a song from Powderfinger's fifth studio album '' Vulture Street''. It was the second single released from ''Vulture Street'' in September 2003 and reached No. 37 on the Australian music chart.
The single's artwork is a ...
" saw an
acoustic opening followed by a loud chorus for which
Universal Music Canada recommended the
air guitar.
[Powderfinger :: Vulture Street]
Universal Music Canada. Archived fro
the original
on 23 July 2008, accessed 26 July 2008. musicOMH's Simon Evans alikened the song to
Roy Harper,
while David Welsh praised the three main aspects of the song—the acoustic introduction, "affected vocal delivery", and
guitar solo.
[David Welsh]
Powderfinger - Love Your Way
musicOMH Accessed 26 July 2008. On live performances, Fanning plays "Love Your Way" with an acoustic guitar to give the loud second phase of the song more "oomph".
[George Palathingal (15 December 2003)]
'' The Sydney Morning Herald''. Accessed 26 July 2008.
Reception
''Vulture Street'' was generally received well by critics.
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...
's Jason MacNeil gave the album four stars, stating the opening notes of the album had a "great rock flavor to them". He described "
(Baby I've Got You) On My Mind
"(Baby I've Got You) On My Mind" (also known simply as "On My Mind") is the first single from the fifth studio album by Powderfinger. It was released as a single on 16 June 2003 and reached 9 on the Australian Singles Chart, the band's third-hi ...
" as reminiscent of "
Stereophonics rehashing old-school rock for a contemporary feeling", and said "
Since You've Been Gone" was an "uplifting gospel-tinged effort". MacNeil's main criticism was for "Roll Right By You", a song he described as "run-of-the-mill". However, MacNeil said that overall the album was "an outstanding piece of work".
''
The Sydney Morning Herald's''
Bernard Zuel approved of the album, giving it four stars, and calling ''Vulture Street'' a "rawer, louder, but by no means unrefined, album". He said that throughout the album, guitarists
Darren Middleton and
Ian Haug "dominated in a way they haven't since their 1994 debut, ''
Parables for Wooden Ears
''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 was r ...
''". Zuel drew several connections to Powderfinger's early work, but noted "a superior intellect" in this album. Zuel summarised by saying it was easy to "just enjoy Vulture Street's power and passion. And the rock."
Ty Burr of ''
Entertainment Weekly'' reviewed the album positively, writing of a return to Powderfinger's "bar-band roots", while still featuring some "sharp pop hooks under the riffs". He drew references to early
Radiohead and
Bad Company, whom he argued Fanning was inspired by on "(Baby I've Got You) On My Mind". The review was summarised by Burr describing ''Vulture Street'' as "good company".
MusicOMH reviewer Simon Evans said Powderfinger added "a real punch to songs...far removed from your standard rock and roll fare" in ''Vulture Street'', praising the emotion and seriousness of "Since You've Been Gone" and "How Far Have We Really Come?", and the "fun" in "Don't Panic". Evans praised producer
Nick DiDia for his work on the album, which he summarised as "a quantum leap from its rather passionless predecessor, ''Odyssey Number Five''".
ARIA Award nominations
''Vulture Street'' received numerous nominations for
ARIA Music Awards from the
Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) in 2003 and 2004. To date, the album has received eight nominations in six categories, four of which they had won the award for.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end chart
Certifications
Personnel
Powderfinger
*
Bernard Fanning –
vocals and
guitar
*
Darren Middleton – guitar,
backing vocals and
keyboard
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Music
* Mu ...
*
Ian Haug – guitar and backing vocals
*
John Collins –
bass guitar
*
Jon Coghill –
drums and
percussion
Additional players
* Tony Reyes – keyboards, guitar and backing vocals
* Shauna Jensen and Maggie McKinney – backing vocals
* Lachlan Doley –
hammond organ and
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
*
Nick DiDia –
tambourine and anüsaphone
Production
* Nick DiDia –
producer,
engineer
* Tony Reyes – producer
*
Brendan O'Brien –
mixer
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* Anton Hagop – additional engineer
* Catherine Claire – assistant engineer
*
Paul Piticco, Brian Quinn, Annette Perkins, Janne Scott and Jean Reid – managers
* Steven Gorrow – art and direction
* Christopher Morris – photographer
Track listing
All songs written by John Collins, Ian Haug, Bernard Fanning, Jon Coghill & Darren Middleton
CD
# "Rockin' Rocks" – 3:04
# "
(Baby I've Got You) On My Mind
"(Baby I've Got You) On My Mind" (also known simply as "On My Mind") is the first single from the fifth studio album by Powderfinger. It was released as a single on 16 June 2003 and reached 9 on the Australian Singles Chart, the band's third-hi ...
" – 3:20
# "
Since You've Been Gone" – 4:12
# "
Love Your Way
"Love Your Way" is a song from Powderfinger's fifth studio album '' Vulture Street''. It was the second single released from ''Vulture Street'' in September 2003 and reached No. 37 on the Australian music chart.
The single's artwork is a ...
" – 4:31
# "
Sunsets" – 3:49
# "Don't Panic" – 3:09
# "
Stumblin'" – 3:46
# "Roll Right by You" – 4:15
# "How Far Have We Really Come?" – 4:00
# "Pockets" – 5:46
# "A Song Called Everything" – 4:23
''Vulture Street Blues''
A special edition
DVD was included with selected early copies of ''Vulture Street''. The DVD included a documentary with all of the album's songs, with the song "
Sunsets" featuring twice. The DVD also included the
music videos for "
On My Mind", the acoustic version of "Sunsets" and as hidden bonus features, the videos for the song "Pockets" and the keyboard version of "
These Days
These Days may refer to:
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* ''These Days'' (Bon Jovi album), and the title song (see below)
** These Days Tour, a 1995–1996 tour by Bon Jovi in support of the above album
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* ''These D ...
".
# Documentary
##"Sunsets"
##"Rockin Rocks"
##"Stumblin'"
##"Pockets"
##"On My Mind"
##"Since You've Been Gone"
##"Sunsets"
##"Love Your Way"
##"Don't Panic"
##"How Far Have We Really Come?"
##"Rita"
# "On My Mind" (video)
# "Sunsets" (acoustic video)
# Hidden extras:
#* "Pockets" (video)
#* "
These Days
These Days may refer to:
Music
Albums
* ''These Days'' (Bon Jovi album), and the title song (see below)
** These Days Tour, a 1995–1996 tour by Bon Jovi in support of the above album
* ''These Days'' (Crystal Gayle album), 1980
* ''These D ...
" (keyboard version)
Release history
See also
*
Full discography
References
{{Authority control
2003 albums
ARIA Award-winning albums
Powderfinger albums