Artist List

AC/DC

AC/DC's mammoth power-chord roar became one of the most influential hard rock sounds of the '70s. In its own way, it was a reaction against the pompous art rock and lumbering stadium rock of the early '70s. AC/DC's rock was minimalist -- no matter how huge and bludgeoning the guitar chords were, there was a clear sense of space and restraint. Combined with Bon Scott's larynx-shredding vocals, the band spawned countless imitators over the next two decades. AC/DC was formed in 1973 in Australia by guitarist Malcolm Young after his band, the Velvet Underground, collapsed (Young's band has no relation to the seminal American group). With his younger brother Angus as lead guitarist, the band played some gigs around Sydney. Angus was only 15 years old at the time and his sister suggested that he should wear his school uniform on stage; the look became the band's visual trademark. While still in Sydney, the original lineup (featuring singer Dave Evans) cut a single called "Can I Sit Next to You," with ex-Easybeats Harry Vanda and George Young (Malcolm and Angus' older brother) producing. The band moved to Melbourne the following year, where drummer Phil Rudd (formerly of the Coloured Balls) and bassist Mark Evans joined the band. The band's chauffeur, Bon Scott, became their lead vocalist when their singer, Dave Evans, refused to go on stage. Previously, Scott had been vocalist for the Australian prog bands Fraternity and the Valentines. More importantly, he helped cement the group's image as brutes -- he had several convictions on minor criminal offenses and was rejected by the Australian Army for being "socially maladjusted." And AC/DC was socially maladjusted. Throughout their career they favored crude double entendres and violent imagery, all spiked with a mischievous sense of fun. The group released two albums -- High Voltage and TNT -- in Australia in 1974 and 1975. Material from the two records comprised the 1976 release High Voltage in the U.S. and U.K.; the group also toured both countries. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap followed at the end of the year. Evans left the band at the beginning of 1977, with Cliff Williams taking his place. In the fall of 1977, AC/DC released Let There Be Rock, which became their first album to chart in the U.S. Powerage, released in spring of 1978, expanded their audience even further, thanks in no small part to their dynamic live shows (which were captured on 1978's live If You Want Blood, You've Got It). What really broke the doors down for the band was the following year's Highway to Hell, which hit number 17 in the U.S. and number eight in the U.K., becoming the group's first million-seller. AC/DC's train was derailed when Bon Scott died on February 20, 1980. The official coroner's report stated he had "drunk himself to death." In March, the band replaced Scott with Brian Johnson. The following month, the band recorded Back in Black, which would prove to be their biggest album, selling over ten million copies in the U.S. alone. For the next few years, the band was one of the largest rock bands in the world, with For Those About to Rock We Salute You topping the charts in the U.S. In 1982, Rudd left the band; he was replaced by Simon Wright. After 1983's Flick of the Switch, the band's commercial standing began to slip; they were able to reverse their slide with 1990's The Razor's Edge, which spawned the hit "Thunderstruck." While not the commercial powerhouse they were during the late '70s and early '80s, the '90s saw them maintain their status as a top international concert draw. In the fall of 1995, their 16th album, Ballbreaker, was released. Produced by Rick Rubin, the album received some of the most positive reviews of AC/DC's career. Ballbreaker entered the American charts at number four and sold over a million copies in its first six months of release. Stiff Upper Lip followed in early 2000.

Peter Cupples

My musical career was probably pre-ordained. Long before I was born, there was a musical history in my family. On my father's side, his father played the fiddle, my grandmother played the piano, my uncle played the accordion, and dad played the mandolin. They had their own band, and played colonial and Irish folk music at local dances.

Joe Camilleri

"Bakelite Radio represents the kind of music I was listening to as a young boy digging the wealth and richness of the blues. Nick Smith and I have been writing songs together for 20 years and several of the songs on Bakelite were just lying about looking to get a little sunlight. We were able to record 20 tracks for the BR sessions - six blocks of four hours plus 2 days for mixing and overdubs. We didn't dissect every little move and worked to keep the spirit intact - Ed, Claude, Nicky, Simon and I would just pick up what was needed for the track, it is always a joy making music with friends." Joe Camilleri Joe Camilleri has been making fine music for three decades now. Founder and front man of Jo Jo Zep and The Falcons, The Black Sorrows and The Revelatory, Joe is an Australian music icon and his music has become part of our lives. Songs such as So Young, Hit And Run, Shape I'm In, Hold On To Me, Harley and Rose, Chained To The Wheel and Never Let Me Go are Australian milestones. Joe has given his life to making music in this country. Joe's love of music encompasses everything from R'n'B to jazz and this diversity is reflected in Bakelite Radio. From the bluesy soul of Isaac Hayes' classic Do Your Thing to the acoustic blues of Camilleri and Smith's Hell To Pay and on to brush the edge of the jazz world with Losing Hand - it's all here. "I think that Thoughts About Roxanne is the blueprint for Bakelite Radio. I heard this song by John Mayall on a record called Turning Point, Roxanne was one of my favourite songs on that recording. It had so much of everything I love about mixing the blues, jazz, pop and folk." Again Camilleri has surrounded himself with incredibly talented players whose banjo-like Dobro, big bass drum. Hawaiian slide and chugging bass all gel in the way only a group of muses who know each other well can. It was this familiarity that led to the inclusion of a 60's roots favourite. lf a take didn't come together the guys always wound up jamming on Howlin' Wolf's, Who's Been Talking. It sounded so great it had to be added to the list. Joe Camilleri is clearly a man who lives and loves music. Whether he is onstage or behind the scenes in his studio producing some new disc, he always gives 100%. The intimate performance mode of Bakelite Radio has given Joe the freedom to further explore the music he loves and is guaranteed to please music lovers around the world.

Avalore

Hailing from Perth, Western Australia, Avalore are a fresh and talented new act to formally enter into the Australian rock industry with their 1st national independent release. With an average age of just 19, and forming midway through 2005, Avalore are rapidly developing into a quality live and recording rock act. The bands live success has come on the back of supports for internationally successful acts The Living End, Anberlin, Matchbook Romance and Alkaline Trio as well as local favourites I Killed The Prom Queen, Behind Crimson Eyes, Bodyjar and the Realist Few, exposing the band's youthful, yet mature style of songwriting to a variety of audiences and large crowds. Combining well crafted pop melodies with punk angst, Avalore draw inspiration from acts such as Gyroscope, All American Rejects, Snow Patrol and The Killers to produce a diverse range of songs - from the warm acoustic feel of "Lets Settle This", to the indie rock flavoured "Vixen Or Villen", and the melodic punk driven rocker "The Abbadon". Now with an 8 track self titled EP under their belt which hits stores on Monday November 20, Avalore are proud to announce the release of their debut recorded works and accompanying CD Launches, which are set to consolidate Avalore as another Perth act on the rise leading into 2007 courtesy of Avalore

Jaider

Jaider De Oliveira, singer, producer, performer, guitarist, percussionist, teacher and entertainer. But make no mistake, what differentiates Jaider from other musicians, is his ten string guitar, on which is a virtuoso. There are not many who can evoke such passion from an inanimate object in the manner Jaider does in such tracks as "Baiao for you" This is the wonderful track which you are listening to currently and is from his first CD "Samba Down Under" Currently Jaider has produced two c.d.'s The first Samba down under and secondly roots, you are able to purchase them directly from him by writing to his email. In January 2007 Alegria Instrumental will be released. Order your copy directly from Jaider.

Chloe Hall

Over a dozen years of performance explains a great deal about Melbourne artist Chloe Hall's exceptional poise and craft, but there's no accounting for her gift. Her new album White Street abounds with strong emotions and spare acoustic arrangements, the work of a mature and assured artist with an instinct for melody and subtle truths, one who knows her own voice and understands its power. Chloe has been playing music all her life; she won her first songwriting award at 14. An early love of Irish folk music led her on a fruitful journey as a teenaged troubadour, from open mic nights in Melbourne to countless stages on the Australian folk circuit through the mid to late '90s. After studying voice and composition at Melbourne University's Conservatorium, she left to build a career as a contemporary singer/songwriter. Independent and intelligent - this is an exciting voice in contemporary Australian folk. Chloe will be touring the album nationally later in the year, accompanied by multi-instrumentalist James Hazelden, perhaps best known as the front man and main songwriter for Man Bites God. Since then, Chloe has built a reputation for her well crafted songs, warm and heartfelt performances and beautiful voice. 2000 saw the release of her impressive debut, White Sky. In the process of recording with producers RL Burnside and Drew Stansbury, it evolved from simple folk-pop to something more slick and electronic. She was nominated for Best Unsigned Artist at that year's Music Industry Critics Awards in Adelaide. A self-titled EP appeared in '02, with four new songs, produced by Things of Stone and Wood's Greg Arnold. Chloe has also written for four Saddle Club albums (three gold-sellers) and various other TV and film projects. White Street is closer to home in every respect: musically, lyrically and in the warm, wood grain texture of Greg Arnold's acoustic production. She writes with rare insight, humour and feeling. From the first song of quiet determination, “All Or Nothing”, her voice has the purity of absolute conviction. “Amy” rings as true as an old friend, and “I'll Be Gone” has a melody that gets under your skin like a familiar feeling. They can also be as languid and affectionate as the title track, “White Street”; as playful as “Fallen Angel Boy” and as plainspoken and unembellished as “Just The Way You Are”. And they're often as gorgeous as “Fall For You”, a love song that resonates with the unmistakable gravity of precious life experience. “This isn't new for me,” she says, “I've been doing this for years and years but I feel like I've come back to my roots. I've realised that this is what I do best and this is what I love. It's the simplest record I've made. Early on, I wanted to say everything in one song. Years of live performance changed that. When you?re singing to an audience you lose yourself in one moment, one emotion, and hopefully they do too. The simpler the song, the easier that can happen.”

Gina Jeffreys

It’s now more than a decade since Gina Jeffreys won the Toyota Star Maker Quest, marking the start of a remarkable career that’s not only taken Gina to the top of the country music industry — where she still reigns supreme — but continued to bring new surprises and successes for this talented and vivacious woman. After releasing her first single Slipping Away through BMG Music, Gina signed a record deal with ABC Music, and released her first single for the label Two Stars Fell in 1993. The song went straight to No.1 and the career of Gina Jeffreys was launched. Her debut album The Flame went platinum, and the following January Gina won her first Golden Guitar for Female Vocalist of the Year. During her time with ABC Country, Gina enjoyed a dream run. She released five albums, each one rocketing to the top of the Country charts, and along the way gathered an impressive collection of four Golden Guitars, four MO Awards for live performance, an APRA Award, two Victorian Country Music Awards and CMT Video of the Year for Dancin’ With Elvis. Gina’s albums — The Flame, Up Close, Somebody’s Daughter, Christmas Wish, Angel and The Best of Gina Jeffreys … So Far — have all been smash hits with her loyal band of fans, collecting a steady stream of Gold and Platinum awards. Gina has also been one of the most in-demand performers in Australia, both live and on television, appearing at everything from civic receptions to Carols by Candlelight, a string of corporate functions and, of course, all the major country music festivals Australia-wide. International highlights have included performing at Fan Fair in Nashville, on a New Year’s Eve Television Special in Shanghai, China, to over 2 billion people, and the Tour of Duty Concert in East Timor. Her tours are always sell-out successes, with the fans seemingly unable to get enough of Gina’s performances. And Gina is the first to admit she leads a charmed life — performing the music she loves, and sharing the experience with the love of her life, husband Rod McCormack. But magic doesn’t just happen by itself — Gina has worked incredibly hard over the past decade to develop her career, and continues to emerge with fresh new sounds and stunning new looks to delight her fans and win over new supporters for her music. And as a hard-working patron of the Australian Leukaemia Foundation, Gina has quietly been helping sick children for over seven years. In January 2003, Gina and Rod became the proud parents of a baby boy Jackson. Since then Gina has been taking some time out of the limelight to enjoy her new role…"I wast just enjoying every second of the simple things in life, like putting our baby to bed and reading him bedtime stories, singing him lullabies. I am so glad that I did that. You can’t get those years back. But while our son Jackson is the reason I stopped music for a while, he is also the reason I started again. My heart has never sung like this before". But over the past three years, Gina began to slowly start recording what has now become her exquisite new album ‘WALKS OF LIFE’. The album, produced by Rod, showcases a new vocal maturity on a collection of songs that are near and dear to her heart. Gina has co-written five of the songs. The first single LIVE IT was released at the end of October, while the album is set to be launched at the Tamworth Festival in January. And Gina’s legions of fans just can’t wait!

Human Nature

"Calling out around the world, are you ready for a brand new beat..." This classic lyric, always synonymous with good times and the incredible soulful, inspiring songs of Motown, couldn't be a more perfect way to launch the second part of our musical trip to Hitsville. Recording this album is practically a dream come true. By the time we finished making the first record, Reach Out, we kind of knew we had created something really special. The four of us looked at each other and said that if we had the chance to do this again, we'd do it in a heartbeat. So with the same producer Paul Wiltshire, the same incredible musicians and the addition of a 20-piece string section, we tapped back into the magic of this amazing catalogue of songs - and we've made what we think are some of the absolute finest recordings we've ever done as a group: "Dancing In The Street - The Songs Of Motown II". Based once again around our love for The Tops, The Tempts and The Jackson 5, the key to this record was the tracks we didn't get to record first time around. "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)", "Ain't Too Proud To Beg", "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", (which The Temptations also covered with the Supremes) and "A.B.C." have always been huge favourites of ours. "Midnight Train To Georgia" - not technically a Motown song but one recorded by one of Motown's greats, Gladys Knight and The Pips - is a song we've sung a capella now for over 10 years. Funnily enough, "Dancing In The Street" (like "Reach Out I'll Be There" on the first album) was a song we'd always wanted to do but never felt we had the vocal authority to own. Now, both live and here opening this set, we feel it totally captures the essence of the Human Nature take on Motown's finest. This record was an absolute joy to sing and the songs a joy to be inspired by. We can only hope to have this much fun making albums again. Human Nature.

Missy Higgins

In a world littered with disposable pop Missy Higgins is a welcome relief.. passionate, sincere and proudly Australian. The 23 year old singer/songwriter from Melbourne has enjoyed phenomenal success in her homeland in spite - or perhaps because - of shunning the usual synthetic packaging and tabloid tackiness. Instead she's adopted a more timeless approach, relying on her undeniable songs and unforgettable live performances to build a genuine and gimmick free connection with her audience. Missy's new album, "On A Clear Night", retains the hallmarks of her earlier work - irresistible melodies and 'arrow through the heart' lyrics delivered by a voice that clearly means it.?However, this time around the tracks benefit from the empathetic production of Mitchell Froom who helmed the first three Crowded House albums as well as works by other quality artists such as Ron Sexsmith, Elvis Costello, Paul McCartney and the Finn Brothers. The new album also showcases the changing world view of a more self assured artist. There's a quiet strength to these new works which suggests a more confident young woman. She's grown up in public and "On A Clear Night" is the diary she's kept along the way. "The album hopefully reflects where I'm at right now", explains Missy. "I just feel a lot clearer about who I am and what I want to be doing with my music. Working with Mitchell was a big part of that process too. I've still got so much to learn but I think I've moved on from most of the confusion and self doubt I felt when I was just starting out. I'd say that's themain difference between the old songs and the new ones." It's certainly been quite a journey. In a story that's now well known, Missy started off singing standards with her older brother's band when she was only 13. She was thrust into the limelight in 2001 when she won Triple J Unearthed while she was still at high school. Instead of rushing into a recording studio she chose to go backpacking around Europe before coming home and releasing an eponymous EP that topped the indie charts in late 2003. In August the following year she released the "Scar EP" in Australia. Off the back of tours supporting George, The Waifs, John Butler Trio and Pete Murray the disc entered the national charts at #1. Her debut album, "The Sound Of White" achieved the same feat soon afterwards. It was quite an arrival. More Australian touring followed including a stint opening for the Finn Brothers, appearances on major festivals such as Homebake and Falls, plus a slot on the memorable Waveaid tsunami benefit concert in January 2005. "The Sound Of White" was released internationally later that year and Missy toured the US and UK repeatedly including stints opening for the likes of Ray Lamontagne, The Finn Brothers and Howie Day. By the end of 2005 Missy had racked up over 200 gigs culminating in a memorable series of huge outdoor concerts around Australia. "The whole thing almost seemed like a blur", says Missy. "One minute I was just some opening act nobody had heard of and the next minute I was playing to 20,000 people in (Sydney's) Centennial Park. It was pretty overwhelming." But the craziness didn't stop there. "The Sound Of White" scooped the ARIA Awards, adding 5 gongs (including the coveted "Album Of The Year") to the one "Scar" had earned in late 2004. Missy also won an APRA songwriter's award, appeared twice on the cover of Rolling Stone, and enjoyed major hit singles with "Ten Days", "Special Two" and the album's title track. All of this activity propelled "The Sound Of White" to nine times platinum status in Australia for sales of over 650,000 copies, making it the biggest selling CD of 2005 and one of the most popular releases in the country's history. Says Missy; "I'm not one of those people who feels obliged to knock their previous albums - I'm actually really pleased so many people liked "The Sound Of White". It's a good snapshot of who I was in my late teens and I'm happy I made it. Its popularity was obviously never something that I expected but it opened up the doors to a lot of amazing experiences for me and I'm very grateful for that. Of course I'd be lying if I pretended that I didn't feel a lot of pressure when it came to following it up but that's exactly why I decided to really take my time and make sure that the new album was everything I wanted it to be." 2006 saw some more overseas touring but by the middle of the year the focus had shifted toward songwriting and making plans for recording. "I made a really conscious decision to just try to be invisible in Australia last year. I was sick of hearing myself on the radio so I can only imagine how much everybody else needed a break from me for a while". Fortunately Missy likes to write songs while she's on the road, so while touring "The Sound Of White" she penned many of the tunes that would comprise "On A Clear Night" and gradually honed them through live performances. The pissed off "Peachy" was among the first to work its way into Missy's set. It was often introduced onstage with a wry chuckle as "the sequel to "Ten Days"". The equally energetic (and only slightly less feisty) "100 Round The Bends" also became a fan favourite through repeated live airings. "Unlike nearly all the songs on the first album both of those ones were written on guitar", Missy explains. "When I'm touring I obviously can't carry a piano around everywhere. The guitar's the only instrument I've got with me in the hotel room or on the bus and the songs I write that way tend to be a bit more 'up' while playing the piano usually inspires slow songs for some reason. Maybe that's why there's a bit more energy on this album compared to the last one - I just didn't get to spend as much time sitting around at home playing the piano." The new disc still features some beautiful keyboard driven ballads such as "Sugarcane" and "Where I Stood" but this time they're evenly balanced by the more uptempo tracks. Recording for "On A Clear Night" commenced at Mitchell Froom's home studio in Los Angeles during early September 2006. For the next three months tracking proceeded at relatively leisurely pace using a stellar lineup of LA musicians including deeply gifted drummer Matt Chamberlain (Tori Amos, Fiona Apple).? In another memorable career highlight former touring compadre Neil Finn was roped in to provide some extra guitars on "Peachy" and backing vocals on the rustic "Going North". "Because it was Mitchell's own studio and all the players he loves to work with it was just a really relaxed way to record", says Missy. "There was no clock ticking away in people's minds so there was no pressure to get in the way of the creativity. We could just take our time and try out different things until we caught the right performances and sounds for each song." The opening track, "Where I Stood" showcases both the tasteful restraint and the lyrical maturity that are the album's trademarks while the sass and swagger of Missy's personal favourite track - "The Wrong Girl" -is clearly the work of a more self-Missy's personal favourite track - "The Wrong Girl" -is clearly the work of a more self-confident songwriter. Missy credits her producer with helping her realize her ambitions for these pivotal songs. "Working with Mitchell was such an empowering experience. He's made so many great singer/songwriter style records yet his main priority was always to help me make the record Iwanted to make. He's full of all these brilliant ideas but he never tried to impose anything on me; he just let me take my time and we let the songs unfold the way they wanted to. The result, I think, is a record with a real depth to it and I'm so proud of it. The first single, "Steer" is in many ways the album's statement of intent. An infectious and uplifting piece about seizing control of your life, it sums up the discs outlook. It's therefore only appropriate that a line from its chorus should lead to the title of "On A Clear Night". "A lot of the songs on the last album were written from fairly dark places but "Steer" is really the opposite of that", explains Missy. "It was inspired by a realisation I had one night on the beach, looking up at this amazingly clear sky above me. It dawned on me how small we are, how short life is and how ridiculous it therefore is to spend any of it feeling compromised or unfulfilled. I felt so liberated to have finally figured that out and the song 'Steer' just kind of fell out of that moment." This sense that 'anything's possible' isn't confined to the lyrics; it also extends to the musical departures on the album. "Going North" has a surprisingly country twang to it, "Warm Whispers" employs some unusual structures and atmospheric loops, there's an acoustic string band treatment of "Angela", and the haunting "Secret" is written around just 3 notes played on one string of the guitar. They're the kind of subtle and surprising twists that sustain listener interest across the course of the album. "I wanted this album to seem really simple when you first listen to it but then the more you play it, the more you discover. There are lots of little instrumental textures and things that you only notice after a few spins so hopefully people will feel like it's one of those albums that's worth playing a few times." Tracking of "On A Clear Night" wrapped in December of 2006 and to mark the final day of recording Missy joined Neil Finn onstage at a secret club show he did at Largo in L.A.. After doing her own set she joined in on backing vocals with Neil and his makeshift band that also featured Mitchell Froom on keys and the legendary Jon Brion on guitar. The group improvised versions of classic Finn songs like "Fall At Your Feet", "Four Seasons In One Day" and "Better Be Home Soon" which, in the closing of a circle, Missy used to perform with her brother many years before. "It was a really special night", Missy recalls. "From my point of view it was just a perfect way to celebrate the completion of this album. Of course if you'd told me a few years ago that I'd be singing "Better Be Home Soon" with Neil Finn I'd have laughed at you and then I'd probably have panicked and refused to leave the house (laughs). But after everything that's gone down over the last few years I was able to just relax and enjoy the night. It was beautiful."

Powderfinger

The reason that we are here is simple. This is a celebration. A toast to those that have made us feel grand, laugh, sing, wail and discuss what we are about. Those who have walked steps down a path that some dared, some never could, others lost the nerve, and the rest of us watched from the front of stage and danced. A rock’n’roll band who have withstood the fickle tastes of the day, have weathered the fashions, have watched the UK magazine-dictated genre trends from afar – borrowed from them all of these and made them their own, yes – but dug in, as brothers through all, to make music that has watched us get to here. This band is Powderfinger. And they are as rare as newborn’s teeth. That any rock’n’roll band could enjoy this environment, this brotherhood, with the ear, the heart and the personal memories of a nation for that long, is unique. This band, like very few before them – maybe Cold Chisel or Midnight Oil, INXS or The Easybeats (all quintets as well) – connect with the Australian people in a vital way. And it’s this last attribute that gives this release resonance. We feel we know Powderfinger, that they are just like us. Which brings us to the nervous now. After five studio albums, a live album and concert film and enough singles, videos and awards to fill a bathtub, Brisbane’s favourite musical sons are releasing a Powderfinger biography that really tells the story better than anyone can on paper: Fingerprints: The Best Of Powderfinger. It’s a common misconception that a Best Of compilation marks the end of an artist’s creative haul. For Powderfinger, who’s success has so far straddled the grunge era, alternative mid-90s, nu-punk moment, nu-rock present and nu-blah eon, the possibility that they will not bridge us through whatever comes next seems ludicrous. Fear not, friend. The papers have been signed, the vows renewed, the champagne quaffed and the photos snapped. There are new Powderfinger records around time’s corners, the Fertile Five (‘Fab’ has been taken, twice, so has ‘Fantastic’ and ‘Febrile’ and…) remain devoted to the cause of entertaining Australia. Like Rolled Gold did for the Rolling Stones, Fingerprints marks a summary of the Powderfinger journey to date. After 1.6 million albums sold, this just seemed like the perfect moment to pause, and reflect. So let us reflect. The tunes on this album are, for the most part, familiar to you, having been part of the soundtrack to your life over the last decade. As PF manager Paul Piticco points out at the tail end of Gregor Jordan’s concert documentary These Days, whether you may have wanted it or not, it is very likely that for many Australians of a certain age (say, under 40), somewhere at some time there was a Powderfinger song playing. Any one of the tracks on this album conjures up a memory, a minute, an event, a moment. Everyone has their own. Whether it’s locking eyes with that spectacular someone while you groove at a party (These Days), losing your mind at the 1999 Big Day Out while the sun sets (Belter), howling at the top of your lungs with the VB Men’s choir after winning the cricket comp grand final (Treat Me Like A Dog), nursing a broken heart on a Saturday night with your soul wrapped in your headphones (Pick You Up), bruising your fingers as you learn to pick the chords to My Happiness, knowing that The Day You Come sticks two fingers up to Pauline Hanson and loving it, or punching your fist into the whistling air as you drive coastward on the first day of a holiday (Waiting For The Sun). Or maybe it’s less specific, but snippets, refrains and phrases remind you of that share-house in Wollongong, or the time you worked at a record store, or the high school formal. Powderfinger were there, in the background, singing to you and yours. As for the band, a look at the reminiscences on the album’s sleeve provide the view through the looking glass that has planted these songs in the memory of those who made them. It’s a history that we feel that we share, that Australians own, just like we did on Powderfinger’s biggest concert tour of their lives, in 2003. Now to the distillation of the years 1994 - 2000, a rarity in Australian pop music in that every song – with the exception of the two newies Bless My Soul and Process This, which you will get to know – will make you smile, flash that memory, open your mouth and free your voice. Better still, this is the definitive soundtrack to the summer: sun bleached tunes for every barbecue. Finally, it’s the strength of a band’s body of work that they are spoiled for choice when it comes to compiling a Best Of. To include every track that means something to someone would require a box set. What Fingerprints does is what its title suggests: identifies the songs that most bear the marks of The Finger’s broad throw, their stamp on the collective unconscious of a generation of fans; taking the most vibrant photos out of the album and framing them on the wall. Gather your friends turn it up loud, fingerprints is our soundtrack, courtesy of Universal Music Australia