Favourite Five Of 2004

Once by Nightwish

Once, the 5th studio album by Nightwish and last to feature original vocalist Tarja Turunen

Thanks to a sampler DVD which came with another purchase, I discovered Nightwish by watching the music video for lead single “Nemo”. I was intrigued and was already into symphonic metal largely due to another band that features later in this blog post. The vocals were extraordinary so I wasn’t surprised to discover that lead vocalist, Tarja Turunen, had been opera-trained. She was asked to leave the band after this album which although I was originally disappointed, it just meant I now had a solo career to follow as well as that of Nightwish.

Favourite track: “Dead Gardens”

Seven Circles by The Tea Party

Seven Circles would be the last studio album released by the band for a decade

The Tea Party broke up after the tour that accompanied the release of this album in 2005. It was a surprise to the other band members, as singer Jeff Martin announced his solo career. They had assumed the band was just going on hiatus for a while. In the end that turned out to be the case when they reformed in 2011. Seven Circles was a success for the band, particularly in Australia and their native Canada, and two promotional singles were released. The track “Empty Glass” appears to be some sort of tribute to David Bowie as its lyrics include the terms Major Tom, diamond dogs, starman and golden years.

Favourite track: “Stargazer”

Mach Schau by Hoodoo Gurus

Ending an 8 year gap between albums Mach Schau was released by the re-formed band

Hoodoo Gurus broke up in the late 1990s but reformed in 2003 before going on to record this album. I am sure that I was not alone in thinking the break-up would end the band and was very pleasantly surprised when they got back together. For me, this was their best album in many years and I was very pleased with what my ears were receiving when I took it home on its first day of release.

Favourite track: Album opener “Chop”

Lemuria/Sirius B by Therion

Lemuria and Sirius B were released simultaneously by Therion on 24th May 2004

What’s better than a new album from your favourite Swedish symphonic metal band? Why, two new albums of course! I was blown away by how good both these albums were as there was not a weak track between them in my humble opinion. A work colleague in the late 1990s got me into them and I have been a fan ever since. Lemuria apparently refers to a lost continent much like the mythical Atlantis and Sirius B to the twin star of Sirius A. As one would expect from Therion, the albums’ lyrics feature mythical creatures, deities and religious sects.

Favourite track: “The Blood Of Kingu”

Is There Love In Space? by Joe Satriani

Is There Love In Space? is the tenth studio album by guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani

The ever-reliable Joe Satriani returned with another guitar master class with the release of Is There Love In Space? in April 2004. As always with an artist I know and love, I bought it first day out as I couldn’t wait to hear it. That’s how music used to work, you had to have the physical version in order to hear the material! To this day I still like holding something physical when I purchase music.

Favourite track: “If I Could Fly”

Favourite Five Of 1985

Although you wouldn’t know it from some of the selections I have made here, 1985 was the year where my musical tastes started to stray from the top 40. This was due to a number of factors, but primarily because my horizons had expanded and I was exposed to a wider variety of popular music.

Showdown! by Albert Collins, Robert Cray & Johnny Copeland

The aptly titled Showdown! from three brilliantly talented bluesmen

For me, this is the finest blues album of the eighties if not my entire collection. I never tire of listening to this and the interplay between all three guitarists inspires each of them to greater heights. I was already enamoured with Albert Collins and to a lesser extent Robert Cray, but it was my introduction to Johnny Copeland. The album won a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Recording and nobody could begrudge them such an accolade.

Favourite track: “Black Cat Bone”

Mars Needs Guitars! by Hoodoo Gurus

Apparently the title of the album refers to the 1967 science fiction film, Mars Needs Women

The follow-up to their excellent debut, Stoneage Romeos, went very well for Hoodoo Gurus. Their sophomore effort included four successful hit singles and the album even charted in the US. Mark Kingsmill had replaced James Baker behind the drumkit, a position he would fill long term from 1984–1998 and then from 2003–2015.

Favourite track: “Like Wow-Wipeout”

Scarecrow by John Cougar Mellencamp

Johnny Cougar takes a step toward performing under his birth name, adding Mellencamp

I absolutely adored this album from the first time I heard it and still think it is his best. It is also his most successful with three top ten singles in the US as well as reaching #2 on the US album charts. The overall theme of the album is the fading of the American dream in the face of corporate greed. The band sound really tight on the album, most likely due to spending a month in rehearsals playing over a hundred rock and roll songs from the 1960s.

Favourite Track: “Small Town”

Misplaced Childhood by Marillion

Marillion’s second last album with lead singer Fish, was their third album overall

Marillion never made much of an impact here in Australia, so this is an album I came to about 5 years after its release. Misplaced Childhood is a concept album loosely based on the childhood of Marillion’s lead singer, Fish. Each side of the album is a continuous piece of music. Nevertheless, three singles were released from the album, two of which reached the top ten in the UK.

Favourite track: UK #2 hit, “Kayleigh”, which peaked at #88 in Australia

Centerfield by John Fogerty

Thanks to overdubbing, Fogerty played all the instruments on this album himself

After a long break from the music industry due to legal battles with his record company, John Fogerty returned with his third solo album almost a decade after its predecessor. The album was a resounding success, achieving multi-platinum sales around the world, including 2 million in the US alone. His legal battles weren’t over however, as his former record company decided to sue, ridiculously accusing John Fogerty of sounding like himself! Thankfully, Fogerty won that legal battle.

Favourite track: “The Old Man Down The Road”