by Susie Salva
Sydney, Australian rockers The Vines release a fine effort, "The Best of the Vines Collection," on Capitol/EMI Records. This 16-Track CD and Digital Album is The Vines’ first compilation release featuring singles and deeper cuts spanning the band’s three-studio albums released between 2002 and 2006.
The Vines are a combination of sonic sounds – garage band music meets British beats. These guys are the ultimate in cool. This disc shows off the eclectic style and precision featuring the quirky song "Factory," the single that first put them on the international music map, the 90-second title from the band’s gold-certified debut album, "Highly Evolved," and the Modern Rock chart hits, "Get Free," "Ride," and "Outtathaway."
The Vines display some awesome harmonies on songs like, "Winning Days," and "Homesick." The enthusiastic "Animal Machine," "F.T.W." and "Vision Valley" croons lead singer Craig Nicholls in an Oasis meets the Beach Boys sound. Following a few years of local success in their hometown of Sydney, Australia, The Vines were discovered internationally in 2001. Originally comprised of lead vocalist and guitarist Craig Nicholls, bassist and vocalist Patrick Matthews and drummer David Oliffe, the trio selected its name to honor Nicholls’ father’s 1960s band The Vynes.
In 2002 following the recording of the band’s first album, "Highly Evolved," with producer Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliot Smith), Oliffe left the band and guitarist Ryan Griffiths and drummer Hamish Rosser joined the line-up.
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Heralded by influential UK and US music press as a hot new arrival, The Vines stormed America with a Coachella Festival debut in April and the band was poised to burst onto the scene. "Highly Evolved," spawned the band’s Top 10 Modern Rock hit, "Get Free," and Top 20 Modern Rock single, "Outtathaway," announced The Vines arrival with a firm kick. The band’s 2001 single, "Factory," was also included on the gold-certified debut, which peaked at #11 on Billboard’s Top 200 and Top Internet Album charts.
Their sophomore album, "Winning Days," followed in March 2004. By then, Nicholls had long been making headlines for erratic behavior and an extended public unraveling that was viewed by many as inexcusable petulance, alienating some of the band’s most ardent fans. The album’s single, the monster hit, "Ride," reached #13 on Billboard’s Modern Rock chart, (and was later featured in a 2007 Nissan TV ad campaign). Soon after the release, the band was forced to scrap its tour date as Nicholls spiraled deeper into an alarming crisis. With the support of his bandmates and family, Nicholls sought help and was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism and immediately began ongoing treatment.
In a return to the group’s origins as a trio, The Vines’ Nicholls, Hamish, and Griffiths entered the studio in 2005 to record "Vision Valley," the band’s most recent album. They set up a small studio in Sydney with Australian producer Wayne Connolly (You Am I), and the album’s April 2006 release revealed a rejuvenated Nicholls in great musical form, no doubt bolstered by the sessions’ positive and familiar creative environment. Their music can be summed up as original, creative and very innovative. This CD doesn’t disappoint and has all their fans favorite songs all in one convenient place. Check them out at www.thevines.com.
