As this was the final year of the second millennium (our current millennium began in 2001) it only makes sense that the theme of celebrating music from the past would continue this year, although there was much less emphasis on the 90s given how the big names of that decade were largely absent this year by comparison. Teen pop was still huge which of course I’m biased towards due to nostalgia, there was also a higher emphasis of the “were in the future” theme that cropped up in the late 90s as well as the counterculture argument of “and the world is still shit” it competed with.
This had a bit of a slow start to its success here in Australia given how Usher had yet to become a mega superstar here like he was in his native America, however we Aussies were eventually won over thanks to the success of its singles which no doubt led to the success of his American counterpart throughout the decade. Craig is a bit of a one album wonder here in Australia as his second album was a massive commercial disappointment.
This is Powderfinger’s most successful album in their catalogue, mostly through the strength of the lead single which was a massive success on the radio (although not so much with sales) which translated to the album being immensely popular back in the day. It allowed the band to finally crossover to NZ where “My happiness” became a genuine hit over there in favour of the album underperforming.
There was a lot of hype going into this debut album from Vanessa Amorosi given how popular its two advanced singles were from the previous decade, those expectations were effortlessly met when it was released given how inescapably popular the album was from the teenage singer/songwriter. It even became a minor success throughout Europe, likely due to her performing at the Olympic games.
This is one of many albums this decade to become massively successful despite it receiving negative reviews from critics, it seems fitting given how Limp bizkit weren’t exactly the type of band to appeal to those who would sing their praises for the likes of Steely Dan and U2. Still, this is an album that was popular at the time, but most people look back on with dread and confusion, much like Vanilla Ice a from a decade prior.
There was a lot of hype going into this album from Matchbox 20 given how much of a surprise success that their debut album was throughout the 90’s, that hype was effortlessly met here in Australia as this also went on to be a massive success for the band thanks to the singles permeating on our radio back in the day. It wasn’t as successful in most other parts of the world, likely due to international audiences feeling this was more of the same from them.
Given how nu metal had taken over the mainstream by this point in time, it only makes sense that Linkin Park would see massive success with their debut album worldwide even if it was only here in Australia where the album spawned more than one hit. I’m not sure why the lead single was only a hit down under, however the fourth single managed to become a worldwide smash almost a year after the album’s release.
While Kylie had plenty of success throughout the 90’s here in Australia, many people felt this was a return to form given how she was best known for her bubble-gum pop that made her famous in the late 80’s. It was the album that finally resparked interest for her in America given how successful it was here and throughout Europe for the princess of pop, leading to her next album to finally get her out of the one hit wonder bin on Billboard.
Although he had a hit in the 90’s with “My name is,” I don’t think anyone would’ve predicted the overwhelming success that Eminem would go on to have this decade which began with this album that brought him to a wider audience thanks to it being slightly more commercially accessible than his earlier work. The album was a success twice here in Australia, once upon its initial release and again with the success of “Stan.”
This feels like a return to form for U2 given how they spent all of the 90’s experimenting with their sound to varying degrees of success, indeed this feels like something they would’ve released ten years prior given how well it fits as a follow up to Rattle and hum. This would lead to them having a highly success decade throughout the 00’s with their subsequent material, although their popularity wouldn’t extend to the 2010’s.
You don’t begin the decade with one of the biggest hits of said decade and not have the album it came from be a massive success for the artist in question, so here’s the debut album from Anastacia who indeed managed to prove she was the real deal on here even though it likely came at the expense of it spawning a second hit for her. Indeed, she would find more success with her subsequent material later in the decade.
This was a bit of a sell-out for the Corrs given how the band had dialled back on their Celtic influences in order to appeal to a more mainstream market, it worked out for them as they were able to score massive hits with the singles throughout Europe and even over in NZ as this gave them their first hit with the lead single over there. Unfortunately, they would see diminishing returns as the decade went on.
Given that Boyzone was no more going into the new millennium, Ronan Keating was able to release his solo album without any competition from his former band mates which led to it being an instant success for him worldwide. It was a success again a year after its release thanks to a deluxe edition containing some new tracks from him making fans check it out, thus setting him up for a successful decade.
There was a good chance that this album never would’ve been a success even in Destiny’s child’s native America were it not for the controversy that involved their line-up change, specifically when the video for the second single was unveiled which was how two of its members found out they were fired from the group. This controversy led to people checking out the album to see what all the fuss was about.
This was Madonna’s foray into country music, OK sort of as there were plenty of electronic elements to the song that technically makes it an EDM album even though there are plenty of straight forward country tracks on the album. It was a massive hit for the queen of pop and proof that she could do no wrong even going into the new millennium, although her next album was where things would come crashing down.
There was a lot of hype going into this debut album from Killing Heidi given how the two lead singles were among the most successful from the transition of the 90’s to the 00’s, that hype was effortlessly met when it was released as it became a massive hit for the band here in Australia. I’m not sure why, but their fans and even Triple J abandoned them with their next two albums, leaving them to flop down under.
People feel the album’s title to be an attack on Britney’s haters, after all, it does feel like a snarky quip towards everyone who felt she bought her way into the music industry through her connections with Disney. It certainly didn’t deter her fans from making it a success given how it and the singles managed to be equally as successful as her debut from the previous year thanks to how well they connected with it.
We have another greatest hits package from the fab four to make it big in history, this did come on the twentieth anniversary of John Lennon’s death so perhaps this was more a celebration of his legacy than anything else.
This is where it all began for Chris Martin and company, and like most debut albums, it had a bit of a climb to its success here in Australia due to the failure of its lead single. The second single was what got it off the ground worldwide which allowed it to become the success that it was, although the best was still yet to come for the band as their subsequent follow-ups did much better throughout the decade.
While he wasn’t able to find another hit single going into the new millennium, John Farnham nonetheless managed to retain his popularity with his albums at least during the first half of the decade. I’m not sure why he chose to title this album what it is, perhaps it’s a reference to how many years he had been in the music industry as it was indeed around 33 years by this point.
It took over a year for this album to take off here in Australia, this is despite the fact that the lead single was a massive hit upon its initial release which suggested that we Aussies had finally welcomed Robbie’s solo career with open arms. Alas it was only when the second single finally became a success that this album managed to find an audience with us Aussies.
While the first film only had a successful theme song in the music scene, the second Mission impossible flick had a soundtrack so captivating to audiences of this year that it became a massive hit worldwide for the franchise. I’ve never been a fan of the franchise (or Tom Cruise for that matter) so I’m not among those that keep demanding a new film every few years.
It appears that these guys picked up where they left off eight years prior as they managed to score instant success with this album following a five-year hiatus due to the polarising reception of their previous album These days. It may have brought them back to the mainstream; however, it was merely temporary as aside from a hit with “Have a nice day” later in the decade, this would be the last they trouble our charts.
They may have lost out to Coldplay as the British band of the 00’s, however Travis was primed to claim that prize entering the decade when their second album became a huge success worldwide thanks to having similar qualities that their English counterpart would have with their own material later in the decade. If nothing else, the Scottish band did make a huge splash here in Australia with this effort.
While it wasn’t as inescapable as their albums from the 90’s, this album from the Offspring nevertheless continued their popularity into the new millennium thanks to its lead single becoming a massive hit here like their other songs from the 90’s. It would be their final successful album as their subsequent follow ups failed to bring in the big numbers or produce a big hit like their earlier output did.
This was the debut album from the first winners of a reality show from Australia, although unlike future victory albums, this comes off more like something that would fit in with the times rather than it being little more than a bunch of “thank yous” put to song form (that’s my biggest issue with reality show albums if I’m being honest.) It’s because of this that the album still retains a fanbase to this day long after Bardot broke up.
Well, it looks like we’re looking at Faith Hill’s breakthrough album sooner than I thought, here she is with the album that contains her biggest hit on Billboard given how it was the first song to be crowned the most popular of its year despite failing to reach number one on the American charts. It appears she took a page out of Shania Twain’s book by combining her sexual appeal with traditional country music on this album.
This is the last taste of success that Slim Dusty had in his lifetime, it was one of his final studio albums that became of note due to it being his hundredth album in his catalogue. Coincidentally, he had a similar celebration to his career twenty years prior when his fiftieth album spawned his biggest hit “Duncan,” although that was more due to a memorable performance on Countdown than anything.
Whether you love it or hate it, the original theatrical adaptation of Charlie’s angels was a cultural phenomenon back in the day thanks to the three leads who not only gave fun performances of the 70’s icons they were based off of, but also took the time to perfect their martial arts in order to convincingly kick ass which is something modern feminist icons could take a few notes on. Oh and the soundtrack was also quite the success.
It seems strange that these guys managed to score a successful album here in Australia but not the Wiggles (no their time as the Cockroaches doesn’t count) I guess there was more of a market for these guys when it came to their music rather than their fellow children’s band who began life as a rock band in the 80’s before switching their target audience with their material.
Lenny had a bit of a comeback with his (then) most recent album, so it makes sense that he would capitalise off its success with a greatest hits package that would remind audiences of his back catalogue just in time for the new millennium to start. It would be the final taste of success that he would receive in most parts of the world.
The opening ceremony of the Australian Olympics this year was such a highlight that the organisers decided to release this live album capturing the best moments which of course was a massive hit here in Australia.
This was one of the last new age albums to make it big in the mainstream worldwide, I guess it’s fitting that Enya would be the artist to close out this craze given how she was the one who popularised it over a decade prior with her second album.
I think this was meant to be a new version of the Abba gold album from almost a decade prior that was released the previous year from the Swedish quartet, it proved to be a success this year likely due to Abba mania becoming more fondly remembered as the new millennium began to unfold.
Although he never saw much success here in Australia throughout his career, there appears to have been enough appreciation for Barry White going into the new decade for this greatest hits package to be a huge success for him a mere three years prior to his death. For what it’s worth, he did have a hit with “Never never gonna give you up” in 1974 that I didn’t feature on that list due to being a hit too early in the year.
This is the final successful album that Eric Clapton had here in Australia, likely due to the presence of B.B King as the blues legend pays tribute to the older blues legend in a respectful way. Even so, this was a bit of a sleeper success as it randomly spiked in popularity throughout the year for some reason.
Even with the controversy they found themselves in with the 2000 ARIA awards ceremony, this one and only album from Madison Avenue still managed to be a massive success here in Australia due to the hype that went into the album due to its lead single becoming a massive worldwide success for the duo. Of course, they weren’t able to shake off the controversy they caused at the ceremony which led to them eventually breaking up.
This is where it all began for Alecia Moore AKA P!nk, although it’s also considered the black sheep of her catalogue given how it was an RNB album rather than the pop punk that the rest of her catalogue would turn out to be. It had a bit of a climb to its success here in Australia given how she was an unknown artist at the time, and indeed she’s since distanced herself from the album due to her dissatisfaction making it.
This is the second volume of the Panel series that found success here in Australia, these albums would peak in 2002 with The latest collection entry, however each of them did decently in their own right.
Well, if Limp Bizkit and Korn could have success with nu metal in Australia this year, why not a homegrown band? Here we have the breakthrough album of 28 days who managed to make it big through a combination of heavy promotion on Triple J as well as fans finding this similar to what their American counterparts had to offer upon its initial release.
I guess it was only a matter of time before Jimmy Barnes made a second Soul deep album given how inexplicably popular the first album was a decade prior, although this wasn’t nearly as big as the first edition likely due to the novelty of him covering Motown classics not being as strong in the new millennium as it was in the early 90’s.
For eight years this was the final album from AC/DC, suggesting that the band were ready to call it quits but didn’t due to how much they loved touring in the new millennium. They would of course be back with a new album later in the decade, an album that was such a success that it felt like it came out of their heyday from the 70’s and 80’s.
Given how these guys were the hottest new punk rock band of the moment, a live album was inevitable which they delivered with this entry that became an instant success for the trio due to them injecting their trademark humour and personality into the live show that this album captures the best moments of. It would lead to the success of their next album which would then make them a household name here in Australia.
From what I can gather, the Beach starring Leonardo DiCaprio was a critical and commercial disaster upon its release in early 00 (I haven’t seen it nor do I plan on doing so.) The only reason I can gather for why it was a success was due to it spawning a huge hit for All saints who were still riding the success of their debut album from three years prior.
A perfect circle is a side project that Tool front man Maynard James Keenan launched this year, it was off to a good start as this became a huge success due to how much love it received from Triple J as well as his fanbase from his main band.
