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While the album had its lighter moments, its more reflective mood was obvious from album opener “I Feel Possessed,” a stirring and powerful song about being completely dominated by someone and which sounded like nothing on their first album. Crowded House undertook an extensive world tour in 2010 in support of Intriguer. This was the first album where the band regularly interacted with fans via the internet on their own re-launched website, Twitter and Facebook. The band sold recordings of the shows on the Intriguer tour on USB flash drives and made individual live tracks available for free download. Finn and Hester performed "Not the Girl You Think You Are" with Largest Living Things, before being joined by Seymour for "Sister Madly" and a version of Paul Kelly's "Leaps and Bounds", which also featured Kelly on vocals.
Crowded House Gig Timeline
Crowded House set the quality bar extremely high with their debut album and over the following decades have repeatedly delivered masterclasses in pop songwriting and performing. However, the accessibility of their music with its infectious melodies and sumptuous harmonies should not belie the fact this is a band with real depth and emotion and who have never compromised to tell their truth. While Time On Earth had originally begun as a Finn solo album, the 2010 follow-up Intriguer was from the outset a band project. Much of it has a mellow, sophisticated vibe, but its opening song and lead single “Saturday Sun” is jaunty and upbeat with electronic effects that enhance the band’s classic pop sound.
Oh Hi (lyric video)
At Capitol's behest, the band's name was changed to Crowded House, which alluded to the lack of space at the small Hollywood Hills house they shared during the recording of the album Crowded House.[2][17][18] Former Split Enz keyboardist Eddie Rayner produced the track "Can't Carry On" and was asked to join the band. He toured with them in 1988, but was unable to become a full member due to family commitments. Having helmed the group’s first three albums, Mitchell Froom was replaced by ex-Killing Joke bassist Youth who by Together Alone’’s 1993 release had become an in-demand producer. Although his presence brought more experimentation, the pretty acoustic ballad “Distant Sun” is Finn at his most accessible and it became the group’s third UK Top 20 single. A UK top five hit, Crowded House’s fourth album Together Alone was pitched somewhere between the intensity and experimentalism of the group’s sophomore set and the rich pop melodies that dominated Woodface.
Intriguer, second split and Sydney Opera House shows (2009–
The second album’s direction is also reflected by the haunting, emotive ballad “Into Temptation” about seduction and infidelity that showcased Finn’s poetic lyrics as well as his melodic gifts. While the album only climbed to No.40 in the US, it became the group’s first No.1 in Finn’s New Zealand homeland and their second successive Top 10 entry in Canada. Crowded House’s best songs are masterclasses in pop songwriting, belying their depth and emotion. “I look forward to seeing Primary Wave’s plan for the ongoing care of my songs. A rare Finn composition where he's trying to tell a direct story, the song deals with the suicide of his aunt. But it’s worth making the effort, because the beauty of this record is in the detail and deceptive tonal shifts, like the way Bad Times Good begins with an understated three-line chorus before quietly blending into its first verse.
Originally active until 1996, the group released four acclaimed albums before splitting on the back of a greatest hits compilation ‘Recurring Dream’. 11 years later the band surprised everyone by reforming and, in good rock and roll tradition, splitting up and reforming a few more times as well.With over three decades of history, thirty-four singles and ten million album sales to their name the story of Crowded House is one of dreams truly coming true. Along with the likes of AC/DC, Nick Cave and Tame Impala, they have come from a land down under and conquered the world.
Hester and Seymour were reunited when they both joined singer-songwriter Matt O'Donnell's Melbourne-based group Tarmac Adam.[34] The band released one album, 2003's Handheld Torch, which was produced by Seymour. Following the Australian-only release “Mean To Me,” the harmonic, uptempo “World Where You Live” served as the group’s first international single and was typical of the big-sounding production that made up their debut. It became the group’s second Billboard Hot 100 hit as the album reached No.12 in the States. Having broken the States, the group could have easily served up more of the same, but their second album Temple Of Low Men was a darker, more intense affair that highlighted the maturing of Finn’s songwriting, but lacked its predecessor’s obvious hits. It was an early sign that the group were not prepared to compromise for easy commercial gain. For all the stunning songs reflecting Finn’s love of The Beatles and other melodic giants, their music had real potency and was unafraid of exploring difficult, sometimes painful topics.
Two charity albums corralled lauded admirers including the Smiths’ Johnny Marr, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, Radiohead’s Phil Selway and Ed O’Brien, Wilco and KT Tunstall. And it was the attention of another famous and longtime fan, Mick Fleetwood, that spurred the creation of Dreamers Are Waiting. When Fleetwood Mac’s longstanding lead guitarist Lindsey Buckingham was ousted, Finn was unexpectedly called to their ranks for a tour of North America, Europe, New Zealand and Australia. As the primary songwriter for the band, Neil Finn has always set the tone for the band's sound.
Early albums (1986–
Since starting in his brother Tim’s beloved new wave band Split Enz (Tim played in Crowded House for a time too), Finn has released seven Crowded House records and at least a dozen others. The new tracks, as well as some from the previously rejected recordings were combined to make Woodface, which was released in July 1991. The album features eight tracks co-written by Neil and Tim,[9] which feature the brothers harmonising on lead vocals, except on the sombre "All I Ask" on which Tim sang lead. The track was later used on AIDS awareness commercials in Australia.[9] Five of the album's tracks were Neil's solo compositions and two were by Hester, the exuberant "Italian Plastic", which became a crowd favourite at concerts[9] and the hidden track "I'm Still Here". It is one of seven songs on Woodface penned by Finn with his brother and former Split Enz colleague Tim who joined the band for this album but then departed. After their American-sounding debut, the group’s decision to follow a more intimate and inward-looking direction with the follow-up Temple Of Low Men won over many critics, but its lack of obvious radio hits scaled back their US chart ambitions.
Alongside Elroy, older brother Liam is now a full-time multi-instrumental member, while Tim Finn (last seen on a Crowded House album on Together Alone, in 1993) gets a co-writing credit on Too Good for This World. Mitchell Froom, who produced the band’s first three albums, replaces Mark Hart on keyboards. Nine-tenths of the rhythm tracks were recorded in those LA sessions, at Valentine Recording Studios – a treasure trove of analogue vintage equipment and perfectly preserved 70s interiors. Eventually though, surging Covid-19 cases forced the band to retreat to their corners of the world.
The atmospheric “Fingers Of Love” fell in between these extremes with a beautiful melody married perfectly to a Finn narrative about yearning. Housed on the same album is “Private Universe,” a five-and-a-half-minute epic about isolation that features a Polynesian percussion and one of Finn’s most profound lyrics. My relationship with you the audience is precious and I am eternally grateful for the level of passion and support that exists for my work. It inspires me to do better music and to keep it coming.I have made this website the hub for increased personal communication and activity, including a regular newsletter which I write and do postings for new music, photos, video pieces and news of live shows as well as links to people and ideas that interest me. In addition the above, KUFALA Recordings released numerous limited edition Crowded House recordings on CDr, recorded across USA and Canada in 2007 and 2010.
The album's first single, "Mean to Me", reached the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart top 30 in June.[4] It failed to chart in the US,[7] but moderate American airplay introduced US listeners to the group. Produced by Mitchell Froom, it was released in August 1986 and was certified platinum in four countries. The album includes the hit singles "Don't Dream It's Over", "Something So Strong", "Mean to Me", "World Where You Live" and "Now We're Getting Somewhere".
Crowded House's Neil Finn Secretly Auditioned for Fleetwood Mac - Ultimate Classic Rock
Crowded House's Neil Finn Secretly Auditioned for Fleetwood Mac.
Posted: Mon, 22 Apr 2024 12:35:28 GMT [source]
“I’m not downplaying what is important in ordinary people’s lives, but some of the bigger picture items – you would expect New Zealand to be doing much better at,” Finn says. “Like the environment, poverty and mental health, and acknowledging the incredibly important role of teachers and nurses. “There is momentum when you come off the road … there’s a good energy for music. Somehow there’s this willingness to express yourself and aspirations are set high, because you’re fresh from the sound of applause,” says Finn, poking fun at his profession’s desire for adulation. Crowded House last dropped new music in 2021 with studio LP Dreamers Are Waiting.
The original New Zealand and Australia release of the album featured ten tracks; however, when the album was being prepared for export it was decided to include Crowded House's version of the Split Enz song "I Walk Away". At the same time the track listing was re-ordered and the song "Can't Carry On" was dropped from the album. After the release of the band's second album, Temple of Low Men, EMI re-released Crowded House internationally, using the original Australian/New Zealand track listing but with "I Walk Away" included too. The DVD side features a DVD-A version of the album with lyrics, a discography and the music videos for "Don't Dream It's Over" and "Something So Strong."
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