― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Tuesday, 27 February 2007 21:39 (seventeen years ago) link
― o. nate, Tuesday, 27 February 2007 21:51 (seventeen years ago) link
― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 28 February 2007 00:44 (seventeen years ago) link
― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 28 February 2007 00:52 (seventeen years ago) link
― o. nate, Thursday, 1 March 2007 19:45 (seventeen years ago) link
― o. nate, Thursday, 1 March 2007 19:46 (seventeen years ago) link
― Geir Hongro, Friday, 2 March 2007 12:22 (seventeen years ago) link
― m the g, Friday, 2 March 2007 12:29 (seventeen years ago) link
― Geir Hongro, Friday, 2 March 2007 13:01 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 2 March 2007 13:37 (seventeen years ago) link
Together Alone is a solidly wonderful album. 'Distant Sun' is just about the perfect Crowded House tune. Surprised they don't have more fans on this thread, tbh.
― sbgorf (stevie), Saturday, 13 August 2011 17:18 (twelve years ago) link
hmmm. the first album has some great moments. am a huge HUGE fan of some of the stuff he wrote and sang w/split enz. but much of CH never really sank into me the way it might have. saw him play at a record store almost a decade ago and it was one of those crazy moments-- couldn't believe that i was in the same room with someone from the other side of the planet (literally!) who wrote so many amazing songs. like i was obsessed with split enz and neil finn from age 10 on. what a sweetheart.
― dell (del), Saturday, 13 August 2011 17:22 (twelve years ago) link
THE SOUND OF TE AWAMUTU HAD A TRULY SACRED RING!
― dell (del), Saturday, 13 August 2011 17:23 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP2u5fA4g4Y
this song is all-time afaiac
― dell (del), Saturday, 13 August 2011 17:27 (twelve years ago) link
can't get enough of that frenzy era, when all their chips were down, on the verge of breaking up, and they would blaze through all of these barrelhouse piano-driven songs before their sound magically coalesced into the mtv-friendly true colours period
― dell (del), Saturday, 13 August 2011 17:30 (twelve years ago) link
"Time On Earth" is shockingly good. It's the sound of Neil Finn refining his craft and pouring his heart and soul into it.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Saturday, 13 August 2011 17:43 (twelve years ago) link
wow, thanks, gerald. i had no idea that record even existed. listening to a couple of songs right now, and your description is spot-on.
― dell (del), Saturday, 13 August 2011 17:56 (twelve years ago) link
Heh, not much of a description for the uninitiated! The album is a giant tribute to Paul Hester, former CH drummer, who had taken his own life. In that sense it's a heavy album but Neil's put so much love and light into it that the sadness is well balanced.
And if it hasn't been mentioned, Neil's finest solo album is "Try Whistling This". Such a majestic, deeply-layered album. As the title indicates, it's a different approach to pop but still spot-on Finn.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Saturday, 13 August 2011 18:00 (twelve years ago) link
yeah, i need to look into that, too!
at the in-store i saw him at, he played anytime. this was a matter of weeks or so after 9-11. genuinely moving
― dell (del), Saturday, 13 August 2011 18:14 (twelve years ago) link
Finn's second solo album is great, too, and his son's first is strong as well (and eerily a la dad).https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtfmQvndTiI
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 13 August 2011 18:36 (twelve years ago) link
And just in case folks missed it, that famed NZ show with Finn backed by Johnny Marr, bassist from Soul Coughing, drummer and guitarist from Radiohead and Lisa Germano. Which evinced this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sije12JaKdA
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 13 August 2011 18:37 (twelve years ago) link
The first album is actually the one I like least. Sure, some good songs (as always from Neil Finn), but the production is kind of boring and got much better and more detailed from the second album onwards. The rest is pure perfection, particularly the pre-hiatus ones.
― Hongroe (Geir Hongro), Saturday, 13 August 2011 20:07 (twelve years ago) link
I don't care for Split Enz aside from the American non-hits -- too damn fussy. But since I listened to Crowded House first I admit to being tainted.
Still love Woodface.
― a 'catch-all', almost humorous, 'Jeez' quality (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 13 August 2011 20:19 (twelve years ago) link
Well, there's Split Enz under Tim and then Split Enz under Tim and Neil. The latter is (more or less) the era with the hits, as such, but even the old stuff boasts some goodies. Like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfytdyMy2-k
But lil bro Neil brought the pop smarts.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 13 August 2011 20:26 (twelve years ago) link
possib my favorite neil finn moment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDJ3th_qhaI
― dell (del), Saturday, 13 August 2011 20:34 (twelve years ago) link
bye-bye blues!
― dell (del), Saturday, 13 August 2011 20:35 (twelve years ago) link
never give up, giving in, it's like kissing good-bye!
― dell (del), Saturday, 13 August 2011 20:37 (twelve years ago) link
not quite the right thread for this, but : time and tide is underrated record imo
― dell (del), Saturday, 13 August 2011 20:47 (twelve years ago) link
Well, there's Split Enz under Tim and then Split Enz under Tim and Neil.
The former - at least the first couple of albums, is effectively Split Enz under Tim and Phil (Judd).
― Hongroe (Geir Hongro), Saturday, 13 August 2011 21:24 (twelve years ago) link
Only to pedants.
Nel Finn's way with ballads is pretty incredible.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VwXNdVMggU&feature=related
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 13 August 2011 21:28 (twelve years ago) link
I like Crowded House a lot, but Together Alone is miles above the rest of their output. They sound edgier and rougher, with Youth producing instead of Froom. And so many great album tracks - 'Catherine Wheels', 'In My Command', 'Nails In My Feet' are all terrific.
― funk79, Monday, 15 August 2011 00:42 (twelve years ago) link
I absolutely love Mitchell Froom's production style (except on the first album, which didn't sound like a Froom production). That said, Youth did an excellent job with the "Together Alone" album as well, except for a couple of tracks where the guitar amps were turned a bit too loud.
― Hongroe (Geir Hongro), Monday, 15 August 2011 00:52 (twelve years ago) link
'Together Alone' and 'Woodface' are CLASSIC ALBUMS. As is 'One Nil'.
― Colin Allstations (PaulTMA), Monday, 15 August 2011 01:11 (twelve years ago) link
Split Enz is it's own story. 'Dizrhytmia' (sic) is beyond great. 'Charlie' is among the best songs I've ever heard, undeniably.
― Colin Allstations (PaulTMA), Monday, 15 August 2011 01:12 (twelve years ago) link
It's been a while since I heard "One Nil", but in my mind it lacks something compared to "Try Whistling This", which feels like a more complex and layered album to me.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Monday, 15 August 2011 01:59 (twelve years ago) link
Well, there's Split Enz under Tim and then Split Enz under Tim and Neil. The latter is (more or less) the era with the hits, as such, but even the old stuff boasts some goodies. Like: (youtube preview sceeen with a picture of Tim and Neil)
― generous loller at dollies (sic), Monday, 15 August 2011 02:27 (twelve years ago) link
sorry, obviously I meant sceeeeen
Reissue campaign imminent/in-progress. Remastered catalog, plus bonus discs of demos, b-sides and other goodies. Not that Finn demos tend to be radically different. They call it song craft for a reason!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WDm2mUgZg0
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 5 November 2016 20:11 (seven years ago) link
Been waiting for Woodface LP reissue for a while now.
― brotherlovesdub, Saturday, 5 November 2016 20:56 (seven years ago) link
Got my copy of Together Alone, one of my favourite albums of all time, yesterday. It's got a nasty scratch on the fourth track, so I'm getting a replacement, but the rest of it sounded lush as fuck. The title track closes with applause, which I've never heard before - it's not on the CD version I've had for years. No bonus tracks on the vinyl edition, but like I said, it sounded divine.
― Is that my hand, manatee? (stevie), Sunday, 6 November 2016 13:46 (seven years ago) link
The applause was always on my CD version. It's the Maori choir and percussion troupe clapping.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 6 November 2016 14:47 (seven years ago) link
Woodface deserves a remaster, IMO. Last time I listened to it, I felt it didn't sound as great these days as I could be. Froom's production on it remains excellent, and the songwriting is still as potent as ever. I always listen to it starting from track 2 these days, though!
― Working night & day, I tried to stay awake... (Turrican), Sunday, 6 November 2016 18:53 (seven years ago) link
I heard on Facebook that the download code that comes with the Vinyl includes some bonus tracks.
― funk79, Sunday, 6 November 2016 19:15 (seven years ago) link
Oh awesome - relieved to hear that.
Ha! Crazy. Maybe it was edited off on the UK version for some reason.
The shows I saw them do around Together Alone were some of the best I've seen. The chemistry Paul Hester brought was just wonderful.
― Is that my hand, manatee? (stevie), Sunday, 6 November 2016 19:37 (seven years ago) link
Weirdly, I had the UK CD, because it came out a month later in the US. So who knows.
I saw the final tour with Hester (Sheryl Crow opened, cigarette in one hand, beer in the other) and it was good but he was a bit down. For some reason I had a backstage pass. Talked to Nick a bit, iirc. Really nice.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 6 November 2016 20:24 (seven years ago) link
Thanks to my girlfriend Kate -- an absolute CH/Neil obsessive who saw the band numerous times back in the 90s, to the point where the bandmembers and crew knew her as part of a coterie of similarly dedicated souls -- I've been listening to all the remasters here these past couple of days. I never really followed them or any of the overall Finn brothers arc to a great degree -- like a lot of people here in the US, I knew the big hits on the first album, was aware they continued on for a while having greater success elsewhere, and generally knew they made nice enough music. I think I would have enjoyed their work back then just as much as I am now, really, so it's not a great revelation so much as it's a 'yeah, this works, very lovely indeed.' Kate's been mentioning a wide variety of stories and memories in the context with a lot of songs and especially the bonus cuts -- she really liked Paul Hester a heck of a lot as well, and still misses him very much. Since I'm coming into it all pretty cold otherwise I'll be interesting to see what I make of the two reunion albums -- Kate's not really taken by those but she did enjoy the tours for them, despite the one inevitable change in the lineup.
― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 11 December 2016 04:40 (seven years ago) link
I've loved them since I was a wee Veg. Paul was always my favorite (also he showed his bum a lot which helps) - cried for a whole day when he passed. I relistened to their best-of after I watched the 20-year anniversary concert the other week; it's crazy how many gorgeous songs they have. Neil turns a lovely phrase, doesn't he?.
I love Woodface still maybe the most for nostalgia & there's no sound better for my heart than Tim & Neil in harmony
― Flamenco Drop (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 11 December 2016 06:39 (seven years ago) link
I can appreciate a good Finn as much as anyone but I think what makes them boring and dad rock is their lack of mystery, danger, and unpredictability
― calstars, Sunday, 11 December 2016 20:09 (seven years ago) link
I don't really listen to Crowded House for "mystery" and "danger", though.
― Working night & day, I tried to stay awake... (Turrican), Sunday, 11 December 2016 20:11 (seven years ago) link
Yeah, that seems...a strange judgment. If anything what I've been appreciating about this deep dive is how they master an approach that is straightforward enough and then heavily finesse it to introduce unexpected twists and turns. It's not 'mysterious' but it's elegantly skillful.
― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 11 December 2016 20:17 (seven years ago) link