Crowded House | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 1, 1986 [1] | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Pop rock, alternative rock, new wave [2] | |||
Length | 38:40 | |||
Label | Capitol/EMI | |||
Producer | Mitchell Froom | |||
Crowded House chronology | ||||
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Singles from Crowded House | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Village Voice | C+ [6] |
Crowded House is the debut album by New Zealand-Australian band Crowded House. 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".
At the 1986 Countdown Australian Music Awards the album won Best Debut Album. [7] [8] In December of 2021, the album was listed at no. 7 in Rolling Stone Australia's '200 Greatest Albums of All Time' countdown. [9]
Following the breakup of Split Enz in 1984, Neil Finn and drummer Paul Hester decided to form a new band. Bass player Nick Seymour approached Finn during the after party for the Melbourne show of the Split Enz farewell tour and asked if he could try out for the new band. [10] Former Swingers and soon-to-be Midnight Oil bass player Bones Hillman was also a candidate, [11] but it was Seymour's playing on the demo for "That's What I Call Love" that earned him the spot. The group, then named The Mullanes, also included The Reels guitarist Craig Hooper, who left the band before they signed with Capitol Records. [10] Capitol rejected the name "The Mullanes", as well as alternatives such as "Largest Living Things". The name Crowded House was adopted after the trio flew to Los Angeles to record the album and were provided with a very cramped apartment to live in. [10]
The album's rhythm tracks were recorded by Larry Hirsh at Capitol Recording Studios, Los Angeles. The remaining recording sessions for the album were at Sunset Sound studios, where the group first collaborated with engineer Tchad Blake who also worked on the next two Crowded House albums. The album was mixed by Michael Frondelli at Studio 55. Seymour and Hester do not appear on "Now We're Getting Somewhere", which was recorded early in the sessions with drummer Jim Keltner and bass player Jerry Scheff.
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. This is now considered the "standard" track listing of for the album. A DualDisc version of this album was made available in 2005. 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."
Original copies of the CD in Australia and New Zealand were made in Japan, but after the Disctronics B plant at Braeside was opened in March 1987, the album began to be manufactured there.
All tracks are written by Neil Finn, except where noted
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Mean to Me" | 3:15 |
2. | "World Where You Live" | 3:07 |
3. | "Now We're Getting Somewhere" | 4:09 |
4. | "Don't Dream It's Over" | 3:56 |
5. | "Love You 'Til the Day I Die" | 3:31 |
6. | "Something So Strong" (Finn, Mitchell Froom) | 2:51 |
7. | "Hole in the River" (Finn, Eddie Rayner) | 4:02 |
8. | "Can't Carry On" | 3:57 |
9. | "I Walk Away" | 3:06 |
10. | "Tombstone" | 3:30 |
11. | "That's What I Call Love" (Finn, Paul Hester) | 3:39 |
Note
All tracks are written by Neil Finn, except where noted
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Mean to Me" | 3:15 |
2. | "World Where You Live" | 3:07 |
3. | "Now We're Getting Somewhere" | 4:09 |
4. | "Don't Dream It's Over" | 3:56 |
5. | "Love You 'Til the Day I Die" | 3:31 |
6. | "Something So Strong" (Finn, Mitchell Froom) | 2:51 |
7. | "Hole in the River" (Finn, Eddie Rayner) | 4:02 |
8. | "Can't Carry On" | 3:57 |
9. | "I Walk Away*" | 3:31 |
10. | "Tombstone" | 3:30 |
11. | "That's What I Call Love" (Finn, Paul Hester) | 3:39 |
All tracks are written by Neil Finn, except where noted
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Something So Strong (Home Demo)" (Finn, Mitchell Froom) | 1:22 |
2. | "Hole in the River (Studio Demo)" (Finn, Eddie Rayner, Paul Hester) | 4:06 |
3. | "Love You 'til the Day I Die (Home Demo)" | 0:54 |
4. | "That's What I Call Love (Studio Demo)" (Hester, Finn) | 3:35 |
5. | "Can't Carry On (Studio Demo)" | 3:35 |
6. | "Walking on the Pier (Studio Demo)" | 3:20 |
7. | "Does Anyone Here Understand my Girlfriend (Studio Demo)" (Hester) | 3:23 |
8. | "Oblivion (Studio Demo)" | 3:36 |
9. | "Walking on the Spot (Studio Demo)" | 3:44 |
10. | "Something So Strong (Studio Demo)" (Finn, Froom) | 2:12 |
11. | "Now We're Getting Somewhere (Studio Demo)" | 4:32 |
12. | "Stranger Underneath Your Skin (Home Demo)" | 2:49 |
13. | "Don't Dream It's Over (Home Demo)" | 3:15 |
14. | "Left Hand (Live)" | 4:23 |
15. | "Grabbing by the Handful (Live)" (Finn, Hester, Craig Hooper, Nick Seymour) | 3:33 |
16. | "World Where You Live (writing demo)" | 1:17 |
17. | "Recurring Dream (original version) *" (Finn, Hester, Hooper, Seymour) | 2:59 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [22] | 6× Platinum | 420,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada) [23] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [24] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [25] | Silver | 60,000* |
United States (RIAA) [26] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Crowded House are a New Zealand-Australian rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were New Zealander Neil Finn and Australians Paul Hester (drums) and Nick Seymour (bass). Later band members included Finn's brother Tim, who was in their former band Split Enz; sons Liam and Elroy; as well as Americans Mark Hart and Matt Sherrod. Neil Finn and Seymour are the sole constant members.
Neil Mullane Finn is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known for being a principal member of Split Enz, of which he shared lead duties with his brother Tim, and the lead singer, guitarist, and a founding member of Crowded House. He was also a member of Fleetwood Mac from 2018 until 2022. Ed O'Brien of Radiohead has hailed Finn as popular music's "most prolific writer of great songs".
Paul Newell Hester was an Australian musician and television personality. He was the drummer for the band Split Enz for their last year together from December 1983 to December 1984, and co-founding member and drummer of the band Crowded House.
Split Enz were a New Zealand band formed in 1972. Regarded as the first New Zealand band to gain significant recognition outside of Australasia, they were initially noted for their progressive/art rock sound, flamboyant visual style and theatrical performances. The band later moved toward a pop/new wave sound that yielded the breakthrough hit single "I Got You" (1980). Split Enz broke up in 1984. Since that time, the band has staged several brief reunions.
Nicholas More Seymour is an Australian musician and record producer. He is the founding bass guitarist and a mainstay of the rock group Crowded House, and is the younger brother of Mark Seymour, singer-songwriter-guitarist in the rock band Hunters and Collectors.
Brian Timothy Finn is a New Zealand singer, songwriter, musician, and composer. He is best known as a founding member of Split Enz. Finn founded the band in 1972 with Phil Judd and served as lead singer and principal songwriter. Following Judd's departure in 1977, he was joined by brother Neil. Finn wrote or co-wrote some of the band's best-known songs, including "I See Red" and "Six Months in a Leaky Boat". While still a member of Split Enz, he began a solo career, scoring the two hits "Fraction Too Much Friction" and "Made My Day" in 1983; he left the band in early 1984, briefly returning for their farewell tour later that year.
The Finn Brothers are a New Zealand musical duo consisting of brothers Neil and Tim Finn. In June 1993 both members were awarded the OBE for their contribution to music.
Woodface is the third studio album by Crowded House. The album was produced by Mitchell Froom and Neil Finn and was released by Capitol Records in July 1991. It features five singles: "Chocolate Cake", "Fall at Your Feet", "It's Only Natural", "Weather with You", and "Four Seasons in One Day". Woodface was a major hit in Australia and New Zealand as well as giving the band their first top ten hit album in the UK. It was listed at No. 3 in the book 100 Best Australian Albums in October 2010. It was voted number 80 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).
Mark Hart, is an American musician and multi-instrumentalist best known for being a member of both Supertramp and Crowded House. As well as being a group member, touring and session musician for acts such as Ringo Starr, Hart has composed film scores and is a record producer.
Together Alone is the fourth studio album by New Zealand-Australian band Crowded House. It was released in October 1993 and was their first album to feature multi-instrumentalist Mark Hart as a full band member. Unlike the band's first three albums, which were recorded in the US and Australia and produced by Mitchell Froom, Together Alone was recorded in New Zealand with producer Youth. Six singles were released from Together Alone, including "Distant Sun", which was a top 10 hit in New Zealand and Canada, and "Locked Out" which reached number 12 on the UK singles chart and number 8 on the US Modern Rock chart, the latter on the strength of the song's inclusion on the soundtrack of the 1994 film Reality Bites.
Temple of Low Men is the second studio album by New Zealand-Australian rock band Crowded House, released by Capitol Records on 5 July 1988. The three band members, Neil Finn, Nick Seymour and Paul Hester, recorded the album in Melbourne and Los Angeles with Mitchell Froom as producer. Finn had written all ten tracks during the two years since their self-titled debut. Temple of Low Men peaked at number one in Australia, number two in New Zealand, number ten in Canada and number 40 on the US Billboard 200.
See Ya 'Round is the tenth and final studio album by New Zealand's premier new wave band, Split Enz, and was released in 1984, following the departure of founding member Tim Finn, whose solo career had officially taken off the year before. Remaining songwriter Neil Finn, claiming to be a little daunted by the prospect of leading his older brother's band, subsequently announced that this would be the final Split Enz studio recording. Since he only had an EP's worth of material ready, the record was filled out by lightweight, experimental contributions from each of the other band members. In interviews, Neil has revealed that the original EP was to have been the first five tracks on the album.
Recurring Dream: The Very Best of Crowded House, usually abbreviated to Recurring Dream, is a compilation album by rock group Crowded House, released in 1996. It includes most of their singles, as well as three new songs, "Not the Girl You Think You Are", "Instinct", and "Everything Is Good for You".
Time on Earth is the fifth studio album by Australian rock band Crowded House. Tracks have been produced by both Ethan Johns and Steve Lillywhite and the album was released on 30 June 2007 in Australia, 2 July in the United Kingdom and 10 July in North America. Time on Earth is the band's first studio album since 1993, and marks the reunion of the band eleven years after they disbanded and features new drummer Matt Sherrod in place of the original drummer, Paul Hester, who died in 2005.
"Something So Strong" is a rock song written by Neil Finn and Mitchell Froom and performed by Crowded House for their eponymous debut album. The track was released as the album's fifth and final single in April 1987. The single peaked at No. 18 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart, No. 3 in New Zealand, No. 7 in the United States Billboard Hot 100, and No. 10 on the Canadian RPM 100.
"I Feel Possessed" is a rock song written by Neil Finn and performed by Australian band Crowded House for their album Temple of Low Men. The song was the final single released from the album. The song later appeared on the group's greatest hits collection Recurring Dream.
Spring Break '87 is a 1987 concert performed by Australian rock group Crowded House at Daytona Beach, Florida, United States.
"I Walk Away" is a song written by Neil Finn, and originally recorded by Finn's group Split Enz. It was released in September 1984 as the lead single from their tenth and final studio album See Ya 'Round, and was a chart hit in New Zealand and Australia.
Goin' Your Way is a live album collaboration recorded by Neil Finn and Paul Kelly during a performance at the Sydney Opera House on 10 March 2013. It was released on 8 November as a stand-alone 2× CD, Blu-ray or DVD; or in a Limited Edition Deluxe version with all three formats. From 18 February to 18 March, Finn and Kelly undertook a joint tour of Australia, they performed tracks from their respective careers, including re-interpreting each other's work. The CD album peaked at No. 5 on the ARIA Albums Chart while the DVD reached No. 1 on the related Music DVD Chart.
Dreamers Are Waiting is the seventh studio album by Australian rock band Crowded House, released on 4 June 2021 through EMI Music Australia. It is their first studio album since 2010's Intriguer, with the band reuniting with producer Mitchell Froom, who is now also the band's keyboardist, for the first time since Recurring Dream (1996). It is also Crowded House's first album with Neil Finn's sons Liam and Elroy as members of the group.