AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums:
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Crowded House
- Artist: Crowded House
- Rating:
- Release Date: 1986 06
- Total Time: 39:47
- Type: Lyrics are included with the album
- Genre: Rock
Review
Split Enz needed to end, particularly since founding member Tim Finn found his little brother Neil's growth spurt uncomfortable, but also because Neil was no longer writing tunes that made sense within the context of a band that ran the gamut from art rock to eccentric new wave. Neil was now writing songs that were undeniably totems of popcraft, but infused with the spirit and introspection of a singer/songwriter. This formula would later become quite popular with artists from Matthew Sweet to the legions of basement auteurs in the pop underground, but this sensibility was relatively unheard of in the mid-'80s -- hence the birth of Crowded House. Neil retained Paul Hester from Enz, added Nick Seymour for the trio, and recorded one abandoned attempt at an album before joining with Mitchell Froom for the band's eponymous debut. At the time, Froom's clean production seemed refreshing, almost rootsy, compared to the synth pop dominating the mainstream and college scenes at the time, but in retrospect it seems a little overreaching and fussy, particularly in its addition of echo and layers of keyboards during particularly inappropriate moments. But Finn at his best overshadowed this fairly stilted production with his expert songcraft. As it happened, the record was blessed by good timing, and the majestic ballad "Don't Dream It's Over" became an international hit, while its follow-up, the breezy "Something So Strong," also turned into a hit. Both revealed different sides of Finn's talents, with the first being lyrical and the second being effervescent, but perhaps the truest testaments to his talents are "Mean to Me," "World Where You Live," and "Now We're Getting Somewhere," songs where the lyrics meld with the melody in a way that is distinctive, affecting, and personal. If the rest of the record doesn't reach those heights, it's still good, well-constructed pop, and these aforementioned highlights point the way to Temple of Low Men, where Crowded House (and particularly Finn) came into its own. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi| Crowded Down Here (Album by Judge Nothing) | |
| Crowded House [Australia] (1986 Album by Crowded House) |
Crowded House
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Crowded House (album)
| Crowded House | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Crowded House | ||||
| Released | June 1986 | |||
| Recorded | Late 1985-Early 1986, Sunset Sound | |||
| Genre | Rock, Pop rock, Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 38:40 | |||
| Label | Capitol/EMI | |||
| Producer | Mitchell Froom | |||
| Crowded House chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| Robert Christgau | C+[2] |
Crowded House is the self-titled debut album by the band Crowded House. It was released in 1986 and produced by Mitchell Froom. The album was the first to feature band-leader Neil Finn following the break-up of his previous group Split Enz. 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", the first four of which were included on the group's first greatest hits album Recurring Dream.
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Contents
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History
Following the breakup of Split Enz in 1984, Neil Finn and drummer Paul Hester decided to form a band. Bass player Nick Seymour approached Finn during the after party for the Melbourne show of Split Enz farewell tour and asked if he could try out for the new band.[3] Former Swingers and soon-to-be Midnight Oil bass player Bones Hillman was also a candidate,[4] but it was Seymour's playing on the demo for "That's What I Call Love" that earned him the spot.[citation needed] The group, then named The Mullanes, also included The Reels guitarist Craig Hooper, who left the band before they signed with Capitol Records.[3] 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.[3]
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."
Track listings
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mean to Me" | Finn | 3:15 |
| 2. | "World Where You Live" | Finn | 3:07 |
| 3. | "Now We're Getting Somewhere" | Finn | 4:09 |
| 4. | "Don't Dream It's Over" | Finn | 4:03 |
| 5. | "Love You 'Til the Day I Die" | Finn | 3:31 |
| 6. | "Something So Strong" | Finn, Froom | 2:51 |
| 7. | "Hole in the River" | Finn, Rayner | 4:02 |
| 8. | "Can't Carry On" | Finn | 3:57 |
| 9. | "I Walk Away" | Finn | 3:06 |
| 10. | "Tombstone" | Finn | 3:30 |
| 11. | "That's What I Call Love" | Finn, Hester | 3:39 |
The original release of the album in Australia and New Zealand featured "Can't Carry On" as track 8. This song was replaced by a re-recording of the Split Enz song "I Walk Away" for other markets. Later re-issues of the album include both songs with the listing extended to 11 tracks, as above.
Chart positions and sales certifications
| Preceded by 87 Hits Out by Various artists |
Australian Kent Music Report number-one album 8 June 1987 (1 week) |
Succeeded by Whitney by Whitney Houston |
| Preceded by "Funkytown" by Pseudo Echo |
"Don't Dream It's Over" New Zealand Singles Chart number-one single 17 April 1987 (1 week) |
Succeeded by "Lean on Me" by Club Nouveau |
| Preceded by "Lean on Me" by Club Nouveau |
"Don't Dream It's Over" Canadian Singles Chart number-one single 2 May 1987 (1 week) |
Succeeded by "With or Without You" by U2 |
Album
The album peaked at #1 in Australia,[5] #3 in New Zealand[6] and #12 on the US Billboard 200 chart.[7] In the UK the album did not chart until February 1995 and then only reached #99.[8] It has been certified platinum in Australia (x7), New Zealand (x5) and Canada.[9] In the US it was RIAA-certified gold on 1 May 1987, and platinum on 25 November 1991.[10]
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart[5] | 1 |
| Canadian Albums Chart[11] | 8 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart[6] | 3 |
| UK Albums Chart[8] | 99 |
| US Billboard 200[7] | 12 |
| Dutch Albums Chart[12] | 20 |
Singles
The single "Don't Dream It's Over" was an international hit that reached #2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart on 25 April 1987.[13] Its enduring popularity was evident when 18 years later in 2005 it was used in TV commercials by the New Zealand Tourism Commission.[14] The follow-up single "Something So Strong," which lent its title to a 1997 biography of Crowded House by Chris Bourke, peaked at #7 in the US.[13] "Mean to Me", "World Where You Live", and "Now We're Getting Somewhere" were also released as singles.
| Song | Peak chart positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aus[5] | Can | Ned[15] | Ger[16] | NZ[6] | Nor[17] | UK[18] | US[13] | |
| "Mean to Me" | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "World Where You Live" | 43 | — | 76 | — | — | — | — | 65 |
| "Now We're Getting Somewhere" | 63 | — | — | — | 33 | — | — | — |
| "Don't Dream It's Over"[19] | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 25 | 2 |
| "Something So Strong"[20] | 18 | 10 | — | — | 3 | — | 95 | 7 |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||
"Don't Dream it's Over" reached #27 in the UK singles chart on release in May 1987, but peaked at #25 when re-released in November 1996.
Album Credits
Crowded House
- Neil Finn – Vocals, guitar and piano
- Nick Seymour – Bass guitar
- Paul Hester – Drums and backing vocals
Additional musicians
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Additional credits
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Further reading
- Bourke, Chris (1997). Crowded House: Something So Strong. South Melbourne, Victoria: Macmillan. ISBN 0-7329-0886-8.[21]
References and notes
- ^ "Crowded House Overview". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r4870. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
- ^ "Crowded House Reviews". Robert Christgau. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=crowded+house. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
- ^ a b c Bourke (1997)
- ^ "BAND OF BROTHERS The Finns’ Sibling Revelry" Chris Bourke - 2004
- ^ a b c Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, New South Wales: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ a b c "Discography Crowded House" charts.org.nz,
- ^ a b "Crowded House - Crowded House" Billboard
- ^ a b "Chris C. – CZR" Chart Log UK
- ^ "Crowded House (1986)" crowdedhouse.com
- ^ "GOLD & PLATINUM" RIAA
- ^ "RPM Top Albums/CDs - Volume 46, No. 10, 13 June 1987" Library and Archives Canada
- ^ "CROWDED HOUSE - CROWDED HOUSE (ALBUM)" Ultratop
- ^ a b c "Crowded House > Billboard Singles" Allmusic
- ^ "Music used in New Zealand Television Commercials: T" Christchurch City Libraries NOTE: Scroll down to "Tourism New Zealand"
- ^ "DISCOGRAFIE CROWDED HOUSE" dutchcharts.nl
- ^ "Chartverfolgung / Crowded House / Single" Musicline.de
- ^ "Discography Crowded House" norwegiancharts.com
- ^ "Crowded House" Chart Stats
- ^ "RPM Top Singles - Volume 46, No. 4, 2 May 1987" Library and Archive Canada
- ^ "RPM Top Singles - Volume 46, No. 17, 1 August 1987" Library and Archive Canada
- ^ "Crowded House: Something So Strong" books.google.com.au (Note: limited preview for on-line version)
External links
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