NAME:
Crowded House
ABOUT
2016 – believe it or not – marks the 30th anniversary of Crowded House’s legendary self-titled debut album. It’s also now eXactly 20 years since those unforgettable scenes on the steps of the Sydney Opera House when Crowded House bid farewell to the world, and just a whisker under ten years since the Crowdies reformed.
In honour of these collective milestones ARIA has announced the induction of Crowded House into the ARIA Hall Of Fame, the band is reconvening for a two very special live shows, and Universal Music Group is giving each of Crowded House’s siX lauded studio albums, Crowded House, Temple Of Low Men, Woodface, Together Alone, Time on Earth, Intriguer plus 1999's rarities album Afterglow, a fittingly royal deluXe edition treatment. Each album is eXpanded into a DeluXe Edition format boasting an eXpansive set of demos, alt-cuts and live tracks from deep within the Crowded House vaults, much of the material made public for the very first time. Each album will also enjoy a pressing on vinyl.
Of course, the entire history of Crowded House is etched up high in the echelons of Australian and New Zealand music folklore.
It all began not so glamorously in the mid-1980s. Straight out of the end of the iconic Split Enz, frontman and songwriter Neil Finn and drummer Paul Hester joined forces with bassist Nick Seymour and, initially, guitarist Craig Hooper. Together they misappropriated Neil’s middle name and formed The Mullanes. Despite the musical pedigree at hand and Neil’s brand new set of unpolished gems, the four-piece went right back to basics, slogging it out on the unforgiving Oz rock pub circuit of the time, playing tiny rooms, initially to not much acclaim at all.
It was only once the band trimmed down to a taut trio, changed its name, signed a worldwide deal directly with Capitol Records in the US, and hooked up with American producer Mitchell Froom that the history of Crowded House began to be written in earnest. But it would still take a little while longer for success to come.
The band’s debut album, the self-titled Crowded House, was released in June 1986, showcasing a deft set of unique Finn-penned power pop rockers. With wacky outfits, loads of ’80s hair-gel and an irrepressible on-stage shtick, Crowded House set out to conquer Australasia and the rest of the planet. It was hard yakka, slow going, but a whole year after its release, in June 1987, the debut album finally topped the Australian charts. That same year, Crowded House was named best new band at the first ever ARIA Awards. What’s more, the single “Don’t Dream It’s Over” climbed all the way up to No. 2 on the US charts.
In July 1988, on the back of over two years non-stop touring, Crowded House released its follow-up album, Temple Of Low Men. In many ways, it was the musical antithesis of its poppy predecessor, a much heavier and denser work. While it remains many a fans’ favourite, it’s generally considered the band’s darkest, most uncommercial collection, despite being home to such all-time classics as “Better Be Home Soon” and “Into Temptation.” This second time around, Temple Of Low Men instantaneously topped the Australian charts, but never went close to matching the far-reaching success of the debut.
Road weary and overworked, the trio struggled to regroup for album number three. An aborted version of the record was rejected by Capitol in the US. It wasn’t until Neil reconnected with his former Split Enz band mate and big brother, Tim Finn, that everything started coalescing in the most unpredictable manner. Neil and Tim tried writing together for the first time in their lives, and the songs just poured out. NeXt thing anyone knew, Tim joined Crowded House.
It was a short-lived eXperiment, Tim was only officially a member for about a year, but the result was the timeless Woodface, a lush and uplifting collection of songs leaning heavily on the Finn brothers’ heavenly harmonies. Again, it was a record that felt and sounded nothing like the one that came before. But like the debut, the songs of Woodface managed to eke out their own slow route to international success. This time, it was across the Atlantic in the UK, where the album peaked at number 6 during the Northern summer of 1992 and produced a UK and European hit single in “Weather With You.”
Following Tim’s departure, American keyboardist Mark Hart, who’d already played on stage with the band for years, was finally invited to become a permanent member of Crowded House. In 1993, a more relaXed incarnation of the band reconvened in New Zealand, coinciding with Neil and his family also moving back home to Auckland.
Recorded in isolation overlooking the picturesque Karekare Beach, Crowded House’s fourth album, Together Alone, is the outfit’s most epic musical statement. Incorporating traditional choirs and log drummers and using the valley itself as both an inspiration and eXpansive echo chamber, Together Alone is musically on another level altogether. The work’s beauty and sophistication instantly connected to the Crowdies’ ever eXpanding fan base across Europe and the UK, as well as its forever loyal fans at home. The album reached number 4 on the UK charts, number two in Australia and number one in New Zealand.
After nearly a decade together, cracks began appearing in Crowded House by the mid-1990s, just as all that tireless work was paying off and the band eXperienced the greatest success of its illustrious career. The beginning of the end came during the umpteenth tour of the US in 1994 when Paul Hester decided he’d had enough and quit on the spot, eventually replaced by Melbourne-based drummer, Peter Jones. By 1996, without recording another album, the band announced its split. Ironically, the best-of released that same year, Recurring Dream: The Very Best of Crowded House, went on to become a monster seller, the biggest of the band’s career, topping the charts in Australia, New Zealand and the UK and enjoying sales of over 13-times platinum in Australia.
On November 24, 1996, all present and former members of Crowded House came together to formally say farewell to the world with an historic free concert on the steps of the Sydney Opera House, drawing well over 100,000, people and captured on film forever as ‘Farewell To The World.'
After such an eXtraordinary finale, no one eXpected to ever see Crowded House together again. But life has a way of messing up the best-laid plans. In 2005, the entire music world was shattered by the passing of Paul Hester. In their shared mourning, Neil and Nick reconnected. Soon they gave Mark Hart a call and together started auditioning for new drummers, eventually finding American Matt Sherrod. What was originally intended to be a new Neil Finn solo record morphed into a Crowded House reunion album, 2007’s Time On Earth. Despite a decade away, the record debuted top three or higher on charts across Australasia (making it to #1 in Australia), Europe and the UK.
Off the back of full-time touring, the new generation Crowded House returned to the studio in 2010 and produced Intriguer, unquestionably the most band focused Crowded House album of them all. It became another
Australian chart-topper, went to three in NZ and 12 in the UK
Which brings us to 2016 and the Crowded House 30th anniversary. One of our most beloved bands back together again, back on stage, all those classic songs, with all the classic albums sounding and looking better than ever.
The Stats:
• Over 26X Platinum Album Sales in Australia
• 16 ARIA Top 50 Singles
• 5 AU #1 Albums
• 7 UK Top 50 Albums
• 7 NZ Top 50 Albums
• 5 Canadian Top 50 Albums
• 4 US Top 50 Albums
• Eleven ARIA Awards (26 nominations)
• Eight APRA awards
• 1994 Brit Awards International Group Of The Year
The Discography:
Albums
Crowded House (1986) Au #1
Temple Of Low Men (1988) Au #1
Woodface (1991) Au #2
Together Alone (1993) Au #2
Recurring Dream: The Very Best of Crowded House - June 1996
Afterglow [Rarities] (1999) Au #36
Farewell to the World - November 2006
Time On Earth (2007) Au #1
Intriguer (2010) Au #1
The Very Very Best of Crowded House - Oct 2010
Singles
1986
"Mean to Me"
"World Where You Live”
"Now We're Getting Somewhere”
"Don't Dream It's Over”
1987
"Something So Strong”
1988
"Better Be Home Soon"
"When You Come"
"Into Temptation"
1989
"Sister Madly"
1990
"I Feel Possessed”
1991
"Chocolate Cake"
"Fall at Your Feet"
"It's Only Natural"
1992
"Weather with You"
"Four Seasons in One Day"
1993
"Distant Sun"
1994”
“Nails in My Feet"
"Locked Out"
"Fingers of Love"
"Pineapple Head"
"Private Universe"
1995
"Together Alone”
1996
"Everything Is Good for You"
"Instinct"
"Not the Girl You Think You Are"
"Don't Dream It's Over" (re-release)
2007
"Don't Stop Now"
"She Called Up"
"Pour Le Monde"
2010
"Saturday Sun"
"Either Side of the World"
ExpandIn honour of these collective milestones ARIA has announced the induction of Crowded House into the ARIA Hall Of Fame, the band is reconvening for a two very special live shows, and Universal Music Group is giving each of Crowded House’s siX lauded studio albums, Crowded House, Temple Of Low Men, Woodface, Together Alone, Time on Earth, Intriguer plus 1999's rarities album Afterglow, a fittingly royal deluXe edition treatment. Each album is eXpanded into a DeluXe Edition format boasting an eXpansive set of demos, alt-cuts and live tracks from deep within the Crowded House vaults, much of the material made public for the very first time. Each album will also enjoy a pressing on vinyl.
Of course, the entire history of Crowded House is etched up high in the echelons of Australian and New Zealand music folklore.
It all began not so glamorously in the mid-1980s. Straight out of the end of the iconic Split Enz, frontman and songwriter Neil Finn and drummer Paul Hester joined forces with bassist Nick Seymour and, initially, guitarist Craig Hooper. Together they misappropriated Neil’s middle name and formed The Mullanes. Despite the musical pedigree at hand and Neil’s brand new set of unpolished gems, the four-piece went right back to basics, slogging it out on the unforgiving Oz rock pub circuit of the time, playing tiny rooms, initially to not much acclaim at all.
It was only once the band trimmed down to a taut trio, changed its name, signed a worldwide deal directly with Capitol Records in the US, and hooked up with American producer Mitchell Froom that the history of Crowded House began to be written in earnest. But it would still take a little while longer for success to come.
The band’s debut album, the self-titled Crowded House, was released in June 1986, showcasing a deft set of unique Finn-penned power pop rockers. With wacky outfits, loads of ’80s hair-gel and an irrepressible on-stage shtick, Crowded House set out to conquer Australasia and the rest of the planet. It was hard yakka, slow going, but a whole year after its release, in June 1987, the debut album finally topped the Australian charts. That same year, Crowded House was named best new band at the first ever ARIA Awards. What’s more, the single “Don’t Dream It’s Over” climbed all the way up to No. 2 on the US charts.
In July 1988, on the back of over two years non-stop touring, Crowded House released its follow-up album, Temple Of Low Men. In many ways, it was the musical antithesis of its poppy predecessor, a much heavier and denser work. While it remains many a fans’ favourite, it’s generally considered the band’s darkest, most uncommercial collection, despite being home to such all-time classics as “Better Be Home Soon” and “Into Temptation.” This second time around, Temple Of Low Men instantaneously topped the Australian charts, but never went close to matching the far-reaching success of the debut.
Road weary and overworked, the trio struggled to regroup for album number three. An aborted version of the record was rejected by Capitol in the US. It wasn’t until Neil reconnected with his former Split Enz band mate and big brother, Tim Finn, that everything started coalescing in the most unpredictable manner. Neil and Tim tried writing together for the first time in their lives, and the songs just poured out. NeXt thing anyone knew, Tim joined Crowded House.
It was a short-lived eXperiment, Tim was only officially a member for about a year, but the result was the timeless Woodface, a lush and uplifting collection of songs leaning heavily on the Finn brothers’ heavenly harmonies. Again, it was a record that felt and sounded nothing like the one that came before. But like the debut, the songs of Woodface managed to eke out their own slow route to international success. This time, it was across the Atlantic in the UK, where the album peaked at number 6 during the Northern summer of 1992 and produced a UK and European hit single in “Weather With You.”
Following Tim’s departure, American keyboardist Mark Hart, who’d already played on stage with the band for years, was finally invited to become a permanent member of Crowded House. In 1993, a more relaXed incarnation of the band reconvened in New Zealand, coinciding with Neil and his family also moving back home to Auckland.
Recorded in isolation overlooking the picturesque Karekare Beach, Crowded House’s fourth album, Together Alone, is the outfit’s most epic musical statement. Incorporating traditional choirs and log drummers and using the valley itself as both an inspiration and eXpansive echo chamber, Together Alone is musically on another level altogether. The work’s beauty and sophistication instantly connected to the Crowdies’ ever eXpanding fan base across Europe and the UK, as well as its forever loyal fans at home. The album reached number 4 on the UK charts, number two in Australia and number one in New Zealand.
After nearly a decade together, cracks began appearing in Crowded House by the mid-1990s, just as all that tireless work was paying off and the band eXperienced the greatest success of its illustrious career. The beginning of the end came during the umpteenth tour of the US in 1994 when Paul Hester decided he’d had enough and quit on the spot, eventually replaced by Melbourne-based drummer, Peter Jones. By 1996, without recording another album, the band announced its split. Ironically, the best-of released that same year, Recurring Dream: The Very Best of Crowded House, went on to become a monster seller, the biggest of the band’s career, topping the charts in Australia, New Zealand and the UK and enjoying sales of over 13-times platinum in Australia.
On November 24, 1996, all present and former members of Crowded House came together to formally say farewell to the world with an historic free concert on the steps of the Sydney Opera House, drawing well over 100,000, people and captured on film forever as ‘Farewell To The World.'
After such an eXtraordinary finale, no one eXpected to ever see Crowded House together again. But life has a way of messing up the best-laid plans. In 2005, the entire music world was shattered by the passing of Paul Hester. In their shared mourning, Neil and Nick reconnected. Soon they gave Mark Hart a call and together started auditioning for new drummers, eventually finding American Matt Sherrod. What was originally intended to be a new Neil Finn solo record morphed into a Crowded House reunion album, 2007’s Time On Earth. Despite a decade away, the record debuted top three or higher on charts across Australasia (making it to #1 in Australia), Europe and the UK.
Off the back of full-time touring, the new generation Crowded House returned to the studio in 2010 and produced Intriguer, unquestionably the most band focused Crowded House album of them all. It became another
Australian chart-topper, went to three in NZ and 12 in the UK
Which brings us to 2016 and the Crowded House 30th anniversary. One of our most beloved bands back together again, back on stage, all those classic songs, with all the classic albums sounding and looking better than ever.
The Stats:
• Over 26X Platinum Album Sales in Australia
• 16 ARIA Top 50 Singles
• 5 AU #1 Albums
• 7 UK Top 50 Albums
• 7 NZ Top 50 Albums
• 5 Canadian Top 50 Albums
• 4 US Top 50 Albums
• Eleven ARIA Awards (26 nominations)
• Eight APRA awards
• 1994 Brit Awards International Group Of The Year
The Discography:
Albums
Crowded House (1986) Au #1
Temple Of Low Men (1988) Au #1
Woodface (1991) Au #2
Together Alone (1993) Au #2
Recurring Dream: The Very Best of Crowded House - June 1996
Afterglow [Rarities] (1999) Au #36
Farewell to the World - November 2006
Time On Earth (2007) Au #1
Intriguer (2010) Au #1
The Very Very Best of Crowded House - Oct 2010
Singles
1986
"Mean to Me"
"World Where You Live”
"Now We're Getting Somewhere”
"Don't Dream It's Over”
1987
"Something So Strong”
1988
"Better Be Home Soon"
"When You Come"
"Into Temptation"
1989
"Sister Madly"
1990
"I Feel Possessed”
1991
"Chocolate Cake"
"Fall at Your Feet"
"It's Only Natural"
1992
"Weather with You"
"Four Seasons in One Day"
1993
"Distant Sun"
1994”
“Nails in My Feet"
"Locked Out"
"Fingers of Love"
"Pineapple Head"
"Private Universe"
1995
"Together Alone”
1996
"Everything Is Good for You"
"Instinct"
"Not the Girl You Think You Are"
"Don't Dream It's Over" (re-release)
2007
"Don't Stop Now"
"She Called Up"
"Pour Le Monde"
2010
"Saturday Sun"
"Either Side of the World"
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