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, new wave | |||
Length | 38:40 | |||
Label | Capitol/EMI | |||
Producer | Mitchell Froom | |||
Crowded House chronology | ||||
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Singles from Crowded House | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [2] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [3] |
The Village Voice | C+[4] |
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.
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.[5] Former Swingers and soon-to-be Midnight Oil bass player Bones Hillman was also a candidate,[6] 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.[5] 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.[5]
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 formed, it was manufactured there.
Track listings
All tracks 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 |
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.
2016 Tracklisting with Reissue Material including Rare & Unreleased content
Disc 1 (The Album)
- Mean To Me
- World Where You Live
- Now We're Getting Somewhere
- Don't Dream It's Over
- Love You 'Til The Day I Die
- Something So Strong
- Hole In The River
- Can't Carry On
- I Walk Away
- Tombstone
- That's What I Call Love
Disc 2 (Unreleased & Rare Material)
- Something So Strong (Home Demo)
- Hole In the River (Studio Demo)
- Love You 'Til The Day I Die (Home Demo)
- That's What I Call Love (Studio Demo)
- Can't Carry On (Studio Demo)
- Walking On The Pier (Studio Demo)
- Does Anyone Here Understand My Girlfriend (Studio Demo)
- Oblivion (Studio Demo)
- Walking On The Spot (Studio Demo)
- Something So Strong (Studio Demo)
- Now We're Getting Somewhere (Studio Demo)
- Stranger Underneath Your Skin (Home Studio)
- Don't Dream It's Over (Home Demo)
- Left Hand (Live)
- Grabbing By The Handful (Live)
- World Where You Live (Writing Demo)
- Recurring Dream (Original Version)
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 number one in Australia,[7] #3 in New Zealand[8] and #12 on the US Billboard 200 chart.[9] In the UK the album did not chart until February 1995 and then only reached #99.[10] It has been certified platinum in Australia (x7), New Zealand (x5) and Canada.[11] In the US it was RIAA-certified gold on 1 May 1987, and platinum on 25 November 1991.[12]
Chart | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums Chart[7] | 1 |
Canadian Albums Chart[13] | 8 |
Dutch Albums Chart[14] | 20 |
New Zealand Albums Chart[8] | 3 |
UK Albums Chart[10] | 99 |
US Billboard 200[9] | 12 |
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.[15] Its enduring popularity was evident when 18 years later in 2005 it was used in TV commercials by the New Zealand Tourism Commission.[16] 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.[15] "Mean to Me", "World Where You Live", and "Now We're Getting Somewhere" were also released as singles.
Song | Peak chart positions | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aus[7] | Can | Ned[17] | Ger[18] | NZ[8] | Nor[19] | UK[20] | US[15] | |
"Mean to Me" | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
"World Where You Live" | 43 | — | 76 | — | — | — | — | 65 |
"Now We're Getting Somewhere" | 63 | — | — | — | 33 | — | — | — |
"Don't Dream It's Over"[21] | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 25 | 2 |
"Something So Strong"[22] | 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
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.[24]
References and notes
- ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Crowded House – Crowded House". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
- ↑ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-857-12595-8.
- ↑ DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly, eds. (1992). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. ISBN 0-679-73729-4.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert (24 February 1987). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
- 1 2 3 Bourke (1997)
- ↑ "BAND OF BROTHERS The Finns’ Sibling Revelry" Chris Bourke - 2004
- 1 2 3 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, New South Wales: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- 1 2 3 "Discography Crowded House" charts.org.nz,
- 1 2 "Crowded House - Crowded House" Billboard
- 1 2 "Chris C. – CZR" Archived 7 May 2012 at WebCite 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
- 1 2 3 "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
- ↑ "Archive: Neil Finn Interview" Flixelpix - 22 September 2011
- ↑ "Crowded House: Something So Strong" books.google.com.au (Note: limited preview for on-line version)
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Crowded House. |