Neil is the consumate tunesmith. Not only do I have every Crowded House recording, but I also have Neil's three solo CDs, as well as his two duo projects with his brother Tim Finn. I even have several classic Split Enz LPs and tapes.
"I don't know why sometimes I get frightened...
You can see my eyes. You can tell that I'm not lying..."
I've seen this "band from down under" live several times (including at the Trocadero in Philly way back when they were just starting out in '87). Their concert in (I think it was) late '91 at the Tower Theater just outside of Philly was absolutely incredible. Newcomer Richard Thompson was opening up for them on that tour, and he and several of his own band members came on stage at one point to add to the musical intensity. Crowded House' live rendition of my favorite song of theirs ("When You Come") was UN-BE-LIEV-ABLE! There's a live version available as part of their "Best of" CD release, "Recurring Dream" (not all of these CDs include the second "live" CD in the package). It's the closest proximity in energy and sound quality to that unforgettable live rendition.
It also looks like they will eventually be touring. I will DEFINITELY snag tickets to that concert if they swing by the L.A. area.
2 comments:
Neil Finn is simply amazing. He's an incredible songwriter, and it's really a shame that Split Enz, Crowded House, and Neil's solo releases were not very popular in the states.
David Byrne called Finn a "Master song craftsman." Enough said.
Well, Split Enz was a peculiarly and specifically down-under band. Crowded House had it's limelight in the 80s, but once the 90s hit it was a tough sell for anybody in the industry who was a true tunesmith or troubadour. In the early 90s was the very brief surge of grunge rock (countering the 80s hair bands), and "alternative" rock was in the college underground.
Meanwhile, as the 90s progressed, mainstream music went strong into four separate areas: Country (Garth mania, et al), Rap & Hip-Hop (the 90s version of cheaply produced disco music to make $ for the record companies), Latin-Pop (J-Lo, Jon Secada, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, etc.), and the emergence of CCM (Contemporary Christian Music - DC Talk, Jars of Clay, Audio Adrenaline, Third Day, Newsboys, PFR, BTR, etc.).
Plus, demographics changed in the nation. The last of the baby boomers (of which I'm a part of) were getting older, settling down, having families, not going to bars & clubs. And the baby boomer's kids hadn't reached legal drinking age (21) to be able to go to those places for live music. So, they were force fed what the industry was pushing on them until (a) they came of age, and (b) the internet exploded with music downloads and it's outlet for non-mainstream music.
I'm seeing a slow turn-around in recent years, getting back to the troubadours & tunesmiths. And it's a good thing.
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