What to Listen For in '90s Pop and Rock: Crowded House

Album Review

Highlights: Chocolate Cake, Fall At Your Feet, Italian Plastic

In 1991 with the release of Woodface and its run of iconic singles, Crowded House reached the pinnacle of their worldwide commercial success. Through all of the many achievements of these four wonderfully talented musicians over four decades, the fact that the songs featured here are amongst their most legendary and famous speaks volumes as to the significance of this album. As Neil Finn recalls of the album, “we knew we were on a bit of a winner at that point.” [1] Even more telling is the OBE honour bestowed upon Tim and Neil Finn by the queen for services to New Zealand music, largely in response to the success of Woodface in the UK.

Crowded House was born from the Ashes of New Zealand rock legends Split Enz, and the juxtaposition between these two bands is important. In its early days in the 1970s particularly, Split Enz, led by Tim Finn, established a reputation for quirky and eccentric songs and were distinctly entrenched within the sphere of art rock. Following their demise in 1984, Neil Finn parted ways with his brother and formed Crowded House with Australians Nick Seymour and Paul Hester. Their first two albums, Crowded House (1986) [2] & Temple Of Low Men (1988) [3]clearly showcased the new found maturity in Finn’s song writing and his emphasis on simple melodic pop as opposed to the flourishing complexities of Split Enz. The 1986 single Don’t Dream It’s Over was a huge hit worldwide, particularly in America.

After a few tensions surfaced during The Temple Of Low Men tour, the band took a break and Neil began collaborating with his older brother Tim for the first time in seven years. Material was also written for a third Crowded House album but it was largely uninspired and their record label was unprepared to proceed. This led to Tim Finn accidentally joining the band, when Neil asked if he could use some of the songs they’d been writing together and Tim jokingly demanded to join the band in return. With Tim in place, not to mention his powerful voice and the strong material he’d be writing with Neil, the scene was set for Crowded House to take over the world.

Woodface represents the zenith of the Finn Brothers simple melodic pop song writing, vastly improved on the albums before it. The 1993 follow-up Together Alone [4] took the band in a different and more eclectic direction, highlighting the feeling that Woodface took the original Crowded House mentality as far as it could possibly go.

The songs themselves are all refined and mature, pop gems that seal the Finn brothers’ place as song writing maestros. The only criticism that could possible be levelled at the album is that it is almost too simple, and as a consequence lacks variety. The assessment, “perfectly enjoyable, if unspectacular”[5] seems appropriate, and it makes a critique of each track somewhat difficult. But when making an effort to do so, the first tracks that come clearly to mind are It’s Only Natural, Fall At Your Feet, Weather With You & Four Seasons In One Day. All four are renowned radio staples in Australia which would surely be recognised by a grand majority of Australians. They stand out less because they are spectacular, and more because they are the best and most obviously radio-refined out of the full collection of poppy tunes.

Backed by the single success of Fall At Your Feet & Weather With You, this album became huge the world over, with one notable exception. The United States, which had so taken to the band’s previous output and looked close to being conquered once and for all, took general cultural outrage to the lyrics and message of the album’s opener Chocolate Cake. Of all the songs on the album this is the one that seems the most original and withdrawn from the formula of the rest (with the possible exception of the unusually sombre and atmospheric All I Ask.) It also happens that this most interesting and controversial song on the album is also the best in my opinion. With such lyrics as “Now the excess of fat on your American bones, will cushion the impact as you sink like a stone,” Chocolate Cake “lambasts America as a spoiled culture of overfed vulgarians.”[5] Crowded House would go on to worldwide fame and by the time of their break-up in 1996, were as iconic in the UK and Europe as they were, but all the while the Americans would not forgive the band for what they perceived to be a stab in the back, having previously been the source of much of their success.

Overall this album is not generally my cup of tea as it lacks the intensity and power of the Split Enz output, and isn’t as creatively diverse as its follow up Together Alone. But it is undoubtedly a solid and mature album musically, and one which in the context of its monumental success, has become a must have album for any Australian. If you’re a fan of any or all simple male pop rock filled with charming melodies and hooks, chances are this album will be a pleasant experience.

Check out Crowded House's official site. - www.crowdedhouse.com

For more information on Crowded House, Split Enz, or other related acts, check Frenz Of The Enz

Vidoes from Woodface...