Crowded House are a
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band, formed in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
,
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were New Zealander
Neil Finn
Neil Mullane Finn (born 27 May 1958) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician who is known for being a member of Crowded House, Split Enz (which he co-fronted with brother Tim), and Fleetwood Mac. Finn rose to prominence in the late ...
(vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Australians
Paul Hester
Paul Newell Hester (8 January 1959 – 26 March 2005) was an Australian musician and television personality. He was the drummer for the band Split Enz for a short time in 1984, and co-founding member and drummer of the rock group Crowded House ...
(drums) and
Nick Seymour (bass). Later band members include Neil Finn's brother,
Tim Finn
Brian Timothy Finn (born 25 June 1952) is a New Zealand singer and musician. His musical career includes forming 1970s and 1980s New Zealand rock group Split Enz, a number of solo albums, temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowd ...
and sons
Liam
Liam is a short form of the Irish name Uilliam or the old Germanic name William.
Etymology
The original name was a merging of two Old German elements: ''willa'' ("will" or "resolution"); and ''helma'' ("helmet"). The juxtaposition of these ele ...
and Elroy, as well as Americans
Mark Hart
Mark Hart (born July 2, 1953), is an American musician and multi-instrumentalist best known for being a member of both Supertramp (1986–1988, 1996–2002, 2015–present) and Crowded House (1993–1996, 2007–2019). As well as being a group mem ...
and
Matt Sherrod
Matthew Sherrod (born 11 July 1968) is an American drummer, musician, and a former member of the band Crowded House. Sherrod first became known as a musician playing drums for rock artist Beck. In 2007, following the 2005 death of Crowded House ...
,
[McFarlane (1999)]["Neil Finn and Nick Seymour"]
''Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...
'' – 16 July 2007 with Neil Finn and Nick Seymour being the sole constant members of the group since its formation.
Originally active from 1985 to 1996, Crowded House had consistent commercial and critical success in Australia and New Zealand
[ (NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charts from 1974 until ]ARIA
In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...
created their own charts
A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tab ...
in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974)["Discography Crowded House"](_blank)
australiancharts.com["Discography Crowded House"](_blank)
''charts.org.nz'' and international chart success in two phases, beginning with a
self-titled debut album that reached number 12 on the
US Album Chart in 1987 and provided the Top Ten hits "
Don't Dream It's Over
"Don't Dream It's Over" is a song by rock band Crowded House, recorded for their 1986 self-titled debut studio album. The song was composed and written by New Zealand frontman Neil Finn, and released in October 1986 as the fourth single from ...
" and "
Something So Strong".
[ _Charts_&_Awards_>_Billboard_Singles".html" ;"title=""Crowded House > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles"">"Crowded House > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles"]AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
[ _Charts_&_Awards_>_Billboard_Albums".html" ;"title=""Crowded House > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums"">"Crowded House > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums"AllMusic] Further international success came in the UK, Europe and South Africa with their third and fourth albums (''
Woodface
''Woodface'' is the third studio album by New Zealand-Australian band Crowded House. The album was produced by Mitchell Froom and Neil Finn and was released by Capitol in July 1991. It features five singles "Chocolate Cake", "Fall at Your Feet" ...
'' and ''
Together Alone
''Together Alone'' is the fourth studio album by New Zealand-Australian recording artists Crowded House. It was released in October 1993 and was their first album to feature multi-instrumentalist Mark Hart as a full band member. Unlike the band ...
'') and the compilation album ''
Recurring Dream
A recurring dream is a dream which is experienced repeatedly over a long period. They can be pleasant or nightmarish and unique to the person and their experiences.
Common themes in recurring dreams
Through psychological analyses and studies, s ...
'', which included the hits "
Fall at Your Feet
"Fall at Your Feet" is a 1991 song by Crowded House, from their 1991 album, '' Woodface''. It is the only single from ''Woodface'' to be written solely by the group's leader Neil Finn, who co-wrote all other singles from the album with his broth ...
", "
Weather with You
"Weather with You" is a song by Australian-New Zealand rock band Crowded House. It was the third and most successful single released from the group's third studio album '' Woodface'' (1991), reaching top 50 in 10 countries, including the United ...
", "
Distant Sun", "
Locked Out", "
Instinct" and "
Not the Girl You Think You Are".
[Bourke (1997)] Neil and Tim Finn were each awarded an
OBE in June 1993 for their contributions to the music of New Zealand.
In June 1996, Crowded House announced that it would disband. The bands last UK Gig was in the basement studio of BBC GLR 94.9, as part the Phil Jupitas Show on 21 June 96. The station had always been very supportive of Crowded House, this was the bands way of thanking the station and its listeners. The band played several farewell concerts that year, including the "
Farewell to the World
''Farewell to the World'' is a 1996 concert by rock group Crowded House, which was released on video in 1996 and on CD and DVD in 2006. The concert was recorded on the outside footsteps of the Sydney Opera House, as a charity event to raise fun ...
" concerts in Melbourne and Sydney.
On 26 March 2005, Hester died by suicide, aged 46.
[Bernard Zuel, Nassim Khadem, Patrick Donovan, James Butto]
"Farewell to the clown prince"
''The Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'' – 29 March 2005 In 2006, the group re-formed with drummer Matt Sherrod and released two further albums (in 2007 and 2010), each of which reached number one on Australia's
album chart.
After several years of inactivity, it was announced a revised line-up of Crowded House would tour the UK in 2020. The new line-up features Neil Finn, Nick Seymour,
Mitchell Froom
Mitchell Froom (born June 29, 1953) is an American musician and record producer. He was a member of the bands Gamma and Latin Playboys, and is currently the keyboardist for Crowded House. He has produced albums for several artists, including R ...
, and Finn's sons
Liam
Liam is a short form of the Irish name Uilliam or the old Germanic name William.
Etymology
The original name was a merging of two Old German elements: ''willa'' ("will" or "resolution"); and ''helma'' ("helmet"). The juxtaposition of these ele ...
and Elroy. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, the band's planned 2020 concerts were postponed.
As of 2021, Crowded House have sold over 15 million albums worldwide.
In November 2016, the band was inducted into the
ARIA Hall of Fame.
History
Neil Finn (vocals, guitar, piano) and drummer Paul Hester (ex-
The Cheks,
Deckchairs Overboard
Deckchairs Overboard were an Australian pop music band based in Sydney which formed in 1982 and disbanded in 1985. The early line-up featured Ken Campbell on vocals, guitar, and drums; John Clifforth on vocals, guitar, and keyboards; Paul Heste ...
) were former members of New Zealand band
Split Enz
Split Enz were a New Zealand rock band formed in Auckland in 1972 by Tim Finn and Phil Judd and had a variety of other members during its existence. Originally started as a folk-oriented group with quirky art rock stylings, the band built ...
, which spent part of 1975–6 in Australia and several years in England.
Neil Finn is the younger brother of Split Enz founding member Tim Finn, who joined Crowded House in 1990 on vocals, guitars and keyboards for the album ''
Woodface
''Woodface'' is the third studio album by New Zealand-Australian band Crowded House. The album was produced by Mitchell Froom and Neil Finn and was released by Capitol in July 1991. It features five singles "Chocolate Cake", "Fall at Your Feet" ...
''.
Bassist Nick Seymour (ex-Plays with Marionettes, Bang, The Horla) is the younger brother of singer-songwriter and guitarist
Mark Seymour
Mark Jeremy Seymour (born 26 July 1956) is an Australian musician and vocalist. He was the frontman and songwriter of rock band Hunters & Collectors from 1981 until 1998. Seymour has carved a solo career, releasing his debut solo album in ...
of Australian rock group
Hunters & Collectors.
Formation and name change (1984–1986)
Finn and Hester decided to form a new band during the first Split Enz farewell tour, "Enz with a Bang", in late 1984.
Seymour approached Finn during the after party for the Melbourne show and asked if he could audition for the new band.
The Mullanes formed in Melbourne in early 1985 with Finn, Hester, Seymour and guitarist
Craig Hooper (ex-
The Reels
The Reels was an Australian rock band which formed in Dubbo, New South Wales in 1976. It disbanded in 1991, and reformed in 2007. Its 1981 song " Quasimodo's Dream" was voted one of the top 10 Australian songs of all time by a 100-member panel ...
) and first performed on 11 June.
They secured a record contract with
Capitol Records, but Hooper left the band before the remaining trio moved to Los Angeles to record their debut album.
[ Nimmervoll, Ed]
"Crowded House"
HowlSpace – The Living History of Our Music (Ed Nimmervoll). Archived fro
on 27 July 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2014. At Capitol's behest, the band's name was changed to Crowded House, which alluded to the lack of space at the small
Hollywood Hills
The Hollywood Hills are a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California.
Geography
The Hollywood Hills straddle the Cahuenga Pass within the Santa Monica Mountains.
The neighborhood touches Studio City, Univer ...
house they shared during the recording of the album ''
Crowded House''.
Former Split Enz keyboardist Eddie Rayner produced the track "Can't Carry On" and was asked to join the band. He toured with them in 1988, but was unable to become a full member due to family commitments.
Early albums (1986–1990)
![Crowded-house1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Crowded-house1.JPG)
Thanks to their Split Enz connection, the newly formed Crowded House had an established
Australasia
Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologi ...
n fanbase.
They began by playing at festivals in Australia and New Zealand and released their debut album, ''Crowded House'', in August 1986.
Capitol Records initially failed to see the band's potential and gave them only low-key promotion,
forcing the band to play at small venues to try to gain attention. The album's first single, "
Mean to Me", reached the Australian
Kent Music Report Singles Chart top 30 in June.
It failed to chart in the US,
but moderate American airplay introduced US listeners to the group.
The next single, "
Don't Dream It's Over
"Don't Dream It's Over" is a song by rock band Crowded House, recorded for their 1986 self-titled debut studio album. The song was composed and written by New Zealand frontman Neil Finn, and released in October 1986 as the fourth single from ...
", was released in October 1986 and proved an international hit, reaching number two on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number one in Canada. New Zealand radio stations initially gave the song little support until months later when it became successful internationally. Ultimately, the song reached number one on the
New Zealand singles chart
The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...
and number eight in Australia.
It remains the group's most commercially successful song.
In March 1987, the group were awarded "Best New Talent", along with "
Song of the Year" and "Best Video" awards for "Don't Dream It's Over", at the
inaugural ARIA Music Awards.
The video also earned the group the
MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist
The MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist has been given out since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. Until 2006, the award was named Best New Artist in a Video. In 2007 its name was changed to Best New Artist, as the category un ...
that year.
["MTV Music Video Awards 1987"]
'' MTV'' – NOTE: Click on "winners" tab The song has often been
covered
Cover or covers may refer to:
Packaging
* Another name for a lid
* Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package
* Album cover, the front of the packaging
* Book cover or magazine cover
** Book design
** Back cover copy, part of co ...
by other artists and gave
Paul Young
Paul Antony Young (born 17 January 1956) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & the Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, he became a teen idol with his solo success in the 1980s. ...
a hit single in 1991. It was also used for a
New Zealand Tourism Board advertisement in its "100% Pure New Zealand" worldwide promotion from October 2005. In May 2001, "Don't Dream it's Over" was voted seventh in a poll of the
best Australian songs of all time by the
Australasian Performing Right Association.
["2001 – Top 10 Songs"](_blank)
APRA – 28 May 2001
![Ch-montreux](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Ch-montreux.jpg)
In June 1987, nearly a year after its release, ''Crowded House'' finally reached number one on the Kent Music Report Album Charts.
It also reached number three in New Zealand
and number twelve on the US
''Billboard'' album chart.
The follow-up to "Don't Dream it's Over", "
Something So Strong", was another global smash, reaching the Top 10 in New Zealand,
America,
and Canada. "
World Where You Live
"World Where You Live" is a song by Australian-New Zealand rock band Crowded House. It was the second single from the group's debut album ''Crowded House''.Bailey, Marck; Though it was the second single, "World Where You Live" was the first inter ...
" and "Now We're Getting Somewhere" were also released as singles with chart success.
As the band's primary songwriter, Neil Finn was under pressure to create a second album to match their debut and the band joked that one potential title for the new release was ''Mediocre Follow-Up''.
Eventually titled ''Temple of Low Men'', their second album was released in July 1988 with strong promotion by Capitol Records. The album did not fare as well as their debut in the US, only reaching number 40,
but it achieved Australasian success, reaching number one in
Australia and number two in New Zealand.
The first single "
Better Be Home Soon" peaked at number two on both Australian and New Zealand singles charts
and reached top 50 in the US,
though the following four singles were less successful.
Crowded House undertook a short tour of Australia and Canada to promote the album, with Eddie Rayner on keyboards. Multi-instrumentalist Mark Hart, who would eventually become a full band member, replaced Rayner in January 1989. After the tour, Finn fired Seymour from the band.
[ ]Music journalist
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
Ed Nimmervoll
Edward Charles Nimmervoll (21 September 1947 – 10 October 2014) was an Australian music journalist, author and historian. He worked on rock and pop magazines ''Go-Set'' (1966–1974) and ''Juke Magazine'' (1975–92) both as a journalist ...
claimed that Seymour's temporary departure was because Finn blamed him for causing his writer's block
Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author is either unable to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown. Mike Rose found that this creative stall is not a result of commitment problems or th ...
; however, Finn cited "artistic differences" as the reason.[ Seymour said that after a month he contacted Finn and they agreed that he would return to the band.][
]
Early 1990s (1991–1994)
Crowded House took a break after the Canadian leg of the ''Temple of Low Men'' tour. Neil Finn and his brother Tim recorded songs they had co-written for their own album, '' Finn''. Following the recording sessions with Tim, Neil began writing and recording a third Crowded House album with Hester and Seymour, but these tracks were rejected by the record company, so Neil asked Tim if Crowded House could use the ''Finn'' songs. Tim jokingly agreed on the proviso that he become a member, which Neil apparently took figuratively. With Tim as an official member, the band returned to the studio. The new tracks, as well as some from the previously rejected recordings were combined to make ''Woodface'', which was released in July 1991. The album features eight tracks co-written by Neil and Tim, which feature the brothers harmonising on lead vocals, except on the sombre "All I Ask" on which Tim sang lead. The track was later used on AIDS awareness commercials in Australia. Five of the album's tracks were Neil's solo compositions and two were by Hester, the exuberant "Italian Plastic", which became a crowd favourite at concerts and the hidden track "I'm Still Here".
"Chocolate Cake
Chocolate cake or chocolate gâteau (from ) is a cake flavored with melted chocolate, cocoa powder, or both.
History
Chocolate cake is made with chocolate. It can also include other ingredients. These include fudge, vanilla creme, and other ...
", a humorous comment on American excesses that was not taken well by some US critics and sections of the American public, was released in June 1991 as the first single. Perhaps unsurprisingly it failed to chart in the US; however, it reached number two on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song peaked at number seven in New Zealand and reached the top 20 in Australia. The second single, "Fall at Your Feet
"Fall at Your Feet" is a 1991 song by Crowded House, from their 1991 album, '' Woodface''. It is the only single from ''Woodface'' to be written solely by the group's leader Neil Finn, who co-wrote all other singles from the album with his broth ...
", was less successful in Australia and New Zealand but did at least reach the US Hot 100. The album reached number one in New Zealand, number two in Australia, number six in the UK["Official Charts – Crowded House"](_blank)
''Official Charts'' and made the top 20 in several European countries. The third single from ''Woodface'', "Weather With You
"Weather with You" is a song by Australian-New Zealand rock band Crowded House. It was the third and most successful single released from the group's third studio album '' Woodface'' (1991), reaching top 50 in 10 countries, including the United ...
", peaked at No. 7 in early 1992 giving the band their highest UK chart placement. By contrast, the album had limited success in the US, only reaching number 83 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart.
Tim Finn left Crowded House during the ''Woodface'' tour in November 1991, part-way through the UK leg. Performances on this tour, at the Town and Country Club in London, were recorded live and given a limited release in Australia, while individual songs from those shows were released as B-sides of singles in some countries. In June 1993 the New Zealand Government recommended that the Queen award an OBE to Neil and Tim Finn for their contribution to the music of New Zealand.
For their fourth album, ''Together Alone'', Crowded House used producer Martin Glover (aka "Youth") and invited touring musician Mark Hart (guitar and keyboards) to become a permanent band member. The album was recorded at Karekare Beach, New Zealand, which gave its name to the opening track, "Kare Kare". The album was released in October 1993 and sold well internationally on the strength of lead single " Distant Sun" and followup " Private Universe". It topped the New Zealand Album Chart, reached number 2 in Australia and number 4 in the UK. " Locked Out" was the album's first US single and received airplay on MTV and VH1. This track and "My Sharona
"My Sharona" () is the debut single by the Knack. The song was written by Berton Averre and Doug Fieger, and it was released in 1979 from their debut album, '' Get the Knack''. It reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart, ...
" by The Knack
The Knack was an American rock band based in Los Angeles that rose to fame with its first single, " My Sharona", an international number-one hit in 1979.
History Founding (1977–1978)
Singer Doug Fieger was a native of Oak Park, Michigan, a ...
, which were both included on the soundtrack of the film ''Reality Bites
''Reality Bites'' is a 1994 American romantic comedy-drama film written by Helen Childress and directed by Ben Stiller, in his directorial debut. It stars Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke and Stiller, with supporting roles by Janeane Garofalo and St ...
'', were bundled together on a jukebox
A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media. The classic jukebox has buttons, with letters and numbers on them, which are used to sele ...
single to promote the film soundtrack.
Saying farewell (1994–1996)
Crowded House were midway through a US tour when Paul Hester quit the band on 15 April 1994. He flew home to Melbourne to await the birth of his first child and indicated that he required more time with his family. Wally Ingram, drummer for support act Sheryl Crow, temporarily filled in until a replacement, Peter Jones (ex-Harem Scarem, Vince Jones
Vincent Hugh Jones (born 24 March 1954) is an Australian jazz singer, songwriter, and trumpet, flugelhorn and flumpet player. His music includes both original material and new contemporary versions of jazz standards. His themes are often lov ...
, Kate Ceberano
Catherine Yvette Ceberano ( or , born 17 November 1966) is an Australian singer and actress who performs in the soul, jazz, and pop genres, as well as in film and musicals such as ''Jesus Christ Superstar''. Her song "Pash" received a gold sa ...
's Septet) was found. After the tour, the Finn Brothers
The Finn Brothers are a New Zealand musical duo consisting of brothers Neil and Tim Finn. In June 1993 both members were awarded the OBE for their contribution to music.
The two brothers began making music together at a young age; later, when ...
released their album ''Finn'' in November 1995. In June 1996, at a press conference to announce the release of their greatest hits album ''Recurring Dream
A recurring dream is a dream which is experienced repeatedly over a long period. They can be pleasant or nightmarish and unique to the person and their experiences.
Common themes in recurring dreams
Through psychological analyses and studies, s ...
'', Neil revealed that Crowded House were to disband. The June 1996 concerts in Europe and Canada were to be their final performances.
''Recurring Dream'' contained four songs from each of the band's studio albums, along with three new songs. The album debuted at number one in Australia, New Zealand and the UK in July 1996. Early copies included a bonus CD of live material. The album's three new songs, which were released as singles, were " Instinct", " Not the Girl You Think You Are" and " Everything Is Good for You", which featured backing vocals from Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder. Paul Hester returned to the band to play drums on the three new tracks.
Worried that their goodbye had been too low-key and had disregarded their home fans, the band performed the ''Farewell to the World'' concert on the steps of the Sydney Opera House on 24 November 1996, which raised funds for the Sydney Children's Hospital. The concert featured the line-up of Neil Finn, Nick Seymour, Mark Hart and Paul Hester. Tim Finn and Peter Jones both made guest appearances. Support bands on the day were Custard, Powderfinger
Powderfinger were an Australian rock band formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their break-up in 2010, the line-up consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bass guitarist John Collins and drumme ...
and You Am I
You Am I are an Australian alternative rock band, fronted by its lead singer-songwriter and guitarist, Tim Rogers. They formed in December 1989 and are the first Australian band to have released three successive albums that have each debuted ...
. The concert had one of the highest live audiences in Australian history with the crowd being estimated at between 120,000 and 250,000 people. ''Farewell to the World'' was released on VHS in December 1996. In 2007, a double CD and a DVD were issued to commemorate the concert's tenth anniversary. The DVD featured newly recorded audio commentary by Finn, Hart and Seymour and other new bonus material.
Between farewell and reunion (1996–2006)
Following the 1996 break-up of Crowded House, the members embarked upon a variety of projects. Neil Finn released two solo studio albums, '' Try Whistling This'' (1998) and ''One Nil
''One Nil'', released in 2001, is the second solo album by New Zealand singer-songwriter, Neil Finn. When released in the United States the following year, the album had a slightly different track listing and was issued under the name ''One All ...
'' (2001), as well as two live albums, ''Sessions at West 54th
''Sessions at West 54th'' is an American television program that featured music performances, and was in some ways a pop music variation on the theme set by the long-lived ''Austin City Limits'', though the featured musicians represented a number ...
'' (2000) and ''7 Worlds Collide
7 Worlds Collide is a musical project by New Zealand singer/songwriter Neil Finn. The project brings together Finn and other musicians in support of charity.
Finn has released two recordings associated with the project. The initial project re ...
'' (2001). ''7 Worlds Collide'' saw him performing with guest musicians including Eddie Vedder, Johnny Marr, Ed O'Brien and Phil Selway
Philip James Selway (born 23 May 1967) is an English musician and the drummer of the English rock band Radiohead. Along with the other members of Radiohead, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
Selway released his debut ...
of Radiohead, Tim Finn, Sebastian Steinberg, Lisa Germano
Lisa Ruth Germano (born June 27, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Indiana. Her album '' Geek the Girl'' (1994) was chosen as a top album of the 1990s by ''Spin'' magazine. She began her career as a violinist ...
and Betchadupa (featuring his son Liam Finn
Liam Mullane Finn (born 24 September 1983) is a New Zealand singer and musician. Born in Melbourne, Australia, he moved to New Zealand as a child. He is the son of musicians Sharon and Neil Finn.
In 2020, he joined his father's band, Crowded ...
). A double CD and DVD of the shows were released in November 2001.
Tim Finn had resumed his solo career after leaving the group in 1992 and he also worked with Neil on a second Finn Brothers
The Finn Brothers are a New Zealand musical duo consisting of brothers Neil and Tim Finn. In June 1993 both members were awarded the OBE for their contribution to music.
The two brothers began making music together at a young age; later, when ...
album, '' Everyone Is Here'', which was released in 2004. Paul Hester joined The Finn Brothers on stage for three songs at their Palais Theatre show in Melbourne at the end of 2004. Nick Seymour also joined them on stage in Dublin, where he was living, in 2004. Peter Jones and Nick Seymour joined Australian group Deadstar for their second album, ''Milk'', in 1997. Seymour later worked as a record producer in Dublin, producing Irish group Bell X1
The Bell X-1 (Bell Model 44) is a rocket engine–powered aircraft, designated originally as the XS-1, and was a joint National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics– U.S. Army Air Forces–U.S. Air Force supersonic research project built by Be ...
's debut album, ''Neither Am I
''Neither Am I'' is the debut studio album by Irish band Bell X1, released on 13 October 2000. It features a number of songs previously written and recorded with Damien Rice, the lead singer of the band's former incarnation, Juniper, and with ...
'' in 2000. Mark Hart rejoined Supertramp
Supertramp were an English rock band that formed in London in 1969. Marked by the individual songwriting of founders Roger Hodgson (vocals, keyboards, and guitars) and Rick Davies (vocals and keyboards), they are distinguished for blending p ...
in the late 1990s and later toured with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band. In 2001 he released a solo album, ''Nada Sonata''.
Paul Hester worked with children's entertainers The Wiggles
The Wiggles are an Australian children's music group formed in Sydney in 1991. The group are currently composed of Anthony Field, Lachlan Gillespie, Simon Pryce and Tsehay Hawkins, as well as supporting members Evie Ferris, John Pearce, ...
, playing "Paul the Cook". He also had his own ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
show ''Hessie's Shed'' in Australia from late 1997. He formed the band Largest Living Things, which was the name rejected by Capitol Records in favour of Crowded House.[ It was on ''Hessie's Shed'' that Finn, Hester and Seymour last shared a stage, on an episode filmed as part of Finn's promotion for his solo album ''Try Whistling This'' in 1998. Finn and Hester performed " Not the Girl You Think You Are" with Largest Living Things, before being joined by Seymour for " Sister Madly" and a version of Paul Kelly's " Leaps and Bounds", which also featured Kelly on vocals. In late 2003, Hester hosted the series ''Music Max's Sessions''. Hester and Seymour were reunited when they both joined singer-songwriter Matt O'Donnell's Melbourne-based group Tarmac Adam.] The band released one album, 2003's ''Handheld Torch'', which was produced by Seymour.
In May 1999, Crowded House issued a compilation of unreleased songs, ''Afterglow
An afterglow in meteorology consists of several atmospheric optical phenomena, with a general definition as a broad arch of whitish or pinkish sunlight in the twilight sky, consisting of the bright segment and the purple light. Purple light mai ...
'', which included the track "Recurring Dream", recorded when the group were still called The Mullanes and included Craig Hooper on guitar. The album's liner notes included information about the songs, written by music journalist David Hepworth. Some limited-release versions included a second CD with songwriting commentary by Finn. The liner notes confirmed that Crowded House had no plans to reunite at that time. A 2003 compilation album, '' Classic Masters'', was released only in the US, while 2005 saw the release of the album ''She Will Have Her Way
''She Will Have Her Way'' is a compilation album featuring female Australian and New Zealand musicians performing songs written by Neil Finn and Tim Finn ( The Finn Brothers), members of Split Enz and Crowded House. A follow up album, '' He W ...
'', a collection of cover versions of Crowded House, Split Enz, Tim Finn and Finn Brothers songs by Australasian female artists. The album reached the top 5 in Australia and New Zealand.
On 26 March 2005, Paul Hester was found dead. He had committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree in a park near his home in Melbourne. He was 46 years old. His obituary in ''The Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'' stated that he had fought "a long battle with depression."[ Following the news of Hester's death, Nick Seymour joined The Finn Brothers on stage at the Royal Albert Hall in London, where the three played in memory of Hester. A snare drum with a top hat on it stood at the front of the stage as a tribute. Writing in 2010 Neil Finn said, "When we lost Paul it was like someone pulled the rug out from underneath everything, a terrible jolt out of the dark blue. He was the best drummer I had ever played with and for many years, my closest friend."
]
Reunion and ''Time on Earth'' (2006–2009)
In 2006 Neil Finn asked Nick Seymour to play bass on his third solo album. Seymour agreed and the two joined up with producer and multi-instrumentalist Ethan Johns
Ethan Thomas Robert Johns (born 1969 in Merton, London, England) is an English record producer, engineer, mixer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Johns has worked with artists including Ryan Adams, Kings of Leon, Paul McCartney, Ray LaMo ...
to begin recording. As the recording sessions progressed it was decided that the album would be issued under the Crowded House band name, rather than as a Neil Finn solo album. In January 2007, the group publicly announced their reformation and on 23 February, after 20 days of auditions, former Beck drummer Matt Sherrod joined Finn, Seymour and Mark Hart to complete the new line up. As Sherrod and Hart had not participated in the initial sessions, four new tracks were recorded with producer Steve Lillywhite
Stephen Alan Lillywhite, (born 15 March 1955) is a British record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts XTC, Bi ...
including the album's first single " Don't Stop Now".
On 17 March 2007 the band played a live show at their rehearsal studio in front of around fifty fans, friends and family. The performance was streamed live as a webcast. The two-and-a-half-hour set included some new tracks, including "Silent House" co-written by Finn with the Dixie Chicks
The Chicks (previously known as Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. Since 1995, the band has consisted of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and ...
. A concert onboard ''The Thekla
''Thekla'' is a former cargo ship moored in the Mud Dock area of Bristol's Floating Harbour, England. The ship was built in Germany in 1958 and worked in the coastal trades.
In 1982 the ship was bought by Ki Longfellow-Stanshall, the wife of ...
'', moored in Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, followed on 19 March. Crowded House played at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Arizona on 26 April as a warm-up for their appearance at the Coachella Festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert ...
on 29 April in Indio, California. They also played at the Australian Live Earth
Live Earth was an event developed to increase environmental awareness through entertainment.
Background
Founded by Emmy-winning producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, ''Live Earth'' was built upon the be ...
concert in Sydney on 7 July. The next day, Finn and Seymour were interviewed on ''Rove Live
''Rove'', also titled ''Rove Live'', was an Australian television variety show that featured live music performances and interviews with local and international celebrity guests. The program premiered on the Nine Network on 22 September 1999, bef ...
'' and the band, with Hart and Sherrod, performed "Don't Stop Now" to promote the new album, which was titled ''Time on Earth''. The single was a minor hit in Australia and the UK. The album was released worldwide in June and July. It topped the album chart in New Zealand and made number 2 in Australia and number 3 in the UK.
On 6 December 2008 Crowded House played the Homebake festival in Sydney, with warm up gigs at small venues in Hobart, Melbourne and Sydney. For these shows the band were augmented by multi-instrumentalist Don McGlashan
Donald McGlashan (born 18 July 1959) is a New Zealand composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist who Is best known for membership in the bands Blam Blam Blam, The Front Lawn, and The Mutton Birds, before going solo. He has also composed for ci ...
and Neil's younger son, Elroy Finn, on guitar. On 14 March 2009 the band joined Neil's older son, Liam Finn, on stage for three songs at the Sound Relief
Sound Relief was a multi-venue rock music concert held on 14 March 2009, which was announced by the Premier of Victoria, John Brumby on 24 February 2009. The event was organised by Michael Gudinski, Michael Chugg, Amanda Pelman, Joe Segreto & To ...
concert in Melbourne.
''Intriguer'', second split and Sydney Opera House shows (2009–2018)
Crowded House began recording their follow-up to ''Time on Earth'' in April 2009, at Finn's own Roundhead Studios
Roundhead Studios is an Auckland-based sound recording studio owned by singer-songwriter Neil Finn. It was officially opened in June 2007, however by the time of its opening, several international artists had already used it whilst the studio was ...
. The album, ''Intriguer
''Intriguer'' is the sixth studio album by rock group Crowded House, released on 11 June 2010. It is the band's follow-up to the group's 2007 reunion album '' Time on Earth''. The first single for the album, " Saturday Sun", was released to ra ...
'', was produced by Jim Scott who had worked on '' The Sun Came Out'' by Neil's 7 Worlds Collide project. In August 2009, Finn travelled to Los Angeles to record some overdubs at Jim Scott's Los Angeles studio before they began mixing tracks. The album was released in June 2010, in time for the band's appearance at the West Coast Blues & Roots Festival
The West Coast Blues 'n' Roots Festival is an annual music festival held in Fremantle, Western Australia. It features many blues and roots performers, both international and local.
History
The festival was founded by Sunset Events and began ...
near Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...
. Finn stated that the album contains some, "Unexpected twists and turns" and some songs that, "Sound like nothing we've done before." ''Intriguer'' topped the Australian album chart, reached number 3 in New Zealand and number 12 in the UK.
Crowded House undertook an extensive world tour in 2010 in support of ''Intriguer''. This was the first album where the band regularly interacted with fans via the internet on their own re-launched website, Twitter and Facebook. The band sold recordings of the shows on the ''Intriguer'' tour on USB flash drive
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard that establishes specifications for cables, connectors and protocols for connection, communication and power supply ( interfacing) between computers, peripherals and other computers. A bro ...
s and made individual live tracks available for free download.
A new compilation album, The Very Very Best of Crowded House, was released in October 2010 to celebrate the band's 25th anniversary. It includes 19 of the band's greatest hits and is also available in a box set with a 25 track DVD of their music videos. A deluxe digital version, available for download only, has 32 tracks including a rare 1987 live recording of the band's version of the Hunters & Collectors song "Throw Your Arms Around Me
"Throw Your Arms Around Me" is a song by Australian rock band Hunters & Collectors first released as a single in November 1984 by White Label for Mushroom Records. A re-recorded version of the song later appeared on the band's 1986 album '' Huma ...
". No mention of this album has been made on the band's official website or Twitter page, which suggests that they are not involved with its release.
Following the success of the album ''She Will Have Her Way'' in 2005, a second album of cover versions of Finn Brothers songs (including Crowded House songs) was released on 12 November 2010. Entitled '' He Will Have His Way'', all tracks are performed by Australasian male artists.[Kara]
"He Will Have His Way: The Songs of Tim & Neil Finn – out 12 November"
''The Sound From Way Out'' – 26 October 2010
In November 2011 an Australian tour featured artists involved with the "She Will Have Her Way" and "He Will Have His Way" projects, including Paul Dempsey
Paul Anthony Dempsey (born 25 May 1976) is an Australian musician. He is best known as the lead singer, guitarist and principal lyricist of rock group Something for Kate. Dempsey released his debut solo album, '' Everything Is True'', on 20 A ...
, Clare Bowditch
Clare Bowditch (born 1975) is an Australian musician, actress, radio presenter and business entrepreneur.
At the ARIA Music Awards of 2006, Bowditch won the ARIA Award for Best Female Artist and was nominated for a Logie Award for her work on ...
, Seeker Lover Keeper (Sarah Blasko
Sarah Elizabeth Blaskow (born 23 September 1976), known professionally as Sarah Blasko, is an Australian singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. From April 2002, Blasko developed her solo career after fronting Sydney-based band, Acqui ...
, Sally Seltmann
Sally may refer to:
People
*Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name
Military
*Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port
*Sally, the Allied reporting nam ...
and Holly Throsby), Alexander Gow (Oh Mercy
''Oh Mercy'' is the 26th album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on September 12, 1989, by Columbia Records. Produced by Daniel Lanois, it was hailed by critics as a triumph for Dylan, after a string of poorly reviewed albums. ' ...
) and Lior
Lior Attar, better known simply as Lior, is an independent Australian singer-songwriter based in Melbourne. He is best known for his 2005 debut studio album ''Autumn Flow'' and for the song "Hoot's Lullaby".
Early life and education
Lior was bo ...
. The band played what would be their last concert for over five years at the A Day on the Green festival in Auckland on 27 February 2011.
Former Crowded House drummer Peter Jones died from brain cancer on 18 May 2012, aged 49. A statement issued by the band described him as, "A warm-hearted, funny and talented man, who was a valuable member of Crowded House."
In September 2015, the song "Help is Coming" from the ''Afterglow
An afterglow in meteorology consists of several atmospheric optical phenomena, with a general definition as a broad arch of whitish or pinkish sunlight in the twilight sky, consisting of the bright segment and the purple light. Purple light mai ...
'' album, was released as a download and limited edition 7" single to raise money for the charity Save the Children
The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...
. The B-side, "Anthem", was a previously-unreleased track, recorded at the same demo session as "Help is Coming" in 1995, with vocals added in 2015. Peter Jones plays drums on both songs. The money will be used to provide shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene for refugees in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. Neil Finn said of "Help Is Coming"..."It was always a song about refugees, even if at the time I was thinking about the immigrants setting off on ships from Europe to America, looking for a better life for their families. There is such a huge scale and urgency to the current refugee crises that barely a day goes by without some crushing image or news account to confront us. We can't be silent any more."
Neil Finn confirmed in a 2016 interview with the Dutch newspaper ''Volkskrant
''de Volkskrant'' (; ''The People's Paper'') is a Dutch daily morning newspaper. Founded in 1919, it has a nationwide circulation of about 250,000.
Formerly a leading centre-left Catholic broadsheet, ''de Volkskrant'' today is a medium-sized ...
'' that Crowded House had been on indefinite hiatus since the end of the ''Intriguer'' tour. Later that year, however, he and Seymour announced a series of concerts at the Sydney Opera House to mark the 20th anniversary of the ''Farewell to the World'' show (24 November 1996). The band, with the same lineup as its initial reunion and Tim Finn
Brian Timothy Finn (born 25 June 1952) is a New Zealand singer and musician. His musical career includes forming 1970s and 1980s New Zealand rock group Split Enz, a number of solo albums, temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowd ...
as guest, performed four shows between 24 and 27 November 2016. Around the same time, each of the band's 7 studio albums (including the rarities collection ''Afterglow'') was reissued in deluxe 2-CD format with bonus tracks including demos, live recordings, alternate mixes, b-sides and outtakes.
In April 2018, Neil Finn joined Fleetwood Mac, along with Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, as a full-time member in the wake of Lindsey Buckingham
Lindsey Adams Buckingham (born October 3, 1949) is an American musician and record producer, best known as the lead guitarist and male lead vocalist of the band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with Fl ...
's departure from the band.
Reformation, new line-up and ''Dreamers Are Waiting'' (2019–present)
In August 2019, Crowded House announced a reunion show at the 2020 Byron Bay Bluesfest
The Byron Bay Bluesfest, formerly the East Coast International Blues & Roots Music Festival, is an annual Australian music festival that has been held over the Easter long weekend in the Byron Bay, New South Wales, area since 1990. The festiv ...
. Shortly afterwards, Mark Hart announced that he would not be involved in the group's reunion. Finn confirmed Hart's departure on his podcast Fangradio, noting that he "love Hart dearly as a friend, as a contributor and a collaborator" and that "all will be revealed... trust that good thought and good heart gets put into all of these decisions." In December 2019, Neil Finn announced that the new Crowded House line-up would consist of himself, Seymour, the band's original producer Mitchell Froom
Mitchell Froom (born June 29, 1953) is an American musician and record producer. He was a member of the bands Gamma and Latin Playboys, and is currently the keyboardist for Crowded House. He has produced albums for several artists, including R ...
and his sons Liam
Liam is a short form of the Irish name Uilliam or the old Germanic name William.
Etymology
The original name was a merging of two Old German elements: ''willa'' ("will" or "resolution"); and ''helma'' ("helmet"). The juxtaposition of these ele ...
and Elroy. He added that they were making a new studio album, the first since 2010's ''Intriguer''. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, the band's planned 2020 concerts have had to be rescheduled to 2021, and later again to 2022.
On 15 October 2020, the band released "Whatever You Want", the first single from the band in over a decade. The band also shared an accompanying music video, starring Mac DeMarco
MacBriare Samuel Lanyon DeMarco (born Vernor Winfield MacBriare Smith IV; April 30, 1990) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. DeMarco has released six full-length studio albums, his debut ''Rock and Roll Night C ...
.
On 17 February 2021, the band shared another single, "To the Island." The track serves as the second single to the band's seventh studio album, '' Dreamers Are Waiting'', which was announced on the same day for release on 4 June 2021. The band supported the single with a national tour of New Zealand in March 2021.
On 19 August 2021, the band performed their single “To the Island” on CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
's ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second ...
''. On 2 December 2021, the band announced that it will be touring Australia in 2022, with 6 shows around the country, including the 2022 Bluesfest lineup. On 24 June 2022, the band played at Glastonbury Festival.
Style
Songwriting and musical influences
As the primary songwriter for the band, Neil Finn has always set the tone for the band's sound. AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
said that Finn "has consistently proven his knack for crafting high-quality songs that combine irresistible melodies with meticulous lyrical detail." Neil's brother Tim was an early and important musical influence. Neil first saw Tim play with Split Enz in 1972, and said "that performance and those first songs made a lasting impression on me." His mother was another significant musical influence, encouraging him to listen to a variety of genres, including Irish folk music
Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a genre of folk music that developed in Ireland.
In ''A History of Irish Music'' (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Ireland, there we ...
and Māori music Traditional Māori music, or pūoro Māori, is composed or performed by Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, and includes a wide variety of folk music styles, often integrated with poetry and dance.
In addition to these traditions and musi ...
. She would play piano at family parties and encourage Neil and Tim to accompany her.
Album covers, costumes and set design
Bassist Nick Seymour, who is also an artist, designed or co-designed all of the band's album covers and interior artwork. He also designed some of the costumes worn by the group, notably those from the cover of the group's debut album ''Crowded House''. Seymour collaborated with Finn and Hester on the set design of some of their early music videos, including "Don't Dream It's Over" and "Better Be Home Soon". Since the band reunited, Seymour has again designed their album covers.[
The majority of the covers for the band's singles were not designed by Seymour. The artwork for "Pineapple Head" was created by ]Reg Mombassa
Christopher O'Doherty, also known by the pseudonym Reg Mombassa, is a New Zealand-born Australian artist and musician. He is a founding member of the band Mental As Anything and member of Dog Trumpet (alongside his brother Peter O'Doherty).
Ea ...
of Mental As Anything
Mental As Anything are an Australian new wave and pop rock band that formed in Sydney in 1976. Its most popular line-up (which lasted from 1977 to 1999, and recorded all of their charting singles and albums) was Martin Plaza (birth name Mar ...
. For the first four albums Mombassa and Noel Crombie
Geoffrey Noel Crombie (born 17 April 1953) is a New Zealand percussionist and former member of the band Split Enz. He fulfilled multiple roles including costume and hair designer, singer, album cover designer, and music video director. Prior to ...
, who had been the main designer of Split Enz's artwork, assisted Seymour in creating sets and costumes. For the ''Farewell to the World'' concerts Crombie designed the set, while Mombassa and Seymour designed promotional materials and artwork.
Band members
;Current members
*Neil Finn
Neil Mullane Finn (born 27 May 1958) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician who is known for being a member of Crowded House, Split Enz (which he co-fronted with brother Tim), and Fleetwood Mac. Finn rose to prominence in the late ...
– lead vocals, guitars, keyboards, percussion (1985–1996, 2006–2011, 2016, 2020–present)
* Nick Seymour – bass, backing vocals, keyboards (1985–1996, 2006–2011, 2016, 2020–present)
*Mitchell Froom
Mitchell Froom (born June 29, 1953) is an American musician and record producer. He was a member of the bands Gamma and Latin Playboys, and is currently the keyboardist for Crowded House. He has produced albums for several artists, including R ...
– keyboards (2020–present)
*Liam Finn
Liam Mullane Finn (born 24 September 1983) is a New Zealand singer and musician. Born in Melbourne, Australia, he moved to New Zealand as a child. He is the son of musicians Sharon and Neil Finn.
In 2020, he joined his father's band, Crowded ...
– guitars, drums, backing vocals (2020–present; touring member 2007–2008)
*Elroy Finn – drums, backing vocals, guitars, keyboards (2020–present; touring member 2008, 2016)
;Former members
* Craig Hooper – guitars, backing vocals (1985)
*Paul Hester
Paul Newell Hester (8 January 1959 – 26 March 2005) was an Australian musician and television personality. He was the drummer for the band Split Enz for a short time in 1984, and co-founding member and drummer of the rock group Crowded House ...
– drums, percussion, keyboards, backing and lead vocals (1985–1994, 1996; died 2005)
*Tim Finn
Brian Timothy Finn (born 25 June 1952) is a New Zealand singer and musician. His musical career includes forming 1970s and 1980s New Zealand rock group Split Enz, a number of solo albums, temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowd ...
– lead and backing vocals, guitars, keyboards (1990–1991; live guest 1996, 2016)
* Peter Jones – drums (1994–1996; died 2012)
*Mark Hart
Mark Hart (born July 2, 1953), is an American musician and multi-instrumentalist best known for being a member of both Supertramp (1986–1988, 1996–2002, 2015–present) and Crowded House (1993–1996, 2007–2019). As well as being a group mem ...
– guitars, keyboards, backing vocals (1992–1996, 2007–2011, 2016; touring member 1989–1992)
*Matt Sherrod
Matthew Sherrod (born 11 July 1968) is an American drummer, musician, and a former member of the band Crowded House. Sherrod first became known as a musician playing drums for rock artist Beck. In 2007, following the 2005 death of Crowded House ...
– drums, percussion, backing vocals (2007–2011, 2016)
;Former touring musicians
*Gill Civil – keyboards (1986)
*Miffy Smith – keyboards (1986)
*Eddie Rayner
Anthony Edward Charles Rayner (born 19 November 1952) is a New Zealand musician who spent twelve years as a keyboardist in the band Split Enz. He has also played in the groups Orb, Space Waltz, Crowded House, The Makers, The Angels in 1986-19 ...
– keyboards (1987, 1988)
*Mike Gubb – keyboards (1988)
*Wally Ingrim – drums (1994)
*Jules Bowen – keyboards (1994–1996)
*Davey Lane
David Daniel "Davey" Lane (born 31 January 1981) is an Australian musician. He is a solo artist and lead guitarist of You Am I (since 1999).Spencer et al, (2007) 'Lane, David' entry. Retrieved 4 February 2010.McFarlane'You Am I'entry. Retrieved ...
– guitars, keyboards, backing vocals (2007)
*Don McGlashan
Donald McGlashan (born 18 July 1959) is a New Zealand composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist who Is best known for membership in the bands Blam Blam Blam, The Front Lawn, and The Mutton Birds, before going solo. He has also composed for ci ...
– guitars, keyboards, mandolin, euphonium, vocals (2008)
;Timeline
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at:11/06/2010 color:studio
at:04/06/2021 color:studio
Discography
Studio albums
*'' Crowded House'' (1986)
*''Temple of Low Men
''Temple of Low Men'' is the second studio album by New Zealand-Australian rock band Crowded House, released by Capitol Records on 5 July 1988. The three band members, Neil Finn, Nick Seymour and Paul Hester, recorded the album in Melbourne and ...
'' (1988)
*''Woodface
''Woodface'' is the third studio album by New Zealand-Australian band Crowded House. The album was produced by Mitchell Froom and Neil Finn and was released by Capitol in July 1991. It features five singles "Chocolate Cake", "Fall at Your Feet" ...
'' (1991)
*''Together Alone
''Together Alone'' is the fourth studio album by New Zealand-Australian recording artists Crowded House. It was released in October 1993 and was their first album to feature multi-instrumentalist Mark Hart as a full band member. Unlike the band ...
'' (1993)
*''Time on Earth
''Time on Earth'' is the fifth studio album by the pop-rock band Crowded House. Tracks have been produced by both Ethan Johns and Steve Lillywhite and the album was released on 30 June 2007 in Australia, 2 July in the United Kingdom and 10 July ...
'' (2007)
*''Intriguer
''Intriguer'' is the sixth studio album by rock group Crowded House, released on 11 June 2010. It is the band's follow-up to the group's 2007 reunion album '' Time on Earth''. The first single for the album, " Saturday Sun", was released to ra ...
'' (2010)
*'' Dreamers Are Waiting'' (2021)
Awards
Crowded House has won several national and international awards. In Australia, the group has won 13 ARIA Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austra ...
from 36 nominations, including the inaugural Best New Talent in 1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...
. The majority of their wins were for their first two albums, ''Crowded House'' and ''Temple of Low Men''. They won eight APRA Awards from eleven nominations and were nominated for ''The New Zealand Silver Scroll'' for "Don't Stop Now" in 2007. "Don't Dream It's Over" was named the seventh best Australian song of all time in 2001. In 1987, Crowded House won the American MTV Video Music Award
The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video categor ...
for ''Best New Artist'' for their song "Don't Dream It's Over", which was also nominated for three other awards.[ In 1994, the group was named ''International Group of the Year'' at the ]BRIT Awards
The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
. In 2009, "Don't Dream It's Over" was ranked number fifty on the Triple J
Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broad ...
''Hottest 100 of All Time'', voted by the Australian public.
In November 2016 Crowded House was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, 30 years after their formation.
See also
*Men at Work
Men at Work are an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in 1978 and best known for breakthrough hits such as " Down Under", "Who Can It Be Now?", " Be Good Johnny", " Overkill", and " It's a Mistake". Its founding member and frontman is C ...
*Music of Australia
The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions of ...
*Music of New Zealand
The music of New Zealand has been influenced by a number of traditions, including Māori music, the music introduced by European settlers during the nineteenth century, and a variety of styles imported during the twentieth century, including b ...
*Split Enz
Split Enz were a New Zealand rock band formed in Auckland in 1972 by Tim Finn and Phil Judd and had a variety of other members during its existence. Originally started as a folk-oriented group with quirky art rock stylings, the band built ...
Further reading
*
*"Crowded House : private universe / Kerry Doole and Chris Twomey"
''National Library of New Zealand''
*
*Chunn, Mike, ''Stranger Than Fiction: The Life and Times of Split Enz'', GP Publications, 1992.
*Chunn, Mike, ''Stranger Than Fiction: The Life and Times of Split Enz'', (revised, ebook edition), Hurricane Press, 2013.
References
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External links
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