Since I’m enjoying the new Crowded House album Time On Earth I’m revisiting all the Crowded House albums with my Intra Album Rank technique. This shouldn’t take too long as they only have five proper albums.

The first self-titled Crowded House album came out in 1986. The New Zealand / Australian trio consisted of singer / songwriter Neil Finn, drummer Paul Hester, and bassist Nick Seymour. Both Finn and Hester were in the art rock band Split Enz, where Neil’s older brother Tim was the lead singer. Crowded House hoped to explore a simpler, live sound. The trio relocated to Los Angeles to record with then unknown producer Mitchell Froom. Two other members, guitarist Craig Hooper and keyboardist Eddie Rayner were lost along the way.

I still find Crowded House quite refreshing to listen to, although the instrumentation is so stripped down that it at times sounds as if the band is playing in a warehouse. However, the songwriting and performances shine through, and there’s a youthful energy on display as the band barrels through folk, straight up rock, and an odd funk excursion. The album is also thankfully short at eleven tracks.

Mean To Me

= 5 stars

A great introduction to the band with a bit of a rockabilly groove (complete with saxophones and a horn section) which sadly faded away after this album. There are some circus-like keyboards and, a small taste of the “crazy preacher” Neil Finn at song’s end.

World Where You Live

= 4 stars

An instantly catchy keyboard lick precedes a standard pop song, although the chorus that passes between major and minor chords bursts in a bit early. I like the syncopated clicks that start around one minute in. The bridge and subsequent guitar solo are unremarkable.

This was the first single released that didn’t do to well, and I think the video is a bit too ornate, even for the eighties. Thankfully the second video was more stripped down and straightforward.

Now We’re Getting Somewhere

= 5 stars

The bouncy rhythm with a rather folk-rock vibe fits the hallway production perfectly. This song has a verse in minor and the chorus in major. The guitar solo at 2.00 reminds me a bit of Rubber Soul era Beatles. The “crazy preacher” Neil Finn vocal, starting at about three minutes in, puts this song over the top for me. The whole ensemble on the verge of falling apart, which is the definition of rock and roll to me. As the final touch, a street fair organ dances over, adding an elegant, loopy touch.

(The unfortunate, sad little secret is the bass and drums are Jerry Scheff and Jim Keltner, who for you trivia buffs worked with both Elvis Costello and Presley.)

Don’t Dream It’s Over

= 5 stars

I’ve written about this song before as what I’d consider a “perfect song” but here’s the gist of it:

A series of open, slow chiming guitar chords echo, and following a sudden, expertly executed bass fill leading to the entry of drums and vocals, we enter a new world… the sparse, back-to-basics combination of guitar, bass, and drums provide ample opportunity to wallow in thoughtful lyrics, alternating hope and despair. A sad, melancholy verse speaking of isolation is followed by a contrastingly hopeful chorus, featuring subtle harmonies, musical touches dripping with reverb, and group “hey now’s” peaking with an exquisite high note behind the word “dream” on a major chord.

If you’re about my age (mid-thirties) you probably saw the video about 1,298 times on MTV or VH1 back in the day:

Love You ‘Til The Day I Die

= 3 stars

I appreciate this tune’s energy, but I find myself hitting the skip a fair amount as it’s a bit condescending. However, this song does feature the most detached and crazy screaming vocal the group ever recorded.

Something So Strong

= 5 stars

Yet another perfect song that I haven’t written a specific post for, but just about everything in this song gets my goat so to speak. There same organ from Don’t Dream Its Over has a joyus feel. The way the bridge leads into the slightly effected guitar solo is also divine. Lastly, the very final coda where Neil hits the high note (2.18) and follows it up with a few more syllables is pure pop perfection.

I think the video ruined me in some formative way I’m not sure of quite yet:

Hole In The River

= 3 stars

This song has some very amusing production stuff. Starting at (3.12) there’s a strangely scary piano, spring sound coming off a guitar, an operatic voice in the background, leading up to a chilling shriek at (3.51).

Can’t Carry On

= 3 stars

This CD only track (remember, CDs were new back then) features some superfluous Eddie Rayner keyboards, but is rather average, as the chorus doesn’t exactly live up to the promise of the verse.

I Walk Away

= 4 stars

Originally a Split Enz song, the Crowded House version is stripped down and band-oriented, especially when everything busts open in a U2 manner 0.41. Is that guitar lick stolen from Bruce Springsteen’s Born To Run?

The Split Enz version is worth a comparison, just to hear what overproduction (or perhaps the influence of Haircut 100 or Kajagoogoo) can do to a decent song. The video is particularly funny in that Music and Lyrics sort of way:

Tombstone

= 2 stars

The accordion intro foreshadows later albums, but once the song begins the tune sort of falls into an odd folk-rock feeling that I’m not totally fond of.

That’s What I Call Love

= 3 stars

This is a bit of funk foolery which thanks to the awesome bass playing of Nick Seymour is sold. Also notable is some squawky, spoken female dialogue and piano-pouncing that as with Hole In The River, seem to bear Mitchell Froom’s imagination. The horns from the Mean To Me return, only meaner and more abrasive, bringing the album full circle.

Intra Album Rank = 3.81

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