Almost business as usual
In terms of unbridled pop eloquence and charm, nothing much seems to have changed since Crowded House called it a day after 1993's Together Alone album, but events from their time apart can't help but inform their new music. Neil Finn and bassist Nick Seymour still know their way around a hook-laden radio-friendly hit, but are doing so without the sparky personality of original drummer Paul Hester, who took his own life two years ago.
Hester is remembered with reverence on the thoughtful balladry of English Trees and People Are Like Suns (the album as a whole is dedicated to him), although there's nothing downbeat about any of these extraordinarily attractive songs. Finn's Lennonesque voice cradles the chords beautifully on Pour Le Monde, his playful streak comes to the fore on She Called Up, while Even A Child is a classic-in-waiting thanks partly to a superb guitar riff from Johnny Marr.
Finn's solo work, especially 1998's Try Whistling This, was certainly not without its merits, though it sometimes lacked the freshness and confidence of much of the material here. There was always a weightiness and maturity to Crowded House, even at their most frivolous, and Time On Earth is an abject lesson in how to grow old(er) with dignified grace.
Neil Finn speaks to mogger Terry Staunton:
This began as a solo album, so what prompted a full-blown reunion? Nick was there right from the beginning of the recording, and it started to feel more like a band as we went on. We'd stayed in contact over the years, but probably reconnected more in the last 12 months, especially in the shadow of Paul's passing. I wanted to be in a band again, I really had the vibe for it. I've enjoyed being solo, it opened my mind to a lot of things, but I had a hankering for some company in other ways than just the music. You feel you're allowing somebody into the process a little more. This isn't just a one-off record, we're back together as a band for the forseeable future.
Fans are likely to be scouring the lyrics for references to Paul. Are there any specific songs relating to him? I think there are threads in quite a few of the songs, references to what happened to him, but hopefully not from a maudlin perspective. It had a tremendously profound effect on our lives, so I inevitably found myself contemplating things which stemmed from that. There are themes on the record which definitely carry our thoughts about Paul, he's still a presence in that respect.
How did you hook up with Johnny Marr, who plays on the album and co-wrote Even A Child? We've been good friends for some time, he came to New Zealand a few years ago to play on a show I organised called Seven Worlds Collide. We met up again about 12 months back when he was at the end of some work with Modest Mouse. I love his playing, he's got such a lyrical way with a guitar, and I think what he's done on the album is probably more "Smiths-y" than anything he's done for a while. There's a nice bit of jangle in places.
The last Crowded House album 14 years ago included a song, Pineapple Head, partly based on a poem by your young son, Liam. Has he followed you into a musical career? Yeah, he's 23 now, and he's just made his own record. He's also been playing with us on stage, as an additional guitarist and harmony vocalist. It's great to have him along, he'll certainly be part of the set-up for the next couple of months and we'll take it from there.
A version of this article first appeared in the UK music magazine Record Collector
My Trusted MOGs
Very nice to hear! I always liked Crowded House. Didn't know about Paul, what a shame. Cheers.
My Trusted MOGs
Great interview, Terry. I'm delighted to see Crowded House back in action; the world's a nicer place with Neil Finn in it.
My Trusted MOGs
Nice to read your comments, Kristiana and Dale. I spent a wonderful day with Neil and the late great Paul Hester back in 93 when Together Alone came out, watching them record a UK radio session and then supping nice drinks at a very posh Mayfair hotel bar. Paul was a force of nature, one of the most charming and enthusiastic people I've ever had the pleasure to meet. One of those folk you couldn't stop yourself from hugging once it was time to part company. A very rare individual indeed.
The new album is a great testament to Mr H, and fans will find themselves both shedding a tear and welcoming a heartfelt grin when they hear how Neil and Nick have paid tribute to him. It's very subtle, but it's also astonishingly disarming.
Cracking set of pop tunes, though, even if you've no prior knowledge of the group's history.
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"One of those folk you couldn’t stop yourself from hugging once it was time to part company", it's so nice to meet such individuals! Of course, I want to hug many people, but there are some people you just can't. I'm looking forward to hearing this.
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I just remembered a lovely Paul Hester moment from that meeting...
They recorded a large chunk of the 93 album in a studio far from the madding crowd, ie a rural setting in New Zealand. A wild boar would trot up to the residential studio most days, grunt at the band as if to demand food. They'd give her the leftovers from the previous evening's meals, she'd defecate hugely, loudly and pungently, then wander off again.
"We called her Madonna," Paul told me. "I had this great idea of having a picture of her on the album sleeve, and actually calling the album Madonna - with that one word, but not the band name, written on the cover. Wouldn't that have looked great in record store windows?"
Oh, by the way, when the article appeared in the NME, the headline was "Kiwi's Pig Adventure".
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Ha! That WOULD have looked great!
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Count on the U.K. music mags to come up with the fiendishly clever headlines. Top-notch coverage, Terry. Thanks. I'm getting deeper into this wonderful album right now. Hope to post about it next week, on the day of the U.S. release.
My Trusted MOGs
Good to read. Somehow I missed their gigs just played here in Blighty. The Finns are two of the finest composers on the planet - I think of them as the inheritors of the Cole Porter tradition. Looking forward to this album. And you've reminded me once again I must find the tape I made from Jools Holland about 15 years ago of CH doing 'You're Not The Girl You Think You Are'. It's an aobscure track on a Best Of CD that they electronica'd to death. But on Holland it's a stripped down thing of great beauty. Neil had a bad cold and how he works his way around that to sing is artistry at its best.
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Nice post and interview Terry. I remember their '96 farewell concert in the forecourt of The Sydney Opera House which was a very emotional event for the band and the thousands of people in the audience - especially when they sang their finale, 'Don't Dream It's Over'.
In about '92 or '93, I worked on the music video for 'It's Only Natural', which we shot in the streets of SF, LA and NY, and at a couple of outdoor shows. As you can see from the youtube video, there are quite a few shots of Paul goofing it up. As you say, he was a real character and great fun to be around. Never really did hear what drove him to suicide.
My Trusted MOGs
Terry - thanks for sharing your terrific interview and memories of Neil and Paul. I can tell from your, and other folks stories here what wonderful and genuine people they were. I'm really glad Neil decided to record this new album. Cheers!