Crowded House
Studio album by
Crowded House
ReleasedAugust 1986[1]
Studio
GenrePop rock, alternative rock, new wave[2]
Length38:40
LabelCapitol/EMI
ProducerMitchell Froom
Crowded House chronology
Crowded House
(1986)		 Temple of Low Men
(1988)
Singles from Crowded House
  1. "Mean to Me"
    Released: June 1986
  2. "World Where You Live"
    Released: July 1986
  3. "Now We're Getting Somewhere"
    Released: September 1986
  4. "Don't Dream It's Over"
    Released: 20 October 1986
  5. "Something So Strong"
    Released: 1 April 1987
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]
The Village VoiceC+[6]

Crowded House is the debut album by New Zealand-Australian band Crowded House. Produced by Mitchell Froom, it was released in August 1986 and was certified platinum in four countries. The album includes the hit singles "Don't Dream It's Over", "Something So Strong", "Mean to Me", "World Where You Live" and "Now We're Getting Somewhere".

At the 1986 Countdown Australian Music Awards the album won Best Debut Album.[7][8] In December of 2021, the album was listed at no. 7 in Rolling Stone Australia's '200 Greatest Albums of All Time' countdown.[9]

History

Following the breakup of Split Enz in 1984, Neil Finn and drummer Paul Hester decided to form a new band. Bass player Nick Seymour approached Finn during the after party for the Melbourne show of the Split Enz farewell tour and asked if he could try out for the new band.[10] Former Swingers and soon-to-be Midnight Oil bass player Bones Hillman was also a candidate,[11] but it was Seymour's playing on the demo for "That's What I Call Love" that earned him the spot. The group, then named The Mullanes, also included The Reels guitarist Craig Hooper, who left the band before they signed with Capitol Records.[10] Capitol rejected the name "The Mullanes", as well as alternatives such as "Largest Living Things". The name Crowded House was adopted after the trio flew to Los Angeles to record the album and were provided with a very cramped apartment to live in.[10]

The album's rhythm tracks were recorded by Larry Hirsh at Capitol Recording Studios, Los Angeles. The remaining recording sessions for the album were at Sunset Sound studios, where the group first collaborated with engineer Tchad Blake who also worked on the next two Crowded House albums. The album was mixed by Michael Frondelli at Studio 55. Seymour and Hester do not appear on "Now We're Getting Somewhere", which was recorded early in the sessions with drummer Jim Keltner and bass player Jerry Scheff.

The original New Zealand and Australia release of the album featured ten tracks; however, when the album was being prepared for export it was decided to include Crowded House's version of the Split Enz song "I Walk Away". At the same time the track listing was re-ordered and the song "Can't Carry On" was dropped from the album. After the release of the band's second album, Temple of Low Men, EMI re-released Crowded House internationally, using the original Australian/New Zealand track listing but with "I Walk Away" included too. This is now considered the "standard" track listing of for the album. A DualDisc version of this album was made available in 2005. The DVD side features a DVD-A version of the album with lyrics, a discography and the music videos for "Don't Dream It's Over" and "Something So Strong."

Original copies of the CD in Australia and New Zealand were made in Japan, but after the Disctronics B plant at Braeside was formed, it was manufactured there.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Neil Finn, except where noted

No.TitleLength
1."Mean to Me"3:15
2."World Where You Live"3:07
3."Now We're Getting Somewhere"4:09
4."Don't Dream It's Over"3:56
5."Love You 'Til the Day I Die"3:31
6."Something So Strong" (Finn, Mitchell Froom)2:51
7."Hole in the River" (Finn, Eddie Rayner)4:02
8."Can't Carry On"3:57
9."I Walk Away"3:06
10."Tombstone"3:30
11."That's What I Call Love" (Finn, Paul Hester)3:39

Note

  • The original release of the album in Australia and New Zealand featured "Can't Carry On" as track 8. This song was replaced by a re-recording of the Split Enz song "I Walk Away" for other markets. Later re-issues of the album include both songs with the listing extended to 11 tracks, as above. EMI re-releases also have World Where You Live as the opening track, and Mean To Me as track 4.

2016 Deluxe Edition

Disc 1 (Original album)

All tracks are written by Neil Finn, except where noted

No.TitleLength
1."Mean to Me"3:15
2."World Where You Live"3:07
3."Now We're Getting Somewhere"4:09
4."Don't Dream It's Over"3:56
5."Love You 'Til the Day I Die"3:31
6."Something So Strong" (Finn, Mitchell Froom)2:51
7."Hole in the River" (Finn, Eddie Rayner)4:02
8."Can't Carry On"3:57
9."I Walk Away*"3:31
10."Tombstone"3:30
11."That's What I Call Love" (Finn, Paul Hester)3:39

Disc 2 (Unreleased and rare material)

All tracks are written by Neil Finn, except where noted

No.TitleLength
1."Something So Strong (Home Demo)" (Finn, Mitchell Froom)1:22
2."Hole in the River (Studio Demo)" (Finn, Eddie Rayner, Paul Hester)4:06
3."Love You 'til the Day I Die (Home Demo)"0:54
4."That's What I Call Love (Studio Demo)" (Hester, Finn)3:35
5."Can't Carry On (Studio Demo)"3:35
6."Walking on the Pier (Studio Demo)"3:20
7."Does Anyone Here Understand my Girlfriend (Studio Demo)" (Hester)3:23
8."Oblivion (Studio Demo)"3:36
9."Walking on the Spot (Studio Demo)"3:44
10."Something So Strong (Studio Demo)" (Finn, Froom)2:12
11."Now We're Getting Somewhere (Studio Demo)"4:32
12."Stranger Underneath Your Skin (Home Demo)"2:49
13."Don't Dream It's Over (Home Demo)"3:15
14."Left Hand (Live)"4:23
15."Grabbing by the Handful (Live)" (Finn, Hester, Craig Hooper, Nick Seymour)3:33
16."World Where You Live (writing demo)"1:17
17."Recurring Dream (original version) *" (Finn, Hester, Hooper, Seymour)2:59

Personnel

Crowded House

Additional musicians

Production

  • Mitchell Froom – producer (1-7, 9, 10)
  • Eddie Rayner – producer (8)
  • Neil Finn – producer (8)
  • Tchad Blake – engineer (1-7, 9, 10)
  • Dennis Kirk – engineer (1-7, 9, 10)
  • Chris Corr – engineer (8)
  • Kaj Dahlstrom – engineer (8)
  • Steve Himelfarb – assistant engineer (1-7, 9, 10)
  • Larry Hirsh – rhythm track recording
  • Michael Frondelli – mixing
  • Glen Golguin – mix assistant
  • Wally Traugott – mastering
  • John O'Brien – art direction
  • Nick Seymour – design, cover painting
  • Dennis Keeley – photography

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[22] 6× Platinum 420,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[23] Platinum 100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[24] Platinum 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[25] Silver 60,000*
United States (RIAA)[26] Platinum 1,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Further reading

  • Bourke, Chris (1997). Crowded House: Something So Strong. South Melbourne, Victoria: Macmillan. ISBN 0-7329-0886-8.[27]

References and notes

  1. ↑ "Crowded House at ARIAs". ARIA Charts. 26 May 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  2. ↑ "The 50 Best New Wave Albums". Paste Magazine. 30 August 2016.
  3. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Crowded House – Crowded House". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  4. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  5. ↑ DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly, eds. (1992). "Crowded House". The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. ISBN 0-679-73729-4.
  6. ↑ Christgau, Robert (24 February 1987). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  7. ↑ "Australian Music Awards". Ron Jeff. Archived from the original on 30 June 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
  8. ↑ "Final episode of Countdown". 1970scountdown. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  9. ↑ Rolling Stone's 200 Greatest Australian Albums of All Time. Rolling Stone Australia, Rolling Stone Australia, 06 December 2021. Retrieved 06 December 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 Bourke (1997)
  11. ↑ "BAND OF BROTHERS The Finns' Sibling Revelry" Chris Bourke - 2004
  12. ↑ "Archive: Neil Finn Interview" Flixelpix - 22 September 2011
  13. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 78. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  14. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0819". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  15. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Crowded House – Crowded House" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  16. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Crowded House – Crowded House" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  17. ↑ "Charts.nz – Crowded House – Crowded House". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  18. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  19. ↑ "Crowded House Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  20. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 1987 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  21. ↑ "Billboard". 26 December 1987.
  22. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2008 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  23. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Crowded House – Crowded House". Music Canada.
  24. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Crowded House – Crowded House". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  25. ↑ "British album certifications – Crowded House – Crowded House". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  26. ↑ "American album certifications – Crowded House – Crowded House". Recording Industry Association of America.
  27. ↑ "Crowded House: Something So Strong" books.google.com.au (Note: limited preview for on-line version)
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