If I ever had a chance to talk to Neil, and if I had my courage screwed up enough to offer unsolicited advice, I might say that it is better for some artists (maybe most) to live with new material for a good while, before recording it. In Neil's case I base this on Try Whistling This compared to the later performance of those same tunes on Live at West 54th. I also liked One All more than One Nil. In both cases, the earlier versions seemed murkier somehow.
Even Norah Jones' third album, which bored the life out of me, took on some semblance of animation when performed live on Austin City Limits. If she had re-recorded the album after a year of touring with those songs, I might have wanted to purchase it.
I think Neil has a craftsmanlike attitude toward making music, and that's why he's lasted this long. I'm really glad he hasn't petered out like so many singer-songwriters. He's still concerned about the little details like "matching the middle eight to the third verse." That's why I'm still listening.
DavidMedsker
· 1 month ago
Thanks for reminding me of something I was going to mention, which is that I will take One Nil over One All any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Yes, the mix job on One Nil was murky, but when they cleaned it up for One All, it felt totally wrong to me, "Turn and Run" in particular.
Love you Neil, but please promise me the next album won't be another bunch of damn ballads.
DavidMedsker
· 1 month ago
I saw that show that the Roseland. Sheryl Crow was the opening act. That was the first time I had seen them, so I had nothing to compare it to, but I thought it was a fantastic show. They dug deep and played things like "Hole in the River," "Love You Til the Day I Die," and "Love This Life." No way in hell I'm complaining about a lack of chemistry with that kind of set list.
Whoa, Largo moved? I went there once in 2002 to see Jon Brion. Still ranks as the coolest show I've ever seen.
Great interview, Jon, but you're still a bastard for getting Neil on the phone. I've been trying to make that happen for years. :)
Matt
· 1 month ago
I also saw Crowded House on that tour with Sheryl Crow opening, which was an event times two: 1) It gave me an introduction to Sheryl Crow, and I went on to see her play another four shows during her touring cycle supporting Tuesday Night Music Club. 2) I'd always been a very casual Crowded House fan, but didn't have any of the albums. I went to the show because Crowded House was playing the Cleveland Agora, which is always a great venue to see any band play. It never took much to twist my arm to get me to go to an Agora show. I expected that I would enjoy the evening, but was completely unprepared for how amazing Crowded House ended up being that night. I don't have much to compare it to, except for a few bootlegs from earlier tours, but I thought the Together Alone tour was really fantastic. I think the Farewell To The World double live album should be standard issue to anyone that's curious about potentially becoming a Crowded House fan.
JonCummings
· 1 month ago
Let's not go overboard on my response to the "Together Alone" tour. It's certainly true that it bore little resemblance to the free-and-easy irreverence of their earlier tours, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a great show in many other ways. In the first place, "Together Alone" contained the richest music CH ever recorded -- "Distant Sun," "Pineapple Head," and "Private Universe" are some of the greatest music ANYBODY has ever recorded, if you ask me.
Besides that, the chemistry among the three/four/five of them (depending on the tour) never really diminished (which is why I was so pleased to find that Aussie TV snippet that I posted--their onstage banter was/is pretty much unparalleled). And I'm pretty sure I've never been to a CH show that hasn't left me weeping with joy at some point.
I scoured YouTube for a clip that would represent the early days, but couldn't find one that had Paul out from behind the drum kit.
And yes, Largo moved. I never saw the old space, so I can't compare, but the new space near the Beverly Center is very cool (though their seating policy isn't, particularly, as my fellow West Coast Popdosers can attest after we were separated for the Jon Brion show we saw). The stage is dominated by Brion's keyboards, and looks like the laboratory of a crazed musical genius--which it pretty much is. If there's anybody who's never seen Brion perform his regular Friday-night gig, don't ever come to LA without planning to go. It's truly something special.
brokeastunes
· 1 month ago
I think that Crowded House invented the whole Unplugged craze. I used to work at the Canadian MTV (Muchmusic) and I remember when they first came by the station ( '86, '87?) and they played with three voices, two acoustic guitars and Paul on bongos and it was such a revelation to see that-at the time it was pretty much unprecedented. They blew everyone away and the entire station was really smitten (not to mention a good portion of the viewers of course.) After that we began to have more acts perform in that type of setting but they set the gold standard for acoustic performances.
Bob
· 1 month ago
Another great job, Jon. Thank you, and thank you Neil!
Tavs
· 1 month ago
Great interview!
teapot
· 1 month ago
Thanks! I think the best shows Crowded House played were pre-Woodface. It didn't help when Tim joined the band for the Woodface tours -- it skewed the band dynamics in an odd direction -- and made everything awkward. Mark Hart and Tim seemed to be doing the same job musically (not vocally) and the chemistry and humor was way off. I suspect that another factor was that they'd toured so much in the previous 4 years that the appeal of traveling the world and conquering all had worn off. That's not to say they didn't still perform well together. Crowded House until Hessie's death was the best live band I ever saw.
I saw every show they performed in my area from 1987-the present.
Really!
· 1 month ago
To say that one is gifted .. But chooses not to have anything to do with the music industry.To have one's ability trodden on and exploited.To know that one is happy .. and needs no adulation ... Please define the meaning of success.
All Comments
Even Norah Jones' third album, which bored the life out of me, took on some semblance of animation when performed live on Austin City Limits. If she had re-recorded the album after a year of touring with those songs, I might have wanted to purchase it.
I think Neil has a craftsmanlike attitude toward making music, and that's why he's lasted this long. I'm really glad he hasn't petered out like so many singer-songwriters. He's still concerned about the little details like "matching the middle eight to the third verse." That's why I'm still listening.
Love you Neil, but please promise me the next album won't be another bunch of damn ballads.
Whoa, Largo moved? I went there once in 2002 to see Jon Brion. Still ranks as the coolest show I've ever seen.
Great interview, Jon, but you're still a bastard for getting Neil on the phone. I've been trying to make that happen for years. :)
Besides that, the chemistry among the three/four/five of them (depending on the tour) never really diminished (which is why I was so pleased to find that Aussie TV snippet that I posted--their onstage banter was/is pretty much unparalleled). And I'm pretty sure I've never been to a CH show that hasn't left me weeping with joy at some point.
I scoured YouTube for a clip that would represent the early days, but couldn't find one that had Paul out from behind the drum kit.
And yes, Largo moved. I never saw the old space, so I can't compare, but the new space near the Beverly Center is very cool (though their seating policy isn't, particularly, as my fellow West Coast Popdosers can attest after we were separated for the Jon Brion show we saw). The stage is dominated by Brion's keyboards, and looks like the laboratory of a crazed musical genius--which it pretty much is. If there's anybody who's never seen Brion perform his regular Friday-night gig, don't ever come to LA without planning to go. It's truly something special.
I saw every show they performed in my area from 1987-the present.