| |
The Pop-Rock band Crowded House began in 1985, in Melbourne, AUSTRALIA,
after the dissolution of singer+songwriter Neil Finn and drummer Paul
Hester's previous group, New Zealanders Split Enz which also included
Neil's older brother Tim Finn. Originally calling themselves The Mullanes,
from Neil Finn's middle name, the new band included guitarist Craig Hooper
and bassist Nick Seymour.
Signed to Capitol Records, the group resided in Los Angeles, where they
were given their new name after the group's cramped living conditions.
With the group by now reduced to a trio with the departure of Hooper,
Crowded House's debut album was released to little fanfare, but the first
single lifted from it became enormously successful all over the globe,
"Don't Dream It's Over" hit #2 on The Billboard Hot 100, #7
on The Mainstream Rock Tracks and climbed into the top 30 of the British
Sales chart; "Something So Strong" was another smash in U.S.
where it peaked at #7 on The Billboard Hot 100 and at #10 on The Mainstream
Rock chart. The album had one of the longest ascents up the The Billboard
200 chart ever noted, eventually peaking at #12; it finally made the #1
slot in Austrlalia in 1987 and that year the final U.S. single, "World
Where You Live", reached #65 on The Billboard Hot 100.
A subdued reaction to the second outing, the U.S. top 40 album "Temple
Of Low Men", failed to consolidate the group's reputation in the
American singles chart and the magnificent "Better Be Home Soon"
only reached the #42 position on The Billboard Hot 100 and barely broke
the top 20 of The Mainstream Rock Tracks; nevertheless, the album debuted
at the top of the Australian Pop chart upon its summer 1988 release.
Neil's reconciliation with brother Tim Finn led to Crowded House strengthening
the line-up when he joined in February 1991; it was only four months later
that the group released "Woodface" an acclaimed album which
climbed into the top 10 in the U.K. and reached the #83 position on the
American Billboard Top 200 chart producing two Modern Rock top 5 hits
with "Chocolate Cake" and "It's Only Natural" as well
as the British top 10 "Weather With You".
"Together Alone" followed in October 1993, this was the first
Crowded House release to feature keyboardist+guitarist Mark Hart; the
disc debuted in the top 5 in Britain and peaked at #73 on the U.S. Top
200 Albums chart while the lead single, "Locked Out", hit #8
on The Modern Rock Tracks; the second single, "Distant Sun",
followed in early 1994 reaching #26 on that same chart.
In June 1996 they announced their farewell, bowing out with an excellent
compilation package featuring three new songs. Their emotional final performance
was in Sydney on 24 November 1996. Neil Finn moved on to a solo career,
releasing his debut album in June 1998.
In March 2005 tragedy struck when Paul Hester was found hanged in a park
in Melbourne. In the wake of his death, Neil Finn reconnected with the
other founding Crowded House member, bassist Nick Seymour and slowly the
third solo album turned into a Crowded House album, with Hart brought
in along the way, working alongside guests like Johnny Marr and Split
Enz keyboardist Eddie Rayner, plus new drummer Matt Sherrod.
"Time On Earth" arrived in the early summer of 2007 shooting
to the #1 spot on the Australian Albums chart and spawning the ARIA top
40 hit single "Don't Stop Now"; the CD, which also includes
the minor hit single "She Called Up", peaked at #3 in U.K. and
reached #46 on The Billboard Top 200 Albums list.
Crowded House biography is an exclusive of 100xr.com
|
