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Crowded House is a Rock group formed in Melbourne , Australia , and led by New Zealand musician and Singer-songwriter Neil Finn . Finn is widely recognised as the primary songwriter and creative direction of the band, having led it through several incarnations, drawing members from New Zealand (Neil Finn, Tim Finn and Eddie Rayner ), Australia ( Paul Hester , Nick Seymour , Peter Jones and Craig Hooper ) and United States ( Mark Hart and Matt Sherrod ). Though the band owes its original success to the Australian live music scene, the common references to New Zealand people and places in several songs pay homage to Finn's personal roots ("Kare Kare" is written about Karekare Beach, while " Mean To Me " refers to Finn's hometown of Te Awamutu ). The success of the group's third album '' Woodface '' and the general success of Crowded House and Split Enz prompted Queen Elizabeth II Of The Commonwealth in June 1993 to bestow the Order Of The British Empire on both Tim and Neil Finn for their contribution to the music of New Zealand. Originally active between 1985 and 1996, the band's notable hits from this period include " Don't Dream It's Over ", " Something So Strong ", " Better Be Home Soon ", " Fall At Your Feet " and " Weather With You ". In 2007, the group reunited with a new drummer. In this period, the group has released one album, '' Time On Earth '', which reached #1 on Australia's ARIA Albums Chart .1 HISTORY Formation and beginnings (1984–1986) See Also: Split Enz The Mullanes The group had important connections in the Australian and New Zealand rock scenes. Neil Finn and Paul Hester were former members of the New Zealand rock band Split Enz ; Neil is the younger brother of Split Enz founding member Tim Finn. Nick Seymour is the younger brother of singer-songwriter-guitarist Mark Seymour , leader of the now defunct Australian rock group Hunters & Collectors . Neil Finn and Paul Hester decided to form a new band during the Split Enz farewell tour ''Enz with a Bang''. Nick Seymour approached Finn during the After Party for the Melbourne show and asked if he could try out for this new band. The first incarnation of the band, The Mullanes , formed in Melbourne in 1985 and also included guitarist Craig Hooper , formerly of The Reels . They secured a record contract with Capitol Records and moved to Los Angeles , at which time Hooper left the band. At the label's behest, the band changed its name to "Crowded House," which alluded to the cramped quarters the three members shared at an apartment in North Sycamore Street in West Hollywood during the recording of the album. They also invited former Split Enz keyboard player Eddie Rayner to join, and he produced the track "Can't Carry On" for the debut Self-titled Album . He initially joined them on tour in 1988 on keyboards, but had to leave for family reasons before he could be made a full member. Crowded House was later nicknamed ''The Crowdies'' by their Australian fans. Early albums (1986–1990) See Also: Crowded House (album) Temple of Low Men In June 1987, the album finally climbed to the top of the Australian charts at #1, taking the place from '' Whispering Jack '' by John Farnham after several weeks in the position. " Something So Strong " was the third single from the album, and it peaked at #7 in the US. " World Where You Live " was issued as the fourth single reaching #65 in the US Billboard 200 singles chart in the late summer of 1987. The fifth and final single " Now We're Getting Somewhere " achieved moderate chart success internationally. As primary songwriter for the group, Neil was now under pressure to create a second album that matched the success of his band's debut (the band joked that one potential title for the new release was ''Mediocre Follow-Up''). '' Temple Of Low Men '' was released to great fanfare in 1988 along with the single "Better Be Home Soon," which reached #42 in the US. Other highlights of this album were "Into Temptation" and "Sister Madly", the latter evolving into a fan favourite sing-along when played in concert. Although critics were impressed, the album was not as well received commercially as their debut. As a contrast to the debut album, the first single "Better Be Home Soon" was an acoustic song which performed moderately on the charts, though the following four singles from the album all failed to chart altogether, and through the low single impact, album sales were not as successful as the debut. The label quickly pulled promotion for the album yet again, and Crowded House performed a short tour of Australia and Canada . Supertramp member and multi-instrumentalist Mark Hart then accompanied the band from January 1989 as a tour performer, taking Eddie Rayner's place. In early 1989, following a short tour by the group to support their second album, Finn removed Seymour from the lineup. In 2007, he discussed this on Andrew Denton 's '' Enough Rope '', commenting that he had fired him because of artistic differences. After a month, Seymour initiated contact and the two agreed to have him return to the group. Following this, the group decided to take a break before re-entering the studio for their third album. The early nineties (1991–1994) See Also: Woodface Together Alone During the break the group decided to take after the ''Temple of Low Men'' Canadian tour, Neil began writing some songs with his brother Tim Finn for an album they were considering to release under the name ''Finn''. The sessions yielded enough songs for an album and both brothers were happy with the result, but Neil was also faced with the task of writing a third Crowded House album. After recording with Seymour and Hester, the record company rejected most of the songs recorded for this album, Neil asked his brother if they could use some of the ''Finn'' songs for the next album. Tim agreed on the proviso that he be made a member, though in some records, he has indicated he meant this as a joke. Neil took this literally and the group with the newly appointed member Tim Finn returned to the studio to record these songs. These recording sessions were combined with songs from the earlier sessions yielded '' Woodface ''. The album which was released in July 1991 featuring seven songs written jointly by Tim and Neil Finn together. Most of the songs written jointly featured the brothers performing harmonised vocals except the sombre "All I Ask". This song was performed solo by Tim and was later featured on AIDS awareness commercials in Australia. The other tracks were primarily Neil compositions, with the exception of the exuberant Hester-written song "Italian Plastic", a commonly performed song on live concerts. These other songs were all from the original recording sessions that the band. " Chocolate Cake " was released as the first single, and it sealed the fate of the band in America. The song was a humourous comment on American excesses. It was not taken well by critics or the public in the country and failed to achieve a position on the US Billboard 200 singles chart. The album's second single, " Fall At Your Feet " proved more successful in the US, but with lost momentum for the band it only reached #75. The album sold well internationally, in contrast to its American success. The immense success of this album particularly in the UK prompted the Queen in June 1993 to bestow the , 2007 . For their next album, '' Together Alone ,'' Crowded House recruited New Zealand based Martin Glover (known as " Youth ") to produce. The sessions were recorded at Karekare Beach, New Zealand. The opening song of the album is a jam session by the band that was then named "Karekare" after the beach. The album sold well internationally upon release in October 1993 on the strength of lead single " Distant Sun " and its followup " Private Universe ". The song " Locked Out " was the album's first single in the US, receiving a modest amount of exposure on MTV and VH-1 , partly due to its inclusion on the soundtrack for 1994 US film '' Reality Bites ''. The song was bundled with The Knack 's only hit " My Sharona " as a promotional Jukebox single, as both appeared on the ''Reality Bites'' soundtrack. Crowded House says farewell (1994–1996) See Also: Recurring Dream Farewell to the World Finn (album) The band toured Europe and had begun a series of dates in the United States when drummer Paul Hester left the band, requesting more time with his family. Although they finished the tour with session drummer Peter Jones , Finn decided it was time to bring the group to an end. Following the tour, he decided to revive work on the Finn Brothers album '' Finn '' with his brother Tim. Following this, Finn set his sights on beginning a solo career. The band officially dissolved in June 1996 in a press conference held by Neil Finn. In the same press conference as announcing the dissolution of the group, Neil announced plans to release a Crowded House greatest hits album featuring four songs from each album and three songs intended for the group's cancelled fifth studio album. This career-spanning collection of greatest hits and a few new songs was released in the same month as its announcement. When released, it went straight to #1 on the Australian and UK record charts. By this time, their success in the UK was comparable to their success in Australia with some of the singles making it to a higher chart placing. Early copies of the album came with a second CD of live material that captured a few moments of the band's distinct live presence, with varying locations from England, New Zealand, Australia, and the United States. The comedic aspect of the banter between songs and spontaneity is displayed on this offering. Though no longer being credited as a band member, founding member Paul Hester returned to the skins for the Crowded House greatest hits collection to record the album's three new songs. Released as singles, these included the funky " Instinct ", the Beatlesque " Not The Girl You Think You Are " and the optimistic anthem " Everything Is Good For You ", which featured backing vocals from Pearl Jam 's Eddie Vedder . Following farewell and before reunion (1996–2006) See Also: Afterglow (Crowded House album) Deadstar 7 Worlds Collide Everyone Is Here Following the initial breakup of Crowded House in 1996, the members embarked upon various different projects in an array of mediums. Neil Finn initiated a successful solo career, releasing two albums and a soundtrack. Having left the group in 1992, Tim Finn resumed his solo career, though he appeared with them sporadically throughout the '' Woodface '' tour as a support act. He has released four solo albums since leaving the band. Together, Neil and Tim Finn recorded two albums as the Finn Brothers , '' Finn '' in 1995, just prior to Crowded House's initial breakup, and '' Everyone Is Here '' in 2004, which proved more successful than the first. , 2007 . Initially after leaving the group in 1994, Paul Hester reunited with his friend , 2007 . In 1999, the group decided to release a collection of (formerly) rare and unreleased recordings, which was entitled '' Afterglow ''. It featured the promotional and radio single release "Anyone Can Tell" and live favourite "Recurring Dream" that had previously only been available on the soundtracks of the movies '' Tequila Sunrise '' and '' Rikky And Pete '' as well as single B-sides. In the same vein of the ''Recurring Dream'' album, there was a short history published in the album's sleeve detailing information about the collection of songs and their history. Some limited release versions of the album included a second CD of spoken-word commentary about the songs from Finn. The liner notes in this CD included a confirmation that Crowded House were, at this point, not going to reunite. In 2001, Neil Finn collaborated with several international acts, such as two members of Radiohead , session bassist Sebastian Steinberg , Pearl Jam 's Eddie Vedder (who previously appeared on " Everything Is Good For You " on '' Recurring Dream ''), Lisa Germano and first collaborated with Johnny Marr , previously of The Smiths , with whom Finn later wrote the song "Even a Child". He also invited brother Tim Finn and his son Liam Finn 's band Betchadupa to all join in for a New Zealand based live collaboration given the name '' 7 Worlds Collide '', a line from the '' Together Alone '' song " Distant Sun ". The live concerts sold out and were released as a double CD or DVD in November 2001 . The concerts featured several songs from Crowded House, Split Enz , Tim Finn and Neil Finn's respective solo careers, Finn Brothers , Betchadupa and some pieces written specifically for the performances. Hester and Seymour reunited to play for , 2007 . In late 2003, Hester was called upon by Australian channel Music Max to host their successful ''Music Max's Sessions'' series. After a long battle with Depression , Hester took his own life on March 26 , 2005 at the age of 46. In November 2006, to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the farewell concert, a double CD album and a double DVD set was released. The DVD featured a newly recorded audio commentary with Finn, Seymour and Hart, all of the previously released special features (with the exception of the t-shirt released with the video in 1996) and a new documentary featuring the concert's participants and promoters. Reunion (2007–Current) See Also: Time on Earth After Hester's death and with the ensuing ten year anniversary of ''Farewell to the World'', Neil Finn, Nick Seymour and Mark Hart had all reconnected with one another as a group for the first time since ''Farewell to the World'' in 1996. Through this reconnection, Finn asked Seymour to play bass for his upcoming, third solo album. Seymour agreed and the two joined with producer and drummer Ethan Johns to begin recording Finn's third album. However, through the recording process, the two eventually decided it would be better fit as a Crowded House album than a Neil Finn solo venture and so called upon Hart to return to guitar and piano. In January 2007, the group made the public announcement that they would officially reform and had recalled Mark Hart to return and would begin auditioning drummers. After twenty days of auditions, the group announced that they had decided to have former Beck drummer Matt Sherrod to join as the group's drummer on February 23 , 2007 . The four band members then recorded four new songs for the album, including the album's lead single " Don't Stop Now ", with producer Steve Lillywhite . , July 2007. Picture taken by Ryan Smith.]] Neil Finn announced on the commentary track of the '', 2007 . STYLE Song writing and musical influences
As the central songwriter for the band, Neil Finn 's music was the driving force for the band's song catalogue. Finn has often cited artists such as The Beatles , The Rolling Stones and folk rock artists such as John Denver and Joan Baez . Finn has said that his mother has always been a huge musical influence to him, encouraging him from a young age to listen to a variety of different musical styles, including Irish folk singers and Maori music. Maori influences can be heard particularly in '' Together Alone '' and also in the Finn Brothers release '' Finn ''. Finn often writes lyrics in sonnet form with rhymes, similes and metaphors combined with literal descriptions. Some songs he has written have random lines, notably " Pineapple Head " from ''Together Alone'', based on lines murmured by his younger son Elroy when he was sick and delirious with a fever as a young child. The story is often told as though it was Finn's elder son Liam who was sick, but in fact it was Elroy. Album covers, costumes and set design Crowded House was a follow-on group from Split Enz , a group who were known for their flair, style and set design. Crowded House adopted this concept in part, especially in the group's earlier days. Noel Crombie , Split Enz's costume and set designer, was not a member of Crowded House, so Nick Seymour , a professional artist and art school graduate, was the obvious choice to fill this role. Seymour designed or co-designed all of the album covers and co-created and designed all interior layouts. He also designed many costumes worn by the group, notably those from the cover of the group's debut album '' Crowded House ''. Seymour also collaborated with Neil Finn and Paul Hester to design the sets for many of the groups early music videos, such as " Don't Dream It's Over " and " Better Be Home Soon ". Since reuniting, Seymour has continued to maintain the visual artistic direction, again designing the album cover and designing the cover for its lead single " Don't Stop Now ". His design was carried over to the music video. Though all the album covers were by Seymour, the majority of the single covers were not. Some simply featured photographs of the band, such as " It's Only Natural " which featured a photo of the band lineup of the time with the typeset of "Crowded House" as used on the song's album '' Woodface ''. The artwork for " Pineapple Head " was created by Mental As Anything member Chris O'Doherty (commonly known as Reg Mombassa , creator of Mambo Graphics ). At times during Crowded House's initial era, Mombassa and Crombie assisted Seymour creating artwork and costumes. Most notably, the set design from '' Farewell To The World '' was solely designed by Crombie, while Mombassa and Seymour designed all promotional materials and artwork.Crowded House, ''Farewell to the World'' End Credits. Released December 1996. Retrieved 4 August , 2007 . Examples of Crowded House designs BAND MEMBERS Past members DISCOGRAPHY See Also: Crowded House discography ;Albums
;International Top 20 Singles
AWARDS See Also: List of Crowded House awards PUBLICATIONS AND REFERENCES
EXTERNAL LINKS
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