Crowded House (album)


Crowded House is the debut album by the band Crowded House. It was released in 1986 and produced by Mitchell Froom. 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".

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. Former Swingers and soon-to-be Midnight Oil bass player Bones Hillman was also a candidate, 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. 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.
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

Note

Disc 1 (Original album)

Disc 2 (Unreleased and rare material)

Personnel

Crowded House

Album

The album peaked at number one in Australia,
number 3 in New Zealand and number 12 on the US Billboard 200 chart. In the UK, the album did not chart until February 1995 and even then only reached number 99. It has been certified platinum in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. In the US it was RIAA-certified gold on 1 May 1987, and platinum on 25 November 1991.
ChartPeak
position
Australian Albums Chart1
Canadian Albums Chart8
Dutch Albums Chart20
New Zealand Albums Chart3
UK Albums Chart99
US Billboard 20012

Singles

The single "Don't Dream It's Over" was an international hit that reached number 2 on the US 'Billboard Hot 100 chart on 25 April 1987. Its enduring popularity was evident when 18 years later in 2005 it was used in TV commercials by the New Zealand Tourism Commission. The follow-up single "Something So Strong," which lent its title to a 1997 biography of Crowded House by Chris Bourke, peaked at number 7 in the US. "Mean to Me", "World Where You Live", and "Now We're Getting Somewhere" were also released as singles.
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