Do the Radiohead fans know about this?

[scatteroflight]

I am a big fan of Crowded House and the solo work done by Neil Finn since CH broken up. I recently bought a new live album by "Neil Finn and friends" recorded last year in Auckland, New Zealand. It features guest stars such as Johnny Marr, Lisa Germano, Eddie Vedder--and Phil Selway and Ed O'Brien of Radiohead.

This is not to say that you'll love this album if you love Radiohead. You really have to like the Neil Finn/Crowded House style, because precious little on the album sounds anything like Radiohead, if anything. I just found it really interesting that there should be guest stars from Radiohead and Pearl Jam on this recording--it was actually a series of concerts they did throughout a week--because those musicians are from quite a different style from Neil Finn. I think it's simply that Neil Finn is one of the best songwriters in the world--occasionally I think he's the best--and he gets respect from all quarters. His last solo album, One Nil, was a fairly expensive purchase because it was an import. Still hasn't received official release in North America. Sheryl Crow appears on it (not that I'm a big fan.) It's an amazing album. He gets all these great guest stars playing concerts with him--but half of North America probably hasn't even heard of him.

Anyway, this was mainly a heads up if you're a Radiohead completist. Who knows, it could lead you in a new musical direction...

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Your sun so bright it leaves no shadows, only scars
Carved into stone on the face of earth
The moon is up and over One Tree Hill
We see the sun go down in your eyes

 

[deep]

I have it, its good. Not Radiohead, though.

I thought this thread was about today being the Birthday of one of the band mates.

I guess we have no Radiohead Plebas, lol

 

[FlyGirl]

Originally posted by deep:
I thought this thread was about today being the Birthday of one of the band mates.

I guess we have no Radiohead Plebas, lol

Not PLEBAns but TJECPians! ...That's stupid sounding. PTECJians! CETJPians. JEPCTians? It's hopeless. How am I supposed to come up with something that sounds cool when you have five band members and only one with a name beginning with a vowel? And a J and a P?!?

Now, if you're talking about the birthday of a certain good-looking rhythm guitarist of Radiohead... How dare you claim we have no JEPCTians! It's still April 15th, the day hasn't ended yet, so give people time to come to their senses. Right?!?! Please tell me I'm not alone... I'd start an Appreciation Thread to the guitarist, but...

...how can you not appreciate him?

I've never heard anything by Neil Finn... Do you think you could recommend some tracks?

 

[Kieran McConville]

Ah yes, Neil Finn and Friends. I'm looking forward to hearing it. And I can vouch that the man is indeed an amazing songwriter, albeit nothing at all like Radiohead. Could be he's the Elliott Smith of the south Pacific.

I'd recommend just about anything he's done since (and including) 1993's Together Alone album with Crowded House:

Together Alone
Finn (1995 - with brother Tim)
Try Whistling This (1998)
One Nil (2001 - godawful title, but a really nice record)

Of the lot, Try Whistling This is in my opinion the best of the solo albums. Standout songs include 'She will have her way', 'astro', 'Twisty bass'.

Only one (that I know of) song off the Finn album appears on this '& Friends' concert cd - that being Angel's Heap, another gorgeous song with vocal harmonies. Oh sorry, Paradise (Wherever you are) appears as well. Which is good cause I think Finn sold about five copies and is long since out of print.

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You know some songs sound like ones by Frank Sinatra
But there's no place like... NOO YAWK

 

[scatteroflight]

As far as recommendations, I'd agree with Kieran about Together Alone. Just a beautiful album, though it seems to be a bit hard to find. I like Crowded House's preceding albums a lot too. A lot of people seem to be partial to Woodface, and it does have some great songs but I find it very uneven--it has some songs I never want to listen to. Crowded House's greatest hits, Recurring Dream, would be a good place to start. It leaves out plenty of good songs, as do all greatest hits, but it has a lot of the truly excellent stuff. As for the two solo albums, I really love both of them. I bought them both around the same time but at first I liked Try Whistling This better. Now I seem to listen to One Nil more, though not very often in its entirety, I admit. THe last three songs on One Nil--Anytime, Driving Me Mad and Into the Sunset--are possibly the most perfect pop trilogy I have ever heard on any album.

Course, you could just get the new live album (called 7 Worlds Collide)--it's an interesting variety, plus the Radiohead/Eddie Vedder etc. presence! Though I have to say, I like Eddie Vedder but I'd be just as happy if Neil sang on every track.



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Your sun so bright it leaves no shadows, only scars
Carved into stone on the face of earth
The moon is up and over One Tree Hill
We see the sun go down in your eyes