SANTA RECOMMENDS...CROWDED HOUSE

Hello, kids!

CHRISTMAS is almost here!  My elves are busy building toys, reading your e-mails and keeping busy.  A few of them spend far too much time on Facebook these days, but we're still on schedule so I won't complain.

Have you written out your Christmas wish list yet?  No?  Well, you better get busy.  There's only a little time left before I load my sleigh up with gifts and make my journey around the world on Christmas night! 

If you are having a hard time deciding what you want, may I suggest this?

CROWDED HOUSE

THE VERY VERY BEST OF...

Arising from the ashes of Australian legends Split Enz, Crowded House was led by the enormously talented Neil Finn.  With drummer Paul Hester and bassist Nick Seymour at his side, they had a huge hit right out of the box with "Don't Dream It's Over".  For the next few years, the band was unstoppable.  Their career highpoint was when Neil's big brother Tim joined the band for their Woodface album and a slew of hit singles that made them superstars in Europe, Australia and elsewhere.  The band managed to squeak only one album out after Tim left and they broke up in the mid '90s. Thankfully, they've reunited and are creating music today, 25 years after originally forming.  This collection contains their most memorable hits and longtime favorites and is the perfect introduction to a band that really deserves more attention than you've given them in the past.  They are one of the most consistently magical bands on the planet and this is a release that should be stuffed in every stocking this year.
I must get going now.  Mrs. Claus needs some help in eating those cinnamon rolls and I don't want to miss out!  They are fresh out of the oven, you know! Yum Yum!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Santa

Brothers in arms: TIM FINN and NEIL FINN are at it again!

While we all anxiously await a new FINN BROTHERS album or a SPLIT ENZ reunion tour outside of Australia and New Zealand, we'll have to make do with some other fine FINN releases in the form of TIM FINN's excellent two CD Anthology: North South East West and NEIL FINN's project, 7 WORLDS COLLIDE!

For those of you who have yet to experience the Finn magic, just let me tell you that these two are ordinary men with extraordinary talents! Tim's been on the music scene for nearly 40 years while Neil trails just behind him with just under 35 years in his back pocket.

Tim started Split Enz in 1972, inviting young Neil to join the band in 1977. They achieved astounding success in the early '80s before disbanding halfway through the decade.

Neil formed Crowded House and, returning the favor, invited big brother Tim into the band for the Woodface album. Tim then left and went back to a solo career while Neil carried Crowded House onwards for a few more years.

In the meantime, they've managed to release two Finn Brothers albums while juggling their own separate careers, some Split Enz reunion shows and a whole lot more.

Towards the end of 2009, the Finns graciously gave us two separate, unrelated releases that will cool the flames until the next Crowded House album and Tim Finn solo release comes along...

Although I thought it could never be done, Tim Finn's North South East West two CD anthology brings together the best of his solo recordings, Split Enz hits, Finn Brothers tracks and some new recordings all in one package.

This collection starts out with seven classic Split Enz songs like "Dirty Creature", "I See Red", "Poor Boy" and "Six Months In A Leaky Boat". An eighth Enz tune, "Stuff And Nonsense", is represented here by a newly recorded version by Tim and Missy Higgins.

Though there are no Crowded House songs included, there are new versions of "Weather With You (by Tim, Neil and Neil's son Liam Finn), "How Will You Go" and "It's Only Natural" (by Tim and Bic Runga).

The rest of the collection features tracks spanning Tim's entire solo career including cuts from his '83 debut solo album, Escapade up through 2008's The Conversation.  The album Big Canoe is represented by a newly rearranged version of "So Deep".

Apart from the re-recordings listed above, there are also some great previously unreleased tunes including "Into The Water", "Nothing Unusual" and "Light Years Away".

If you don't have any of Tim's recordings, this is the perfect place to start.  If you are already a fan, there are enough gems to make this an absolutely essential purchase!

The first 7 Worlds Collide album, released under Neil Finn's name, was a unique live performance experience, fusing the varied talents of a stellar cast across a range of cover versions to create a series of shows that culminated in the live album of the same name.

Seven years after that project, instigator Neil Finn has upped the ante with the new 7 Worlds Collide project, The Sun Came Out, a double album of original songs created and recorded by many of the original cast alongside notable new additions in an intense three weeks in his native New Zealand. This time the beneficiaries of this album will be Oxfam, as well as music

Familiar faces from the original album abound, Johnny Marr, Ed O’Brien and Phil Selway of Radiohead but this album, first and foremost presents the listener with new songs rather than interpretations of old favorites. The Sun Came Out also features a whole host of new guest talents such as KT Tunstall and Wilco and heart stopping firsts, including Phil Selway's songwriting and vocal debut as well as dream collaborations such as those between Johnny Marr and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy; and KT Tunstall and Neil Finn .

At the heart of the record is Neil Finn. His enthusiasm and drive persuaded the likes of celebrated producer Jim Scott, Lisa Germano, Johnny Marr and Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Pat Sansone, John Stirratt and Glenn Kotche (amongst others) to spend their Christmas holiday in New Zealand and even interrupted KT Tunstall’s honeymoon in the process.

The album's high point, for me anyway, is "Too Blue", by Johnny Marr and Neil Finn. This glorious pop tune is the younger, happier brother of "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out", a song written a few decades back by Marr and his Smiths mate Morrissey.  The previous 7 Worlds Collide album contained a live version of that Smiths track with Neil singing lead and it remains the second best version of that song. "Too Blue" is just as strong. Did I already say it was glorious?


The worst thing about a Finn album being released is that you have to wait until the next one comes.... and I'm not a very patient guy.  So, come on Tim and Neil... I'm waiting!

I don't wanna sail,
Stephen SPAZ Schnee

NEIL FINN and friends return with 7 WORLDS COLLIDE project

The first 7 Worlds Collide album, a collection of amazing musical talents from across the globe in aid of Médecins Sans Frontières, was a unique live performance experience, fusing the varied talents of a stellar cast across a range of cover versions to create a series of shows that culminated in the live album of the same name.

Seven years after that project, instigator Neil Finn has upped the ante with the new 7 Worlds Collide project, The Sun Came Out, a double album of original songs created and recorded by many of the original cast alongside notable new additions in an intense three weeks in his native New Zealand. This time the beneficiaries of this album will be Oxfam, as well as music lovers worldwide.

Familiar faces from the original album abound, Johnny Marr, Ed O’Brien and Phil Selway of Radiohead but this album, first and foremost presents the listener with new songs rather than interpretations of old favourites. The Sun Came Out also features a whole host of new guest talents such as KT Tunstall and Wilco and heart stopping firsts, including Phil Selway's songwriting and vocal debut as well as dream collaborations such as those between Johnny Marr and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy; and KT Tunstall and Neil Finn .

At the heart of the record is Neil Finn. His enthusiasm and drive persuaded the likes of celebrated producer Jim Scott, Lisa Germano, Johnny Marr and Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Pat Sansone, John Stirratt and Glenn Kotche (amongst others) to spend their Christmas holiday in New Zealand and even interrupted KT Tunstall’s honeymoon in the process.

With families welcome, the studio became a constant whirl of creativity and energy throughout the three weeks allocated to create the record. Johnny Marr returned from a run on the beach with the basis of ‘Too Blue’, where Jeff Tweedy was waiting to add his talents; KT Tunstall stopped Neil retiring to his bed to complete ‘Hazel Black’; a wandering Johnny Marr added a chorus melody to Liam Finn’s ‘Red Wine Bottle’; Ed O’Brien fashioned ‘Bodhisattva Blues’ from a Tibetan chant. In this atmosphere, anything was possible and Neil’s wife Sharon found herself laying down her debut vocal on ‘Little By Little’ whilst Phil Selway also took his vocal bow and unveiled a hitherto unknown songwriting talent with his solo turn ‘The Ties That Bind Us’ in one take.

From Neil’s original doubts over the idea, “I thought, what is this? Is it just an ego thing,” came a double album of astounding collaborations for the listener and amazing memories for all those concerned in the recording. At the center of it all stands Neil Finn, too humble to take the glory himself, it is left to KT Tunstall to give the credit due to the man who made this happen: “It’s Neil. It all comes from him. There’s something about him that made everyone open up creatively.”

Jeremy Hobbs, Director of Oxfam International said: "7 Worlds Collide is a great project. I hope The Sun Came Out is a huge success. Not just because it's a unique musical experience but because each CD sold will make a difference -- raising money to fund Oxfam's work to fight poverty."

The complete tracklisting and credits for the 2-CD set is below:

Disc 1

1. Too Blue – (Johnny Marr/Jeff Tweedy) – Johnny Marr and Neil Finn vocals Elroy Finn & Glenn Kotche (drums), Phil Selway (percussion), John Stirratt (stand-up bass), Johnny Marr & Ed O’Brien (guitars), Pat Sansone (piano), Nile Marr & Neil Finn (acoustic guitars), and Lisa Germano (violins)

2. You Never Know – (Jeff Tweedy) – Jeff vocals Jeff Tweedy (acoustic & electric guitars), Glenn Kotche (drums), Pat Sansone (acoustic 12 string guitar & piano), John Stirratt (bass), Neil Finn (Wurlitzer piano, fuzz guitar), Liam Finn (additional fuzz guitar), Nels Cline (electric/slide guitar), and Mikael Jorgensen (organ/synth)

3. Little By Little – (Sharon Finn/Neil Finn) – Neil and Sharon vocals
Glenn Kotche (drums & percussion), Liam Finn (additional drums), Sharon Finn (bass), and Neil Finn (guitars, Chamberlin, Jupiter 8, marimba)

4. Learn To Crawl – (Ed O’Brien/Johnny Marr/Liam Finn/Neil Finn) – Neil and Liam vocals Glenn Kotche (drums), Ed O’Brien, Johnny Marr, Pat Sansone (acoustic guitar arpeggio), Neil Finn (bass), Pat Sansone (background harmonies), Jeff Tweedy (disembodied voice), and Lisa Germano (violin)

5. Black Silk Ribbon – (KT Tunstall/Bic Runga) – KT and Bic vocals Luke Bullen (drums, thigh slap), KT Tunstall & Bic Runga (acoustic guitars), Sebastian Steinberg (stand up & bowed bass), and Lisa Germano (violin)

6. Girl, Make Your Own Mind Up – (Don McGlashan) - Don vocals Don McGlashan (guitar), Glenn Kotche (drums), Ed O’Brien (electric guitar atmosphere), John Stirratt (bass), Ivy Rossiter (backing vocal), and Jeff Tweedy (electric guitar solo)

7. Run In The Dust – (Johnny Marr) - Johnny vocals Phil Selway (drums), Sebastian Steinberg (bass), Johnny Marr (guitar), Ed O’Brien (electric guitar), Pat Sansone (Hammond organ), Jeff Tweedy (harmonica), Neil Finn, Lisa Germano, and Pat Sansone (harmonies)

8. Red Wine Bottle – (Liam Finn/Chris Garland/Johnny Marr) - Liam vocals Glenn Kotche (drums), John Stirratt (bass), Liam Finn (acoustic guitars, guitar loops and solo, Hammond mash), Neil Finn (Hammond flourish), Johnny Marr (electric guitar), Eliza Jane Barnes & Cecilia Herbert (harmonies)

9. The Ties That Bind Us – (Phil Selway) - Phil vocals Phil Selway (acoustic guitar), Glenn Kotche (drums, percussion), Pat Sansone (acoustic guitar, celeste), Sebastian Steinberg (standup & bowed bass), Lisa Germano (violin & whisper), Don McGlashan (euphium, flugelhorn), and Jeff Tweedy (additional arrangement)

10. Reptile – (Lisa Germano) - Lisa vocals Lisa Germano (electric guitar, Theremin), Sebastian Steinberg (bass), Spencer Tweedy (drums), Glenn Kotche (toys and robots drumming), Pat Sansone (12 string guitar), Neil Finn (xylophone), Sonny Marr, Nile Marr, Sam Tweedy, Jeff Tweedy, Louise Callaghan, Emma Scott, Pearl McGlashan, mae Moreno, Sharon Finn, Julia Connolly, Sebastian Steinberg, and Milla (humans & dogs singing background vocals)

11. Bodhisattva Blues – (Ed O’Brien/Liam Finn) – Ed and Neil Finn vocals Ed O’Brien (electric guitar), Elroy Finn (drums), Liam Finn (guitar), Neil Finn (Wurlizer piano, bass), Jeff Tweedy (guitar solo, vocal response & scream), and Johnny Marr (guitar solo)

12. What Could Have Been – (Jeff Tweedy) - Jeff vocals
Glenn Kotche (drums, percussion), Jeff Tweedy (acoustic guitar), John Stirratt (bass), Neil Finn (vibes, electric guitar, harmony), and Pat Sansone (piano, Wurlitzer organ)

Disc 2

1. All Comedians Suffer – (Neil Finn) - Neil vocals Glenn Kotche (drums), Neil Finn (electric guitar), Pat Sansone (acoustic guitar), Liam Finn (bass, electric guitar, harmonies), and Jeff Tweedy (chorus fuzz, electric guitar solo)

2. Duxton Blues – (Glenn Richards) - Glenn vocals Glenn Richards (guitar), Liam Finn (drums, guitar & vocal loops), Johnny Marr (electric guitar), Sebastian Steinberg (bass), Bic Runga & Neil Finn (background vocals)

3. Hazel Black – (KT Tunstall/Neil Finn) – KT and Neil vocals KT Tunstall (acoustic guitar, handclaps, background vocals), Luke Bullen (drums, handclaps), John Stirratt (bass), Johnny Marr & Pat Sansone (electric guitars), Neil Finn (piano, harmony), Glenn Kotche (handclaps), Sonny Marr & Bic Runga (back-ground vocals)

4. Riding The Wave – (Tim Finn) – Tim vocals Tim Finn (piano), Elroy Finn (drums), Neil Finn (acoustic guitar, slide guitar, harmony), Liam Finn (harmonies), Sebastian Steinberg (bass), Johnny Marr (electric guitar), and Pat Sansone (Hammond organ)

5. The Witching Hour – (Phil Selway) - Phil vocals Phil Selway (acoustic guitar), Bic Runga & KT Tunstall (background vocals), Lisa Germano (violin), and Jeff Tweedy (Optigan organ, piano)

6. Over And Done – (John Stirratt) - John vocals John Stirratt (guitar), Glenn Kotche (drums), Pat Sansone (bass, piano), Don McGlashan (Euphonium, Flugelhorn), and Neil Finn & Pat Sansone (harmonies)

7. A Change Of Heart – (Bic Runga/Dan Wilson) – Bic vocals Bic Runga (acoustic guitar), Glenn Kotche (drums), John Stirratt (bass), Neil Finn (piano), Pat Sansone (Hammond organ), and Don McGlashan (humming)

8. Don’t Forget Me – (Pat Sansone) – Pat vocals Pat Sansone (guitar), Glenn Kotche (drums), John Stirratt (bass), and Johnny Marr (electric guitar)

9. Long Time Gone – (Don McGlashan) - Don vocals Don McGlashan (guitar), Phil Selway (drums), Pat Sansone (bass), Ed O’Brien (electric guitar), and Johnny Marr (12 string & 6 string acoustic guitars, backing vocals)

10. The Cobbler – (Elroy Finn) - Elroy vocals Elroy Finn (guitar), Lisa Germano (violin), and Sebastian Steinberg (bowed bass)

11. 3 Worlds Collide – (Glenn Kotche/Phil Selway/Neil Baldock) Glenn Kotche & Phil Selway (drums, percussion)

12. The Water – (Sebastian Steinberg) - Sebastian vocals Sebastian Steinberg (guitars, bass), Neil Finn (piano), Glenn Kotche (drums), and Johnny Marr (ghost guitar)

Produced by Jim Scott and Neil Finn, additional production Neil Baldock

About Oxfam America

Oxfam America is an international relief and development organization that creates lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice. Together with individuals and local groups in more than 100 countries, Oxfam saves lives, helps people overcome poverty, and fights for social justice. We are an affiliate of Oxfam International.

http://www.oxfamamerica.org/

TIM FINN-"The Conversation" Review

TIM FINN-"The Conversation" Review

For nearly 30 years, Tim Finn has been my second favorite vocalist of all time...just a few notches down from Elvis Presley. Hell, I skipped my high school senior prom in '82 just to go see Tim's old band, Split Enz, perform at the Hollywood Palladium (ah, the memories!). So, for me, a new Tim Finn album is always a call for celebration. While I've loved most of his solo work, it's really hard to compare it to the collaborative essence of Split Enz, so I never do. I don't even bother judging it against his other projects like Crowded House, the Finn Brothers or ALT. I look at each album as it's own entity and accept it for what it is: a Tim Finn solo album.

So, with that being said, I was floored by his 2006 effort, Imaginary Kingdom. I felt that IK was even better than his solo debut, Escapade, which I didn't think he'd ever top. This is not to say that his other solo releases haven't been good. I think that a listener attaches themselves to a certain record like an old barnacle and hangs on for dear life. When I heard Imaginary Kingdom, I felt that he had released his best solo work to date and I had found a new home to lay my weary head.

The Conversation, his 2008 release, has found me packing my bags and moving to a new resting spot: Finn has taken the best elements of his songwriting skills, scaled back the production and presented an album so rich with melody that no economic crisis could penetrate this wealthy platter of song. This is by far the best album of the year...and that's no easy feat since 2008 has had some really great releases. It's also the best album in his 25 year solo journey.

The album is warm, comforting and personal but while Tim sings of HIS life, it can often mirror the feelings and thoughts of the listener, creating a virtual 'conversation' between the performer and the audience. While the album's title refers to the interaction of the different musicians playing together, it becomes much more than that when experienced in the comfort of your own home. Former Enz members Miles Golding (violin) and Eddie Rayner (piano) join Tim on this journey and their familiarity with Tim's music allows them to add a personal flavor to this rich stew of haunting melodies. Tim's voice is superb throughout, sounding like a man who has found peace in who he is and is comfortable in his own skin. While 'Out Of This World' is the lead single, there are many other inviting moments that will reach out to anyone looking for a singer/songwriter who offers more than just a new face in an overcrowded market: 'Rear View Mirror', 'The Saw And The Tree', 'Forever Thursday' (which could be a distant cousin of his classic 'Through The Years'), 'Straw To Gold' and more. On the first spin of the album, you'll find some magical moments but the album truly reveals itself with each additional listen and you'll soon find yourself joining in on this Conversation.

So, after 30 years, I'm still a dedicated fan with much respect for the man and his abilities. Tim Finn may be an ordinary man but he has extraordinary talents.