| Together Alone | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 18 October 1993 | |||
| Recorded | 1992–1993 | |||
| Studio | Karekare Beach, New Zealand Periscope Studios, Melbourne Platinum Melbourne | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 51:32 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer | Youth and Crowded House | |||
| Crowded House chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Together Alone | ||||
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Together Alone is the fourth studio album by New Zealand-Australian bandCrowded House. It was released in October 1993 and was their first album to feature multi-instrumentalistMark Hart as a full band member. Unlike the band's first three albums, which were recorded in the US and Australia and produced byMitchell Froom,Together Alone was recorded in New Zealand with producerYouth. Six singles were released fromTogether Alone, including "Distant Sun", which was a top 10 hit in New Zealand[6] and Canada,[7] and "Locked Out" which reached number 12 on the UK singles chart[8] and number 8 on the US Modern Rock chart,[9] the latter on the strength of the song's inclusion on the soundtrack of the 1994 filmReality Bites.[10]
Together Alone was mainly recorded atNeil Finn's friends Nigel and Jody Horrocks' house atKarekare Beach in New Zealand,[11] with additional recording inMelbourne, Australia at both Periscope and Platinum Studios. The album's opening track was named "Kare Kare".Paul Hester said, "We flew inYouth and an engineer called Greg Hunter straight off the streets ofBrixton to Karekare Beach, New Zealand – miles from anywhere, no shops, no nothing. They were in shock for days. Didn't know where the fuck they were."[12]
AllMusic noted thatTogether Alone is "more experimental and musically varied than any of their previous releases" and cited the addition ofMark Hart to the band's line-up and new producer Youth as reasons for this.[13] The site also notes that the band also used the record to branch into traditionalMāori music.[13] The album features more complex, layered guitar and keyboard arrangements than on Crowded House's previous works. The title track features a New ZealandMāori choir and log drummers and was co-written by Ngapo "Bub" Wehi of the Te Waka Huia Cultural Group Choir, who also provide backing vocals on "In My Command" and "Catherine Wheels".
"Private Universe" also featuresMicronesian log drummers.[14]
"Catherine Wheels" was written by Neil andTim Finn while withSplit Enz and was originally titled "The First to Say Gone". The final version included input from bass playerNick Seymour, which earned him a co-writing credit, one of only five he has with Crowded House. (The others are "Recurring Dream" and "Help Is Coming" fromAfterglow, "Newcastle Jam" from theSpecial Edition Live Album and "Isolation" fromIntriguer.)
Together Alone topped the album chart in New Zealand,[6] reached number two in Australia[15] and number four in the United Kingdom.[8] Due to its inclusion on theReality Bites soundtrack, the song "Locked Out" was bundled withthe Knack's "My Sharona", which also features in the film, as a promotionaljukebox single.[16] The video single release of "Nails in My Feet" featured a documentary of the making ofTogether Alone entitledFootage from the Together Alone Recording Session.
The Japanese edition contained the bonus track "You Can Touch" which later appeared on the compilationAfterglow.
The album cover was created by Nick Seymour. It depictsJesus,Buddha andMuhammad riding together in a car. Muhammad is covered by a curtain in order to respect the Islamic belief thathe should not be depicted; only his arm is visible. The original design featured Muhammad without a curtain. The decision was made to add one when the cover was strongly objected to by Muslim guitarist Richard Thompson.[17] The car is surrounded by a golden halo and has fluffy dice hanging from the rear view mirror. The cover of the 2007 single "Don't Stop Now" has a similar red car and the song's video features the car during its animated sequences. The album artwork was co-designed by Seymour andMargo Chase. It incorporates photography, by Youri Lenquette and Merlyn Rosenberg, of the band and of landscapes including Karekare beach. Vinyl pressings ofTogether Alone have a golden border (much like the halo around the red car) surrounding the outside of the cover.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [13] |
| Chicago Tribune | [18] |
| Classic Rock | 9/10[19] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B[20] |
| Los Angeles Times | [21] |
| Mojo | [22] |
| NME | 7/10[23] |
| Q | [24] |
| Rolling Stone | [25] |
| Uncut | 9/10[26] |
Writing inThe Michigan Daily, Heather Phares called it a "catchy and spiritual listen that runs the gamut of emotions, from the hyperkinetic 'Locked Out' to the hushed 'Distant Sun'." She credited producer Youth for making it a "challenging yet listenable album."[27]NME's Ian Fortnam called it an "ambitious and impressive fourth album" that was "guaranteed to shift vast units." He also highlighted Youth's "inspired production craft", citing thePink Floyd-esque "slide" of "Kare Kare", the "gutsymetalwork" of "Skin Feeling" and the "Screamadelicachill-out percussion" on "Fingers of Love" as examples, but deemed the "cross-cultural" title track to be the highlight, noting thepolyrhythmic log drums, Māori choir and "John Kongos' squeaky chair."[28] Mark Caro ofThe Chicago Tribune felt it showed Crowded House "mining new depths of texture in their sound", noting the balance between radio-friendly pop songs with moodier tracks boastingsteel guitar effects ("Kare Kare") or "muted island beats" ("Private Universe").[18]
Stephen Thomas Erlewine ofAllMusic called the album "more experimental and musically varied than any of their previous releases", and said that it let "Crowded House energize their sound without losing sight of Finn's classic pop songwriting".[13]Trouser Press noted the influence ofthe Beatles on several of the "ingratiating" album's songs and in its whimsical, ambitious production, as well its "decidedly New Zealandish spin", and stated that while the songs are not entirely happy, it is Crowded House's brightest album.[14]
In 1995,Q includedTogether Alone in its publication "In Our Lifetime:Q's 100 Best Albums 1986–94", a list compiled to celebrate its 100th issue.[29] Later, in 2011, the album ranked at number 231 inQ's readers poll of the "250 Best Albums of the Last 25 Years"; the magazine wrote that "Maori choirs add an experimental edge to Neil Finn's finest 40 minutes."[30] Both Martin Rowsell and Nick Duerden ofThe Rough Guide to Rock (1999) andMartin C. Strong ofThe Great Rock Discography (2006) commented on the unlikely pairing of Crowded House anddance musician Youth.[31][32] Naming it Crowded House's best album, Rowsell and Duerden noted how the band eschewed the British and American influences of prior albums for their New Zealand roots, and felt that Finn demonstrated both his "funny" and romantic sides, writing that "the songwriting shines through".[31] Strong named it a "masterpiece" and "Crowded House's most experimental, profound and possibly finest effort", noting the "atmosphere of mystical calm and resolve" that shrouds the album, even the more rockier songs like "Locked Out" and "Distant Sun".[32]
All tracks are written byNeil Finn, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kare Kare" | Finn,Mark Hart,Nick Seymour,Paul Hester | 3:35 |
| 2. | "In My Command" | 3:43 | |
| 3. | "Nails in My Feet" | 3:39 | |
| 4. | "Black and White Boy" | 4:00 | |
| 5. | "Fingers of Love" | 4:26 | |
| 6. | "Pineapple Head" | 3:27 | |
| 7. | "Locked Out" | 3:17 | |
| 8. | "Private Universe" | 5:39 | |
| 9. | "Walking on the Spot" | 2:54 | |
| 10. | "Distant Sun" | 3:49 | |
| 11. | "Catherine Wheels" | Finn,Tim Finn, Seymour | 5:12 |
| 12. | "Skin Feeling" | Paul Hester | 3:56 |
| 13. | "Together Alone" | Finn, Hart, Ngapo 'Bub' Wehi | 3:55 |
| Total length: | 51:32 | ||
A limited edition of the album in some territories featured a bonus disc of live tracks from their previous three albums:
All tracks are written byNeil Finn, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kare Kare" | Finn,Mark Hart,Nick Seymour,Paul Hester | 3:35 |
| 2. | "In My Command" | 3:43 | |
| 3. | "Nails in My Feet" | 3:39 | |
| 4. | "Black and White Boy" | 4:00 | |
| 5. | "Fingers of Love" | 4:26 | |
| 6. | "Pineapple Head" | 3:27 | |
| 7. | "Locked Out" | 3:17 | |
| 8. | "Private Universe" | 5:39 | |
| 9. | "Walking on the Spot" | 2:54 | |
| 10. | "Distant Sun" | 3:49 | |
| 11. | "Catherine Wheels" | Neil Finn,Tim Finn, Seymour | 5:12 |
| 12. | "Skin Feeling" | Paul Hester | 3:56 |
| 13. | "Together Alone" (*) | Finn, Hart, Ngapo 'Bub' Wehi | 4:13 |
| Total length: | 51:50 | ||
Note
All tracks are written byNeil Finn, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Blue Smoke" (home demo) | 1:56 | |
| 2. | "Fingers of Love" (writing demo) | 1:02 | |
| 3. | "Private Universe" (home demo) | 2:22 | |
| 4. | "The Same Language as Me" (live) | 3:02 | |
| 5. | "Tail of a Comet" (live) | 4:14 | |
| 6. | "Distant Sun" (writing demo) | 0:43 | |
| 7. | "I Am in Love" (band demo) | 4:29 | |
| 8. | "Fingers of Love" (band demo) | 4:02 | |
| 9. | "Fingers of Love" (alternative studio take) | 5:11 | |
| 10. | "Black and White Boy" (early rough mix) | 5:06 | |
| 11. | "Locked Out" (Zen Mix) | 4:17 | |
| 12. | "Newcastle Jam" (studio version) | Finn,Mark Hart,Nick Seymour,Paul Hester | 3:45 |
| 13. | "Convent Girls" | 3:24 | |
| 14. | "Zen Roxy" (*) | Finn, Hart, Seymour, Hester | 6:44 |
| Total length: | 50:10 | ||
Note
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[45] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[46] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[47] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
