| Crowded House | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 1, 1986[1] | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | Pop rock,alternative rock,new wave[2] | |||
| Length | 38:40 | |||
| Label | Capitol/EMI | |||
| Producer | Mitchell Froom | |||
| Crowded House chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Crowded House | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [3] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [5] |
| The Village Voice | C+[6] |
Crowded House is the debut album by New Zealand-Australian bandCrowded House. Produced byMitchell Froom, it was released in August 1986 and was certified platinum in four countries. 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".
At the1986 Countdown Australian Music Awards the album won Best Debut Album.[7][8] In December of 2021, the album was listed at no. 7 inRolling Stone Australia's '200 Greatest Albums of All Time' countdown.[9]
After the breakup ofSplit Enz in 1984,Neil Finn and drummerPaul Hester decided to form a new band. Bass playerNick 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.[10] Former Swingers and soon-to-beMidnight Oil bass playerBones Hillman was also a candidate,[11] but it was Seymour's playing on the demo for "That's What I Call Love" that earned him the spot. The group, then namedThe Mullanes, also includedThe Reels guitaristCraig Hooper, who left the band before they signed withCapitol Records.[10] Capitol rejected the name "The Mullanes", as well as alternatives such as "Largest Living Things". The nameCrowded House was adopted after the trio flew toLos Angeles to record the album and were provided with a very cramped apartment to live in.[10]
The album's rhythm tracks were recorded by Larry Hirsh at Capitol Recording Studios, Los Angeles. The remaining recording sessions for the album were atSunset Sound studios, where the group first collaborated with engineerTchad 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 drummerJim Keltner and bass playerJerry 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-releasedCrowded 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. ADualDisc 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 theDisctronics B plant atBraeside was opened in March 1987, the album began to be manufactured there.
All tracks are written byNeil Finn, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mean to Me" | 3:15 |
| 2. | "World Where You Live" | 3:07 |
| 3. | "Now We're Getting Somewhere" | 4:09 |
| 4. | "Don't Dream It's Over" | 3:56 |
| 5. | "Love You 'Til the Day I Die" | 3:31 |
| 6. | "Something So Strong" (Finn,Mitchell Froom) | 2:51 |
| 7. | "Hole in the River" (Finn,Eddie Rayner) | 4:02 |
| 8. | "Can't Carry On" | 3:57 |
| 9. | "I Walk Away" | 3:06 |
| 10. | "Tombstone" | 3:30 |
| 11. | "That's What I Call Love" (Finn,Paul Hester) | 3:39 |
Note
All tracks are written byNeil Finn, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mean to Me" | 3:15 |
| 2. | "World Where You Live" | 3:07 |
| 3. | "Now We're Getting Somewhere" | 4:09 |
| 4. | "Don't Dream It's Over" | 3:56 |
| 5. | "Love You 'Til the Day I Die" | 3:31 |
| 6. | "Something So Strong" (Finn,Mitchell Froom) | 2:51 |
| 7. | "Hole in the River" (Finn,Eddie Rayner) | 4:02 |
| 8. | "Can't Carry On" | 3:57 |
| 9. | "I Walk Away*" | 3:31 |
| 10. | "Tombstone" | 3:30 |
| 11. | "That's What I Call Love" (Finn,Paul Hester) | 3:39 |
All tracks are written byNeil Finn, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Something So Strong (Home Demo)" (Finn,Mitchell Froom) | 1:22 |
| 2. | "Hole in the River (Studio Demo)" (Finn,Eddie Rayner,Paul Hester) | 4:06 |
| 3. | "Love You 'til the Day I Die (Home Demo)" | 0:54 |
| 4. | "That's What I Call Love (Studio Demo)" (Hester, Finn) | 3:35 |
| 5. | "Can't Carry On (Studio Demo)" | 3:35 |
| 6. | "Walking on the Pier (Studio Demo)" | 3:20 |
| 7. | "Does Anyone Here Understand my Girlfriend (Studio Demo)" (Hester) | 3:23 |
| 8. | "Oblivion (Studio Demo)" | 3:36 |
| 9. | "Walking on the Spot (Studio Demo)" | 3:44 |
| 10. | "Something So Strong (Studio Demo)" (Finn, Froom) | 2:12 |
| 11. | "Now We're Getting Somewhere (Studio Demo)" | 4:32 |
| 12. | "Stranger Underneath Your Skin (Home Demo)" | 2:49 |
| 13. | "Don't Dream It's Over (Home Demo)" | 3:15 |
| 14. | "Left Hand (Live)" | 4:23 |
| 15. | "Grabbing by the Handful (Live)" (Finn, Hester,Craig Hooper,Nick Seymour) | 3:33 |
| 16. | "World Where You Live (writing demo)" | 1:17 |
| 17. | "Recurring Dream (original version) *" (Finn, Hester, Hooper, Seymour) | 2:59 |
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[23] | 6× Platinum | 420,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[24] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[25] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[26] | Silver | 60,000* |
| United States (RIAA)[27] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
