Stranger than Fiction, Larger Than Life: the Finn Brothers song-by-song discussion thread

I bought the Town and Country set online from someone who claimed it was an original promo. When it arrived it was poorly made CDrs with 2 second gaps between the tracks, and the insert was a shoddy photocopy for a front cover. At least the dishonest seller sent me something instead of just taking my money. (Not as sad a story as the story @Paul H tells about fan club CDs, but it's not a competition.)

This wretched copy at least allowed me to hear the music, but it turned out to be a poor experience and I didn't, I couldn't enjoy the music as much as I otherwise would have.

Listening to it now, I can hear what others hear: a band still finding a way to perform the Woodface songs without Tim, doing excellent work on the pre-Tim songs, and giving a performance that was greater than the sum of its parts.

4/5, because I don't want to belive that this band ever put on anything less than a great show.

 

I didn't think my fan club story was that sad, merely just an anecdote

It has a happy ending, though, because I do now own a full set. It cost me an arm and a leg though. There was a time when they were being offered on eBay. They were selling for around £70 each and I remember frantically buying them up when they came along. One auction turned out very differently to the way they normally do: a chap (in America: LA, if I recall) got in touch to say that he had a batch of these CDs and would sell them to me for a much reduced price. Given the number he had, it was still very expensive and, of course, I was wary of someone on the internet asking for a large sum of money (it was about £250 if I recall).

Bless him, he went to great lengths to find and send me info about using third party money transfer services (this was before the days of Paypal), escrow and the like. He even offered character references and links to legal professionals in his State should I need to take action against him. In the end, I took the risk that he wasn't going to such effort to con me, and sent him the money. All ended well, and if he's reading this: thank you.

Peter Green eventually put a stop to the eBay auctions and issued reprints on CDRs. They're a goldmine.

 

I'm pretty sure I had the T&CC CD at one point, but I fear it may have disappeared in one of my moves within the last ten years. I meant to check last night but forgot; I'll try to remember to check my CDs (which are no longer as accessible as they once were) when I get home tonight.

 

Ah, the Town & Country double live promo CD! In many ways, late 1991/early 1992 was a very good time to be a fan - the band was becoming more popular in the U.K. and the record company started releasing two-part CD singles with interesting bonus tracks on them, the band was on tour and new singles kept being released. The live tracks from the Town & Country shows appeared on several releases and really showed what an incredible live group Crowded House were. Also, while there have been a lot of live recordings released in many ways - the bonus tracks on CD singles, the fan club CDs, radio broadcasts and so on, there aren't that many full concerts that have been released.

Before I listened again to the T&C double CD today, I hadn't heard it in a very long time and my memory was that it was very good, but that there are many better shows available on fan club CDs. That might be so, but the T&C promo CD is still a great live document, though I think the opening "Tall Trees" is just downright mediocre on this recording. It's like the band was warming up during that song, but after that it just goes from strength to strength, at least in the non-Finn Brothers songs. Musically, they were really gelling and there's also the relaxed banter, the off-the-cuff improvisations and snippets of other songs. One thing that made Crowded House such a special group was how no two concerts were the same, they changed set lists and stage banter from gig to gig. The set list for any given gig could be just about any of their songs, even obscure songs or unreleased songs or songs made up on the spot. This really gave Crowded House an edge in concert. With many other groups, if you catch them twice on the same tour it will often be exactly the same set list and exactly the same "spontaneous" jokes and banter.

One highlight on the T&C promo CD is the acoustic version of "Fame Is". I am not a fan of the album version of the song and was really surprised at how much I enjoyed this version.

It must have been very good to be a Crowded House fan living in the London area at this time - they had played in London (at Hammersmith Odeon) on October 10, 1991 and here they were back, in less than a month, for two more shows. So the fans there got to see the band both with and without Tim. The T&C country was just over a week after his departure from the group. While I wasn't that surprised that they parted ways, having been to the gig in Stockholm a few days before, I was a bit surprised about the whole "immediate effect" of it. In Chris Bourke's book, it says the band had a few days when they arrived to Glasgow and they (Neil, Paul, Nick) were meaning to bring up the issue with Tim but ultimately didn't have the band meeting until November 1 (when they were due to play two shows, one in Glasgow and one in Edinburgh). Having then mutually agreed to part ways, it was with immediate effect and the very same evening Tim was on a plane back to Australia. There were only a few shows to go on the European tour, with the T&C shows being the last before a 10 day break until the second leg of the North American tour would start, so in a way I'm surprised they didn't decide to finish the European tour before parting ways. I'm thinking also of when Phil Judd announced he was leaving Split Enz, during their first U.S. tour in 1977. He made his announcement in the middle of the tour but finished the tour with the band. But maybe in the Crowded House situation all concerned felt it was better to part ways immediately. I'm glad it didn't destroy Tim's and the band's personal friendships and that there doesn't seem to have been any hard feelings about it once the decision had been made.

My T&C anecdote: in the pre-Internet days, Swedish fans of the band had two sources of information. One was the fan club newsletters, the other was to phone the promotions manager at the record company here if one wanted to know things such as release dates for the next single or any upcoming shows etc. When Crowded House Mark I was active, I knew about five other Swedish fans and when I visited them some time after the T&C promo CD had been released, I discovered that they all owned copies of it while I had had no luck tracking down a copy. They had, in fact, happened to phone the record company guy about something or other, unaware of the T&C promo CD, and he had actually sent them free copies of the promo CDs just because they called him. One of those who had called was my best friend since early childhood and he actually forgot to tell me he had got a free copy as he assumed I phoned the record company guy on a weekly basis anyway (I didn't). So all my Swedish CH friends got free copies of this promo CD when it was new, while I eventually bought a very very expensive copy on eBay...

Anyway, while the T&C promo CD is far from the best live recording I've heard of Crowded House, it is still really great.
4,7/5

 

When I was gobbling up Crowded House live CDs in the early 2000's as fast as I could find them, the real Town & Country promo was far too expensive for me so I bought a bootleg on Yahoo autions (remember them ?) called Four Seasons In One Day made by Kiss The Stone for about a tenth of the cost. I was thrilled until I later learned that although the track listing was accurate, some of the actual songs were not the ones from the Town & Country concert. With hindsight I should have been suspicious when it said "recorded in USA 1992" on the back.

4/5 (for the real one)

 

I never knew about the UK promo release of the November 9th Town & Country Club show on the 1991 Woodface tour until many many years later. By that time, I had already collected the live b-sides, which included several from this show (as well as three from the following night's show at the same venue). To me, the November 9th songs that were selected for release as b-sides sound better on the singles than they do on the promo release, although some of the pre- and post-song stage commentary has been edited out on the singles. As others have said, I think this is a good, but not a great Crowded House show for the period. The loss of Tim is keenly felt on several songs (most notably "It's Only Natural") and there's a bit of a hole in the sound that would later be filled by stronger contributions from Mark. As I've said before in the context of its b-side availability, the version of "Weather With You" from this show is my personal favorite and was the first indication I heard of the live Crowded House experience.

Still, it's 1991 live Crowded House, so the promo release gets a solid 3.8 from me.

 

I was REALLY excited to receive this as a promo way back when. My rep at Capitol only had a handful to send out, and I was lucky to get one. It’s a great set. Lots of wonderful performances.

Gotta give it 5 out of 5.

 

Well, I’ve checked, and no T & CC for me. I’m pretty sure I heard it at some point – I have a vague recollection of the acoustic version of Fame Is. But I don’t have it, and I don’t really have time to listen to an album today, anyway. Wish I could have participated in the discussion.

 

Today's song is "The Islands", by MC Fli. T. with Tim Finn (with Vika and Linda - Wikipedia Bull on backing vocals), written by Tim Finn/F. Laga'aia II/Nemo, produced by "Scope 2 Productions" and released on cassette single in 1992 (on EMI Records) as a charity single.

I have no idea what the charity was for, however the song includes the admonition to "Feed the Needy." You can see the artwork for this song here: http://nzmmuseum.blogspot.com/p/tim-finn-and-neil-finn-solo.html

It does not stream on any mainstream streaming service, f however for those who haven't heard it a link to it can be found buried on the Frenz.com website and if you google MC Fli. T., I've just discovered, there is a clyp.it link to this song. I don't want to break any rules by linking to it because I'm not sure what the rules are.

 

This is a hip-hop song, with rapping verses interspersed by R&B-inflected sung choruses, mainly by Vika and Linda but with Tim joining in with a different line two-thirds of the way through the song.

I suppose Tim must have written most of the vocal melody parts, which are all R&B/soul inflected...otherwise, he certainly doesn't seem to be doing enough to deserve the prominent credit he has -- he barely even sings on it. It's notable that Tim is listed first in the song-writing credits, making me think he may have had a lot to do with the non-rapping music.

The song is in an uplifting, positive vein of hip hop, with MC. Fli. T. extolling the virtues from people from "The Island". I have no idea which island MC Fli. T. is from -- Vika and LInda are from Tonga and Tim is from New Zealand. MC Fli. T. may be from a totally different island or set of islands. Discogs lists this as his only release.

Anyway, I like the song: it makes for good background music, the type of stuff that would sound good at a beach in the hot sun; and it has some good percussion and bass in it. It's certainly not something your typical Finn fan is going to love, as its hip hop, but it's pleasant enough.

File under: Songs About Islands.

3.0/5

 

I recall 2 NZ record stores were giving away free the Town and Country promo when you bought Woodface on release. What a scramble - just got the last 2 copies in town for me and a mate .

 

Our votes from Live at the Town and Country Club London November 9th 1991:

1-0
2-0
3-0
4-4
5-2
Average: 4.2

 

"Islands" is a fine, pleasant tune, but I don't hear much of Tim Finn on this track; just a bit on the second vocal about two-thirds of the way in. I agree with Lance's summation of this one.

3.0/5

 

I first heard of the track "Islands" back in 1992, but it took many years before I managed to find the cassette single. When you finally track down a real obscurity, you hope that it will be a real masterpiece, the gem of gems and... "Islands" isn't. I think it's quite catchy and pleasant, but Tim's part (at least his vocals part, maybe he contributed a lot to the writing of the song) is not that much. I suspect the record company tagged on "with Tim Finn" on the cover so people like us would rush out and buy the single. I think I read back in the day that this single was instigated by the NZ Tourism Board so I always assumed the title referred to New Zealand which of course consists of islands (North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, Chatham Island etc). However, MC Fli T sings that he is from Samoa, Linda & Vika Bull are from Tonga and Tim is from North Island, so maybe they are promoting all the islands. (Split Enz, incidentally, did a private one-off reunion gig for the NZ Tourism Board in Sydney in August 1992, a friend of mine was lucky enough to attend that gig and also got to meet Tim)
3/5

Speaking of Tim collaborating with Samoan hip hop artists, in 2005 he appeared on a track called "Cry Again" by Samoan rapper Dei Hamo. The track, based around "I Hope I Never", was on Dei Hamo's album First Edition and also released as a CD single, credited to Dei Hamo feat. Tim Finn. It is also available on Spotify. I guess we'll get to that one when we reach 2005.

Another osbcure Tim Finn-related track I've just discovered is an instrumental, acoustic guitar-dominated cover of the Split Enz song "Working Up An Appetite" by an artist called Tom Carleno. This one is also on Spotify if anyone wants to hear it.

 

Wow, just realised I'm going to see Crowded House next year! They're playing Pinkpop in The Netherlands on June 20th.

 

I don't know how to feel about this one. It's well done, but stylistically it just doesn't do anything for me, so I'm not sure I can fairly evaluate it. It's in that "nothing wring with it, but nothing I'd go looking for (nor actively avoid)" bucket, I guess?

3/5 (I guess?)

 

Okay, I'll be that guy. Hip hop does nothing for me. I certainly don't mean to suggest that the genre is worthless. It simply doesn't appeal to my tastes (but I understand that a great many people feel differently, and I'm not saying they're objectively wrong, just that their personal preferences are different from mine).

Given my general disinclination toward hip hop and Tim's seemingly de minimis involvement in the track, I can't give it more than 1.5/5. I'd rather listen to "The Island" than to "I'm Still Here," but there are a number of songs to which I've given scores of 2/5, songs that I genuinely don't like, but that I'd still rather listen to over "The Island."

 

I like hiphop once in a while, but “The Island” is very lightweight and repetitive. Tim’s involvement is minor, so I don’t feel guilty with giving this a 2.5 / 5

 

Very interesting information, thank you very much! Might there be a European tour in June/July next year? Here's hoping!

 

Me too.

 

Our votes for "The Islands"

1-0
2-1
3-5
4-0
5-0
Average: 2.6667

 

Today's song is "Not Made of Stone", written by Tim Finn and produced by Tim Finn and Paul Kosky at Tim's Periscope Studios. Paul Kosky engineered.

"Not Made of Stone" was released as a track on the Hit the Ground Running double EP in the UK in 1993. Lyrical and musical elements of the song appeared in "Funny Way" from Before and After in 1993, which is why I'm holding it up now, before Before and After. while the melody of the verse showed up later in "Some Dumb Reason" from Say It Is So in 2000.

Unfortunately the song does not currently stream on any public service I know of, though copies of the Hit the Ground Running CD can be found on Ebay.

Since I don't think the lyric is published, either, I'll transcribe it here.

Have you ever seen a face like that
Staring at you from the mirror?
A pink carnation and a ten-gallon hat
He's a love-sick gorilla
Have you ever tried to compromise
With a world that wasn't willing?
Almost anything makes your spirit rise
When you start to share a feeling

Count the hours
I'm not made of stone
Question everything
I"m not made of stone
For the record
I'm not made of stone

I bring you all of my attention span
But what did you expect from me?
I stand before you like your long-lost man
Tim Finn is what you want him to be
When she hits me then I kiss her back
WE find the lonely places
With a whole lot of it going on
You make me come to my senses

Count the hours
I'm not made of stone
Question everything
I"m not made of stone
For the record
I'm not made of stone

I'll come running
Ill come running with open arms
I'll come running
I"ll come running with everything I own
Cause I'm not made of stone
I'm not made of stone
I'm not made of stone

Question everything
Count the hours
For the record
I'm not made of stone
I'm not made of stone...

 

"Not Made of Stone" is an interesting song. It's a fully produced song, an outtake with great sound.

Probably the most "rocky" song we've heard from Tim so far, with lots of guitar, including some backward "psychedelic" guitar buried in the mix. Yet it has with a danceable and funky beat (and stellar drumming, in my opinion -- Ricky Fataar? Who knows? there are no musician credits)that moves the song along and subtly builds it's tension and energy.

The song, musically and lyrically is all about tension: it also features some of Tim's most personal lyrics, depicting what seems to be a very destructuve relationship that Tim just can't keep himself from returning.

The "Tim Finn is what you want him to me"makes it seem startlingly personal and is followed by the line "when she hits me then I kiss her back." It sounds very stressful and I feel like there's a lot of pain in this song.

And maybe that's why Tim decided to include the similarly-themed but much lighter and less emotionally deep "Funny Way"-- that and, the fact is, "Funny Way" has a number of instantly catchy elements.

But this is well worth hearing and in many ways has more depth than "Funny Way."

4.3/5

 

"Not Made of Stone" is a very good b-side that could easily have been included on Before & After. As much as I like "Funny Way", I like "Not Made of Stone" better and feel that it would have improved Before & After had it been included, rather than being issued as a b-side on the "Hit the Ground Running" single. The lyrics are certainly intriguing and seem to be a riposte to a lover or romantic partner who had accused Tim of being cold and emotionless. Strong track.

3.9/5

 

I've only listened to Not Made of Stone once or twice. I enjoyed it but never made the connection that elements of it were re-used. I need to have another listen!