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

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Lance LaSalle, Jan 21, 2019.

  1. KangaMom

    KangaMom Queen of the Quokkas

    Happy New Year! Hopefully all those that needed it have recovered from their festivities!

    Crowded House Live 92-94 Pt. 1 - it's really interesting to listen to a live album of Crowded House and compare it to my memory of seeing them live. I do have a number of the fan club CDs but hardly ever pull them out to listen to (and certainly not recently). So in a sense, I am coming to it with "fresh" ears and the only real comparison is the distant live memory and comparison to the recorded versions.

    As always, CH have brought the goods on new twists to the songs, and maybe highlighting the strengths of other songs. For instance I've always loved Pineapple Head and its melody and I think it sounds even better live than on the recorded version. Likewise, Love this Life is a real highlight on this album with the vocal a bit warmer than on the recorded version. Oddly enough I was a bit disappointed with Locked Out and Sister Madly. On Locked Out I kind of felt like the driving bass wasn't as obvious in the live setting and Sister Madly was a bit too much of a good thing. I mean, I love Sister Madly, but I don't need an endless version of it...

    Love the mashup of Log Cabin Fever and Catherine Wheel. I could wish that Neil's high vocal at the start of Log Cabin Fever was stronger but it's live. I just love the juxtaposition of those 2 songs (which I hadn't ever thought about together). There's an air of melancholy that I really enjoy here (does this make me weird?).

    A special shout out for In My Command which is just a bit more driven in this live setting than on CD. A bit more jaunty and kind of chaotic.

    I 100% agree that not having the banter is a serious loss. It's what makes a CH live experience cool! Still, if you have never experienced that before maybe you wouldn't miss it.

    4/5

    p.s. I've already listened to Pt. 2 and (not to pre-empt) but I'm puzzling over why one of these parts is more to my taste than the other...hopefully I'll figure it out before we get to discussing Pt. 2.
     
  2. HitAndRun

    HitAndRun Forum Resident

    Crowded House Live 92-94 Pt 1

    I didn't manage to get through both albums today as other stuff happened. However, I have listened to this album.

    Overall, I think it's a Crowded House live album. It was interesting to hear the songs without much banter. The performances were good, and it's CH so it's a great sequence of songs. Neil is in great voice.

    The bit that probably should have been the most interesting was the insertion of Log Cabin Fever in front of Catherine wheels. However, that didn't work as well as I expected. Maybe a bit sloppy, and not in a good, fun, way.

    Listening to this album, it's excellent as it has to be because of the songs. But, I think that it could have been better. Part of that may be because I know all the songs so well that there's not really anything unexpected or a surprise. Which is why I think Log Cabin Fever is a bit of a lost opportunity. I'm not sure it was planned from the sound of it.

    It is excellent. It's CH so it has to be unless they deliberately sabotaged it. But after all the fan club releases I think this is just one live album among many.

    4.1/5
     
  3. HitAndRun

    HitAndRun Forum Resident

    ALT Live at Tramps N.Y.C. 1995

    I'm not going to rate this one because I'm not familiar enough with it. While I bought the ALT albums first time around and saw them live (only) once, these songs aren't ingrained in my mind like the CH songs from the previous album.

    Given context it gets compared to CH, and it's an unfair comparison as it's the cream of the crop of CH songs from the first stage of their career, versus more or less a single album from ALT.

    The set starts OK with Penelope Tree and and Halfway Round the World. Whose falsetto is that on HWRtW?

    When the Winter Comes shines through as a great song performed very well, even if its a subtle song without an in your face hook. Amazing Grace is OK, though the intro perhaps is a bit ... I dunno. Once Liam is singing properly, it's great.

    What You've Done - a memorable and very good song.

    Favourite Girl - this is my favourite song from ALTitude, but somehow doesn't work here.

    Overall, I think it's a good album, but a curate's egg.
     
  4. robcar

    robcar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver, CO
    The Live From The Wiltern EP was recorded almost exactly a year later at a different Los Angeles venue (one where I've seen many shows). I do like this one more than the previous live EP, but it still has some of the same problems that I always have with Liam's music. The first track is Exhibit A. Fortunately, things dramatically improve with this version of "Fire In Your Belly", which benefits from Eliza Jane Barnes' vocals. There is more instrumental variety on display here and Liam's vocals seem to be stronger here. I actually prefer this version of "I'll Be Lightning" to the studio version on his debut. It seems less gimmicky. Most of these versions are extended quite a bit in comparison to the studio versions, which isn't necessarily a good thing. The drums rarely come in before the last minute or two, which tends to give each song a sort of similar split personality (first part Liam strumming by himself; last part full instrumentation) and this gets quite wearisome even on just an EP.

    Overall, I'll give it a 3.1/5.
     
  5. robcar

    robcar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver, CO
    I'm going to abstain from rating these two live releases (my first two abstentions on this entire thread, I think) because I haven't yet bought them, and most likely won't for a few more weeks. I'm still working to catch up on all of the back-half 2020 releases and haven't gotten to these yet.

    Is there information included on the dates that the songs on the CH compilation come from? I'll need that information as I studiously tag every live song in my collection with the date and city on/in which it was recorded. If that information is not available, I'll likely have to skip buying this entirely.
     
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  6. brownie61

    brownie61 Forum Resident

    A live CH recording without the banter is a live CH recording I have no interest in hearing. Pass.
     
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  7. BeSteVenn

    BeSteVenn FOMO Resident

    I streamed Crowded House Live 92-94 Pt 1 a couple of days ago, and I really enjoyed it. I probably enjoyed it too much because I couldn't get any work done while I had it on. Any live performance with Neil, Mark, Nick and Paul is certain to be good, patter or no patter.

    I'll get both 1 and 2 eventually, although I really prefer to have a physical product in my hands and in the CD player.

    4/5
     
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  8. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    There is no information regarding dates and cities. There is one song where Neil mentions Birmingham.
     
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  9. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Our votes for Crowded House Live 02-94 Pt 1

    1-0
    2-0
    3-0
    4-4
    5-0
    Average: 4,125
     
  10. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Our votes for Live at Tramps NYC 1995

    4.5
     
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  11. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Today's song is "Straw To Gold", written by Tim Finn and produced by Eddie Rayner and Ethan Allen; engineered and mixed by Ethan Allen.

    Lyric.

    Tim Finn: Lead and backing vocal, piano, acoustic guitar, bass drum, tambourine
    Brett Adams: acoustic and electric guitars
    Miles Golding: violin
    Eddie Rayner: organ, electric piano, synth bass tambourine

    This song was also released on North, South, East, West: Anthology in 2009.
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2021
  12. robcar

    robcar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver, CO
    Guess I'll skip it then.
     
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  13. Turk Thrust

    Turk Thrust Forum Resident

    Location:
    U.K.
    It's not exactly the kind of opening song to grab the listener's attention, but it's quite beguiling in its own way.

    There are some nice little musical touches from both Tim and Eddie Rayner, and the violin also adds something.

    I'm not so keen on the electric guitars that conclude the track, but a decent way to kick things off.

    3.5/5.
     
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  14. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    I think the music tells the story here more than the slightly ambiguous lyric: on the surface some of the lines seem to be echoing previous love songs to Marie that Tim had written, this theme of being saved from a drifting life...but there's such a gloomy, moody thundercloud of an atmosphere that pretty much hangs over the entire song: the middle eight sees some sunshine breaking through, but it's very brief and the violin and guitar solos at the end bring this sense of almost menacing despair.

    Eddie keeps himself on a tight leash here and let's Brett and Miles tell the story and their interplay here does indeed sound a bit like a conversation -- I have a feeling from watching the documentary on YouTube that Miles is not much of an improviser, so Brett does the embellishing of the theme introduced by Miles. The very subtle percussion (not only the percussive instruments but Brett's guitar, as well) is interesting.

    Also I note that Tim is writing in a key that suits the remains of his voice -- some of Imaginary Kingdom 'songs were pitched quite high, relatively: while it generally was OK on record, he strains at those high notes at the best of time.

    4.5/5
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2021
  15. HitAndRun

    HitAndRun Forum Resident

    I'm looking forward to this because The Conversation is the Tim album that I'm least familiar with. That may be unfair to Liam as I was even more unfamiliar with IBL - but Liam isn't one of the musicians I've known since I first got into music and grew up with like Tim is.

    Straw to Gold

    I agree with Turk here. It's a nice song, but not the kind of song that usually kicks off an album. The melody is strong. The production is restrained and interesting. The song never 'kicks off'. That's not a bad thing at all - it's the kind of song it is. Just unexpected in context. I think this is the kind of song that would be great to end an album with. Exactly as it is. However, what I know of the album it's not produced to be a 'hit' album. There's no 'Couldn't Be Done' that I remember. Though, there are songs that could have been all dolled up as a hit - including this one.

    The arrangement and performance is absolutely fine for me, including the guitars at the end. Tim sings it well. Not with the pure voice he had when he was in his 20s, but he's hitting recognisable notes.

    The lyrics are nice, and paint a picture of the hero returned from a perhaps not entirely successful quest finding peace and happiness with the one he loves. If I've interpreted that right.

    3.8 /5
     
  16. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    That is a great interpretation, I was a bit puzzled about it but that makes sense.
     
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  17. ToneM

    ToneM Forum Resident

    Location:
    Birmingham, UK
    Happy New Year all.

    Straw to Gold

    What a perfectly intriguing opener. A subtle, brooding melody that builds to an unrelenting crescendo. Lyrically it's sparse and uninteresting, treading familiar Tim territory regarding being rescued from blind ambition by love. However, Golding's gorgeous violin and the fierce guitar outro elevates this to one of the most memorable tracks on a very fine record.

    4.5/5
     
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  18. ToneM

    ToneM Forum Resident

    Location:
    Birmingham, UK
    I recall having to import the CD from Aus for a premium at the time. I believe out of Tim's last 5 albums, only Imaginary Kingdom got a physical UK release.
     
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  19. appleboy

    appleboy Forum Resident

    Just listening to Live 92-94 and noticed You Can Touch is the same as on the "Manchester Split" Fan Club Cd though backing vocals are up more in the mix.
     
  20. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Thanks, I suspected as much.
     
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  21. brownie61

    brownie61 Forum Resident

    I know the discussion of an album usually takes place after we discuss all the songs, but I feel like I need to say a little about the album first this time. I love the idea of The Conversation. I would rate just about any of these songs pretty highly on any Tim Finn album. Unfortunately, listening to them all in one sitting is too much of a good thing. It’s like eating too much cake. It starts out great and enjoyable, but then gets kind of tiresome. I almost never make it through this album in one sitting, not because I dislike any of it, but because after a while, it all just starts to sound the same to me and I get tired of it.

    Having said that:

    Straw to Gold - This a lovely piece of music. I love how the violin gets just a little aggressive at the end. Tim sounds great, especially on the chorus, and at the “And you helped me find my peace of mind” part.

    4/5
     
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  22. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    I Actually sort of feel the same about this album; and I feel like it suffers from the same problem that the also otherwise spectacular Time On Earth suffers from.

    Both albums may represent the best single collection of songs from their respective Finn brother; and yet perhaps they are both less than the sum of their parts due to a certain rather mellow saminess.
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2021
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  23. KangaMom

    KangaMom Queen of the Quokkas

    Straw to Gold - I'm generally in agreement with @ToneM on this song. I love the brooding nature of the song and just the overall sweeping drama of the song, particularly the last minute of the song and the bridge vocal (which I don't know how to describe except that it is some sort of chamber-esque wordless vocal EDIT: the same vocal @brownie61 referred to which is not entirely wordless!).

    I actually only discovered this album about 8 months ago (back at the start of the pandemic) and was immediately taken by it. I'm actually excited when "Straw to Gold" comes up in my random song shuffle (a bit surprising given the brooding nature).

    I'm a pretty big sucker for strings and I like the simplicity of this song. I feel like all the musicians are balanced just right - it would be very easy for it to get very fussy with the caliber of players here (looking at you Ed Rayner!). I actually think this is a very good opener for the album as it sets the tone for "The Conversation", it's not necessarily going to be a jaunty ride, but it's certainly going to be musically quite different from Tim's previous albums.

    The lyrics are also a portent for the most of the rest of the album which I read as essentially one big love letter to Tim's wife, Marie. One does get a sense that Tim was just so relieved to have the love of a good woman that it's generated an infinite number of songs documenting that feeling. I love the honesty of Tim's lyrics on this album (generally), and this song particularly, because he isn't afraid to bare his heart's emotions.

    It's an easy 4.5/5 (at the risk of giving myself nowhere to go on ratings).
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2021
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  24. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    There are a number of interviews that are connected with this album recorded for radio or whatever and interestingly Tim mentions a couple of things that relate to what you've written.

    One is that he found endless inspiration in the settled life of marriage and children.

    Another is that Marie helped his songwriting by telling him if it was crap or not, particularly lyric-wise.

    And a third iis that constantly touring through out the '00s meant that recording albums was a much easier process for him than it had been earlier in his career when he would agonize over getting songs on record, and take lots of time.

    As a side-note, it's also kind of sad that only one of Tim's last 5 albums got any kind of release in the UK, as they are his five best albums, in my opinion; although I know you are a fan of Escapade, I find his first four albums to be pretty hit and miss.

    I know they are available now on iTunes, etc, administered by Periscope, his own label, but they never got a proper push there. And the last two weren't released in the US either., I think.

    This is why I think that he should have stayed with minor labels. I'm not sure if he sold much more on EMI/Capitol then he did with his self-released records and he seems to have worked pretty hard trying to do so. But who knows maybe he had to release those records on EMI/Capitol, it seems the only album he didn't Say It Is So.
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2021
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  25. drewrclv9

    drewrclv9 Forum Resident

    ‘Straw to Gold’ - I agree with a lot of the opinions shared here. It’s a good song and does set the tone for what’s to come in many ways. I find myself enjoying the verses more than the chorus; it almost feels like they were taken from two separate songs to me. Otherwise, the vocals and instrumentation are great.

    The only other minor gripe I have is that I feel like the song should fade around the 3:05-3:10 mark and cut out the kind of wild guitar solo at the end. The ending runs a bit long. But then we’d miss out on the great hectic, ascending violin part from Miles, so fair is fair I guess.

    3.8/5
     
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