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

I think that Largest Living Things II is a great improvement over the first EP, and yes, the music is developing. There's a bit of a country-rock feel creeping into some of the tracks which goes well with the bluesy grunge of the music. I have to say that I think the entire band is great. I love the guitarist and I love the drums on the album: reading Stefan's story above makes me wonder if Paul drummed the majority of the non-live songs in the studio. And I love Hessie's rhythm guitar, it's got a basic, but rocking quality to it. And of course his voice is really damned good, if not up to the level of Neil or prime-Tim, well, few people are.

Even though I only have this on low bit-rate version, I have to say I think the sound of the record is great. Very clear to my ears, without being too trebly; and to my ears it has dynamics and really natural crescendoes.

Perhaps some of the more pop oriented tracks (as opposed to the jammy dark blues ones) could do with more concision but I wouldn't change the longer jam things -- that's when Largest Living Things really do their stuff. I really enjoy this album.

4/5

 

This week two fan club albums from The Finn Brothers:

• Mood Swinging Men (1995-1996)
• Kiwi Charms (1995- 1996)

 

Mood Swinging Men was an album culled from various live performances on the Finn Brothers live world tour, with songs taken from performances in the UK, the US, Australia and New Zealand.

It was released in 1998. It includes an early version of "Astro", from Try Whistling This, and what must have been the brand new song "Mary of The South Seas."

The Tracklist:

1. Only Talking Sense (Neil Finn, Tim Finn) -London, November 16th, 1995)
2. Chocolate Cake (N. Finn, T. Finn) -London, November 16th, 1995
3. Mood Swinging Man (N. Finn, T. Finn) -London, November 16th, 1995
4. Catherine Wheels (N. Finn, T. Finn, Nick Seymour) - Los Angeles, August 17th, 1996
5. Four Seasons in one Day (N. Finn, T. Finn) - Los Angeles, August 17th, 1996
6. Mary of the South Seas (N. Finn, T. Finn, Andy White) - Los Angeles, August 17th, 1996
7. Niwhai (N. Finn, T. Finn) - Los Angeles, August 17th, 1996
8. Suffer Never (N. Finn, T. Finn) - Chicago, July 12th, 1996
9. Astro (N. Finn) - Chicago, July 12th, 1996
10. Time For a Change (Phillip Judd) -London, November 16th, 1995
11. Where Is My Soul (N. Finn, T. Finn) -London, November 16th, 1995
12. Hello Sandy Allen (N. Finn) -London, November 16th, 1995
13. What's The Matter with You? (N. Finn) -London, November 15th, 1995
14. The Devil You Know (N. Finn) Washington D.C, July 11th, 1996
15. Many's The Time (In Dublin) (Tim Finn, Liam Ó Maonlai, Andy White) Dunedin, March 4th, 1996
16. Paradise (Wherever You Are) (N. Finn, T. Finn) Dunedin, March 4th, 1996

 

Kiwi Charms is also culled from many performances recorded between November 1995 and July 1996 in New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, and Canada

. It includes the Tim Finn rarity "Water Birth", the studio version of which was not released until the compilations Poor Boy (2009) and North, South, East West: Anthology(2010.) -- as "Into The Water."

Kiwi Charms was released on September 30th, 2000.

1. Only Talking Sense (Neil Finn, Tim Finn) -Sydney Australia, February 18, 1996
2. Poor Boy (T. Finn) -Sydney Australia, February 18, 1996
3. In Love with It All (N. Finn, T. Finn) - Palmerston North, NZ, February 29th, 1996
4. Angel's Heap (N. Finn, T. Finn) - Palmerston North, NZ, February 29th, 1996
5. There Goes God (N. Finn, T. Finn) - Palmerston North, NZ, February 29th, 1996
6. Sweet Dreams (Phillip Judd) -Sydney Australia, February 18, 1996
7. Four Seasons in One Day (N. Finn, T. Finn) -Sydney Australia, February 18, 1996
8. Time For a Change (Judd) -Sydney Australia, February 18, 1996
9. Suffer Never (N. Finn, T. Finn) -Sydney Australia, February 18, 1996
10. Where Is My Soul? (N. Finn, T. Finn) -Sydney Australia, February 18, 1996
11. What's the Matter with You? (N. Finn) -Sydney Australia, February 18, 1996
12. Water Birth (aka "Into The Water) (T. Finn) - Newcastle, Australia, February 20th, 1996
13. Eyes of the World (N. Finn, T. Finn) - Dublin, November 12th, 1995
14. It's Only Natural (N. Finn, T. Finn) -Canberra, February 16, 1996
15. Throw Your Arms Around Me (Mark SEymour, Hunters & Collectors) Toronto, July 7, 1996
16. Six Months in a Leaky Boat (T.Finn, Split Enz) Toronto, July 7, 1996
17. Weather With You (N. Finn, T. Finn) Toronto, July 7, 1996
18. Last Day Of June (N. Finn)- Melbourne, February 14th, 1996

Thanks to @Paul H for the information.

 

Mood Swinging Men:

It's hard to muster up thoughts for this one. Good performances. The opening "Only Talking Sense" maybe one of my favorite versions of the song, which is probably in my Top Ten Finn songs.

"Niwhai" live is much more tolerable than the studio version which I absolutely hate. "Catherine Wheels", Neil mentions how a couple of his songs basically have some kind of similar underlying structure; there's an edit during which I suppose he demonstrates some of the others (they are "Log Cabin Fever" and "Four Seasons in One Day", by the way). It's nice to hear "Mary of the South Seas" live, that's such a great song. I haven't been sleeping well lately, so it's no surprise that while listening I feel asleep while Tim was talking about "Time for a Change."

Still, I'll give this my rote 4.5, though I'll listen to the second half at some point again this week.

Docked a little for the grab-bag "best of live" approach which isn't as fun as hearing a full concert. I personally wonder if they have to do that because of failing voices (particularly tim's) as concerts go on, but then again most of Neil's live fan club albums are also "best of"s so maybe it's just their (Neil's, especially) perfectionist natures taking the reins.

It did seeem to me that for some reason the banter was a little off, like Peter Green or whoever put these together were highlighting moments of tension...but maybe that came off (and was surely meant) as funny banter.

 

Kiwi Magic

This week illustrates the problems I have with covering Fan Club CDs. We've just done some Finn Brothers tour CDs, and here we are again.

These recordings sound more refined, both in the performance (including vocals) and the recording. These recordings wouldn't sound out of place as official live releases. And, I presume that there is not 'cheating' by replacing parts.

Unusual to have two versions of 'Six Months in a Leaky Boat' here. I prefer the former (presuming I'm listening in the right order). With it's extended guitar solo. 'What's The Matter With You' is also an interesting version.

There is less banter here than on the other CDs covered the other week. However, that may because it's been edited out.

'Water Birth' is a very interesting song. It starts a little unpromising (to my hears) but the more of it I hear the more I like it. It has little twists and turns, and I think it would have been great on a latter day Enz album (should such ever have happened) with a full production.

These are really nice versions of very nice songs. The track listing doesn't have too many surprises for a Finn Brothers live CD, but

I'm really not sure about rating these numerically. But, since there aren't many of us rating, I'll say:

4.0/5

BTW: In having a look through what is available from obscure bands of my youth. Paul Jeffrey who plays keyboards (and does sound work) here used to be in a band called Schtung, who released one album in New Zealand and then split or morphed into a media company or something. I saw them at Nambassa (along with Split Enz and other bands), and also at a free concert in Albert Park.

He's interviewed in this article about a later Split Enz reunion, and in the article he talks about working with earlier tours by the Finn Bros. https://www.audiotechnology.com/PDF/FEATURES/AT48_HISTORY_REPEATS_SPLIT_ENZ_LIVE_IN_2006.pdf

Here is one of the two songs that Paul Jeffrey sings on the Schtung album. 'Love Song'.



Probably too obscure for anywhere, but because of me re-listening to the Schtung album recently, my ears pick up when I hear mention of 'Paul Jeffrey'. I still have my vinyl copy of this album.

My intention is to post on Mood Swinging Men later on in the week.

 

Mood Swinging Men

I'm listening to this when working, having listened to it once already.

The album is well recorded with the instruments all being clear. Perhaps the production isn't as refined as an official live release would be, but this certainly sounds clear. The performances are good. There is as would be expected a more informal and loose feel than on the original recordings, but these performances sound fine to me. Perhaps there are missing instruments, but the overall sound is great. Neil's guitar has a nice tone. Nothing fancy. The drums and other percussion sound good. The piano playing is good. The vocals are sounding good and like Kiwi Magic the performances are now quite smooth. The sound of their speaking voices is quite close and intimate sounding.

There are some interesting references, e.g. to the song 'Pablo Picasso'.

The track listing is perhaps a bit safe. Though, that may be influenced by me having heard a number of Finn Bros albums recently. 'Mary of the South Seas' is the only track that's a bit rare here, and it isn't as novel as 'Water Birth' which I hadn't heard before. The first thing I did when I loaded up the album was look for tracks I didn't know. But, none this time. I don't know MofSS that well, so there is some novelty there. But, it's not the unexpected found treasure of a new Finn song I hadn't heard before. Similar for 'Astro' - thought of course I know where that ended up not too long after.

Why is Elroy 'kind of like' a nephew? And, what are the two other songs of Neil's that are similar to FSiOD? Enquiring minds want to know.

I like the wah-wah (sounding) guitar on Niwhai. The more acoustic Suffer Never is also interesting to hear. I enjoy hearing different takes of songs .

There are some nice guitar solos on these recordings, and 'Time for a Change' is an example of one such solo. It's simple, but I like the tone and what is played.

'Hello Sandy Allen' is a nice deep cut from the Split Enz catalogue - at least it's a deep cut for me - it was a single. It's a bit poignant to hear the discussion about Sandy Allen who sadly is no longer with us. 'Whats The Matter With You' is a nice version, but in context a repeat from the previous CD (or at least one of the previous ones). Nice guitar sound. 'The Devil You Know' an even deeper cut. A really nice song that perhaps isn't as well known as it really deserves to be. A nice version even with perhaps a bit more humour and banter than might suit the song's more contemplative feel. Nice piano playing - is this Neil?

Overall, it's a collection of good recordings and performances of great songs. I think I'm going to rate it as I would if I wasn't a bit seeing it as 'more of the same'.

And some ukulele to finish with. 'Let's hit it Paul'. Nice version of, again, a nice song. I think overall I prefer the first Finn Bros album to Everyone is Here. So, it's good to hear this tour again (after hearing it live).

4/5

 

Log Cabin Fever, Catherine Wheels.

Everytime he starts "Four Seasons in One Day", I always expect "Cabin Essence", but then it becomes "Four Seasons in One Day."

Obviously there are different songs but there's something similar about the intro and maybe the keys of the songs at least at the beginning.

 

I had a listen to all, and also checked out the chords. and I'm not sure I agree that they are that similar. There is something similar about they rhythm of 'Catherine Wheels', but 'Log Cabin Fever' sounds different to me. That's taking in the totality of the song - there might be similarities in certain aspects. The biggest similarity to me is the rhythms of 'Catherine Wheels' and 'Four Seasons'.

The only song I know called 'Cabin Essence' is by The Beach Boys, and it sounds very different to me again.

 

Yeah i meant “Log Cabin Fever”, Not the beach boys song. But does he say that the whole song is similar? I thought it was just that the intro was similar

 

Mood Swinging Men

Comparing the sources of the tracks on this CD with those on Eyes of the World, I see there is a lot of overlap. E.g., tracks from London November 16, 1995, Chicago July 12, 1996, Los Angeles July 17 (not August 17 - see setlist.fm), 1996 are on both CDs. Why split up these shows and distribute tracks over a couple of CDs instead of just releasing tracks from a show on one CD? If tracks from a show are worthy of release, surely they are worthy of releasing together on the same CD? I would definitely have preferred that.

Having said that, I have no complaint with this CD because as I’ve said previously, Finn Brothers is my favorite Finn incarnation and, unless the recording is poor, or something is musically or vocally way, way off (has that ever even happened??), I will love it, no matter how it’s released.

It’s lovely to hear Mary of the South Seas and Many’s the Time (in Dublin). Paradise flat out makes me . Time For A Change also stands out for me, particularly for the guitar solo, as @HitAndRun mentions.

4.5/5

 

Mood Swinging Men

Gave this a spin today. Pretty loose in places with some bum notes, but plenty of charm. Highlights include a lovely Catherine Wheels, a rollicking Chocolate Cake with lively piano work, a fave Enz deep cut Hello Sandy Allen, and a sweet version of Paradise to finish things off. Tim gets in the funniest moments here, delivering a bastardization of the Lord's Prayer before Mood Swinging Man and constantly needling Neil during the first verse of Devil You Know.

4/5

 

Haha, I love when Neil tells him to shut up.

 

There were two: a "proper" fan club CD ("I Like It Rare 3") that contained a bunch of unreleased material and "Paul Hester - 3" which was a CDR compilation of LLT's EPs.

 

Kiwi Charms

Another winner with a plethora of wonderful performances.

Great to get In Love With It All--an amazing Finn brothers co-write that could've easily slotted into Woodface. Instead, it was a highlight of Tim's Before & After album. Would love to see a vinyl release for that one day (how about it, Needle Mythology?)

There's also a robust Angels Heap and a mighty Suffer Never. Cool to get some really old Enz tracks: a Finn-fronted Sweet Dreams and Time For a Change with a beautiful guitar solo. A totally unreleased track, like Water Birth, was always manna for fans and a major reason I sent off my money to far Australia for these CDs. Last Day in June ends the proceedings on a somber note, but it's a lump-in-your-throat rendition.

4.5/5

 

I just discovered among my CDs that I have Mood Swinging Men...sheesh. I'd forgotten that I had it... and yet, all week it's been nagging me that I was sure I had seen it or heard it before.

I'll try to get a listen in before the deadline!

 

Interview with Liam: predicts new Crowded House in first quarter of 2023. (Believe it when I see it.)

Crowded House Returning To Australia For An Encore Tour

 

That would be wonderful if it happens.

 

Yeah. This is Neil Finn, though.

Once it's ready, he'll record the whole thing again.

Or there'll be a once in a century pandemic (again.)

Or a nuclear war or something that will delay it.

 

Has there ever been a time when an album hinted at with this strength didn't eventually come out?

 

WEll, maybe the first Finn Brothers album, or the third Crowded House album, though they partially came out combined on Woodface. But I don't know if that counts.

Also the Finn Brothers project that they gave up on. They wrote that in 2014/2015, maybe three or four songs have come out at least partially, but the project (an album and/or a stage play) never happened.

 

Yeah, but even with the inevitable Neil delays we could expect to see it sometime in 2023...or maybe Liam will make sure it gets out there!

Now what do you think the chances are that those of us waiting for the postponed US tour will hear some of those tracks??? Dates in the US aren't until May 2023.

 

You mean, like, if it's unreleased still by then? Good question. Don't know. I think they played at least one new song on the European leg of the tour, didn't they? (They didn't at the show I went to, but maybe at another one...?)

 

I think they did, but can’t remember where I read that. I’ve looked around a bit in the usual likely places, but can’t find where it was mentioned.

 

Yes, I was trying to think back through examples to come up with something that never came out at all. I thought about the two albums that went to make up Woodface, but that was the closest I got.

I wonder how to songwriting credits will be spread around this time. And how the lead vocals will be distributed.