From: owner-oppositeview-digest@smoe.org (oppositeview-digest) To: oppositeview-digest@smoe.org Subject: oppositeview-digest V3 #83 Reply-To: oppositeview@smoe.org Sender: owner-oppositeview-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-oppositeview-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk oppositeview-digest Tuesday, March 27 2001 Volume 03 : Number 083 Today's Subjects: ----------------- OV: OT - Some great pop music while we continue to wait...and wait...and wait ["Jen Woyan" ] Re: OV: Re: Some great pop music [J Lupo ] Re: OV: OT - Some great pop music [Leah D Schenkenberg ] Re: OV: OT - Some great pop music ["Andrew Douglas" ] Re: OV: OT - Some great pop music [Debbie Cushing ] Re: OV: OT - Some great pop music [Leah D Schenkenberg Subject: OV: OT - Some great pop music while we continue to wait...and wait...and wait From The Sunday Times: In a less crowded place Life without a band suits Neil Finn - his second solo album is phenomenal, says Dan Cairns There is no more vivid illustration of Neil Finn's ambivalent attitude to life as a jobbing pop star, stuck in an anonymous hotel room miles from home, than his approach to his touring wardrobe. "You had to go through all your clothes and sniff the armpits," he recalls, with a voice that combines amusement and horror. "Some days you chose the thing that smelt the least - you certainly weren't going to find one that didn't smell at all." The former lead singer of Crowded House is in Britain to promote his second solo album, One Nil, before a series of shows next month. The packed house at his warm-up gig on a rain-lashed Sunday night in London is testament to the New Zealander's enduring popularity, but also highlights the paradox at the heart of his career. For there was a point, in the mid-1990s, when the man who is arguably the most naturally gifted songwriter of his generation seemed to look megastardom in the face, blink first, and decide it wasn't for him. Crowded House fans wailed and gnashed their teeth, but to Finn, who disbanded the group in 1996, it was obvious. "Well, I've got a family," he says, "so the idea of being a musician for the lifestyle, the whole sex, drugs and glamour thing, that seems pretty remote to me." This statement is typical of a man who still, after nearly 20 years of marriage, writes love songs to his wife of startling intimacy and melodic simplicity. It's a facility he has always regarded as a mixed blessing. On the one hand, it enabled him to come into his elder brother Tim's band, Split Enz, at the start of the 1980s and, with the flick of a plectrum, transform a fringe group into a chart-topping outfit with the song I Got You. On the other, he goes through periods when he regards the need to express him- self in music as a compulsion rather than a pleasure. One of the highlights of Finn's new album is Driving Me Mad. "Deadlines again," he sings wearily at the beginning. With many songwriters, such an opening line would herald a self-pitying, navel-gazing dirge. Finn, almost despite himself, makes a song about the curse of being a musician an unforgettable, hook-filled gem. He's aware of the irony. "I was thinking, 'What drives me mad?' and at once it was, 'Trying to write songs'. And then it all came out, how part of me can become tuned out to people around me, and be a bit of a w***er really, when I'm in the middle of that creative angst. For some reason it came out as a pop song." He still sees the other two members of Crowded House, but is adamant that any talk of a reunion is pie in the sky. "We see each other from time to time," he says. "I did a TV show in Melbourne recently and they got up and played, and it was great. But I didn't come off thinking maybe I did the wrong thing, maybe we should do this again. I came off thinking, no, that'll do." All bands have their ups and downs, and Crowded House were no exception. Finn's decision to bring his brother into the fold for the 1991 album Woodface - which gave them their biggest British hit, Weather With You - was one bone of contention. Another was the different kinds of lives the group led. "I think that's why so many bands have a limited lifespan," says Finn. "One way or another it's not a mature way to lead your life. Bound to a bunch of blokes - and it usually is blokes, because it starts when you're young, a group of mates having a few drinks and a laugh. All that stops mak-ing sense when you get older." Finn's knack for befriending and gathering around him top musicians is confirmed on One Nil, which features a host of big names, including Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman from Prince's greatest backing band, the Revolution. The result is a sound both tighter and looser, a contradictory al-chemy that was the Purple One's trademark in his hey- day. The sheen of Crowded House has been replaced by a grittier sound, so that the botched backing vocal entry on Last to Know - so crucial to the song's de-veloping tension - is left in, an indulgence the note- perfect Crowded House would never have allowed themselves. The man who once described his biggest problem as being the need "to eliminate ambition as a motivator" is sanguine about his position in the great rock scheme of things. You get the impression he'd be happy with a hit, but helping his younger son settle into his new school seems higher on his list of priorities. Even if it doesn't pay the bills. One Nil captures a songwriter for whom motivation isn't an issue. For any musician, an album this good would represent a career high. For someone over 40 who's been at it for two decades, though, it's phenomenal. Riches may have eluded him, but Neil Finn seems content with his family and his muse, even if the latter gets him down from time to time. And he's not on the breadline - he can afford to check into a posh West End hotel for a week. "What's more," he says, "I get time to un-pack my clothes, put them in drawers, and have them laundered." And if that means an end to sniffing armpits, well, that's clearly good enough for him. ALSO: Part of the new CD's promotion involves a 5 nights stand in Auckland, New Zealand (where he lives) April 2-6 His band will comprise: Johnny Marr Ed O'Brien (guitar - Radiohead) Phil Selway (drums - Radiohead) Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) Tim Finn Lisa Germano Sebastian Steinberg This is at the St. James Theatre, tickets available from http://www.ticketek.co.nz Cheers, Jen in Chicago ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 11:54:41 -0800 (PST) From: Alison Bellach Subject: Re: OV: OT - Some great pop music while we continue to wait...and wait...and wait I have this album... it is so great. I hope that the Dels never fall into the trap that he has, though... it is going to take him so long to release it in the US that we are all going to buy it import, and then his album sales here will suffer as a result. Ah, life as an artist. ;) - ------------------------------------------------------------------- Alison Bellach: alibee@delamitri.com http://alibee.linex.com http://www.delamitri.com "If you want peace, work for justice." ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 15:11:30 -0500 From: "Susan & C. Reid Gardner" Subject: OV: Re: Some great pop music Jen Woyan wrote: > Life without a band suits Neil Finn... > The former lead singer of Crowded House is in Britain to promote his second > solo album, One Nil..."Well, I've got a family," he says, "so the idea of > being a musician for the > lifestyle seems pretty remote to me." > This statement is typical of a man who still, after nearly 20 years of > marriage, writes love songs to his wife of startling intimacy and melodic > simplicity. So see, all you about-to-be-weds & those newlyweds too (being married less than 2 years still counts as newlywed) it IS possible to be this much in love after 20 years! I'm living proof too, still smitten with the blue-eyed handsome man that stole my heart 22 years ago in April... > ...he goes through periods when he regards the need to > express himself in music as a compulsion rather than a pleasure. I heard Robbie Robertson of The Band say something similar once, when asked about writing & making music... his comment was that he had no choice, he had to create or he would stop breathing. Fascinating the way creativity works, there's a need to let the muse out of the back room now and then or it'll destroy the whole house from within. > Finn, almost > despite himself, makes a song about the curse of being a musician an > unforgettable, hook-filled gem. Oooh, that sounds like our other favorite gem-making songwriter doesn't it?? > The sheen of Crowded House has been replaced by a > grittier sound, so that the botched backing vocal entry on 'Last to Know' - so > > crucial to the song's developing tension - is left in, an indulgence the > note-perfect Crowded House would never have allowed themselves. At least he didn't put 'always' on the front of that title, which Justin said on the Songwriters Circle performance that you should never ever do. Jen, I really enjoyed this article. Thanks for sharing. If I sell any art this week I might put a bit back so I can get the cd! TTFN Susan ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 15:39:03 -0600 From: "Jen Woyan" Subject: Re: OV: Re: Some great pop music Actually, CDNow & Amazon already list 'Rest Of The Day Off' as the first single from the album 'One Nil' (albeit as an AUS import): 1. Rest Of The Day Off 2. Underestimated (Non Album Track) 3. Now I Get It (Non Album Track) 4. Rest Of The Day Off (Enhanced Video) However, the first UK single, "Wherever You Are" will be released on Monday 26th March (today). Yes, it is a two disc release. The UK version of the CD, 'One Nil' has a release date of 9th April. CD 1 Wherever You Are (album version) Underestimated Now I Get It CD 2 Wherever You Are (radio edit) Driving Me Mad (from the webcast) Last To Know (from the webcast) And here are the upcoming Irish/UK dates: 21APR01 Belfast, Ireland Waterfront 22APR01 Dublin, Ireland Olympia 4/23/2001 Glasgow, UK Royal Concert Hall 4/24/2001 Newcastle, UK City Hall 4/26/2001 Cambridge, UK Corn Exchange 4/27/2001 Nottingham, UK Royal Centre 4/29/2001 Sheffield, UK City Hall 30APR01 Bristol, UK Colston Hall 2MAY01 Portsmouth, UK Guildhall 3MAY01 - 4MAY01 & 6MAY01 London, UK Shepherds Bush Empire 10MAY01 Ipswitch, UK Regent Theatre 11MAY01 Manchester, UK Apollo Theatre 12MAY01 Birmingham, UK Symphony Hall AND~ if you're a fan of Neil live, there's now available a DVD (US/Canada only) of Neil Finn - Sessions at West 54th for $17 on Amazon. http://www.frenz.com/neilfinn/ But, no - no US release date as yet.....sigh< Cheers, Jen - ----- Original Message ----- From: "J Lupo" To: "Susan & C. Reid Gardner" ; "Jen Woyan" Cc: "OV" Sent: Monday, March 26, 2001 2:58 PM Subject: Re: OV: Re: Some great pop music > I read that Neil Finn's CD will be released here on > April 10th. Am I naive to actually believe it? Maybe > I've been misinformed? I think I saw it at > borders.com or twec.com, one of those sites. > > Jamie > --- "Susan & C. Reid Gardner" > wrote: > > Jen Woyan wrote: > > > > > Life without a band suits Neil Finn... > > > The former lead singer of Crowded House is in > > Britain to promote his second > > > solo album, One Nil..."Well, I've got a family," > > he says, "so the idea of > > > being a musician for the > > > lifestyle seems pretty remote to me." > > > This statement is typical of a man who still, > > after nearly 20 years of > > > marriage, writes love songs to his wife of > > startling intimacy and melodic > > > simplicity. > > > > So see, all you about-to-be-weds & those newlyweds > > too (being married less than > > 2 years still counts as newlywed) it IS possible to > > be this much in love after > > 20 years! I'm living proof too, still smitten with > > the blue-eyed handsome man > > that stole my heart 22 years ago in April... > > > > > ...he goes through periods when he regards the > > need to > > > express himself in music as a compulsion rather > > than a pleasure. > > > > I heard Robbie Robertson of The Band say something > > similar once, when asked > > about writing & making music... his comment was that > > he had no choice, he had to > > create or he would stop breathing. Fascinating the > > way creativity works, > > there's a need to let the muse out of the back room > > now and then or it'll > > destroy the whole house from within. > > > > > Finn, almost > > > despite himself, makes a song about the curse of > > being a musician an > > > unforgettable, hook-filled gem. > > > > Oooh, that sounds like our other favorite gem-making > > songwriter doesn't it?? > > > > > The sheen of Crowded House has been replaced by a > > > grittier sound, so that the botched backing vocal > > entry on 'Last to Know' - so > > > > > > crucial to the song's developing tension - is left > > in, an indulgence the > > > note-perfect Crowded House would never have > > allowed themselves. > > > > At least he didn't put 'always' on the front of that > > title, which Justin said on > > the Songwriters Circle performance that you should > > never ever do. > > > > Jen, I really enjoyed this article. Thanks for > > sharing. If I sell any art this > > week I might put a bit back so I can get the cd! > > TTFN > > Susan > Get email at your own domain with Yahoo! Mail. > http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 12:58:47 -0800 (PST) From: J Lupo Subject: Re: OV: Re: Some great pop music I read that Neil Finn's CD will be released here on April 10th. Am I naive to actually believe it? Maybe I've been misinformed? I think I saw it at borders.com or twec.com, one of those sites. Jamie - --- "Susan & C. Reid Gardner" wrote: > Jen Woyan wrote: > > > Life without a band suits Neil Finn... > > The former lead singer of Crowded House is in > Britain to promote his second > > solo album, One Nil... ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 16:16:03 -0600 From: Leah D Schenkenberg Subject: Re: OV: OT - Some great pop music for us who have never heard his stuff (as far as I know, anyway)...what would be a good song to listen to get a sense of what he's like? Leah > > Life without a band suits Neil Finn - his second solo album is > phenomenal, > says Dan Cairns > > ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 14:49:06 -0800 From: Lori Royal-Gordon Subject: Re: OV: OT - Some great pop music Leah asked: > for us who have never heard his stuff (as far as I know, > anyway)...what > would be a good song to listen to get a sense of what he's like? You HAVE heard him, Leah. Listen to this (clearing throat): Hey now, hey now Don't dream it's over Hey now, hey now When the world comes in They come, they come To build a wall between us We know they won't win . . . Well, you know I can't carry a tune, but I bet you'll recognize it anyway! That's "Don't Dream It's Over" from Crowded House. If you can find copy of it, you'll probably realize you've heard Neil Finn on the radio many times. Like the Dels, they're another one of those bands everyone's heard but doesn't know the name of. ~Lori ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lauren Royal ~ http://www.laurenroyal.com In stores now: AMETHYST, EMERALD, and IN PRAISE OF YOUNGER MEN Coming July 2001 from Signet Books: AMBER (Kendra Chase's story) Enter my contests to win a necklace and a book signed by four authors! ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 01:56:11 +0100 From: "Andrew Douglas" Subject: Re: OV: OT - Some great pop music Can't wait till Neil Finn plays Belfast, is his son still playing guitar for him? Since we're talking about other music and Josh mentioned Whiskeytown. Ryan Adams (of Whiskeytown) is also touring soon. I recommend Ryan Adam's solo album "Heartbreaker" as the best release of last year, it is flipping class. Andrew ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 11:51:51 +1000 (EST) From: Aleksandr Subject: Re: OV: OT - Some great pop music some of my faves from his crowded house days. - - something so strong - - private universe - - better be home soon!!!! You should be able to find the mp3s pretty easily if not gimmie a shout and i'll send you one or two - which should ahve you racing off to your record shop. Cheers, ALPHA in OZ - - I was fabulous and it was a bloody good laugh! - Captain James MacLeane You may not pass on anything in my emails without my express permission :P http://turn.to/the_ALpha On Mon, 26 Mar 2001, Leah D Schenkenberg wrote: > for us who have never heard his stuff (as far as I know, anyway)...what > would be a good song to listen to get a sense of what he's like? > > Leah > > > > > > Life without a band suits Neil Finn - his second solo album is > > phenomenal, > > says Dan Cairns > > > > > ________________________________________________________________ > GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! > Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! > Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: > http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 19:28:58 -0800 (PST) From: Debbie Cushing Subject: Re: OV: OT - Some great pop music LOL...or you could be like some of us who know him from Split Enz! Six Months in a Leaky Boat, I Got You, etc. Now there's a blast from the past! :-) debbie - --- Lori Royal-Gordon wrote: > Leah asked: > > for us who have never heard his stuff (as far as I > know, > > anyway)...what > > would be a good song to listen to get a sense of > what he's like? > > You HAVE heard him, Leah. Listen to this (clearing > throat): > > Hey now, hey now > Don't dream it's over > Hey now, hey now > When the world comes in > They come, they come > To build a wall between us > We know they won't win . . . > > Well, you know I can't carry a tune, but I bet > you'll recognize it > anyway! That's "Don't Dream It's Over" from > Crowded House. If you > can find copy of it, you'll probably realize you've > heard Neil Finn on > the radio many times. Like the Dels, they're > another one of those bands > everyone's heard but doesn't know the name of. > > ~Lori > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Lauren Royal ~ http://www.laurenroyal.com > In stores now: AMETHYST, EMERALD, and IN PRAISE OF > YOUNGER MEN > Coming July 2001 from Signet Books: AMBER (Kendra > Chase's story) > Enter my contests to win a necklace and a book > signed by four authors! Get email at your own domain with Yahoo! Mail. http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/?.refer=text ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 23:43:14 -0600 From: Leah D Schenkenberg Subject: Re: OV: OT - Some great pop music ok...so I have heard that song. Beautiful singing, Lori :) > You HAVE heard him, Leah. Listen to this (clearing throat): > > Hey now, hey now > Don't dream it's over > Hey now, hey now > When the world comes in > They come, they come > To build a wall between us > We know they won't win . . . ------------------------------ End of oppositeview-digest V3 #83 *********************************