Boasting 19 career-spanning tracks, the collection documents Crowded House’s legend-enshrining period with Capitol Records/EMI which began with their self-titled 1986 debut and concluded with their 2007 reunion album, Time On Earth. The tracklist features all the celebrated antipodean outfit’s signature hits (Don’t Dream It’s Over, Better Be Home Soon, Weather With You, Fall At Your Feet, Distant Sun) in addition to Instinct and Not The Girl You Think You Are from the 1996 compilation, Recurring Dream, and Don’t Stop Now and Pour Le Monde from the well-received Time On Earth.
The Very Very Best Of Crowded House was a Top 20 hit in both Australia and New Zealand on its initial release in 2010 and it attracted considerable international acclaim, returning to the Australian ARIA Top 5 in 2016 around their 30th Anniversary ‘Encore’ performances on the steps of the Sydney Opera House. Classic Rock’s review remarked, “"it's hard not to be wowed by this back catalogue of golden pop genius” while the BBC declared, “Crowded House have a catalogue that features so many gems that they should be held in the high regard primarily reserved for acts that came before them, the likes of The Beatles and the [Rolling] Stones.”
First formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1985, Crowded House’s original line-up featured New Zealand native Neil Finn (vocals, guitar and primary songwriter) along with Australian rhythm section, Nick Seymour (bass) and Paul Hester (drums). This core trio recorded 1986’s multi-platinum-selling Crowded House and 1988’s Temple Of Low Men, before being joined by Neil Finn’s brother Tim for 1991’s Woodface and multi-instrumentalist Mark Hart for 1993’s highly-regarded Together Alone.
Crowded House split after a high-profile – and extremely emotional – final show performed for an estimated 250,000 people outside Sydney’s famous Opera House, on 24 November 1996, which was captured on the Farewell To The World DVD. Despite Paul Hester’s tragic death in 2005, Finn and Seymour reformed the band in 2006 alongside Mark Hart and former Beck drummer Matt Sherrod, going on to record two further albums, Time On Earth and 2010’s Intriguer. Crowded House were inducted into Australia’s ARIA Hall Of Fame in November 2016 and to date have sold upwards of 10 million albums worldwide.
Tracklist:
1. Something So Strong
2. Weather with You
3. It’s Only Natural
4. Chocolate Cake
5. Fall at Your Feet
6. Distant Sun
7. Better Be Home Soon
8. Four Seasons in One Day
9. Don’t Dream It’s Over
10. Mean to Me
11. Locked Out
12. Don’t Stop Now
13. Pineapple Head
14. Instinct
15. Fingers of Love
16. Private Universe
17. Not the Girl You Think You Are
18. Nails in My Feet
19. Pour le Monde