The Art of Longevity Season 9, Episode 1: Crowded House

Mar 9, 2024

Discover the timeless songwriting skills of Neil Finn through Crowded House's classic albums. Explore the band's evolution and the intricate process of selecting songs for their records. Dive into the challenges of longevity in the music industry and the emotional impact of their music on fans. Reflect on the band's creative songwriting process and their anticipation for upcoming gigs and new music releases.

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Introduction

00:00 • 3min

Exploring the Art of Record Sequencing and Son's Vinyl Appreciation

02:39 • 11min

Exploring Song Inspirations and Classic Album Relevance in Modern Music Industry

14:03 • 5min

Navigating Longevity and Relevance in the Music Industry

19:30 • 16min

Exploring Accidental Song Revelations and Music's Renewal

35:28 • 2min

Gratitude and Collaboration in Music

37:24 • 10min

Exploration of Creative Songwriting Process and Album Song Selection

47:16 • 6min

Musical Reflections and Anticipation

53:11 • 12min

Try playing a Crowded House record (any of them) then let Spotify play on…you will get just the best selection of really great songs. Go on, try it and you’ll see for yourself. This discovery may well make drivetime radio programming a heck of a lot easier, or possibly redundant altogether.

You may of course be a Crowded House fan and like, know this already. You may be a casual admirer, or even a sceptic. In which case, take the time to enjoy this shared revelation. But let me tell you that this is simple proof of Neil Finn’s songwriting skills. Certainly it’s more to do with that than mathematics.

I’m saying this as a recently converted fan. One of the deep pleasures (and deep privilege) of doing this podcast is that I can discover what I’ve missed, correct my own perceptions of some artists, and get up to fan-speed.

This band has made stone cold classic albums. Woodface, Together Alone, the debut album probably too. But each one of their seven studio L.Ps now including a brand new album Gravity Stairs offers a masterclass in high quality song and sound craft. Together Alone is a high point for sure but I particularly enjoyed the 2010 Intriguer album. Thing is, Crowded House records take time to love. They grow on you, something Neil Finn is well aware of:

"In general our records that may have been regarded as classic, have taken their time. Every album has been a slow boiler, requiring a lot of belief in it".

However, Gravity Stairs feels much more immediate than the band’s more subtle 2021 release Dreamers Are Waiting. Crowded House have cracked the code to a healthy longevity. Classic songs, great stagecraft, a relaxed attitude to ‘success’ and a continuous desire to create something new that’s actually good. Whether the new songs last as long as the old doesn’t matter too much when it’s the same writer, the same band that has made its mark indelibly.

One thing is for sure, those songs will probably outlive the algorithms.

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