Woodface

Untitled

Woodface is Crowded House's third studio album, released in 1991. It featured the singles "Chocolate Cake", "Fall At Your Feet", "Weather With You", "Four Seasons In One Day", and "It’s Only Natural". Woodface and the single "Weather with you" are notable for starting the bands run of success in the UK and parts of Europe.

History

Background

Following the Temple of Low Men tour, Crowded House decided to take some time off. In this time, the group's leader and key songwriter Neil Finn reconciled with his older brother Tim Finn, following years of being estranged after Tim departure from Split Enz. Upon this reconciliation, the two began writing songs for an album they were considering to release under the name Finn. The sessions yielded enough songs for an album and both brothers were happy with the result, but Neil was also faced with the task of writing a third Crowded House album. After recording with Seymour and Hester, the record company rejected most of the songs recorded for this album, Neil asked his brother if they could use some of the Finn songs for the next album. Tim agreed on the proviso that he be made a member, though in some records, he has indicated he meant this as a joke. Neil took this literally and the group with the newly appointed member Tim Finn returned to the studio to record these songs.

These recording sessions mixed with a few songs from the earlier sessions yielded Woodface, which was released in July 1991 featuring seven songs written jointly by Tim and Neil Finn together, most of which had the two performing harmonied vocals, and featured the sombre "All I Ask" performed solo by Tim, which was later featured on AIDS awareness commercials in Australia. The other tracks were primarily Neil compositions - with the exception of the exuberant Hester-written song "Italian Plastic", a commonly performed song on live concerts - mostly songs that were from the original rejected album.

The band was at the pinnacle of its creative output, and the songs "Weather With You" and "Fall at Your Feet" became signature songs for the band. During the first supporting tour for Woodface, Tim Finn was asked to leave part way through the UK leg (which was projected as the final leg but the success of the album dictated more dates be added). Mark Hart was flown in to play keyboards for the remaining dates. The final date of this first tour at the Town and Country Club in London was recorded and given a limited release in Australia, while excerpts were released as B-sides for the album's singles in other countries.

The Finn brothers had previously worked together musically in the 1970s and 1980s in the New Zealand band Split Enz, which Tim co-founded, and they later recorded two Finn Brothers albums, Finn (1995), and Everyone Is Here (2004).

Production

Woodface was produced by Mitchell Froom and Neil Finn, and mixed by Bob Clearmountain. An interesting fact is that while Paul Hester was the band's drummer at the time, Ricky Fataar is credited with playing the drums for some Finn Brothers songs recorded before the two projects merged.

The title of the album is a reference to the French-language expression "gueule de bois", which means "hangover".

Album and single releases

"Chocolate Cake" was released as the first single, and it sealed the fate of the band in America. The song was a humorous comment on American excesses. It failed to make the US singles chart. The album's second single, "Fall At Your Feet" fared a little better, but with lost momentum for the band it only reached #75.

The album sold well internationally. The immense success of this album particularly in the UK prompted the Queen in June 1993 to bestow the OBE upon Tim and Neil for their contribution to the music of New Zealand.

Personnel

• Neil Finn - vocals, guitars, keyboards
• Tim Finn - vocals, guitar, piano
• Nick Seymour - bass, backing vocals
• Paul Hester - drums, vocals, keyboards

Track listing

All songs written by Neil Finn and Tim Finn unless noted otherwise.

1. "Chocolate Cake" - 4:02
2. "It's Only Natural" - 3:32
3. "Fall at Your Feet" (N. Finn) - 3:18
4. "Tall Trees" - 2:19
5. "Weather With You" - 3:44
6. "Whispers and Moans" (N. Finn) - 3:39
7. "Four Seasons In One Day" - 2:50
8. "There Goes God" - 3:50
9. "Fame Is" (N. Finn) - 2:23
10. "All I Ask" - 3:56
11. "As Sure as I Am" (N. Finn) - 2:53
12. "Italian Plastic" (Paul Hester) - 3:39
13. "She Goes On" (N. Finn) - 3:15
14. "How Will You Go" - 3:05
    • "I'm Still Here" (hidden track) 1:07*

• * "I'm Still Here" on track #14 with "How Will You Go" at 3:37 (after 32 seconds' silence) as a hidden track.

Discarded tracks

The following songs were originally recorded by Crowded House for the album before Tim Finn became involved. Most of them later appeared on the posthumous rarities album Afterglow, released in 1999, leaving only "Fields are Full of Your Kind" and "My Legs are Gone" off, and as of 2007, the tracks remain unreleased.

• "Anyone Can Tell"
• "Left Hand"
• "Dr. Livingstone"
• "Sacred Cow"
• "I Love You Dawn"
• "My Telly's Gone Bung"
• "Time Immemorial"
• "Fields are Full of Your Kind"
• "My Legs are Gone"

Influence

Gert Bettens, co-founder of Belgian band K's Choice, named his new band "Woodface" after this album.

External link

• Liner notes