Crowded House Album: “Woodface”

I once read a review of this album which stated, "This is not only one of the best albums of the nineties, but it is also one of the best white/male/anglo-saxon albums ever recorded. Period." After owning WOODFACE for a little over a year now, I can not agree more. Every song on this album fits perfectly together to create nothing less than what could be described as a journey. Even the weakest tracks on the album (I will not state my opinions here, from fear of offending many a Crowded House fan!) are near perfect pop tunes. And the strongest tracks transcend. "There Goes God" is one of the wittiest songs I have ever heard - the lyrics here are truly stunning! "Fall At Your Feet" is simply gorgeous. Its power to move your heart is undeniable. And lastly, (I could go on and on with this, but I will try to cut it short!) "Four Seasons In One Day" is the best Beatles-influenced song I have ever heard; tie-ing only with Tears For Fears' "Sowing the Seeds of Love." Its simple melody is so disarming - the way it works its way underneath your skin is true magic that is rarely ever seen in music of this decade. But again, it is the album as a whole - the cohesiveness of the writing and performances - that make WOODFACE Crowded House's best album. The fact that I picked up this album eight years after its release, and it is not weighted down by the typically dated songwriting so characteristic of the early 1990's is a testament to the quality of Neil's overwhelming talent as a songwriter. As I said, these tracks transcend! They are not of a time, or of a period in your life - they are true classics. I have never once regretted the purchase of this album. I urge you to pick this one up. If you have doubts about its quality, it is not too difficult to find it used for about 7 or 8 bucks. Go ahead! Do yourself a favor and buy WOODFACE ASAP!

I played this album today for the first time in many years and was instantly reminded of the genius that was "Crowded House". So much so that I felt compelled to write a review (a first for me) of this fanatstic piece. What can I say? - the songs are the Finn brothers at their best!! The stunning harmonies resulting from Tim Finn's short-lived tenure with the band (from memory this was the only album he recorded whilst an official member of Crowded House) are nothing short of heavenly.

There are many hits to be found on this album, amongst them "Chocolate Cake", "Weather With You" and "Four Seasons In One Day", but for mine the real gem is the hauntingly beautiful (though never commercially lauded) "She Goes On". This ode to a departed loved one never fails to bring tears to my eyes and is my all-time favourite Neil Finn composition. A big statement when there is so much brilliance to choose from! To be honest I'd give this album five stars based on this track alone, so I'm lucky there are so many other great tunes to justify my rating.

"Woodface" also includes "Italian Plastic" which was penned by the late and much-missed Paul Hester. Given that he was not exactly renowed for his songwriting abilities as he was for his brilliant drumming and percussion work it's a pretty good tune. The chorus in particular is very catchy. I also love the songs "How Will You Go" and "As Sure As I Am" which I don't recall being hits but are good examples of why virtually every song on this album could well have been a commercial success.

If you were ever a fan of "Crowded House" and for some reason don't own this album then you simply must buy it. If you already own it and it's collecting dust in your CD collection perhaps it's time to have a listen again. For if you're anything like me, the melodic sounds of Nick Seymour, the great Paul Hester and the amazingly talented Finn Brothers will most definitely feature heavily in the Soundtrack of your Life.

A slightly new direction for Crowded House w/the addition of Tim Finn for his only appearance as a group member. The first two CH albums were pretty incredible, but this one went to a slightly higher level.

I first heard "There Goes G-d" on the radio (albeit alternative radio), but when I got the CD, it just got better from there. "Four Seasons In One Day", "All I Ask", "As Sure As I Am" are pure Neil Finn. But the rest is great too. The only song that didn't do it for me was "Italian Plastic" - but even that isn't enough to knock it to 4 stars.

Joe Bob says check it out.

I bought this album back when it was first released. My friend and I crashed a local on air appearance by CH at KXRX. I was hooked!

I wore out the cassette tape by listening to it over and over. This is the one CD that I can listen to again and again; I never get tired of it. If you're looking to add to your collection of CD's you WILL listen to - you won't be dissapointed.

Being a child of the 70's and 80's and a huge fan of the various genres of music written at the time, I'd long since made the decision that no band performed music even remotely reminiscient of the great bands of earlier eras - particularly the Beatles. Then, one day while I was rummaging through a record store, I heard some tracks from Woodface being played and instantly fell in love. This was my first real exposure to Crowded House. Since that day, I have gone through 3 copies of "Woodface" and have collected every other CH CD. They're truly a great band and Neil Finn's writing talent is second to none. The comparisons to the Beatles are not without merit. His creativity and ability to weave lyric with music is just astounding. This is one of the best CH efforts and I can't recommend it enough.