Customer Reviews

Big Canoe

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I agree with her, bit too lush in the production, for the intimacy of the songs, this is less a big canoe, than a feckin great aircraft carrier blundering around the place knocking sailboats over and the like. Still, the song where the wife is making her husbands dinner and he is killed in a factory explosion fair brings tears to me eyes. Yes, really.

My first exposure to Tim Finn as a solo artist was in the "cult" movie The Coca Cola Kid. Premise of the film was a marketing whiz kid based in Coca Cola's headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia was sent to Australia to improve sales of Coca Cola. One of the tactics to increase sales was to create a new jingle for Coca Cola. Lo and behold, Tim Finn is in the movie as the song writer who comes up with an incredible blended sound of traditional NZ/Aus sounds and instruments but with a very upbeat modern rythm.
After this movie I search and found the album Big Canoe.

This album is a similar blend of traditional and modern sounds and lyrics all woven together to provide listeners sharp and almost touchable images of NZ/Aus life styles from "Timmy on the Lino dance floor where the lager tastes flat" with "his pointed shoes on" to the title song describing the landing of a "Big Canoe" on an island followed by lyrics of traditional Maori daily activities and beliefs.


The music, the lyrics and the images his songs create make one feel as if they have visited the S. Pacific and come away with an appreciation of the native people, their culture and lifestyles. The music is truly a journey not only for Tim Finn but also for the listener.

A great great album (mine is actually an album).

When asked to pick a favorite Tim Finn album recently, I voted for Big Canoe. It came to mind first as such an under-rated album even with Tim fans. There are some who will cry how 80s it sounds and imply that to be so is bad. Look beyond that, though to some songs that are wonderful. I don't like all the songs, but the songs I do like, I like a lot. (I have a similar attitude to Time and Tide from Split Enz.)

***"Spiritual Hunger"--evolved from the Split Enz tune "Mr. Catalyst". I love the pure energy of this one. I think the female voices add to this, and the bass is groovy. It makes me just want to shake my bones and move. HEAR ME NOW!

***"Don't Bury My Heart"--the words are something that sounds like pure Tim, though I haven't looked at the credits to see if he wrote them. Some of the ideas in this song hurt with such bittersweet longing. I like the string arrangement that goes with it. Plus, vocally he uses much of his impressive range and demonstrates how flexible he is with it.

***"So Deep"--it's infectious. Maybe this is one of those 80s ones, but it's just so charming. There isn't much to the lyrics, but maybe it's filling in the blanks that makes it "deep". This was the first song from the album that I played over and over ad nauseum.

***"Carve You In Marble"--if anyone ever doubted Tim's piano ability, just listen to this and be amazed. Just as it is "naked," it's breath-taking. I love the play of rhythms once the introduction is over and the electric instruments come in. The lyrical sentiment here is strong, but the instrumental fierceness wins out for me on this one. I love the fun of the ending, too, how there is a keyboard fill right into the bass as it goes out. Lovely trading of lines.

***"Hyacinth"--you know, I don't know if the words really mean anything, but the song feels madly romantic and Tim sings it like a caress. It shows one of the features of his voice, a contrast to how he's using it in "Don't Bury My Heart" and the more aggressive/poppy songs. I also enjoy the guitar sounds on this one.

***"Big Canoe"--oh my I love this song! For me, this is Tim showing himself as the master songwriter he is. Other songs highlight the way he sings, the way he plays or how he's a general entertainer. This song to me emphasizes that Tim is a songwriter. In the execution of the song, I love the woman's voice, the native percussion, the strings that sweep you along in a buoyant way as if you're in a... well, "big canoe", and the use of Maori legend for the song's story.

In its own way, you could think of this as a predecessor to Crowded House's song "Together Alone". For me, this is a breath-taking musical journey all wrapped up in 4:39. Thank you, Tim. Oh, and try to tell me that the melody to the "Big Canoe/Aotearoa" lyric isn't infectious and singable.

So there you go. Big Canoe is awesome and should have much more attention for being the magnificent thing it is instead of being thought of as some casualty of 80s production.

There is a surprising "funky" beat to many of the songs on "Big Canoe." While that might sound uninviting on a Tim Finn CD, it really wears its welcome well. Finn is in fine vocal form, and the songs have distinct and interesting melodies. "Spiritual Hunger" starts off the CD with a reverbing "Hear me now, hear me now." The bass playing is strong, and it sounds as if the drum machines are in high gear, but the end result is an almost danceable power tune.

Other selections that are noteworthy are "Don't Bury My Heart," the very funky "So Deep," the spiritual "No Thunder, No Fire, No Rain," and the sweet "Hyacinth." The title track brings a chanting element, which most Finn fans will be happy to hear again. The final track, "Are We One Or Are We Two?" is a pop beauty, utilizing horns and strings to their finest.

"Big Canoe" has been bashed by a number of professional reviewers through the years. I've found it to be extremely satisfying... I think it's Tim Finn's best solo work... and, actually, it is very much on a par with brother Neil's best solo and Crowded House endeavours. Highly recommended.

This album, though arguably Tim's weakest offering so far, is nonetheless worthy of praise for the sheer QUALITY of Finn's vocals. His voice is in FINE form:the best in his entire career. Until recent years, Tim was reknowned in Australia and New Zealand as one of the best singers to hail from that part of the globe, and this album serves testament to that.

The primary problem here is over-production, giving the songs too much polish and thereby detracting attention away from the delicate beauty of the melodies. Tim's songs have always been served better with sensitive,carefully crafted, innovative arrangements(such as found on his EXCELLENT self-titled album on the Capitol label). Sadly, his songs here received the standard slick production values typically found in Aussie Pop from that time period.

Another problem here is that the sheer quality of the material itself is nowhere near on the same par with Tim's previous efforts. Finn had produced-prior to this album-not only a highly respected body of work with New Zealand's legendary Split Enz, but most notably what remains in most critics'(and fans) eyes as his finest album:"Escapade". "Escapade" produced a truly STAGGERING number of top ten hits for Finn in Australia and New Zealand, as well as winning him NEW fans in the European and American music markets too. It culminated in winning him Australia's version of the Grammy, not only for album of the year but top male vocalist too! After such an accomplishment, this overall lackluster follow-up was seen by many as quite a disappointment.

However, certain songs here do manage to penetrate at times through the glossly production values. When they do, there are some significant joys to be found. I loved the playfullness of "Timmy", "Water Into Wine" and especially "Are We One Or Are We Two". On the latter, if you listen closely, you can actually hear the sound of drum sticks falling to the studio floor at the end of the song, followed by the sound of GENUINE laughter from Finn.

Overall, I gave it three stars for Tim Finn's impressive vocal technique/prowess, and for those small but shining moments to be heard throughout.

This album marked timm finn's break from split enz (which evolved into crowded house). it sounds like a solo album should - original & uncluttered. worth listening to, especially in the context that it closed and opened chapters in the finn brothers' musical stages.