Neil Finn--Once Removed [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Neil Finn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2000

A lyrical and photographic account of the Neil Finn experience.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Sanctuary Publishing; illustrated edition edition (November 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1860742971
• ISBN-13: 978-1860742972
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 9.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #270,907 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Once Reviewed, November 28, 2000

By 

mona mcquade (tampa, fl. usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Neil Finn--Once Removed (Paperback)

Once Removed by Neil Finn and Mark Smith is a photographic and literary journal of sorts created during and after the tour for Neil's first solo album, Try Whistling This. I think one of the reasons I've been a fan of Neil's for so long is because he isn't your typical rock star. He's down to earth, makes music for the sake of making music and loves his family. These traits come through in his music and now in this book. The photo-grapher, Mark Smith, is also a friend of the family. I love how the pictures taken could have been taken by any one of us, in the sense that they show what you see on the road. Giant concrete buildings, firework warehouses and strangers in the same frame as you. There is minimal glamour. Neil and Mark have shown us a bit of what touring is really like, not just all fancy hotels and sparkling champagne. They have also shown us it entails lonliness, boredom and doubt. It's not a depressing book, don't get me wrong, some of the photos are quite amusing and wierd, and I love that! But as an intelligent fan of a respectable musician, I appreciate honesty. I also appreciate Neil sharing his personal thoughts and experiences. Some made me want to cry, swell up with pride and giddiness and, at parts, feel some shame. Neil has always been an intimate person and did not have to make this book. He could just take the money from the records and run but he doesn't. He's a creative person who now has another outlet to express himself. Truly not the typical rock star.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice for Finn fans, but not coffee table quality., July 15, 2004

By 

Dennis Hawley (Asheville, NC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Neil Finn--Once Removed (Paperback)

Neil Finn, formerly of Split Enz and Crowded House, shows some real writing talent with his very personal, and at times incisive, commentary on his first post-Crowded House solo tour to promote the superb `Try Whistling This'. His prose offers glimpses into the rigors of such a tour, as well as revealing the effect on his personal and family life. He offers insightful comments on the demands of and skills required to navigate through the business and logistical maze of pulling a tour off. Finn notes, for example, that in trying to remember all of the event details and people he encounters good "short-term memory" is needed, adding parenthetically (and with some humor) "marijuana is not recommended." I read Finn's words in one sitting, and was transported to his world, however briefly.
As pointed out by at least one other reviewer, however, there is a weakness with this book. It is essentially a pictorial, embellished by Finn's writing. Given this, the photography is obviously crucial. Regrettably, the photographs just don't rise to the occasion. While it is true that there are a few really good shots (my favorite being a shot of Neil and his drummer playing chess next to a window, with the vast expanse of the Western states streaking by), there are even more lame shots. With all due respect to photographer and Finn family friend Mark Smith, many of those buying this book could probably do as good (or better) a job than is evident here. Two full, open-leaf pages of airplane contrail? A squashed bug on a windshield? Close-up shots of orange traffic safety cones? Maybe you had to have been there. In any event, I give the book 4 stars for Neil Finn's writing, 2 stars for the photography, hence the composite of 3 stars.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Save A Spot For Me On The Tourbus, May 3, 2001

By 

a fan "Bill" (Midwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Neil Finn--Once Removed (Paperback)

An incredible & insightful pictorial view into the 'Try Whistling This' tour. Seemingly trivial American scenery takes on fresh paint through the camera lens of a foreign eye, and we, the readers, feel like we did the tour with the band.

After finishing the book, I wish I had.

Oh well...maybe next time.