Afterglow

Crowded House

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 23, 2000)
• Original Release Date: May 23, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B00003ZADB
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #80,160 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The unreleased residue of popular recording careers is typically the stuff of box-set "extra" discs and sometimes suspicious reissue "bonus tracks." Even the Beatles' vaunted Anthology series argued that serving up leftovers as a main course is a risky proposition at best. Afterglow, a collection of 13 surplus tracks from New Zealand popmeisters Crowded House, fares better than most such efforts, if only because of the old-fashioned dedication to songcraft that Neil Finn and company displayed throughout their career. Stretching from the band's pre-signing days ("Recurring Dream" and "Left Hand"), through no fewer than seven outtakes from the band's 1991 standout, Woodface (including some outstanding harmony work between Neil Finn and elder brother and fellow Split Enz mainstay Tim) to sparely produced tracks for an unfinished fifth album, Afterglow possesses a surprising cohesiveness as an album. While there's no stellar pop hits like "Don't Dream It's Over" lurking in this scrapyard, there's enough solid B+ material to perk the interest of Crowded House devotees. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Leftovers taste just as good as the original meal, December 19, 1999

By A Customer

I, for one, did not lament the end of Crowded House too much because I am a Neil Finn fan and there was no doubt he would go on making great music, with or without his Enz or Crowdies bandmates. "Together Alone" is their crowning glory, so it was best that they went out with that. Having said that, however, basking in the afterglow isn't too bad. I already own or have heard these songs on various singles or fanclub CDs . . . but to have them all in one place, they sound better than ever. The three TA outakes are great, as are "Recurring Dream" (version two), "I Love You Dawn," and "Anyone Can Tell." I've never cared for "Dr. Livingston," but this improved version is better . . . If anything, it just makes me more eager for Mr. Finn's second solo CD.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A lovely compilation,, June 28, 2000

By	Steffan Ziegler "i_hate_emoticons" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Normally, a rarities cd will offer one or two good tracks along with a ton of experimental or unusual cuts that never made the albums for good reason. So often I'll buy one from a favorite group, and within two weeks, I'll be unloading it at the used CD store, disappointed and sad. Sometimes the Finn Brothers' little experiments can be hit or miss, so I was a little cautious when purchasing, thinking I might get another album of perfectly passable, but unremarkable harmonious ditties with no soul. I need not have worried. This cd is "Woodface" era Crowded House at it's best. Each song is not just what you'd expect from Crowded House in peak form, but much much more, as many of the tracks show an impetuousness and a spirit that sometimes gets crushed in the steep production of the commercial Crowded House albums. Notable standouts are the Harrison-esque "I Love You Dawn," and the wondrously harmonic multi-layered passionate home demo, "Lester." But the whole darn thing is pretty good. It sits on my shelf between "Woodface" and "Together Alone" and it deserves that spot. I eagerly await the album of home demos hinted at in the liner notes, if this is the kind of thing I can expect.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely essential, April 10, 2000

By	[e-mail] (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This is that most rarest of rarities collections, one that serves equally well as a salve for fans mourning the demise of the band and as a primer for people new to the band's music. Crowded House made beautiful, haunting pop music with a warm sense of humor and the good fortune to have been fronted by Neil Finn, one of the greatest songwriters of the last 20 years.

The hits compilation *Recurring Dream* is also a good place to start, of course, but for some reason you won't find the *song* "Recurring Dream" there, and you'll encounter a fair amount of overlap when you go on to pick up the other CH albums (as you surely will!).

The songs here (with the exception of the drummer's intolerable "My Telly's Gone Bung") are brilliant. Good mastering and great liner notes round out the project. Fans of *Together Alone* will find particular delight in outtakes from that session ("I Am in Love," "You Can Touch"), as well as in the *TA*-esque "Help is Coming" and a gorgeous acoustic version of "Private Universe."