The Album Review Club - Week #216 (page 1412) - Together Alone - Crowded House

RobMCFC said:
It just never seems as interesting as the other choices that we have. And although there's plenty of Ireland to go at, I just can't get the image of Dublin being a weekend piss-up destination out of my head and I'd hate that.
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We were only in Dublin for the direct flight in and back. That city reminded me of any international city like London or NYC. Our favourite part of visiting that area was taking a boat tour around Ireland's Eye (loved the Puffins and Seals) and hiking towards Baily Lighthouse in Howth, a short train ride, but more like a world away from Dublin.

Our favourite part of the overall visit itself was on the west coast in and around Galway, the Aran Islands, and all there was to see around Killarney area, where we spent the most time. Northern Ireland is next in the plans when we have more time for our next visit to the island. I'm sure the Derry jury would approve of that.

And of course I'm enjoying this week's selection thus far. I've got many songs I know already from the Playlist, Rock Evolution, and 4 off of this from their 1996 compilation Recurring Dream CD, but looking forward to hearing this in its entirety.
 
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Black&White&BlueMoon Town said:
Our favourite part of the overall visit itself was on the west coast in and around Galway, the Aran Islands, and all there was to see around Killarney area, where we spent the most time.
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Given the weather last week does that mean you're one of the blessed few who've done the Ring of Kerry in 100% visibility ? In which case you need to go back again sometime because the mizzle is part of the attraction :-)
 
Black&White&BlueMoon Town said:
We were only in Dublin for the direct flight in and back. That city reminded me of any international city like London or NYC. Our favourite part of visiting that area was taking a boat tour around Ireland's Eye (loved the Puffins and Seals) and hiking towards Baily Lighthouse in Howth, a short train ride, but more like a world away from Dublin.

Our favourite part of the overall visit itself was on the west coast in and around Galway, the Aran Islands, and all there was to see around Killarney area, where we spent the most time. Northern Ireland is next in the plans when we have more time for our next visit to the island. I'm sure the Derry jury would approve of that.

And of course I'm enjoying this week's selection thus far. I've got many songs I know already from the Playlist, Rock Evolution, and 4 off of this from their 1996 compilation Recurring Dream CD, but looking forward to hearing this in its entirety.
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I know you are a fan of the band but the fact that you haven't heard the full album makes it interesting again.
 
threespires said:
Given the weather last week does that mean you're one of the blessed few who've done the Ring of Kerry in 100% visibility ? In which case you need to go back again sometime because the mizzle is part of the attraction :-)
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It wasn't all perfect last week. Our Sea Safari boat ride on the Dingle Peninsula got canceled on Thursday due to rough seas as the cooling front came through.

It was mostly clear on Friday for the Ring of Kerry, but it was still foggy enough that the Skellig Islands were just barely visible through the mostly mist there too. But on the Ring itself, it was a clear day nearing 20C with plenty to enjoy there. We got into the Galway Bay at 9pm as the start of the "heat wave" began. That was pretty surreal with the sun still yet to set. ;-) No complaints at all given what I'm seeing there this week.
 
I'm familiar enough with this album that in theory I don't needed to listen to it to review but at lunchtime I started doing my normal min 3 listens whilst simultaneously looking at Car & Classic and it strikes me that this album and probably Crowded House themselves remind me of a Mk 2 Golf.

When this came out the likes of Nirvana and Pearl Jam were in their pomp and though I can't really remember I suspect Crowded House were viewed as a bit conventional and maybe even boring. At this point too the Mk2 Golf had been around for a good few years and was probably seen as a bit boring, it had been superseded by the supposedly fancier Mark III and BMW had dipped it's toe into the market with the 3 Series Compact, plus a fair few other newer hatchbacks had emerged including the funkier supermini category.

But the thing is the Mk 2 Golf was just a brilliantly put together car, a significant upgrade from the Mk1 but keeping the things that made it successful and it was just great at its job. There were a few things it wasn't designed to do but it did everything it should in an absolutely top notch way. I was so busy congratulating myself at not being mugged off with the dire 3 Series Compact that I foolishly ended up driving a Mk3 GTi. But only for a while, it was completely bobbins and not a patch on its predecessor.

Sometimes its good to be low key brilliant at what you do.
 
Sometimes there is a difference between something being good and you actually liking it. Together Alone by Crowded House is a good example for me. If you disagree with my general comment just think back to the great united teams under Ferguson (great at cheating). The treble team of united were a good team but it was a team in no way I could come close to liking. Where the analogy falls down is that I had plenty of reason to hate united. I have less reasons to hate Crowded House. Hate is certainly too strong a word for simply not liking something though but this is also part of my problem. I think i I like things in the extreme. I'd rather love or hate something than simply like it.

To be clear this is a really "good" album with lots to enjoy. I certainly wouldn't think any less of you for thinking this is great. I just don't like it as much as you or even as much as i think i should. Partly because I like things in the extreme - this is very centrist. Whilst there are lots of good arrangements and excellent tune smithery it rarely does the two things i like the most - quiet bits and loud bits.

Together Alone is the song through which I'm going to try and express why I can't like it. It has the appearance of saying something but says very little except a respectful centrism. The Maori choir hint at a certain spiritual perspective but the melody of "as is once will always be" I'm certain is a old Christian hymn. This idea is further evidenced by the album cover featuring Jesus, Buddha and Mohammad all in the same car. It feels like it's making a very "centrist" and centrist approach to religion and spirituality because they are all going the same way. This is the modern and mature approach but it's also deeply patronising.

When Jesus himself said that HE was the only way to the Father Neil Finn wants to pat him on the head and tell him why he's wrong. Even Jesus referring to God as Father is deeply alien and offensive in Islam and as far as I know Buddhists don't even believe in God. There is nothing smart in taking the none committal route - it's the equivalent of driving your Mk2 Golf at 50mph in the middle lane of the motorway.

This is my over riding impression of this album and why it's good but i don't like it. It's so safe and inoffensive. You might describe that as being a good thing in this divisive and tribal culture but then we'd all have to stop laughing at Arsenal and you might even have to agree that Wayne Rooney's shinned effort is the best goal ever scored in a derby. Crowded House want to make everything the same and inoffensive where as I want to explore the awkward differences.

I realise I'm now about to junk most of my argument by highlighting Locked Out and Together Alone as my two favourite tracks as they sound pretty different but they are both advocating a vaguely pagan worldview which is really nice but ultimately middle. Together Alone - Locked Out and Locked In. Earth and sky. Moon and sea. Crowded House posit a place in the middle so in honour of them i have to award this a 5. It's better than that but let's not get carried away by leaving the centre and having actual opinions or something.
 
mrbelfry said:
Sometimes there is a difference between something being good and you actually liking it. Together Alone by Crowded House is a good example for me. If you disagree with my general comment just think back to the great united teams under Ferguson (great at cheating). The treble team of united were a good team but it was a team in no way I could come close to liking. Where the analogy falls down is that I had plenty of reason to hate united. I have less reasons to hate Crowded House. Hate is certainly too strong a word for simply not liking something though but this is also part of my problem. I think i I like things in the extreme. I'd rather love or hate something than simply like it.

To be clear this is a really "good" album with lots to enjoy. I certainly wouldn't think any less of you for thinking this is great. I just don't like it as much as you or even as much as i think i should. Partly because I like things in the extreme - this is very centrist. Whilst there are lots of good arrangements and excellent tune smithery it rarely does the two things i like the most - quiet bits and loud bits.

Together Alone is the song through which I'm going to try and express why I can't like it. It has the appearance of saying something but says very little except a respectful centrism. The Maori choir hint at a certain spiritual perspective but the melody of "as is once will always be" I'm certain is a old Christian hymn. This idea is further evidenced by the album cover featuring Jesus, Buddha and Mohammad all in the same car. It feels like it's making a very "centrist" and centrist approach to religion and spirituality because they are all going the same way. This is the modern and mature approach but it's also deeply patronising.

When Jesus himself said that HE was the only way to the Father Neil Finn wants to pat him on the head and tell him why he's wrong. Even Jesus referring to God as Father is deeply alien and offensive in Islam and as far as I know Buddhists don't even believe in God. There is nothing smart in taking the none committal route - it's the equivalent of driving your Mk2 Golf at 50mph in the middle lane of the motorway.

This is my over riding impression of this album and why it's good but i don't like it. It's so safe and inoffensive. You might describe that as being a good thing in this divisive and tribal culture but then we'd all have to stop laughing at Arsenal and you might even have to agree that Wayne Rooney's shinned effort is the best goal ever scored in a derby. Crowded House want to make everything the same and inoffensive where as I want to explore the awkward differences.

I realise I'm now about to junk most of my argument by highlighting Locked Out and Together Alone as my two favourite tracks as they sound pretty different but they are both advocating a vaguely pagan worldview which is really nice but ultimately middle. Together Alone - Locked Out and Locked In. Earth and sky. Moon and sea. Crowded House posit a place in the middle so in honour of them i have to award this a 5. It's better than that but let's not get carried away by leaving the centre and having actual opinions or something.
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Fair enough. if you like loud/quiet/loud, then Crowded House is not the answer. I've said on more than one review on here that certain records don't have enough edge for me, so I can understand the sentiment.

Crowded House work for me because Neil Finn is a real one-off songwriter, and I derive a lot of pleasure from simple harmonics, crafty chord changes and a good old melody.
 
RobMCFC said:
Fair enough. if you like loud/quiet/loud, then Crowded House is not the answer. I've said on more than one review on here that certain records don't have enough edge for me, so I can understand the sentiment.

Crowded House work for me because Neil Finn is a real one-off songwriter, and I derive a lot of pleasure from simple harmonics, crafty chord changes and a good old melody.
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Yeah they are good. No doubt
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
Feel better Sadds!
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Thanks mate. The irony is I’m fine and feel great other than loss of hearing in one ear. I have a benign brain tumour around 4cm in size and shaped like a chantonnay carrot :-). It needs to come out as it will not stop growing and will damage all sorts. It’s a three month recovery at least and no driving. At least I get to watch the World Cup with no distractions. (Cross fingers) ;-)
 
Saddleworth2 said:
Thanks mate. The irony is I’m fine and feel great other than loss of hearing in one ear. I have a benign brain tumour around 4cm in size and shaped like a chantonnay carrot :-). It needs to come out as it will not stop growing and will damage all sorts. It’s a three month recovery at least and no driving. At least I get to watch the World Cup with no distractions. (Cross fingers) ;-)
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Is it a cholesteotoma? My daughter had that — discovered when she was five by her pediatrician who hadn’t ever seen one in thirty years of practice.
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
Is it a cholesteotoma? My daughter had that — discovered when she was five by her pediatrician who hadn’t ever seen one in thirty years of practice.
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It’s called an acoustic neuroma. It’s something that starts life growing on your inner ear and then after a while into the brain cavity. Also known as a vestibular shwannoma. It effects 1:100,000 lucky me. Would you believe that the week I was diagnosed I was telling my best fishing buddy and his wife was diagnosed the same week as me. What the hell are the chances of that.
 
Saddleworth2 said:
I should have asked, is your daughter ok now and did she retain her hearing In that ear? Hope so. It sounds quite similar to a AN.
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She’s fine! She had three surgeries — hers was very aggressive — and after the tumor was removed had her entire inner ear bone structure replaced with prosthetics (ear bones fortunately stop growing when you are very young). Her hearing in one ear isn’t perfect but she can get by without a hearing aid most of the time. At the time the risk was described as the same as an AN — left untreated, they can grow into the brain, but the normal issues are are hearing loss and chronic ear problems. Really happy her doctor caught it!
 
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