The Village Voice. Recurring Dream: The Very Best of Crowded House, usually abbreviated to Recurring Dream, is a compilation album by rock group Crowded House, released in 1996. It includes most of their singles, as well as three new songs, 'Not the Girl You Think You Are', 'Instinct', and 'Everything Is Good. Recurring Dream: The Very Best of Crowded House ~ Release by Crowded House (see all versions of this release, 7 available).

1. Recurring Dream The Very Best Of Crowded House Rare
2. Recurring Dream The Very Best Of Crowded House Rarity
3. Recurring Dream The Very Best Of Crowded House Raritan

The Very Very Best of Crowded House is a compilation album featuring 19 singles from the period spanning Crowded House's first six studio albums. A CD and DVD box set is available, which includes a DVD of 25 of the band's music videos. The album is also available as a 'Deluxe Digital Version' which features 32 tracks including a rare 1987 live recording of the band's cover version of the Hunters & Collectors song 'Throw Your Arms Around Me'.

• 2Track listing
• 4Chart performance

History[edit]

The band left Capitol/EMI Records in 2010^[1] and this album documents their time with that label. The album has not been mentioned on Crowded House's official website, although an email was sent to subscribers to their mailing list to announce its release, which suggests that the band had little involvement with it. An official press release from Capitol/EMI states that the album is being released to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the formation of the band.^[2] No tracks from the band's 2010 album Intriguer are included because the band had left Capitol/EMI prior to the recording of that album, which was released on Universal and Fantasy (US).

Track listing[edit]

This album largely duplicates the band's 1996 compilation Recurring Dream, but has been revised to include two songs from their 2007 album Time on Earth ('Don't Stop Now' and 'Pour Le Monde'). Also included are two songs from 1993's Together Alone ('Fingers of Love' and 'Nails in My Feet') and 'Chocolate Cake' from 1991's Woodface, which were omitted from the previous compilation. Four early Crowded House singles, 'World Where You Live', 'When You Come', 'Into Temptation' and 'I Feel Possessed', which featured on Recurring Dream, have not been included on this new album. 'Everything Is Good for You', one of three tracks specially recorded for the 1996 compilation, is also omitted.

Disc 1 (CD)[edit]

1. 'Something So Strong' (Neil Finn, Mitchell Froom) – 2:53
2. 'Weather with You' (Neil Finn, Tim Finn) – 3:44
3. 'It's Only Natural' (Neil Finn, Tim Finn) – 3:30
4. 'Chocolate Cake' (Neil Finn, Tim Finn) – 4:01
5. 'Fall at Your Feet' (Neil Finn) – 3:18
6. 'Distant Sun' (Neil Finn) – 3:51
7. 'Better Be Home Soon' (Neil Finn) – 3:08
8. 'Four Seasons in One Day' (Neil Finn, Tim Finn) – 2:48
9. 'Don't Dream It's Over' (Neil Finn) – 3:56
10. 'Mean to Me' (Neil Finn) – 3:16
11. 'Locked Out' (Neil Finn) – 3:17
12. 'Don't Stop Now' (Neil Finn) – 3:54
13. 'Pineapple Head' (Neil Finn) – 3:29
14. 'Instinct' (Neil Finn) – 3:09
15. 'Fingers of Love' (Neil Finn) – 4:26
16. 'Private Universe' (Neil Finn) – 5:39
17. 'Not the Girl You Think You Are' (Neil Finn) – 4:10
18. 'Nails in My Feet' (Neil Finn) – 3:42
19. 'Pour le Monde' (Neil Finn) – 5:10

CD & DVD box set: Disc 2 (DVD)[edit]

1. 'Mean to Me' (Neil Finn) – 3:16
2. 'Now We're Getting Somewhere' (Neil Finn) – 4:08
3. 'Don't Dream It's Over' (Neil Finn) – 3:56
4. 'World Where You Live' (Neil Finn) – 3:06
5. 'Something So Strong' (Neil Finn, Mitchell Froom) – 2:53
6. 'Better Be Home Soon' (Neil Finn) – 3:08
7. 'When You Come' (Neil Finn) – 4:46
8. 'Into Temptation' (Neil Finn) – 4:33
9. 'Sister Madly' (Neil Finn) – 2:54
10. 'I Feel Possessed' (Neil Finn) – 3:49
11. 'Chocolate Cake' (Neil Finn, Tim Finn) – 4:01
12. 'Fall at Your Feet' (Neil Finn) – 3:18
13. 'It's Only Natural' (Neil Finn, Tim Finn) – 3:30
14. 'Weather with You' (Neil Finn, Tim Finn) – 3:44
15. 'Four Seasons in One Day' (Neil Finn, Tim Finn) – 2:48
16. 'Distant Sun' (Neil Finn) – 3:51
17. 'Nails in My Feet' (Neil Finn) – 3:42
18. 'Locked Out' (Neil Finn) – 3:17
19. 'Private Universe' (Neil Finn) – 5:39
20. 'Everything Is Good for You' (Neil Finn) – 3:56
21. 'Not the Girl You Think You Are' (Neil Finn) – 4:11
22. 'Instinct' (Neil Finn) – 3:08
23. 'Don't Stop Now' (Neil Finn) – 3:54
24. 'She Called Up' (Neil Finn) – 2:54
25. 'Better Be Home Soon' (Neil Finn) – 3:08

Deluxe digital version (download only)[edit]

Us holidays ical subscription. Disc 1:

1. 'Now We're Getting Somewhere'
2. 'World Where You Live'
3. 'Weather with You'
4. 'Something So Strong'
5. 'When You Come'
6. 'Fingers of Love'
7. 'Four Seasons in One Day'
8. 'Distant Sun'
9. 'Don't Stop Now'
10. 'Sister Madly'
11. 'Chocolate Cake'
12. 'Locked Out'
13. 'Never Be the Same'
14. 'Hole in the River'
15. 'Not the Girl You Think You Are'
16. 'Better Be Home Soon'

Disc 2:

1. 'Mean to Me'
2. 'It's Only Natural'
3. 'Fall at Your Feet'
4. 'Recurring Dream'
5. 'Private Universe'
6. 'Pineapple Head'
7. 'She Called Up'
8. 'I Feel Possessed'
9. 'Instinct'
10. 'Everything Is Good for You'
11. 'Into Temptation'
12. 'Nails in My Feet'
13. 'Don't Dream It's Over'
14. 'Pour le Monde'
15. 'Whispers and Moans'
16. 'Throw Your Arms Around Me' (Live from the Roxy, Los Angeles, 26 Feb. 1987)

Reception[edit]

The Music Fix website described this release as a 'shameless cash in' and recommended Recurring Dream as a cheaper and superior purchase.^[3] A BBC review also questioned, 'Whether the world needs another Crowded House best of,' but praised the album, saying that 'several of these 19 tracks are solid-gold greats.'^[4]Allmusic described the 32 track digital version of the album as, 'The best Crowded House comp so far, verging on the definitive.'^[5] The website musicOMH praised the album for being, 'Littered with modern pop classics,' but also recommended Recurring Dream as a better purchase, whilst admitting that the album, 'will do enough business to warrant their record company's shameless opportunism.'^[6]Classic Rock reviewer remarks how the band has progressed since the time when the material of the collection was recorded, but she says that 'it's hard not to be wowed by this back catalogue of golden pop genius.'^[7]

Chart performance[edit]

The album peaked at number 11 in Australia,^[8] 12 in New Zealand^[9] and 49 in the UK,^[10] making it less successful than Recurring Dream.

Weekly charts[edit]

Year-end charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^Brandle, Lars 'Crowded House Plots Comeback, Moves Labels'Billboard – 23 March 2010
2. ^'Crowded House's Top Hits and Fan Favorites Gathered for 'The Very Very Best Of Crowded House,' to be Released October 26 by Capitol/EMI'PR Newswire – 1 September 2010
3. ^ ^ab'The Music Fix review'.
4. ^ ^ab'BBC review'.
5. ^ ^ab'Allmusic review'.
6. ^ ^ab'musicOMH review'.
7. ^ ^abCatherine, Yates (January 2011). 'Crowded House – The Very Very Best Of'. Classic Rock. 153. London, UK: Future plc. p. 115.
8. ^ ^ab'Crowded House Discography'australiancharts.com
9. ^ ^ab'Crowded House Discography'charts.org.nz
10. ^ ^ab'Crowded House'Chart Stats
11. ^'ARIA Top 100 Albums 2011'. ARIA. Archived from the original on 29 January 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
12. ^'ARIA Top 100 Albums 2012'. ARIA. Archived from the original on 9 January 2013. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
13. ^'ARIA Top 100 Albums 2016'. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
14. ^'ARIA End of Year Albums 2017'. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
15. ^'ARIA End of Year Albums 2018'. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
16. ^'ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2015 Albums'. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 6 January 2018.

External links[edit]

Recurring Dream: The Very Best of Crowded House, usually abbreviated to Recurring Dream, is a compilation album by rock group Crowded House, released in 1996. It includes most of their singles, as well as three new songs, 'Not the Girl You Think You Are', 'Instinct', and 'Everything Is Good for You'.^[8]

• 3Charts
• 5Special Edition Live Album

Background[edit]

Crowded House were touring in support of their album Together Alone, when after a concert in Atlanta on 14 April 1994, drummer Paul Hester decided to leave the band.^[9] He was eventually replaced by Peter Jones.^[10] The band completed the tour and returned to Australia where bandleader Neil Finn began writing songs for their next album, provisionally titled Help Is Coming. During this time he also wrote and recorded the album Finn with his brother Tim Finn.^[10] At a press conference in 1996, at which the release of Recurring Dream was announced, Neil Finn revealed that Crowded House were to split up. The June concerts in Europe and Canada would be their final shows.^[11]

The collection was released in June 1996 and features four songs from each of the group's four studio albums, as well as the three new songs. Hester returned to play on these songs, but despite this he is not credited as a full band member on the album sleeve, which reads, 'Performed by Crowded House (Neil Finn, Nick Seymour and Mark Hart) with Paul Hester.' The new photos on the album sleeve only show Neil Finn, Seymour and Hart, although Hester and Tim Finn both appear several times in a collage of old band photos. The wording on the album implies that Hart played on all 19 tracks. In fact he only became a full band member on their fourth album Together Alone, although he did receive an 'additional keyboards' credit for unspecified tracks on the album Woodface. Hester may not appear on the song 'Weather With You', because Ricky Fataar is credited with drums on that track on the Woodface sleeve.

The album's title Recurring Dream, is also the name of a song written in 1985, when the group were still known as 'The Mullanes', by Finn, Hester, Seymour and the band's then guitarist Craig Hooper. The song 'Recurring Dream' was not included on this compilation, but was later featured on Afterglow, Crowded House's 1999 rarities collection. At the 1997 ARIA Music Awards, Recurring Dream won in the 'Highest Selling Album' category.^[12] The award was presented by Dave Graney who joked in his presentation speech that it's, 'Sometimes just about the money!'

The album's cover was painted by bassist Nick Seymour. Like Together Alone and Temple of Low Men it features a red car. The cover also shows an electric fan, an item which appeared on the sleeve of their debut album. The bare chested man on the album cover appears to be Seymour himself.

New songs[edit]

Three new tracks were recorded specially for Recurring Dream by Finn, Seymour, Hart and Hester. 'Everything Is Good for You', 'Instinct' and 'Not the Girl You Think You Are' were recorded at York Street Studios in Auckland, New Zealand and were produced by Finn, Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake. In a 2006 interview, Neil Finn said of 'Everything Is Good for You', 'The philosophy of the song is slightly obscure in the verses, but really it's about not allowing regrets to rule your life. But it's also got a sense of humour. There's a wryness to it. It's not a message song particularly.'^[8]

Of 'Instinct' he said, 'I did a demo of it at home. It's just built on a bass riff..I put down a drum track, put a bass track to it and had it around for about a month. The lyrics are, as it turns out, extremely appropriate for the time: Nearly time to flick the switch/Hanging by a single stitch/Laughing at the stony face of gloom. I mean, in a way it was an instinctive decision for me to discontinue working with the band. My stomach told me to do it, so that's what the song is about: recognizing those moments and having the desire to follow it through.'^[8]

Of 'Not the Girl You Think You Are' he said, 'I wrote that with the assistance of an Optigan keyboard, which is a weird old antique from the '60s, a trashy antique. It's a machine that reads optical discs, the most primitive form of sampling from the '60s. I had found piano loops on it that I just put a sequence together from and I wrote the song in 10 minutes on top of it.'^[8]

Due to this compilation being superseded by The Very Very Best of Crowded House in 2010 and 'Everything Is Good for You' being omitted from that album, all three tracks were included on the 2016 deluxe edition of Afterglow.

Charts[edit]

Recurring Dream topped the Australian (8 weeks), New Zealand (8 weeks) and UK (2 weeks) albums charts. It also reached the top 10 in Norway, Belgium and The Netherlands. The album was certified platinum in the UK (x4),^[13] Australia (x13),^[14] New Zealand (x9) and Spain.^[15]

Recurring Dream The Very Best Of Crowded House Rare

Singles[edit]

Track listing[edit]

All songs were written by Neil Finn, except where noted.

Special Edition Live Album[edit]

Recurring Dream was also released as a two-disc version, the second disc being titled Special Edition Live Album. The songs were selected by Split Enz bassist Nigel Griggs, who was asked to do the job by Neil Finn, according to the album's sleeve notes. Just days after he accepted the job, hundreds of cassettes of Crowded House performances arrived for him to evaluate. The recordings he chose were not remixed or adjusted in any way before they were put on the album. Only four of the tracks from the main album had their live versions included on the second disc.

Five of the live album's songs are from the same concert, at The Civic Theatre in Newcastle, Australia. Other songs from this performance have appeared as B-sides, including 'Chocolate Cake' on the 'Instinct' single. The recording of 'Fingers of Love' comes from Paul Hester's final show, in Atlanta, before he quit the band.

Track listing[edit]

1. ^Contains the last bars of the traditional Irish song The Parting Glass

The album is performed by Neil Finn, Nick Seymour, Paul Hester and Mark Hart, apart from tracks 7, 8, 9 and 10 which feature Tim Finn rather than Hart.

Further reading[edit]

• Bourke, Chris (1997). Crowded House: Something So Strong. South Melbourne, Victoria: Macmillan. ISBN0-7329-0886-8.

References[edit]

General

• McFarlane, Ian (1999). 'Encyclopedia entry for Crowded House'. Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin. ISBN1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 6 April 2004.
• Bourke, Chris (1997). Crowded House: Something So Strong. South Melbourne, Victoria: Macmillan. ISBN0-7329-0886-8.

Specific

1. ^Woodstra, Chris. 'Recurring Dream: The Very Best of Crowded House'. AllMusic. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
2. ^Klein, Joshua (11 July 1996). 'Crowded House Recurring Dream: The Very Best Of (Capitol)/Finn Brothers Finn Brothers (Discovery)'. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
3. ^Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN9780857125958.
4. ^Willman, Chris (2 August 1996). 'Recurring Dream'. Entertainment Weekly.
5. ^Sullivan, Caroline (28 June 1996). 'This week's pop cd releases'. The Guardian. p. T.022.
6. ^Cigarettes, Johnny (22 June 1996). 'Crowded House - Recurring Dream (The Best Of Crowded House)'. NME. p. 53. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000.
7. ^Christgau, Robert (17 September 1996). 'Consumer Guide'. The Village Voice.
8. ^ ^abcdSakamoto, John 'Crowded House members head for the door'Jam! Canoe – 24 June 1996
9. ^McFarlane, 1999
10. ^ ^ab'Crowded House'Archived 27 July 2012 at Pandora ArchiveHowlspace
11. ^Bourke, 1997
12. ^'History > Winners by Artist > Crowded House'ariaawards.com.au
13. ^'Certified Awards Search'British Phonographic Industry (Note: Enter 'Crowded House' into the 'Search' box and ensure that the 'Search by' box says 'Artist')
14. ^'ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2010 Albums'ARIA
15. ^ ^abcd'Albums > Recurring Dream'crowdedhouse.com
16. ^ ^ab'Crowded House'australian-charts.com
17. ^'Crowded House – Recurring Dream – The Very Best of (Album)'austriancharts.at
18. ^'Crowded House'Ultratop
19. ^'Crowded House – Recurring Dream – The Very Best of (Album)'Ultratop
20. ^'RPM Top Albums/CDs – Volume 63, No. 24, 29 July 1996'Library and Archives Canada
21. ^'Chartverfolgung / Crowded House / Longplay'musicline.de
22. ^'Crowded House'dutchcharts.nl
23. ^ ^ab'Crowded House'charts.org.nz
24. ^'Discography Crowded House'norwegiancharts.com
25. ^'Discography Crowded House'swedishcharts.com
26. ^'Crowded House – Recurring Dream – The Very Best of (Album)'hitparade.ch
27. ^ ^ab'Crowded House'Chart Stats

External links[edit]

Recurring Dream The Very Best Of Crowded House Rarity

Recurring Dream The Very Best Of Crowded House Raritan