Neil Finn - New Album: Dizzy Heights (2014-02-07)

[ridleybradout]

About time this living legend had a thread of his own here.

Neil's third solo album is released thist week, currently streaming on iTunes in Aus/UK.

Co-produced by Dave Fridmann (Mercury Rev, The Flaming Lips, Tame Impala) it follows the pattern set by his first two solo efforts of being more funky and experimental that his Crowded House work. Really enjoying it so far - even on the crappy 128k iTunes stream you can appreciate the lush and cinematic arrangements.

Here's a taster - the Beatles meets Sigur Ros 'Divebomber'



Live webcast of other album highlights:

[ridleybradout]

No replies? I would have thought that the crossover between Neil and PJ/EV would be higher here
(I guess I forgot to factor in that most folks =n OB don't actually like PJ...)

Anyhoo - if anyone is in Sydney tonight I have a spare FRONT ROW ticket to see Neil tonight at the Sydney Opera House going for less than cost price. PM if interested

[HardTI]

I love Neil Finn's solo albums. He really is an amazing song writer, but I'm having a lot of trouble getting into this album. Try Whistiling this and One Nil are 2 of my favorite albums ever.

[LetMeSleep]

I've been meaning to listen to this album but it's just slipped through the cracks.

Hope the gig was good Brad. I've seen him a few times and it's usually stellar.

[Kevin Davis]

I really liked the 7 Worlds Collide album that Eddie was involved in. Don't know much of Neil's stuff beyond that with the exception of the Crowded House and Split Enz hits.

[LetMeSleep]

Check out One Nil. It's beautiful.


This is great.

[LetMeSleep]

While we are here....

[malice]

always liked this guy

[ridleybradout]

I love Neil Finn's solo albums. He really is an amazing song writer, but I'm having a lot of trouble getting into this album. Try Whistiling this and One Nil are 2 of my favorite albums ever.

It's probably not quite up to the very high standard set by those two albums - but it's definitive very enjoyable and much more experimental than you'd expect from a guy who could write sublime melodic pop songs in his sleep.

I've been meaning to listen to this album but it's just slipped through the cracks.

Hope the gig was good Brad. I've seen him a few times and it's usually stellar.

I've seen him with Crowded House, Split Enz, Finn Brothers and on his own acoustic before, but this was the first time I've seen him in his solo incarnation with a band. It was probably the one of the best gigs I've seen him do, as he was able to duck and weave through his entire catalogue without having to stick to a particular era of himself. His new band is young and full of energy - and I think Neil has picked up some guitar moves from Liam and EV's version of History Never Repeats - brought the house down.

Here's the setlist - my faves from the new album (Better Than TV, Strangest Friends and Pony Ride) all sounded particularly good and stack up well against the rest of his catalogue

Impressions
Flying in the Face of Love
Distant Sun (Crowded House song)
Dizzy Heights
One Step Ahead (Split Enz song)
Anytime
From a Friend to a Friend (Pajama Club song)
Better Than TV
Wherever You Are
Only Talking Sense (The Finn Brothers song)
Fall at Your Feet (Crowded House song)
Sinner
White Lies and Alibis
Message to My Girl (Split Enz song)
Gentle Hum (The Finn Brothers song)
Don't Dream It's Over (on piano - Crowded House song)
Strangest Friends
Locked Out (Crowded House song)
She Will Have Her Way

Encore:
History Never Repeats (Split Enz song)
Pony Ride
I Got You (Split Enz song)

Encore 2: Neil solo acoustic
The Devil You Know (Split Enz song)
Private Universe (Crowded House song)
Together Alone (Crowded House song) (fragment, sung after a call from the audience)
Better Be Home Soon (Crowded House song)

[ridleybradout]

Here is some great pro-shot footage of Neil's MusicMax session back in January. His new band sound fantastic given they were only formed 5 days prior

Throw Your Arms Around Me and a rockin' History Never Repeats featuring EdVed starts from 50:40.





01 Pony Ride
02 Flying In The Face Of Love
03 Distant Sun
04 Impressions
05 In My Blood
06 Message To My Girl
07 One Step Ahead
08 Anytime
09 Strangest Friends
10 Locked Out
11 I Got You
12 Throw Your Arms Around Me (with Eddie Vedder)
13 History Never Repeats (with Eddie Vedder)

And a couple of outtakes:

[Birds in Hell]

I've been enjoying this record a lot this past week or so.