Crowded House - Acoustic Radio Sessions, Volume 1: 1988-1991| Albums That Should Exist

Crowded House - Acoustic Radio Sessions Vol 1 - Albums That Should Exist

Paul Says:

Quite a while back, a very big Crowded House fan gave me a bunch of unreleased recordings from Crowded House and lead singer Neil Finn. Unfortunately, that was a couple of years ago at least, so I've forgotten the person's name. But if they're still around, they should step forward and take a bow, because I've searched the Internet and I haven't seen most of this material anywhere else. Thanks to this person, I'll be posting two Crowded House albums and three Neil Finn ones. They all consist of acoustic performances. 

This album is made up of acoustic radio sessions from 1988 to 1991. But just the first three songs are from 1988, and the rest are from 1991, with nothing in between. Eight of the 13 songs are from BBC studio sessions, but I've decided against calling this a BBC album, because most of the second album in this series is not from BBC sources, and what really unifies all the performances are the acoustic nature of the performances. Mind you, these are band performances, usually with bass and drums, but it's all done with acoustic instruments.

If you're a Crowded House fan, you're in for a treat. Typically, their albums had lush, full production. And that's fine, it usually worked for them, but it's nice to hear their songs done in a very different manner. 

This album is 42 minutes long. 

01 Sister Madly (Crowded House)
02 When You Come (Crowded House)
03 Better Be Home Soon (Crowded House)
04 Weather with You (Crowded House)
05 Chocolate Cake (Crowded House)
06 There Goes God (Crowded House)
07 It's Only Natural (Crowded House)
08 Don't Dream It's Over - All I Have to Do Is Dream (Crowded House)
09 Throw Your Arms Around Me (Crowded House)
10 Italian Plastic (Crowded House)
11 Into Temptation (Crowded House)
12 Fame Is (Crowded House)
13 Spellbound (Crowded House)

Crowded House - Acoustic Radio Sessions, Volume 2: 1991-1994 | Albums That Should Exist

Crowded House Acoustic Radio Sessions Vol 2 - Albums That Should Exist

Paul Says:

I recently posted "Acoustic Radio Sessions, Volume 1" by Crowded House, and this one picks up right where that one left off. Like that one, these are generally full band performances, but they're done with all acoustic instruments. And like that one, all the performances here are unreleased, and come from in-person radio station appearances.

The first three songs are from 1991, the next three are from 1993, and the rest are from 1994. That roughly corresponds to the time the band was together, until reunions over a decade later. The songs here go through April 1994, and that month is when drummer Paul Hester quit the band. They played some concerts after that, with a final concert in 1996, but they didn't put out any more studio albums. So between this volume and the previous one, pretty much all the best known songs from the band's first era are included.

The sound quality is generally excellent. Three of the songs, tracks 8, 9, and 10, were played in front of a small audience, but that didn't overlap the music much. In case you're curious about the BBC, like I am, tracks 4 through 8 were done for a BBC radio show.

Thanks again to the person who sent me all this music a while back. Sorry it took so long for me to get around to posting it.

This album is 44 minutes long.

01 World Where You Live (Crowded House)
02 Whole Lotta Love (Crowded House)
03 Four Seasons in One Day (Crowded House)
04 Locked Out (Crowded House)
05 Private Universe (Crowded House)
06 In My Command (Crowded House)
07 Nails in My Feet (Crowded House)
08 Distant Sun (Crowded House)
09 Pineapple Head (Crowded House)
10 Black and White Boy (Crowded House)
11 Fingers of Love (Crowded House)
12 Fall at Your Feet (Crowded House)
13 Catherine Wheels (Crowded House)