Finn Brothers - Finn

At last, the Finn record on vinyl! The folks at Needle Mythology have made this a labour of love and we are delighted you will now be able to spin one of our favourite records on your turntable. Lots of extra treats in there too, but most of all Tchad’s incredible sound given the analog treatment it deserves.

Hope you enjoy the full experience.

Neil

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THE NEW RELEASE FROM NEEDLE MYTHOLOGY
WITH SLEEVENOTES BY ED O’BRIEN FROM RADIOHEAD
VINYL CUT BY MILES SHOWELL AT ABBEY ROAD

RELEASED 29th JULY 2022

AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW
UK pre-order here: https://orcd.co/tfbfinn

US pre-order here: https://recordstoreday.com/UPC/195081002132

Aus pre-order here:
https://www.vinyl.com.au/finn-finn-expanded-edition-vinyl
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/vinyl-finn-finn-expanded-edition-vinyl-2lp
https://www.vinyldestination.com.au/finn-finn-expanded-edition-vinyl

NZ pre-order: available at most record stores (eg JB Hi Fi, Marbecks, Southbound, Flying Out, etc)

“Quincy Jones says it’s about leaving space for God to walk through the room. I can hear that on Finn. You might not want to acknowledge it for fear that it’ll go as soon as it’s arrived. But it’s there. And if you can capture that moment on tape, it’ll be there forever.”

Ed O’Brien (Radiohead)

Needle Mythology are proud to announce that they will be reissuing a special expanded album edition of Finn, the debut album by The Finn Brothers.

Initially released in 1995 to acclaim both from critics and long-time fans who had followed the pair’s work since their time together in Split Enz and Crowded House, this is the first time that Finn has received a vinyl release.

Tim Finn: “Making this record felt like freedom. Neil, myself, and Tchad Blake carved out a space that (to quote Nabokov) was pure “aesthetic bliss”. We took a few half-written songs, a T-Chest bass, and an ancient Chamberlin into an Auckland studio and a few weeks later came out with a finished album that was unlike anything we’d done before.”

Neil Finn recalls the recording sessions: “From the first day in York St studios with Tim and Tchad, we felt free to make any kind of sound we fancied, there was no template to follow for a Finn Bothers record. We just wanted to play everything ourselves. The old Chamberlin keyboard I had just shipped back from LA played sampled loops and orchestra sounds with actual tapes. I really wanted it to be a big feature of the record, but the first time I started playing it and before we realised, all the tapes unspooled out off the back and ended up on the floor. It seemed to be a pre-emptive humbling, like a symbolic trial sent by the universe. Tim and I are not renowned at all for our practical Mr Fixit skills, but we spent the best part of the first day on the floor delicately untangling and restoring the tapes into place and voila... it worked (most of the notes anyway), the Chamberlin was back and ready to play a pivotal part in the sound of Finn. Mood Swinging Man, Where Is My Soul, Angels Heap, all dressed up with its wonky, exotic textures. That small victory set us on the path to discover other unexpected talents and find new ways of approaching arrangement.”
 
Compiled in close collaboration with Tim and Neil, Finn is accompanied by The Finn Demos, which gathers together ten songs from 1989’s legendary Murchison St sessions, remastered by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios. Convening at Neil’s new Melbourne apartment with a view to making an album together, Tim and Neil embarked on an intensely productive period, writing songs that would result in Tim joining Crowded House. Songs from these sessions were eventually released on Crowded House’s Woodface & Together Alone and on Before and After by Tim Finn.

Assisted by the late Paul Hester on drums, the demos captured a host of songs that would be played in arenas around the world, including ‘Four Seasons In One Day’, ‘It’s Only Natural’ and ‘Weather With You’ which features an extra verse. The demos are making their commercial debut on vinyl along with the previously unreleased song ‘Four Stepping in 3/4 Time’.

For this release, long-time fan,and collaborator on Neil Finn’s ‘7 Worlds Collide’ project, Ed O’Brien from Radiohead, has contributed liner notes, hymning the album’s “heavy” beauty and its “elemental energy.”

The artwork for expanded Finn features newly unearthed images of Tim and Neil taken by Darryl Ward during the sessions for the album. For this release, Tim and Neil have also shared the “listening notes” submitted by their parents, something they would do for every song their sons wrote.

The expanded double album edition of Finn has been cut at Abbey Road by Miles Showell, who also mastered the demos, and pressed on 180g vinyl at The Vinyl Factory. 

Of this release, Needle Mythology co-founder Pete Paphides says, “As a life-long fan of the Finn brothers’ music in all its incarnations, I’m grateful that Tim and Neil have given us the opportunity to re-present their work to the world in a manner that befits the magic of these sessions. The experience of hearing these songs emerge from the speakers at Abbey Road is one I’ll never forget.”

‘FINN’

Side One
Only Talking Sense
Eyes Of The World
Mood Swinging Man
Last Day Of June
Suffer Never
Angels Heap

Side Two
Niwhai
Where Is My Soul
Bullets In My Hairdo
Paradise (Wherever You Go)
Kiss The Road Of Rarotonga

‘FINN DEMOS’

Side Three
Catherine Wheels (Demo)
Prodigal Son (Demo)
Four-Stepping In 3/4 Time (Demo - previously unreleased)
There Goes God (Demo)
It’s Only Natural (Demo)

Side Four
Weather With You (Demo)
Strangeness And Charm (Demo)
Four Seasons In One Day (Demo)
In Love With It All (Demo)
How Will You Go (Demo)

UPDATED FAQ FROM NEEDLE MYTHOLOGY:
Q: 'Will it be available in Australia / NZ?'
A: yes , we are shipping to Aus / NZ via Rocket and Southbound.

Q: 'Will it be available in Europe?'
A: yes though best to enquire now via your favourite independent. Needle Mythology is distributed by The Orchard.

Q: 'Will it be available in US/Canada?'
A: yes again it's best to enquire via your favourite independent. Needle Mythology is distributed by The Orchard.

Q: 'Will it be available on CD?'
A: Yes, definitely. We are experiencing some delays with production .

Read Pete Paphides’ interview with Neil and Tim Finn on the making of the album.

Message from Neil, April 2022

Hi everyone ,

After the disappointment of having to postpone 4 shows in Australia, I am pleased to report that Liam and I are now back in tip top shape and I only have an itchy elbow from last night’s mosquito bite to complain about.

Very grateful to have announced a North American tour finally, been wishful thinking about it for 2 years. Also relieved and fully pumped about getting over to the U.K, Ireland and Europe to do the tour that has been planned now for 2 years.

The band was sounding so good in Australia and the audiences were in truly magnificent voice. It was a cruel blow to have to pull up short but all shall be made good. We are finalizing a new tour routing right now and should be able to announce the replacement dates very soon for the good folk of Perth, Hobart, Canberra, Days On The Green and yes, adding Brisbane!!!

In the meantime I must once again acknowledge and thank all the people tirelessly working on the front line for the good health and well being of the community. They are out there defending science and reason every day and that’s why we can now return to the stage.

We are so fortunate to have music in our lives and our families close. May good health and positivity come to bless you over the coming weeks and months.

Love

Neil

Xmas message

Hi everyone,

Christmas is always a strange time with jolliness and stress performing an unholy dance, but I hope you will manage to find a little peace and even some comfort and joy this holiday season. I know that’s not so easy this year for many people.


I’ve been quietly working away on new music in my little room most of the year, and with my family close at hand I’ve really got nothing to complain about, even with the pent-up frustrations of being stuck at home and not being able to take to the stage.

I find myself getting annoyed with TV presenters and Covid modellers. My dad used to keep a running list of TV presenters in 3 categories: 1. Really annoying 2. Not so bad 3. Quite good. I’m not at that stage yet, but I can feel it coming. Next year I should avoid TV altogether and curtail my phone time. This may help avoid the existential unease which always seems to be lurking just beneath the surface.

I am so looking forward to being amongst you all again next year, singing together, carousing and cavorting with my band in your town.

In the meantime, go well, and here’s a little song I made to say thank you.

Peace and love

Neil

So They Can - Global Dinner

I’m pleased to let you know that I will be performing a few songs online for a special online fundraising evening "Global Dinner" for So They Can on the 20th of Nov which will bring together a number of outstanding chefs to pass on some of their culinary delights. Food and music go very well together, so if you can, I would recommend you get online for this.

So They Can is an amazing organisation, a small but focused group of people that have built schools and support structures for education and development in some of the poorest areas of Kenya and Tanzania. I am proud to be an ambassador for them. Here is a link below to give you more of an idea what fantastic things have already been achieved for hundreds of children. Their work needs to go on.

Thanks

Neil

Team NF Edit: Don't miss your chance to have up to two songs of your choice dedicated and performed live by Neil at the So They Can Global Dinner Saturday 20 Nov. Both songs will be recorded, so you can play them back whenever you want. Click here for the auction.

Updated… Neil performed:
Distant Sun
Fall At Your Feet
Wherever You Are - Jennifer in New York (where it was 3am) to Matthew
Love This Life - from Kimberly to Kate
Message To My Girl - to Kate and Denise
Don’t Dream It’s Over

Pajama Club

We’re listening to the Pajama Club album on vinyl really loud. It sounds fucking great! It’s 10 years since this came out and so much good memory and soul attached to it. I’m going to give you a couple of links to check out which might lend some atmosphere and weight to the project which was somewhat overlooked in the canon, vastly underappreciated, but those who connected will know its charms.

Featuring Sharon Finn’s effortless and deep bass groove
(Mick Fleetwood’s 2nd favourite bass player in the world… go on, ask him)

Sean Donnelly’s squelches, precious rhythm stamps and monk vocals

Neil’s drumming, a force of will and always at the edge of ability.

Go on, give it a listen

Neil x

Elroy's album

Hi there,

I wanted to send out a message to you about Elroy’s very fine self titled album, which is now available on vinyl and re-released in the digital domain, as a fitting tribute to its truly remarkable debut charms. It really is an album for the wistful sense of ennui that define our times. I love it.

This is a link to a couple of rare and sweet live performances… hope you enjoy. I am particularly captivated by Lost Our Mystery with a bass solo, no less.

Love

Neil

Overhead a fan circles

Overhead a fan circles, underneath a man’s work’ll never be done.

Getting dreamy again

Love to all

Neil

Crowded House - Formative Years

Woodface - 30th anniversary

It was this week 30 years ago that the Crowded House album Woodface was released. I’m not one for anniversaries generally, but the release of Woodface was significant for a few reasons.

We worked over the course of a year, firstly at A&M studios in L.A., then at brother Tim’s brand new home studio in Melbourne, then back to L.A. to finish. It was an epic saga with no small amount of struggle, but eventually led to one of our most successful and beloved albums. During the course of the recording, Tim joined the band, and the songs that he and I wrote together became some of the key tracks on the record.

I looked back through some home video footage and found these pictures which are sweet and humorous and a reminder that there was a lot of joy in the process.

Neil

Visit the Woodface page to read the lyrics, watch the videos, hear the Woodface Deluxe Edition and play the Making of Woodface audio documentary.

Listen to the Fangradio Woodface special from March this year here.