Temple of Low Men
The second album, written entirely by Neil Finn in the two years after the debut, which went to number one in Australia.
Crowded House, 1988
- Released
- 5 July 1988
- Studio
- Platinum, Melbourne, and Sunset Sound, Los Angeles
- Label
- Capitol
- Producer
- Mitchell Froom
Finn wrote all ten songs in the two years since the debut, and the band joked that one possible title was Mediocre Follow-Up. Froom produced, Tchad Blake recorded it and Bob Clearmountain mixed it. Richard Thompson plays the guitar solo on Sister Madly, and the lyric Tongue in the Mail, from Love This Life, gave its name to the band's official mailing list. Seymour made the cover, with art direction by Seymour and Tommy Steele.
It reached number one in Australia, number two in New Zealand, number ten in Canada and number 40 on the Billboard 200 in the United States. At the 1989 ARIA Awards it won Album of the Year and Best Group, Seymour won Best Cover Art, and Better Be Home Soon was Song of the Year. AllMusic said that Finn shows most of all his true mastery of melody, while Robert Christgau of the Village Voice wrote that Finn had neglected "perky hooks." The album was ranked 71st in the book 100 Best Australian Albums in 2010.
A short tour of Australia and Canada followed with Eddie Rayner on keyboards. Mark Hart took over from Rayner in January 1989.
Track listing
- I Feel Possessed
- Kill Eye
- Into Temptation
- Mansion in the Slums
- When You Come4:45
- Never Be the Same
- Love This Life
- Sister Madly2:52
- In the Lowlands
- Better Be Home Soon3:07
Personnel
- Neil Finn lead vocals, guitar
- Nick Seymour bass, backing vocals
- Paul Hester drums, backing vocals
- Tim Finn backing vocals
- Mitchell Froom producer, keyboards
- Richard Thompson guitar solo on Sister Madly
- Alex Acuna percussion
- Heart Attack Horns horns
- Tchad Blake recording
- Bob Clearmountain mixing
- Bob Ludwig mastering
More from Crowded House
Crowded House (1986), Woodface (1991), Together Alone (1993), Recurring Dream (1996), Time on Earth (2007), Intriguer (2010), Dreamers Are Waiting (2021), Gravity Stairs (2024)
Sources
- Temple of Low Men, Wikipedia