Try Whistling This

Amazon.com
Neil Finn's solo debut carries much the same style and tone of his work with Crowded House--the intimate vocal delivery, the undeniably intelligent pop approach. What Try Whistling This lacks is a couple of cuts to break up the tastefulness that washes over everything; there's no noise like "Locked Out," no full-on heartbreak like "Better Be Home Soon." That's no reason for fans of the singer/songwriter not to buy this, but it's hard to see how it'll win many new listeners over to this occasional genius's side. --Rickey Wright

Entertainment Weekly
...house-like adventures in sad rapture, like "Astro" fly highest…

Try Whistling This

Try Whistling This,Neil Finn,Sony,Adult Alternative Pop/Rock,New Zealand,Pop,Popular Music,Rock,Rock/Pop,Singer/Songwriter

Try Whistling This

Average customer rating:

I very much liked Crowded House, but I ADORE this album...More than 5 stars!
One of my favorite albums of all time
Neil's least interesting project for decades
Essential
Great crisp lyrics...great crisp sound.

Try Whistling This
Neil Finn
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

One Nil
Afterglow
Together Alone
Everyone Is Here
Finn

ASIN: B000007QDC
Release Date: 1998-06-16

Tracks:

Last One Standing
Souvenir
King Tide
Try Whistling This
She Will Have Her Way
Sinner
Twisty Bass
Loose Tongue
Truth
Astro
Dream Date
Faster Than Light
Addicted

Amazon.com

Neil Finn's solo debut carries much the same style and tone of his work with Crowded House--the intimate vocal delivery, the undeniably intelligent pop approach. What Try Whistling This lacks is a couple of cuts to break up the tastefulness that washes over everything; there's no noise like "Locked Out," no full-on heartbreak like "Better Be Home Soon." That's no reason for fans of the singer/songwriter not to buy this, but it's hard to see how it'll win many new listeners over to this occasional genius's side. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews:

I very much liked Crowded House, but I ADORE this album...More than 5 stars!.......2007-02-26

Stumbled upon it when a local station played a song from it, the song hit my soul, I immediately bought it and I have played the CD to death. I mean, I am downloading it to itunes right now and noticing how somewhat worn it sounds. I will need a new copy.
Oh the melodies, so unique. The intricate rich arrangements,the fabulous musicians, the rhythmic beats that carry the melodies, Neil's incredibly emotional and beautiful voice, the deep lyrics that get better each time ... I can not go on enough about this beautiful incredibly artistic heartbreaking album. One of the best of all time. The man is a complete muscial genius, and now when I hear Crowded House I love THEM all the more. But this, this is truly an overlooked piece of musical perfection.

One of my favorite albums of all time.......2006-09-13

I became a Neil Finn fan late in the game, long after Crowded House had disbanded.

I'm a big CH fan now, but I am equally in love with this CD, which CH and non-CH fans alike should embrace equally. The lush opening strings of "Hand Me Down," the eerie, emotional darkness of "Sinner," the beautiful chords of "Faster Than Light," the unusual and quirky arrangements, all make this album an absolute classic.

Personally, I enjoyed this album much more than "One Nil"/"One All," which I think is more sappy and overproduced.

I wonder when he'll come out with his next one?

Neil's least interesting project for decades.......2006-05-13

I've been a Neil Finn fan practically my whole adult life. First I become exposed to his brilliance via I Got You, the break through song of Split Enz a quarter of a century ago. That album, True Colours, is jam packed with great melodies and fun arrangements. Although their later albums did not match that peak, they were still enjoyable. When Crowded House became huge, I liked their albums ever more. Their first one, despite including the classic Don't Dream It's Over, is their least interesting one but during the final album, Together Alone, Neil Finn and Crowded House were making among the best music of that era.

I was obviously very excited when Neil Finn released (Try Whistling) this album; what would he deliver this time being alone and apparently with all the freedom to experiment? Before hearing the album in its entirety, I heard She Will Have Her Way and Sinner, both great tracks and worthy classics. She Will is a straight forward song in a Beatles-esque fashion whilst Sinner is a dark moody track with a haunting rhythm. Sadly, these were the only tracks worth any attention. The production of the album is very flat, everything very professional like but lacking an edge. The songs really never come to life. I tried several times listening to the album, hoping I would get it, but no, this is for me an album that lacked a creative spark, something I can't say about anything else I had heard by Neil Finn (his next studio album, live album and recent one with his brother are for example much better). Actually, this is the only Neil Finn release that has been a favorite of mine.

It is interesting but this album gets high marks from many reviewers, actually most reviewers. My sister and one of my best friends are also big Neil Finn fans. Their reaction to this album was, however, almost identical to mine, close to being boring and not living up to expectations. It was also a commercial failure so it will remain a mystery to me how many people enjoy it. My advice, however, is to leave this one alone and listen to practically everything else by Neil Finn.

Essential.......2005-02-16

Try Whistling This is a great album. Neil Finn is at his songcrafting peak with this, his first solo album, and Crowded House's last album, Together Alone. Every song is a good one on this album.
Neil has released two albums since, another solo and one with his brother Tim. But neither of these compares with Try Whistling This or Together Alone. If you like melodic pop with good wordsmithing this album is for you.

Great crisp lyrics...great crisp sound........2004-10-30

You know who Neil Finn is right? I hope you answered yes. Everything this man touches musically turns to gold. He is my favorite songwriter, and I think he has the best voice in music. His lyrics can be nebulous, but I always feel his emotion in his music. The instruments Neil uses in all of his works have an earthy quality to them. He makes good use of the organ thanks to his long-time companion Mitchell Froom on the Hammond. Neil Finn is the most underrated musician in the U.S. and maybe the world. I feel more emotion from his music than 90% of the top 40. Every track on this CD should be listened to carefully. My favorite track is probably "Sinner," but "King Tide" is right behind it. I usually have a least favorite track, but all of the other tracks are tied for 2nd. This is a gem for anyone out there who enjoys smart lyrics combed with melodies galore. The cover artwork for this CD was done by Neil's son Elroy. Elroy did a fine job too.

Average customer rating:

Try Whistling This
Neil Finn
Manufacturer: EMI
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Tracks:

Last One Standing
Souvenir
King Tide
Try Whistling This
She Will Have Her Way
Sinner
Twisty Bass
Loose Tongue
Truth
Astro
Dream Date
Faster Than Light
Addicted

Average customer rating:

Neil Finn, My Un-Sung American Hero
Genius
Aaaaaargh
That bonus disk, is it really worth it?
Worth It

Try Whistling This
Neil Finn
Manufacturer: Pid
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000GUTV
Release Date: 1999-09-14

Album Details

Limited Edition with Six Track Bonus CD. Extra Tracks: Tokyo/Family Ties/She Comes Scattered/Identical Twin/808 Song/Log Drums.

Customer Reviews:

Neil Finn, My Un-Sung American Hero.......2001-09-09

What can I say? If you are reading this review, go out immediately to your record store and purchase everything Neil or Tim Finn or the Split Enz or Crowded House ever recorded. You will not regret your investment. I personally anticipate each release from these musicians in the same way I anticipated Beatle releases as a little girl. Oh, my goodness, the Finn brothers are musicians.

Genius.......2000-03-30

Why Neil Finn or Crowded House aren't HUGE in the U.S. is beyond me. This album is another example of his genius - especially lyrically. But, then again, you'll find this with any Neil Finn disc.

Aaaaaargh.......2000-03-17

Last week i was on holiday in New Zealand and i saw this double cd in a shop in Christchurch for about 11$. And stupid me didn't buy it. Aaaargh ! Original album is a real grower, after owning it for months i still grow more fond of it.

That bonus disk, is it really worth it?.......1999-08-04

This is of course a matter of personal opinion but for someone like me, who was always going to buy the album anyway, it made sense to get the extra CD for just a few dollars more. But what are the extra tracks? Well:

TOKYO: An upbeat rhythm with a lively changing guitar overlaid by Neil Finn's smooth melodic voice. It's difficult to describe but this is the sort of track that you could have imagined crowded house doing.

FAMILY TIES: Initially a strange track that took a while for me to like. It's got a slurred beat and a kind of surging pulse to the continuous vocals. It's not overly melodic, but the subtle shifts that do occur only sink in after a few listens.

SHE COMES SCATTERED: A very accessible track, somewhat akin to She will have her way, although, not as intricate. Mostly in the major key it's very upbeat and will stick in your head (you've been warned! At 2AM one morning, you'll wake up with bits of this tune rattling around inside your head and the only cure is to go and listen to it again.) My only complaint is the way the track goes just before it ends; a kind of petering out almost as if the track needed to be lengthend and was filled with musical bits, although it then returns to the main theme before finally finishing strongly, which does something to rescue it.

IDENTICAL TWIN: The sort of soft upbeat track that Neil FInn is so good at. At first this seemed like an ordinary track, but it really grows on you. It's kind of reminiscent of tracks like Sinner and Astro, although, people will probably disagree. In fact it's one of the few tracks that would probably have fitted on the album.

808 SONG: Why is it's called this? I have no idea. This is a very good track that again took a while to sink in (as with the best Neil Finn stuff). It's hard to say what's it's like. It's got the upbeat feel of Last one standing, but I don't think it's quite as fast. It has the same sort of break as Twisty Bass, but the main thing is it has a key shift that really catches in your sub conscious and is the kind of thing which you find yourself remembering a week later when you're out minding your own business. When you hear the lyrics "and violins will tremble, when you pass" you'll see what I mean.

LOG DRUMS: An odd song that seems to be Neil messing around with the new and innovative sounds of none other than... you've guessed it, Log Drums. Definitly a track which doesn't fit into the "Try Whistling this" sound. You have to endure a minute or so of frantic log drumming before it breaks, and then returns to the log drumming. I feel that at this stage Mr. Finn had drained himself lyrically and so wrote only 30 seconds worth. Yes, this is a thirty second track lengthend to 3 minutes 48 seconds. That's 3 minutes and 18 seconds worth of padding. The rest of the tracks are great, but this one, although not altogether terrible, is certainly the weakest.

As a whole they're a good collection of tracks but they feel like "The tracks that didn't make it to the album" This doesn't mean that they are bad just that the style didn't fit. Having said that, Identical twin and 808 song could have been put on, probably with a few bits "tweaked" though. For Finn fans it's a worth while buy. Although, most Finn fans already have the main album so it;s not really worth buying it again just for 6 tracks (5 good ones). You coudl try and flog your existing album to a mate, and then buy this one. Then you'll have the original album along with the bonus CD; the best of both worlds really!

Worth It.......1998-12-21

A boon for the Crowded House/ Neil Finn fan. You would pay at least $30 in import singles for the second CD alone

Average customer rating:

Try Whistling This/One Nil
Neil Finn
Manufacturer: EMI
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000A2H9CU
Release Date: 2005-08-16

Tracks:

Climber
Rest of the Day Off
Hole in the Ice
Wherever You Are
Last to Know
Don't Ask Why
Secret God
Turn and Run
Elastic Heart
Anytime
Driving Me Mad
Into the Sunset

Tracks:

Last One Standing
Souvenir
King Tide
Try Whistling This
She Will Have Her Way
Sinner
Twisty Bass
Loose Tongue
Truth
Astro
Dream Date
Faster Than Light
Addicted

Album Description

Both Neil Finn solo albums (excluding a live album) on one CD. Try Whistling This came out in 1998 after the breakup of Crowed House, while One Nil was the followup in 2001. For his first solo record, Try Whistling This, Finn made an intentional effort to distance himself from Crowded House (hence the title; daring listeners to find catchy tunes), dabbling with new textures and collaborating with Midnight Oil guitarist Jim Moginie on some songs. After that more experimental approach, One Nil is a return to the song-based approach of Crowded House, although Finn's aiming for more subtle material here; it's not overtly commercial and instead, these songs are more personal, often touchingly about his love for his wife. EMI. 2005.

Album Details

Special Edition that Combines the Tracks of the Former Split Enz/Crowded House Frontman's First Two Original Solo Albums to a Set of Two Compact Discs.