Woodface

About halfway through the album, somebody starts shouting during the outro to a song. It got my attention, because it was the first time anybody in the band showed any emotion. I'm probably being too cynical, but it sure feels like Crowded House worked their way joylessly through a checklist. Scathing indictment of American culture? Check. Multiple instrumental solos that are just long enough to display some talent? Check. Children's choir singing backing vocals? You betcha. The one thing they forgot to pack? A bit of passion. It shouldn't feel like a chore to listen to a 48-minute pop rock album, but here we are. Best track: Fall at Your Feet

"There goes God in his sexy pants and his sausage dog" is a high point of this album, it is all downhill after that.

If you want the most generic, background music during Gilmore Girls album then this is for you. I really can’t for the life of me figure out why this album is on this list. It sounds like every other run of the mill 90s alt-rock album. It doesn’t even have that one or two fun songs to make playing the album worth it. There’s a lot of albums that I’ve listened to during this that I’m not super into but I understand why they’re on this list. I have no answers for this one. This is bad. Do yourself a favor and listen to any of the other 10,000 90s bands that sound like this. Or better yet, maybe skip that realm altogether.

After two listens, it finally clicked that this band has a very R.E.M. feel to them. I really enjoyed it, even if at times the instruments sound like they're from the Spyro video game series. Great album from front to back. Favorite tracks: "Tall Trees", "Weather With You", "It's Only Natural"

This is one of my all-time favourite albums. Crowded House have beautiful melodies and Neil Finn is a genius songwriter, as showcased on this albums many hits. Even his brother (of Split Enz fame) helps out on a lot of the tracks. My favourite Crowded House record, even if it isn't generally agreed upon as their best.

Sort of a boring album. Not bad, but nothing too interesting. I liked the song "Weather With You" but even that was kind of boring.

Forgotten album of my childhood. Holy shit. My Dad used to play this all the time and I remember staring at the cover thinking about how it resembled The Mask w/ Jim Carrey. Nostalgia for me.

I'm biased, as I already love Crowded House, though Temple of Low Men is the best album. Fall At Your Feet is such a simple but achingly beautiful love song... Love how they take simple songs and always add a twist - an unusual time signature, layered production that grows through the song, clever harmonies. Fav new song: Four Seasons In One Day

What a beautiful album this one is...the songs sing to you in such a friendly and welcoming vibe. All the hits could be played in almost any life situation and everyone would still sing along. ‘Fall At Your Feet’ is a classic example of one of these tracks which hits you right in the guts but somehow still gives you hope. The ‘B’ tracks are just as engaging and a joy to listen to in their own right...and that’s honestly what makes a great album. 4 Stars!

A tour de force of nostalgia. Perfectly alligned with the rock movement of early to mid 90’s. Rembrandts, Hootie and the Blowfish, Goo Goo Dolls...all of which would fit perfectly for a couple of bars between the scene segues in Friends; seasons 1 and 2. Any album with “Fall at Your Feet” should be getting a strong vote however the album delves into a mushy slop of generic easy listening with the lyrics trumping the overall unoriginality of the record. Some of the Bass lines always stumped me as a less experienced bass player and a close listen will prove why on the timings and fills. Fun fact: bass player Nick Seymour compiled backing tracks for adult movies before making it big with Crowded House. He moved to Dublin in the late 90’s and was involved with the early production of Bell X1

Near Perfect pop album. With the beautiful voices of the Finn Brothers, Weather With You and one of the best songs ever written, 4 Seasons in one day. Add Only Natural and more stuff that makes you at ease with life like All I Want.

Loved this favourite lyric "There goes God in those sexy pants and sausage dog" what more do you want from an album?!

Fab album, not a dud track, originally bought as CD in the early 1990’s , good to see N Fynn at Glasto this year

The first album I've come across that I would like to give more than five stars to. This is a perfect album for so many reasons, not least of which is the fact the Fall at Your Feet is one of the most beautiful songs ever written.

A bunch of hits backed up by songs that the competition wish they could write. A lot of negative reviews probably due to the content of Chocolate Cake. Americans really can't take criticism, it seems.

Harmonies. Storytelling. Nostalgia. Took me back to the living room floor with headphones on.

The talent in the Finn family is just ridiculous. Some misfires here, but when they work, HOLY FUCK.

I actually really like this album. I would actually look up more by them and consider getting an album for my playlist.

That Neil Finn sure can craft a tune. Tim's no slouch either, and this album benefits from their collaborative songwriting and close harmony singing. The band, as always, is warm and organic, with excellent production from Mitchell Froom. The emphasis on real instruments and live playing gives the album a classic and timeless edge, that makes it hard to date. It certainly does not sound strongly of its time. The very reasonable 48 minute run time is also on the short side for the CD era, but ensure there is not much fat on this record. 'Weather With You', 'It's Only Natural' and 'Four Seasons in One Day' are classic songs, but even the non-singles have wonderful melodies, close harmonies and lyrical and musical interest. All that said, I'm not sure why Dimery included this album on the list as opposed to the previous two albums, which I would argue have a higher quotient of truly great songs. I mean, that first Crowded House album is a masterpiece that I would happily listen to any day of the week. I think it's because this was the album that was big in the UK, and he doesn't like the production on the previous two albums (which doesn't seem _that_ different to me). No arguing with personal taste.

Just an amazing album, weather with you, four seasons in one day and Fall at your feet are just phenomenal songs. Top 3 album for me

9/10. I really liked this, nothing super crazy special, but there was something nice about it. Maybe I'm just a sucker for Aussies/Kiwis

Already love this band’s radio hits. I had never heard this album. Absolutely loved it. The bass lines slap. Favorite songs: chocolate cake, it’s only natural, fall at your feet, weather with you, four seasons in one day, there goes god (interesting lyrics), as sure as I am. Wow what an album. Will definitely listen to this again.

This is what pop-rock should be. I really liked this album. Solid tunes all along. One of the best discoveries of the project so far.

83% Best: Chocolate Cake; Weather With You; Whispers And Moans; She Goes On Must-Hear? Sure

This took three listens to stick; “Fall At Your Feet” and “Weather With You” drew immediate nostalgic swoon, the rest slighter on first touch. A couple of listens later I think this is a triumph from the Antipodean School of Fey. I nervously await Simon’s verdict for the true measure of its feyness.

An absolute treat. One of those albums where you are surprisingly familiar with a few songs but the rest is a mystery. Sometimes the singles are just the diamonds in the rough. Sometimes the singles are just an indication of the quality to be found on further inspection. This is the latter and the singles hit me like a wave of nostalgia, but the rest way very good. Four seasons in one day could have been a Beatles song, and italian plastic shone. An unfortunately line about god and a sausage dog, plus some random mooing probably keep this off the top rank, but i think i managed 4 listens in a day and that speaks volumes

90s Joy! Own this one and always liked Crowded House.

enjoyed this a lot. really solid album with no real low points

Cool, nice, didn't know "Weather is with you" is their song

No one needs to listen to this unless they have a real hankering for something unremarkable.

Decent album. But, like many albums on this list, forgettable after the listen.

Loved the first record. Tolerated the second record. Couldn't stand this one and never listened to anything else by them.

#817 (1001 challenge): "Woodface" by Crowded House (1991) "Woodface" is the third album by Australian and New Zealand rock band Crowded House. Pop rock, alternative rock and pyschedelic pop are the Wiki-listed genres. Sounds right. The original song material sent to their label Capitol was rejected so band leader Neil Finn asked his brother Tim Finn if they could they could use songs from their Finn Brothers' project for the Crowded House album. Tim agreed only if he could join the band. Deal done. The bandmembers included Neil Finn (guitar, vocals, keyboards), Tim Finn (piano, guitar, vocals), Paul Hester (drums, percussion, vocals, keyboards) and Nick Seymour (bass, vocals). This album was their comercial breakthrough in the UK hitting #6. It also reached #82 in the US. The bouncey "Chocolate Cake" opens the album. Keyboards, guitar and drums. Harmonized vocals as the lyrics take aim at the gluttonous excess of Americans which will be their downfall. Well....no comment. Tammy Baker, Andy Warhol and other Americans are mentioned. A harmonica solo. "It's Only Natural" is slower with a melodic electric guitar. Vocal harmonies again and a catchy chorus (not the last one). A couple is on hard times and he wants to be with her. "Fall at Your Feet" is the first song to feature solo Neil Finn vocals. Beautiful solo and backing vocals. He is hanging around for that person to love him. So far, it's three for three with great songs on this album.

This one hits me hard in a personal level. Can't give it less than 5 stars.

Chocolate Cake Slaps. Fall at your Feet is incredible. Weather With You is an anthem. Four Seasons in One Day is gorgeous. The rest are so worthy of a listen. 5 Stars.

One of my favorite albums. It really holds up. Also I’m an American who finds the lyrics very entertaining.

breathtakingly beautiful

This album is a particular favorite of mine. I love Neil and Tim Finn...you cannot go wrong with anything by them. Love their voices. Love their writing. Two of these songs are on several playlists of mine...Weather with You and Fall at Your Feet. Love all of it. I think they're highly UNDERrated here in the U.S.

Absolutely love it. Great lyrics and harmonica solos

Surprise favorite. There goes god in the sexy pants

Another group that I've always liked. I bought Recurring Dream, a compilation of their greatest hits, many years ago and it has been on fairly regular rotation since then. Plenty of Woodface tracks are on the compilation, but there are several others I was hearing for the first time. The whole album was great, even the new songs. The vocal are always amazing, beautiful harmonies and the lyrics are very clever. Musically the can tend to sound very 'samey' - but then you could probably level that accusation at nearly every band. I think there will only be a very small number of people that don't like this album.

Not my favorite CH album but 5 ⭐️ nonetheless because it’s still great

A wonderful surprise. Sophisticated pop tunes that could be from almost any era. Lots of tracks made my love list.

Really like this band. The harmonies on the vocals are what gives them their distinctive sound. On some of the tracks they sound very Beatleesque. The only criticism is the album gets a little boring towards the end. Didn't like the medley track at the end of the album, it sounded a bit messy. Other than that though, quite a pleasant listen.

I just knew that one song. Now listening to a full album I appreciate Crowded House a lot more. I'd describe them as soft rock in a better sense. The bass player does a really good job.

Woodface is a fantastic collection of beautiful pop songs. All instrumentation, vocals, lyrics and arrangements fit. That is also my complaint. It's gets a bit dull after a while. I am missing some contrast, some tempo or style change. Then again, an album with Chocolate Cake, It's Only Natural, Weather with You and Four Seasons in One Day is a gift to humankind.

Woodface - Crowded House. 14 tracks. I've owned Crowded House albums before, but never this one despite it heavily influencing my early adult life. It's quite varied and very good. Interesting that this was largely written by both Finn brothers rather than just Neil. 4/5.

I enjoyed the entire album. It's light and fun, makes for an easy listen. Nostalgic sound and I'll go listen to more of their stuff.

Sounded like a classic rock album, despite being more recent than I extracted. I liked the beginning better than the end, but overall pretty solid.

This album was huge when I was in the prime of hipness, so naturally I dismissed it as boring. My impetuousness was quite accurate it seems, there are some decent melodies but it all sounds so dispassionate. "Weather With You" is the biggie, pervasive and slightly annoying to this day. Crowded House have generous songwriting talent but lack something important in the delivery, achieving a Squeeze-like impression when they could have aimed for Aztec Camera if they'd put the effort in. Low 3

Better than I expected it would be

Not bad, but nothing particularly good.

It's alright, another slightly bland pop folky thing.

mediocre

Something to listen to in the background.

not my thing

There was nothing wrong with this, but there's also very little to recommend it. Almost the dictionary definition of average.

Not bad but nothing that left much impression on me.

Standard inoffensive rock.

Bland but ok.

Not a bad album, not a really good album. Solidly in the middle.

Not bad, not great.

Not bad

A very 90s crowd-pleaser piece of pop rock. This would be great background music for grilling or hanging around a campfire on a summer night. But when listened more intently than that, only about half the songs really hold up for me. It just barely missed out on its fourth star.

Was decent, but I wouldn’t have bought it

Not the type of music I'm interested in. An all around good pop-rock album by a New Zealand band.

Passable.

Inoffensive, often bordering on dull, but with a cosy familiarity. Nice end to the week’s listening.

Had never heard of this band before. I liked them, and they have a cool, fresh sound but it didn't wow me either. A good easy listen, but I'm not itching to revisit immediately

Weather with you and Four seasons in one day are nice but the rest seems pretty mediocre. Okay album overal but nothing extraordinary

First off, this kind of feels like proto-Wilco in a lot of spots, but like…more adult contemporary and a bit more saccharine. Second, let’s talk about New Zealand, because I feel they are underrepresented on this list. So much great rock music came from New Zealand in the 80’s and early 90’s and this looks to be the closest the list comes to it, which is a shame, because, frankly, this record isn’t that impressive (sorry, Crowded House fans). The Flying Nun record label was putting out amazing music throughout those years and there’s not a mention of it on the list. Like seriously influential music…music that would inform American Indie Rock throughout the 90’s and beyond: The Clean, The Chills, Toy Love, The Verlaines, Tall Dwarfs, the Bats, Snapper…it’s a long list worthy of deep-dive if you enjoy bands like Pavement, Guided Voices, Yo La Tengo or Superchunk. For a New Zealand-based counterpoint to this record from a year earlier, listen to “Vehicle” by The Clean. If you’ve only got 20 minutes, listen to their “Boodle Boodle Boodle” EP from 1981. That’s a band you need to hear before you die. Crowded House? For me, not as much.

Right, we need to start with how dire the song Weather With You is. I have despised it since I was an ickle kid of seven, and my completely justified hatred of it has only become more polished, more steadfast and more toxic as the last three decades frittered past. This is not due to my own neuroses. Precocious scamp me, I correctly clocked in childhood that the song deserved a fierce and unrelenting shoeing. Aside from the music's crystalline dreariness, the central lyric is wholly risible. "Everywhere you go, you always take the weather with you." Wherever you are on the planet, there's always a bit of weather. You, reading this review right now: look at the air around you. What that air is doing is called "weather". Only astronauts are exempt. I was wondering if divers are similarly weatherless, but surely weather will affect the water they're in? I'd always assumed it was somehow a romantic song, that the serenaded girl brought sunshine wherever she stepped. Nope. It's meant to be halfway between a zen koan and a motivational poster quote. It succeeds, in that it combines the bullshit of the former with the bollocks of the latter. The rest of the song's lyrics are charmlessly pretentious (Caesar conquering the sky?), seeking to advertise their assumed parallelism with Bob Dylan, but not even managing Mark Knopfler. Also, the whole metaclaim the song makes, that this is quintessential dad rock, calumniates dads: dads can listen to much better rock than Weather With You, and dads do listen to much better rock. As for the rest of the album, the first track OH GOD THIS ALBUM IS FUCKING TERRIBLE ITS THE WORST ALBUM IVE HAD ON THE GENERATOR SINCE MELLON TWATTING COLLIE AND THE INFINITE BASTARD SADNESS HOW THE FUCK DID THIS ALBUM GET INCLUDED ON THE LIST I CANNOT UNDERSTAND HOW ANY PERSON COULD BEAR TO LISTEN TO THE WHOLE BELLENDING FORTY EIGHT MINUTES AND ELEVEN SECONDS OF AURAL GONORRHOEA THIS ALBUM DISSEMINATES THERE IS NOT EVEN A VAGUE GESTURE AT A PLEASANT QUALITY OR A REDEMPTIVE FEATURE THAT COULD PERMIT THE LISTENER A MOMENTARY LIFT FROM THEIR LUCIFEROUS HATRED OF THIS ALBUM AND WHAT CATALYSES THE HATRED THIS ALBUM ENGENDERS IS THE ALBUMS MONUMENTAL SMUGNESS ITS SO PLEASED WITH ITSELF FOR MAKING SUCH ASININE PAP TRUE STORY THIS I WAS UNABLE TO LISTEN TO ALL THE SONGS TOGETHER IN ONE SITTING I WAS SO REPULSED I HAD TO BREAK UP THE ATROCITY BY PLAYING MUCH BETTER SONGS AFTER EVERY TWO OR THREE TRACKS FIRSTLY I STARTED WITH CHARLIE FEATHERS CANT HARDLY STAND IT WHICH HAS THE SLIGHT MISFORTUNE OF BEING IN A TARANTINO MOVIE THUS ROBBING IT OF ITS COOLNESS BUT I STILL GET OFF ON THAT ROCKABILLY GROOVE THEN I WENT FOR DONOVANS ATLANTIS A CLASSIC BIT OF HIPPY NONSENSE FOR WHICH IVE ALWAYS HAD A REAL AFFECTION THEN MY INTERNET WENT DOWN FOR A BIT AND I WAS WELL CHUFFED BECAUSE I COULD POSTPONE LISTENING TO THE REST OF THIS JIZZSCAB AND THEN IT CAME BACK ON AND AFTER TWO SONGS I PUT ON LOOKIN FOR A KISS BY THE NEW YORK DOLLS THEYRE MORRISSEYS FAVOURITE BAND DONT YOU KNOW THEN AFTER THAT I CHOSE THE PASSIONS IM IN LOVE WITH A GERMAN FILM STAR A POST PUNK ONE HIT WONDER THATS WONDERFULLY ICY AND CORUSCATING AND I FINISHED WITH LL COOL JS MAMA SAID KNOCK YOU OUT BECAUSE I WANTED SOMETHING FUN AND STRAIGHTFORWARD AFTER HAVING DEALT WITH CROWDED HOUSE THE LITTLE SHIT CAKE BAKERS WHILST READING ABOUT THIS MUSICAL EQUIVALENT OF HAVING YOUR HAND REPEATEDLY SMASHED INTO A CAR DOOR I DISCOVERED THAT THE BANDS FIRST ATTEMPT AT THIS ALBUM WAS REJECTED BY THE RECORD LABEL HOW BAD MUST THAT HAVE BEEN WERE THEY LITERALLY JUST RECORDING PARTICULARLY CACOPHONOUS DIARRHOEA OR SOMETHING AFTER WITNESSING THE TRIAL OF ADOLF EICHMANN THE PHILOSOPHER HANNAH ARENDT CONCEIVED OF THE BANALITY OF EVIL WHERE SHE ARGUED THAT EICHMANNS CRIMES LIKE SO MANY CRIMES LACKED ANY SERIOUS IDEOLOGICAL MOTIVATION BUT WERE MAINLY DRIVEN BY AN UNTHINKING COMPLACENCY BOLSTERED BY CLICHED DEFENCES SO IF THIS MUSIC IS BANAL AND IT IS DOES THAT IMPLY ITS EVIL WELL FAINTLY YES THIS ALBUM EXEMPLIFIES THE BANALITY OF EVIL MUSIC LISTENING TO THIS ALBUM IS AKIN TO WITNESSING A LITTLE OLD LADY BEING MUGGED AND QUICKSTEPPING IT AWAY BECAUSE YOU DONT WANT TO GET INVOLVED CROWDED HOUSE MAY BE THE MOST GUILTY BUT WERE ALSO GUILTY WE COULD HAVE STOPPED THEM AND WE DIDNT AND WE WILL HAVE TO LIVE WITH THAT SQUEEZING OUR CONSCIENCES IN A VICE UNTIL THE DAY WE DIE I have to say, Woodface isn't really my kind of thing.

Sounds like unmemorable early Weezer

Brilliant.

Increíble

Loved and listened repeatedly when it was new in 1991. Today’s listen brought back memories of those days. Timeless. Beautiful harmonies and lyrics. Love and listen repeatedly in 2025.

Wow! I’d left this album back in the 90s and I’m so happy that it came up on here. What great songs and memories this one brought back. Love it!

Genial y super divertido. Me la pasé muy bien y ya quiero escucharlo veinte veces más. Se va invicto.

Day373 - i could listen to neil finn sing all day. any album with three really good songs is worth this list

Wow, awesome

Another great album that reminds me of my young adult years. This album came out in my college years and was very popular in my area. Maybe it is the nostalgia that makes me rate this higher than some might? I feel like some of this has been hardwired directly into my DNA. I loved every track on this album.

This album has a sentimental meaning to me so it's difficult to judge. These are great songs - not stylistically innovative. Just good to listen to.

Fucking belter of an album.

A brilliant album by a brilliant band

I loved this! Kind of reminded me of REM or XTC, love this kind of upbeat pop-y rock stuff. On a first listen, several of the songs stood out to me (especially Weather With You and Italian Plastic), but on the second listen I added basically all the rest as well.

An all time classic.

I am pretty sure Don't Dream It's Over is the only Crowded House song I know and I am glad to have now listened to an album that does not have that song on it! I enjoyed this album. Looking at some of the track titles had me worried this would be overtly religious but it does an ok job at not going that route. There are some very tongue in cheek lyrics here. Reminds me of REM a bit. No idea they were from a land down under. I loved Four Seasons in One Day but was very sad to hear that song was used as a tribute to their drummer and founding member Paul Hester at performances after he killed himself.

for some reason i feel like this maybe doesn't deserve 5 stars but damn it just hits idk

Loved this album, so many great singles while still being cohesive. Really enjoyable.

Cuánto tiempo hacía que no escuchaba As Sure As I Am. Me dejó el cd Marta. Lo tuve durante mucho tiempo. Se lo quise devolver, pero no lo ha querido. Pero si lo quiere, se lo devuelvo. Cuánto tiempo hacía que no escuchaba Italian Plastic.

What an incredible album. Very Beatles ish but with stronger production and a deeper sound. Instrumentals were good, the harmonies even better. Fun lyrics - it starts off with a bang on Chocolate Cake and just keeps going all over the place. Musical roller coaster.

Fantastic. Perfect encapsulation of the early 90s.

pleasant surprise enjoyed it 4.6/5

Very controlled and well produced pop rock (?). Again I find myself often listening instead of it just being in the background.

So far I'm liking it. Several tracks in. Chocolate Cake was an odd choice for the first song lol All I Ask isy new favorite song!

Probably in my top 5 albums. Half a dozen perfect pop songs most bands would kill for 1 of. So catchy you can’t help but sing along, but not just dumb simple, layers of depth underneath. Love it.

First time hearing this group - will listen to more.

Crowded House - Wood face Crowded House's third album released in 1991. This album includes both Finn Brothers as Tim told Neil that they could use some of the songs they wrote for the next Finn Brothers album if he could join the band. It's up for debate if he was really serious about that, but in the end, he was added to their lineup for this album. Lots of great songs on this one, with my favorites being, Fall at Your Feet, She Goes On, & Chocolate Cake. The 90's were a strange time. Researching this album reminded me of the old CD staple of including a hidden track that would play several seconds after the last song listed on the track list. I remember putting the CD in and seeing how many tracks were listed to see if I could tell if there was a track at the end. If you didn't know it was going to be in there, it would be a real treat when it popped on, except if you had to wait the 30 seconds of silence to get to it. It was a simpler time when things like that was a huge deal! 5/5

I didn't think I had ever heard of the band but the music immediately felt familiar and very catchy. I like the sound a lot. I don't know any of these songs but something made me think "Young Einstein" and sure enough they are on that soundtrack. Also I figured out the Finn Brothers opened for Indigo Girls and 10,000 Maniacs at Red Rocks in 1989, and that was the only thing I enjoyed from that show; made enough of an impression that I still remember. Anyway, this album is right up my alley.

What a band and sound. How can you say soothing and happy, fun and good nostalgia is two words? crowded house. Arguable culturally defining for the 80s and 90s and even important to the identity of NZ and Australian music. Most Aussie probably think of them as Aussies. Their last ever concert was a free gift to the nation at the steps of the Opera House. It was like a national event. But very mixed feelings for this album for me was their "sell out" to market themselves to American tastes. It is glib and pop and departed from what I felt was their authentic roots. So "chocolate cake " for me is feeding an American consumer taste for sweet and familiar crap, right down the forces references to Elvis & 7 eleven. But a great band. Maybe not their finest album or reflective of the best of their self co structured sound.It's the one that opened doors to international sales. I will be interested to read what their influences were and how they Influenced music, as I'm ignorant on that point. My 4 stars is for the better songs, like sweeping "fall at your feet" and the eternal "take the weather with you" and songs like "4 seasons in one day" about Melbourne weather and more... but maybe not the album as such. Love the Wookie on the cover though :-). There is something so nice about hearing them, isn't there, eh? ;-)