When Crowded House arrived with their debut album and hit single ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’ in 1986, the seed of a unique musical journey was planted into our collective musical consciousness. The Aussie/Kiwi trio created a sound as playful as Split Enz – out of which two of its members graduated – with an adventurous spirit inspired by The Beatles and crafted genuinely enduring melodies. Earworm-worthy songs like ‘Weather With You’, ‘Distant Sun’, ‘Better Be Home Soon’ and so many others have become genre-bending and timeless creations.

What began with three buddies, led by songwriter Neil Finn, playfully frolicking and mugging to the camera in music videos, developed into a band of mature artists reflecting on life, love and mortality after the death of their beloved drummer. This blossomed once again into a true family band as the younger Finns joined their father as permanent members. Along the way, Crowded House consistently churned out unforgettable melodies over eight studio albums.

Bolstered by an exclusive interview with Neil Finn and including the band’s most recent album Gravity Stairs, this track-by-track exploration of their poetic lyrics and musical legacy recognises the quality that has brought them the love and admiration of music fans and fellow musicians from around the world.

The author

Jon Magidsohn is a writer and musician living in south London. Originally from Toronto, he is the author of the memoir Immortal Highway, the poetry collection Conversations on a Raft, and the album of original songs, A World Without Corners. A consultant and teacher of creative non-fiction, he has also been an actor, bartender, upholsterer, sales representative, handyman and dad. His writing has been featured in The Guardian, National Geographic Traveller and Hippocampus Magazine among other journals. This is his first book about music. www.jonmagidsohn.com