Time on Earth
Encyclopedia
Time on Earth is the fifth studio album by the pop-rock band Crowded House
. Tracks have been produced by both Ethan Johns
and Steve Lillywhite
and the album was released on 30 June 2007 in Australia, 2 July in the United Kingdom and 10 July in North America. Time on Earth is the band's first studio album since 1993, and marks the reunion of the band eleven years after they disbanded and features new drummer Matt Sherrod
in place of the original drummer, Paul Hester
, who took his own life in 2005.
As the first studio album from the group in fourteen years, Time on Earth has been subject to much speculation. Upon its release the album garnered positive critical reception and reached Platinum status within weeks of release in Australia, and Gold status in its second week of release in New Zealand. To promote the album, the group toured internationally, beginning by performing at Coachella
music festival and at Live Earth
in July. For further promotion, three singles were released from the album, "Don't Stop Now
", "She Called Up
" and "Pour Le Monde
", and a special tour edition of the album was released in Australia in November 2007 featuring an extra CD with eleven songs from a concert from the album's North American tour.
's third solo release. In the wake of Paul Hester's death, as well as preparations for the release of the live album Farewell to the World
, the band members were drawn together and their friendship was reinvigorated. In 2006, Neil Finn invited bassist Nick Seymour
to participate in the recording of his new album and subsequent tour. In the initial phase, various session musicians filled parts, such as studio musician Joey Waronker
on drums and British soul singer Beth Rowley
provided backup vocals for the song "Transit Lounge." After recording a complete album with Ethan Johns in the producer and drummer's seat and Seymour contributing substantially throughout the process, Finn decided Crowded House would reform and that Time on Earth would be the band's fifth studio album. The title Time on Earth takes its name from a song of the same name that was not included in the album.
With new drummer Matt Sherrod
and returning multi-instrumentalist Mark Hart
now involved as members of the official lineup, the band returned to the studio to record four additional tracks with producer Steve Lillywhite. Hart and Sherrod also contributed retroactively to some of the Ethan Johns-produced material. In its final form, the album features tracks mixed by Johns, Lillywhite and Tchad Blake
. Guitarist Johnny Marr
was involved in the recording of "Even a Child", which he co-wrote, and "Don't Stop Now".
", the album's lead single, and "She Called Up
", the following single. Before this point, most of the album was produced by Ethan Johns
, however from enlisting Sherrod and calling upon Hart to return, the prolific producer Steve Lillywhite
took over.
's studio (Real World Studios
) in England. In this performance, there were eight new songs featured, beginning with Finn's co-written piece with the Dixie Chicks
"Silent House" and also included "Pour Le Monde" ("For the world"
), "Transit Lounge", "She Called Up
" and "Don't Stop Now
".
Prior to the album's release, a single was released. The song "Don't Stop Now
" was selected, as it featured the new lineup of the band. The single received moderate success in the charts. The follow-up single, "She Called Up
", released in September 2007, was not as successful as "Don't Stop Now".
The album had a staggered release internationally across a fortnight, beginning in Australia, while the final location of its release was with the United States. Following the Australian release, the group performed at Live Earth
in Australia, performing many of the album's songs, and also on various television programs, along with many interviews, such as on Rove and Enough Rope
with Andrew Denton
. A special live version of Crowded House performing "Silent House" was made available for Australian and UK purchasers of the album by inserting the disc into their computer and downloading the song from the internet. The song features the advertised album lineup, including new drummer Matt Sherrod
and returning member of Crowded House Mark Hart
, neither of whom were on the studio version.
As he did for the first four Crowded House albums, Nick Seymour, also an artist, created the cover art
for Time on Earth. The group's name "Crowded House" appears with jumbled case, some lower and some upper case, appearing as "cRoWdED HOusE". Similarly, the album title is also in a partial jumble with all but the last two letters in upper case, appearing as "TIME ON EARth."
The cover also features a blue dragon eating a human, the design of which was a direct reference to the sea serpent
image from Olaus Magnus
's book History of the Northern Peoples. The use of a dragon eating a man is to symbolise former member Hester being consumed by depression, symbolised by the dragon being blue, and this brought his time on earth to an early end. The cover art is almost completely composed of newspaper cuttings collaged together, even the image of the man and the dragon are newspaper cuttings which Seymour painted onto. Only the tree on the right, and the title text are not composed of newspaper cuttings. The tree is to pose as a simile for the tree under which Hester took his life in 2005.
In November 2007, a special edition of Time on Earth was released featuring a colour altered cover. The cover's main background area, which was previously a sandy-wheat colour, was converted into an aqua-teal colour, while the tree in the image had a bird in a nest added to it.
's novel Saturday
, which begins with a man on his balcony watching his plane go down, so the first lines borrow something from that image."
The song "Pour le Monde" ("For the World" in French) was inspired when Finn was in Paris and observed a demonstration march protesting against the war on terror
, with the chant "Pour le monde pas pour la guerre", which translates to "For the world, not for the war" (which is then sung in English directly after the French on the song). Seymour adds that the song contains "a lot of nobility and integrity" and that when they have performed the song it "really does stand upright". The last song recorded for the album, "Transit Lounge", is written about time spent in various transit lounges around the world, particularly Singapore
and Bangkok
.
Lyrically, Andy Strickland of Yahoo! Music
asserts that the album's song "English Trees" shows Finn's "brilliant weaving of a tale of loss and yearning marks him out as up there with the very best songwriters working today" and of the album's musical structure as a whole, comments that it is a "collection of songs that reflect Finn's usual palette of singalong pop ("She Called Up"), achingly fine ballads ("Pour Le Monde"), and darker, more ambient sounds ("A Sigh")". Jessica Letkemann of Billboard points out that to those unfamiliar with Finn's solo work expecting the album to resemble a prior Crowded House work would be surprised, insisting that "Gone are the more overtly '80s top 40 flourishes". Bud Scoppa writes in Uncut Magazine
that the album's extremes are portrayed in its first two songs, "Nobody Wants To", which he describes as "[setting] the prevailing melancholy mood, as Finn's slide guitar hovers like a solitary seabird over a vocal laced with regret", and "Don't Stop Now", in which "Finn explores the metaphorical possibilities of the GPS, seeking "something I can write about… something I can cry about"".
's Call Me Irresponsible
, however in its second week, it rose to the #1 position, swapping with Call Me Irresponsible which then moved to #2. It entered the RIANZ albums chart in New Zealand on 9 July 2007 also at #2, though slipped to #3 in its second week, instead of rising as it did in Australia. Crowded House's place of origin is held in contention due to the band being led by Neil Finn
of New Zealand, however the band has always resided in, and was formed in, Australia. Due to this constant confusion, both ARIA
and RIANZ consider the group to be native to their respective countries, as they're indicated as "local artists" in the album listings, on ARIA as a "red spot" and on RIANZ with the item highlighted in green. On the U.S. Billboard 200
, the album debuted at number 46, with about 16,000 copies sold in its first week. The album entered the charts in the United Kingdom at #3 with sales of over 27,000, being Crowded House's most successful studio album on the UK charts, only being superseded by Recurring Dream
which achieved a #1 position and sold over a million copies. It also entered the Canadian Albums Chart
#38, its Canadian peak position.
. The album features the guitar work of Johnny Marr
, guitarist and songwriter of The Smiths
, on "Even a Child" and lead single "Don't Stop Now
;" Marr co-wrote the former song with Finn. The album also includes the song "Silent House", which Finn co-wrote with the Dixie Chicks
(which also appeared on their 2006 Grammy-winning album Taking the Long Way
). With the Australian and UK release, the CD unlocks an online exclusive download of a live version of the song "Silent House". Early releases of the album in the UK included an additional DVD. Following touring, on 3 November 2007, a special edition was released in Australia featuring a colour-altered cover and an extra CD featuring eleven songs from the 8 September 2007 performance at Winnipeg
, Manitoba, Canada, for the North American leg of the Time on Earth tour.
The tracks "Lost Island" and "Stare Me Out" are available on the vinyl version of this album. They are also available as b-sides to "Don't Stop Now", and as bonus tracks via digital music providers.
Crowded House
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia and led by New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn. Finn is the primary songwriter and creative director of the band, having led it through several incarnations, drawing members from New Zealand , Australia and the United States...
. Tracks have been produced by both Ethan Johns
Ethan Johns
Ethan Johns is a record producer, engineer, mixer, musician, and songwriter who has worked with such artists such as Ryan Adams, Kings of Leon, Ray LaMontagne, Kevin Prosch, Rufus Wainwright, Howard Eliott Payne, Emmylou Harris, Crowded House, Laura Marling, Luthea Salom, and Crosby, Stills and...
and Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite is an English Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited for working on over 500 records and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Peter Gabriel,...
and the album was released on 30 June 2007 in Australia, 2 July in the United Kingdom and 10 July in North America. Time on Earth is the band's first studio album since 1993, and marks the reunion of the band eleven years after they disbanded and features new drummer Matt Sherrod
Matt Sherrod
Matt Sherrod is an American drummer, musician, and since 2007, a member of the New Zealand band Crowded House. Sherrod first became known as a musician playing drums for rock artist Beck...
in place of the original drummer, Paul Hester
Paul Hester
Paul Newell Hester was an Australian musician and television personality; he was the drummer for the related bands Split Enz and Crowded House.-The early years:...
, who took his own life in 2005.
As the first studio album from the group in fourteen years, Time on Earth has been subject to much speculation. Upon its release the album garnered positive critical reception and reached Platinum status within weeks of release in Australia, and Gold status in its second week of release in New Zealand. To promote the album, the group toured internationally, beginning by performing at Coachella
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a three-day annual music and arts festival, organized by Goldenvoice and held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Inland Empire's Coachella Valley...
music festival and at Live Earth
Live Earth
-Background:Founded by Emmy-winning producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Live Earth was built upon the belief that entertainment has the power to transcend social and cultural barriers to move the world community to action...
in July. For further promotion, three singles were released from the album, "Don't Stop Now
Don't Stop Now
"Don't Stop Now" is the first single from Crowded House's fifth studio album Time on Earth. It was released in Australia on 16 June 2007; in the United Kingdom, it was released digitally on 18 June 2007 and physically on 25 June 2007.-Background:...
", "She Called Up
She Called Up
"She Called Up" is the second single released from Crowded House's fifth studio album Time on Earth, released on 17 September 2007.-Overview:...
" and "Pour Le Monde
Pour Le Monde
"Pour Le Monde" is the third single released from Crowded House's fifth studio album Time on Earth, released on 10 December 2007. "Pour le Monde" means "For the World" in French-Track listing:Standard Digital Bundle....
", and a special tour edition of the album was released in Australia in November 2007 featuring an extra CD with eleven songs from a concert from the album's North American tour.
Background
The album was originally intended to be frontman Neil FinnNeil Finn
Neil Mullane Finn, OBE is a New Zealand Pop recording artist. Along with his brother Tim Finn, he was the co-frontman for Split Enz and is now frontman for Crowded House...
's third solo release. In the wake of Paul Hester's death, as well as preparations for the release of the live album Farewell to the World
Farewell to the World
Farewell to the World is a 1996 concert by rock group Crowded House. The concert was recorded on the outside footsteps of the famed Sydney Opera House as a charity event to raise funds for the Sydney Children's Hospital. The event was originally scheduled to occur on the night of the 23 November...
, the band members were drawn together and their friendship was reinvigorated. In 2006, Neil Finn invited bassist Nick Seymour
Nick Seymour
Nick Seymour is a musician, painter, and record producer. He is best known for being the bass guitarist in the Australasian rock group Crowded House and brother to Mark Seymour of another successful group; Hunters and Collectors.- Biography :Born in Benalla, Victoria, Australia, Seymour studied...
to participate in the recording of his new album and subsequent tour. In the initial phase, various session musicians filled parts, such as studio musician Joey Waronker
Joey Waronker
Joseph "Joey" Waronker is an American drummer and music producer. He is the son of record producer Lenny Waronker and singer/actress Donna Loren; his younger sister is musician Anna Waronker; and his grandfather is record executive and professional violinist Simon Waronker. He has three other...
on drums and British soul singer Beth Rowley
Beth Rowley
-Background:Rowley was born to British parents who moved back to Bristol, England from Peru when Rowley was two years old.-Early career:She was influenced by her family's love for many different musical styles, particularly blues, country, folk, gospel and Latin American music. When aged 16, Rowley...
provided backup vocals for the song "Transit Lounge." After recording a complete album with Ethan Johns in the producer and drummer's seat and Seymour contributing substantially throughout the process, Finn decided Crowded House would reform and that Time on Earth would be the band's fifth studio album. The title Time on Earth takes its name from a song of the same name that was not included in the album.
With new drummer Matt Sherrod
Matt Sherrod
Matt Sherrod is an American drummer, musician, and since 2007, a member of the New Zealand band Crowded House. Sherrod first became known as a musician playing drums for rock artist Beck...
and returning multi-instrumentalist Mark Hart
Mark Hart
Mark Hart , is a multi-instrumentalist best known for his participation as a member of Supertramp and Crowded House....
now involved as members of the official lineup, the band returned to the studio to record four additional tracks with producer Steve Lillywhite. Hart and Sherrod also contributed retroactively to some of the Ethan Johns-produced material. In its final form, the album features tracks mixed by Johns, Lillywhite and Tchad Blake
Tchad Blake
Tchad Blake is an American record producer, audio engineer, mixer and musician.He has worked with numerous artists and musicians, including State Radio, Apartment 26, Elvis Costello, Peter Gabriel, Pearl Jam, Tom Waits, Richard Thompson, Brazilian Girls, Sheryl Crow, November 2nd, Travis, Marike...
. Guitarist Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr is an English musician and songwriter. Marr rose to fame in the 1980s as the guitarist in The Smiths, with whom he formed a prolific songwriting partnership with Morrissey. Marr has been a member of Electronic, The The, and Modest Mouse...
was involved in the recording of "Even a Child", which he co-wrote, and "Don't Stop Now".
Recording and production
Due to the transient nature of the album, gradually adapting from a solo venture into a band effort, the recording process used was somewhat unorthodox in that it encompassed various session musicians for the majority, while the "central lineup" of Finn, Seymour, Hart and Sherrod only performed on four tracks, which includes "Don't Stop NowDon't Stop Now
"Don't Stop Now" is the first single from Crowded House's fifth studio album Time on Earth. It was released in Australia on 16 June 2007; in the United Kingdom, it was released digitally on 18 June 2007 and physically on 25 June 2007.-Background:...
", the album's lead single, and "She Called Up
She Called Up
"She Called Up" is the second single released from Crowded House's fifth studio album Time on Earth, released on 17 September 2007.-Overview:...
", the following single. Before this point, most of the album was produced by Ethan Johns
Ethan Johns
Ethan Johns is a record producer, engineer, mixer, musician, and songwriter who has worked with such artists such as Ryan Adams, Kings of Leon, Ray LaMontagne, Kevin Prosch, Rufus Wainwright, Howard Eliott Payne, Emmylou Harris, Crowded House, Laura Marling, Luthea Salom, and Crosby, Stills and...
, however from enlisting Sherrod and calling upon Hart to return, the prolific producer Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite is an English Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited for working on over 500 records and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Peter Gabriel,...
took over.
Release
To bring their music to the public before the album's release, the group played together a few times before the release. On 17 March 2007 the band played a 2 ½ hour set streamed live to the internet from veteran musician Peter GabrielPeter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
's studio (Real World Studios
Real World Studios
Real World Studios is a residential recording studio in Box, Wiltshire, England associated with the Real World Records Ltd. record label founded by rock musician Peter Gabriel...
) in England. In this performance, there were eight new songs featured, beginning with Finn's co-written piece with the Dixie Chicks
Dixie Chicks
The Dixie Chicks are an American country band which has also successfully crossed over into other genres. The band is composed of founding members Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Erwin Robison, and lead singer Natalie Maines...
"Silent House" and also included "Pour Le Monde" ("For the world"
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
), "Transit Lounge", "She Called Up
She Called Up
"She Called Up" is the second single released from Crowded House's fifth studio album Time on Earth, released on 17 September 2007.-Overview:...
" and "Don't Stop Now
Don't Stop Now
"Don't Stop Now" is the first single from Crowded House's fifth studio album Time on Earth. It was released in Australia on 16 June 2007; in the United Kingdom, it was released digitally on 18 June 2007 and physically on 25 June 2007.-Background:...
".
Prior to the album's release, a single was released. The song "Don't Stop Now
Don't Stop Now
"Don't Stop Now" is the first single from Crowded House's fifth studio album Time on Earth. It was released in Australia on 16 June 2007; in the United Kingdom, it was released digitally on 18 June 2007 and physically on 25 June 2007.-Background:...
" was selected, as it featured the new lineup of the band. The single received moderate success in the charts. The follow-up single, "She Called Up
She Called Up
"She Called Up" is the second single released from Crowded House's fifth studio album Time on Earth, released on 17 September 2007.-Overview:...
", released in September 2007, was not as successful as "Don't Stop Now".
The album had a staggered release internationally across a fortnight, beginning in Australia, while the final location of its release was with the United States. Following the Australian release, the group performed at Live Earth
Live Earth
-Background:Founded by Emmy-winning producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Live Earth was built upon the belief that entertainment has the power to transcend social and cultural barriers to move the world community to action...
in Australia, performing many of the album's songs, and also on various television programs, along with many interviews, such as on Rove and Enough Rope
Enough Rope
Enough Rope with Andrew Denton is a television interview show originally broadcast on ABC Television in Australia...
with Andrew Denton
Andrew Denton
Andrew Christopher Denton is an Australian television producer, comedian, Gold Logie-nominated television presenter and former radio host, and was the host of the ABC's weekly television interview program Enough Rope. He is known for his comedy and interviewing technique...
. A special live version of Crowded House performing "Silent House" was made available for Australian and UK purchasers of the album by inserting the disc into their computer and downloading the song from the internet. The song features the advertised album lineup, including new drummer Matt Sherrod
Matt Sherrod
Matt Sherrod is an American drummer, musician, and since 2007, a member of the New Zealand band Crowded House. Sherrod first became known as a musician playing drums for rock artist Beck...
and returning member of Crowded House Mark Hart
Mark Hart
Mark Hart , is a multi-instrumentalist best known for his participation as a member of Supertramp and Crowded House....
, neither of whom were on the studio version.
Critical reception
The album has been very well received by critics and the public, with many critics praising the album as "a worthy successor to Crowded House's existing catalog". Some reviews have indicated that the album has its flaws, though these are easily dismissed due to the album's other qualities "[Time on Earth] is not perfect. It has been argued that the album is weighed down by a few too many mid-tempo tracks and that the singing of Beth Rowley on "Transit Lounge" is distracting. Finn's forte has always been as a songwriter first and foremost, not a pretentious album-length crafter of grand cohesive statements or conveyor of didactic meaning. He writes deeply personal pop songs with oblique lyrics and deceptively tricky melodies, but no matter who (or what) Finn is mourning, he leaves it up to the listener to make it all fit." Some reviewers indicate that in "Text, context and subtext, Hester's passing seems to color every line", indicating the album clearly articulates Finn's grief for Hester's death in 2005.Cover art
Cover art
Cover art is the illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book , magazine, comic book, video game , DVD, CD, videotape, or music album. The art has a primarily commercial function, i.e...
for Time on Earth. The group's name "Crowded House" appears with jumbled case, some lower and some upper case, appearing as "cRoWdED HOusE". Similarly, the album title is also in a partial jumble with all but the last two letters in upper case, appearing as "TIME ON EARth."
Sea serpent
A sea serpent or sea dragon is a type of sea monster either wholly or partly serpentine.Sightings of sea serpents have been reported for hundreds of years, and continue to be claimed today. Cryptozoologist Bruce Champagne identified more than 1,200 purported sea serpent sightings...
image from Olaus Magnus
Olaus Magnus
Olaus Magnus was a Swedish ecclesiastic and writer, who did pioneering work for the interest of Nordic people. He was reported as born in October 1490 in Östergötland, and died on August 1, 1557. Magnus, Latin for the Swedish Stor “great”, is a Latin family name taken personally, and not a...
's book History of the Northern Peoples. The use of a dragon eating a man is to symbolise former member Hester being consumed by depression, symbolised by the dragon being blue, and this brought his time on earth to an early end. The cover art is almost completely composed of newspaper cuttings collaged together, even the image of the man and the dragon are newspaper cuttings which Seymour painted onto. Only the tree on the right, and the title text are not composed of newspaper cuttings. The tree is to pose as a simile for the tree under which Hester took his life in 2005.
In November 2007, a special edition of Time on Earth was released featuring a colour altered cover. The cover's main background area, which was previously a sandy-wheat colour, was converted into an aqua-teal colour, while the tree in the image had a bird in a nest added to it.
Musical style
According to Neil Finn, "It (Time on Earth) doesn't sound like any one particular Crowded House album, but it has elements of Crowded House... in as much as Nick and I make a sound together when we play and always did. I think there's a lot of heart and spirit in the album which is connected with the loss of our dear friend Paul but also an attempt to try and make sense of it and move forward. And as such, it seemed the most obvious and best way to do that was to be playing music again with each other, Nick and I. I want to be in a band and what other band could it be." Crowded House's leader, Neil Finn has indicated that, as the album began life as a solo project, its sound is generally different to Crowded House, though similar in parts, indicating that no one album by the group sounds like this one. As the album is dedicated to Hester and attends to his death, much of the album has a mournful tone, however this has been received well by critics, with some indicating that "fortunately, Finn is a master at expressing ambiguity, (both) lyrically and musically". Finn has said of the song "People Are Like Suns", that "Part of it is the idea that people burn brightly and then they fade out. Also, when I wrote it, I was reading Ian McEwanIan McEwan
Ian Russell McEwan CBE, FRSA, FRSL is a British novelist and screenwriter, and one of Britain's most highly regarded writers. In 2008, The Times named him among their list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945"....
's novel Saturday
Saturday (novel)
Saturday is a novel by Ian McEwan set in Fitzrovia, London, on Saturday, 15 February 2003, during a large demonstration against the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The protagonist, Henry Perowne, a 48-year-old neurosurgeon, has planned a series of chores and pleasures culminating in a family dinner in the...
, which begins with a man on his balcony watching his plane go down, so the first lines borrow something from that image."
The song "Pour le Monde" ("For the World" in French) was inspired when Finn was in Paris and observed a demonstration march protesting against the war on terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
, with the chant "Pour le monde pas pour la guerre", which translates to "For the world, not for the war" (which is then sung in English directly after the French on the song). Seymour adds that the song contains "a lot of nobility and integrity" and that when they have performed the song it "really does stand upright". The last song recorded for the album, "Transit Lounge", is written about time spent in various transit lounges around the world, particularly Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
.
Lyrically, Andy Strickland of Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...
asserts that the album's song "English Trees" shows Finn's "brilliant weaving of a tale of loss and yearning marks him out as up there with the very best songwriters working today" and of the album's musical structure as a whole, comments that it is a "collection of songs that reflect Finn's usual palette of singalong pop ("She Called Up"), achingly fine ballads ("Pour Le Monde"), and darker, more ambient sounds ("A Sigh")". Jessica Letkemann of Billboard points out that to those unfamiliar with Finn's solo work expecting the album to resemble a prior Crowded House work would be surprised, insisting that "Gone are the more overtly '80s top 40 flourishes". Bud Scoppa writes in Uncut Magazine
UNCUT (magazine)
Uncut magazine, trademarked as UNCUT, is a monthly publication based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes film and books sections...
that the album's extremes are portrayed in its first two songs, "Nobody Wants To", which he describes as "[setting] the prevailing melancholy mood, as Finn's slide guitar hovers like a solitary seabird over a vocal laced with regret", and "Don't Stop Now", in which "Finn explores the metaphorical possibilities of the GPS, seeking "something I can write about… something I can cry about"".
Charts
Time on Earth entered the Australian ARIA Albums Chart on 8 July at #2, just behind Michael BubléMichael Bublé
Michael Steven Bublé is a Canadian singer. He has won several awards, including three Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. His first album reached the top ten in Canada and the UK. He found worldwide commercial success with his 2005 album It's Time, and his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible was...
's Call Me Irresponsible
Call Me Irresponsible
"Call Me Irresponsible" is a 1962 song composed by Jimmy Van Heusen with lyrics written by Sammy Cahn.According to the Mel Tormé book The Other Side of the Rainbow with Judy Garland on the Dawn Patrol, Van Heusen originally wrote the song for Garland to sing at a CBS dinner...
, however in its second week, it rose to the #1 position, swapping with Call Me Irresponsible which then moved to #2. It entered the RIANZ albums chart in New Zealand on 9 July 2007 also at #2, though slipped to #3 in its second week, instead of rising as it did in Australia. Crowded House's place of origin is held in contention due to the band being led by Neil Finn
Neil Finn
Neil Mullane Finn, OBE is a New Zealand Pop recording artist. Along with his brother Tim Finn, he was the co-frontman for Split Enz and is now frontman for Crowded House...
of New Zealand, however the band has always resided in, and was formed in, Australia. Due to this constant confusion, both ARIA
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
and RIANZ consider the group to be native to their respective countries, as they're indicated as "local artists" in the album listings, on ARIA as a "red spot" and on RIANZ with the item highlighted in green. On the U.S. Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, the album debuted at number 46, with about 16,000 copies sold in its first week. The album entered the charts in the United Kingdom at #3 with sales of over 27,000, being Crowded House's most successful studio album on the UK charts, only being superseded by Recurring Dream
Recurring Dream
Recurring Dream is a compilation album by rock group Crowded House, released in 1996. It includes most of their singles, as well as three new songs, "Not the Girl You Think You Are", "Instinct", and "Everything Is Good for You".-Background:...
which achieved a #1 position and sold over a million copies. It also entered the Canadian Albums Chart
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...
#38, its Canadian peak position.
| Chart (2007) | Peak position | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| Australia ARIA Albums Chart | 1 | Platinum |
| New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart | 2 | Gold |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
3 | |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 12 | |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... |
23 | |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
37 | |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
38 | |
| United States Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... Albums Chart |
46 | |
| Swiss Albums Chart Music of Switzerland Switzerland has long had a distinct cultural identity, despite its diversity of German, French, Italian, Romansh and other ethnicities. Religious and folk music dominated the country until the 17th century, with growth in production of other kinds of music occurring slowly.-Classical music:One of... |
89 | |
| German Albums Chart Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
95 |
Track listing
In April 2007, the band's website went live and included a confirmation of the track listing of Time on Earth. Notably, the album has 14 tracks, only the second studio album by Crowded House to have as many, the previous being WoodfaceWoodface
Woodface is the third studio album by the band Crowded House. The album was produced by Mitchell Froom and released by Capitol in July 1991. It features five singles "Chocolate Cake", "Fall at Your Feet", "Weather with You", "Four Seasons in One Day", and "It's Only Natural"...
. The album features the guitar work of Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr is an English musician and songwriter. Marr rose to fame in the 1980s as the guitarist in The Smiths, with whom he formed a prolific songwriting partnership with Morrissey. Marr has been a member of Electronic, The The, and Modest Mouse...
, guitarist and songwriter of The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
, on "Even a Child" and lead single "Don't Stop Now
Don't Stop Now
"Don't Stop Now" is the first single from Crowded House's fifth studio album Time on Earth. It was released in Australia on 16 June 2007; in the United Kingdom, it was released digitally on 18 June 2007 and physically on 25 June 2007.-Background:...
;" Marr co-wrote the former song with Finn. The album also includes the song "Silent House", which Finn co-wrote with the Dixie Chicks
Dixie Chicks
The Dixie Chicks are an American country band which has also successfully crossed over into other genres. The band is composed of founding members Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Erwin Robison, and lead singer Natalie Maines...
(which also appeared on their 2006 Grammy-winning album Taking the Long Way
Taking the Long Way
-Public reception:On May 31, 2006, the album took three number one spots on the charts of Billboard magazine. It was number one on the Hot Country Albums, Top Digital Albums, and on the Billboard 200 chart, going Gold in its first week with 526,000 units sold....
). With the Australian and UK release, the CD unlocks an online exclusive download of a live version of the song "Silent House". Early releases of the album in the UK included an additional DVD. Following touring, on 3 November 2007, a special edition was released in Australia featuring a colour-altered cover and an extra CD featuring eleven songs from the 8 September 2007 performance at Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba, Canada, for the North American leg of the Time on Earth tour.
| # | Title | Songwriters | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nobody Wants To" | Neil Finn Neil Finn Neil Mullane Finn, OBE is a New Zealand Pop recording artist. Along with his brother Tim Finn, he was the co-frontman for Split Enz and is now frontman for Crowded House... |
4:10 |
| 2. | "Don't Stop Now Don't Stop Now "Don't Stop Now" is the first single from Crowded House's fifth studio album Time on Earth. It was released in Australia on 16 June 2007; in the United Kingdom, it was released digitally on 18 June 2007 and physically on 25 June 2007.-Background:... " |
Finn | 3:54 |
| 3. | "She Called Up She Called Up "She Called Up" is the second single released from Crowded House's fifth studio album Time on Earth, released on 17 September 2007.-Overview:... " |
Finn | 2:53 |
| 4. | "Say That Again" | Finn | 5:21 |
| 5. | "Pour Le Monde Pour Le Monde "Pour Le Monde" is the third single released from Crowded House's fifth studio album Time on Earth, released on 10 December 2007. "Pour le Monde" means "For the World" in French-Track listing:Standard Digital Bundle.... " |
Finn | 5:10 |
| 6. | "Even a Child" | Finn, Johnny Marr Johnny Marr Johnny Marr is an English musician and songwriter. Marr rose to fame in the 1980s as the guitarist in The Smiths, with whom he formed a prolific songwriting partnership with Morrissey. Marr has been a member of Electronic, The The, and Modest Mouse... |
3:57 |
| 7. | "Heaven That I'm Making" | Finn | 3:56 |
| 8. | "A Sigh" | Finn | 3:17 |
| 9. | "Silent House" | Finn, Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines Natalie Maines Natalie Louise Maines Pasdar is an American singer-songwriter who achieved success as the lead vocalist for the female alternative country band, the Dixie Chicks... , Emily Robison |
5:52 |
| 10. | "English Trees" | Finn | 3:43 |
| 11. | "Walked Her Way Down" | Finn | 4:17 |
| 12. | "Transit Lounge" | Finn | 4:25 |
| 13. | "You Are the One to Make Me Cry" | Finn | 3:43 |
| 14. | "People Are Like Suns" | Finn | 3:52 |
The tracks "Lost Island" and "Stare Me Out" are available on the vinyl version of this album. They are also available as b-sides to "Don't Stop Now", and as bonus tracks via digital music providers.
UK Limited edition DVD
Limited Edition Time on Earth DVD- "Locked OutLocked Out"Locked Out" is a 1993 song by rock group Crowded House, from the group's fourth studio album Together Alone. It was released as a single in December 1993 and was part of the soundtrack to the American film Reality Bites. It was the most successful single from Together Alone, reaching #12 in the UK...
" (Live Real World Sessions Webcast) - "Something So StrongSomething So Strong"Something So Strong" is a rock song written by Neil Finn and performed by the band Crowded House for their debut album Crowded House. It was released as the album's final single. The song lends its title to the book Something So Strong by Australian biographer Chris Bourke, which catalogues the...
" (Live Real World Sessions Webcast) - "World Where You LiveWorld Where You Live"World Where You Live" is a 1986 song by rock group Crowded House. It was the second single from the group's debut album Crowded House. Though it was the second single, "World Where You Live" was the first internationally released single, as the first single "Mean To Me" was only released in...
" (Live Real World Sessions Webcast) - Time on Earth Interview*
- "Hotel CaliforniaHotel California (song)"Hotel California" is the title song from the Eagles' album of the same name and was released as a single in February 1977. It is one of the best-known songs of the album-oriented rock era. Writing credits for the song are shared by Don Felder, Don Henley and Glenn Frey...
" - "Transit Lounge"
- "Pour Le Monde"
- "Hotel California
- Crowded House images (with "Don't Stop NowDon't Stop Now"Don't Stop Now" is the first single from Crowded House's fifth studio album Time on Earth. It was released in Australia on 16 June 2007; in the United Kingdom, it was released digitally on 18 June 2007 and physically on 25 June 2007.-Background:...
" audio)
- *Now available on official Crowded House website.
Australian live disc
- "Mean to MeMean to Me (Crowded House song)"Mean to Me" is a 1986 song by rock group Crowded House. It was the first single the band ever released. The single was only released as a 7" vinyl single. It was released two weeks prior to the group's debut album, Crowded House, and appears on the album...
" – 3:31 - "World Where You Live" – 3:28
- "Don't Stop Now" – 3:46
- "Hole in the River" – 7:33
- "Don't Dream It's OverDon't Dream It's Over-12": Capitol / 12CL 438 United Kingdom :* also available on CD and MC-Personnel:*Neil Finn: Vocals and guitar*Nick Seymour: Bass guitar*Paul Hester: Drums and backing vocals*Mitchell Froom: Keyboards-Release history:- Charts :...
" – 4:20 - "Silent House" – 6:26
- "Walked Her Way Down" – 4:22
- "Something So Strong" – 3:39
- "Weather with YouWeather with You"Weather with You" is a 1991 song by rock group Crowded House. It was the third and most successful single released from the group's third studio album Woodface, reaching top fifty charts in six countries with a peak of #7 in the United Kingdom....
" – 4:28 - "Private UniversePrivate Universe"Private Universe" is a 1993 song by rock group Crowded House from the group's fourth studio album Together Alone. It was released as a single in October 1994...
" – 5:56 - "You Are the One to Make Me Cry" – 4:22
Crowded House
- Neil FinnNeil FinnNeil Mullane Finn, OBE is a New Zealand Pop recording artist. Along with his brother Tim Finn, he was the co-frontman for Split Enz and is now frontman for Crowded House...
: vocals, guitars, WurlitzerWurlitzer electric pianoWurlitzer 200A|250px|thumbThe Wurlitzer electric piano was one of a series of electromechanical stringless pianos manufactured and marketed by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, Corinth, Mississippi, U.S. and Tonawanda, New York...
, piano and VibraphoneVibraphoneThe vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family.... - Nick SeymourNick SeymourNick Seymour is a musician, painter, and record producer. He is best known for being the bass guitarist in the Australasian rock group Crowded House and brother to Mark Seymour of another successful group; Hunters and Collectors.- Biography :Born in Benalla, Victoria, Australia, Seymour studied...
: bass, backing vocals, autoharpAutoharpThe autoharp is a musical string instrument having a series of chord bars attached to dampers, which, when depressed, mute all of the strings other than those that form the desired chord. Despite its name, the autoharp is not a harp at all, but a chorded zither. -History:There is debate over the... - Mark HartMark HartMark Hart , is a multi-instrumentalist best known for his participation as a member of Supertramp and Crowded House....
: piano, keyboards, electric guitar, harmony vocalsHarmonyIn music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
on 2, 3, 6 & 12 - Matt SherrodMatt SherrodMatt Sherrod is an American drummer, musician, and since 2007, a member of the New Zealand band Crowded House. Sherrod first became known as a musician playing drums for rock artist Beck...
: drums on 2, 3, 6 & 12, backing vocals on 3
Other musicians
- Ethan JohnsEthan JohnsEthan Johns is a record producer, engineer, mixer, musician, and songwriter who has worked with such artists such as Ryan Adams, Kings of Leon, Ray LaMontagne, Kevin Prosch, Rufus Wainwright, Howard Eliott Payne, Emmylou Harris, Crowded House, Laura Marling, Luthea Salom, and Crosby, Stills and...
: drums on 1, 7, 9–11 & 13, backing vocals on 1, harmony vocal on 5, stringString instrumentA string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
arrangementArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
on 5, 13 & 14, sitarSitarThe 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
on 7, fuzz guitar on 9, hurdy gurdyHurdy gurdyThe hurdy gurdy or hurdy-gurdy is a stringed musical instrument that produces sound by a crank-turned rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound similar to a violin...
on 9, guitar on 11 - Rikki Gooch: drums on 4, 5 & 11, marchingMarching bandMarching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
bass drumBass drumBass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
and cymbalCymbalCymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...
on 13 - Gavin WrightGavin WrightGavin Wright is an economic historian and the William Robertson Coe Professor of American Economic History at Stanford University.Most of Wright's research has focused on the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement.- Works :...
: stringString instrumentA string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
leaderConcertmasterThe concertmaster/mistress is the spalla or leader, of the first violin section of an orchestra. In the UK, the term commonly used is leader...
on 5, 13 & 14 - Isobel Griffiths: stringString instrumentA string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
contractor on 5, 13 & 14 - Richard WatkinsRichard WatkinsRichard Watkins is a concerto soloist and chamber music player. He was Principal Horn of the Philharmonia from 1985 to 1996, a position he relinquished to devote more time to his solo career....
: French horn on 5 - Sonny Marr: backing vocals on 6
- Eddie RaynerEddie RaynerEddie Rayner , is a New Zealand musician who has played in bands such as Split Enz, Space Waltz, Crowded House, The Makers and 801....
: piano idea on 1, harmoniumHarmoniumA harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
on 10 - Sharon Finn: harmony vocals on 10
- Don McGlashanDon McGlashanDon McGlashan is a New Zealand musician and songwriter who has been a member of bands such as The Plague, From Scratch, The Whizz Kids, Blam Blam Blam, The Front Lawn, The Mutton Birds and, from 2009, The Bellbirds. He composed several pieces for the Limbs Dance Company...
: euphoniumEuphoniumThe euphonium is a conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument. It derives its name from the Greek word euphonos, meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced"...
on 10, harmony vocals on 8 - Joey WaronkerJoey WaronkerJoseph "Joey" Waronker is an American drummer and music producer. He is the son of record producer Lenny Waronker and singer/actress Donna Loren; his younger sister is musician Anna Waronker; and his grandfather is record executive and professional violinist Simon Waronker. He has three other...
: drums on 14 - Jay Joyce: guitar atmosphereMood (psychology)A mood is a relatively long lasting emotional state. Moods differ from emotions in that they are less specific, less intense, and less likely to be triggered by a particular stimulus or event....
on 8 - Beth RowleyBeth Rowley-Background:Rowley was born to British parents who moved back to Bristol, England from Peru when Rowley was two years old.-Early career:She was influenced by her family's love for many different musical styles, particularly blues, country, folk, gospel and Latin American music. When aged 16, Rowley...
: ethereal vocal on 12 - Johnny MarrJohnny MarrJohnny Marr is an English musician and songwriter. Marr rose to fame in the 1980s as the guitarist in The Smiths, with whom he formed a prolific songwriting partnership with Morrissey. Marr has been a member of Electronic, The The, and Modest Mouse...
: electric guitar on 2 & 6, 12-string acoustic guitar on 6 - Elroy Finn: acoustic guitarSteel-string acoustic guitarA steel-string acoustic guitar is a modern form of guitar descended from the classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound...
on 4, 5, 7 & 9, electric guitar on 11 - Liam FinnLiam FinnLiam Mullane Finn is a New Zealand musician and songwriter. Born in Australia, he moved to New Zealand as a child...
: harmony vocals on 7, 9 & 10 - Joseph Lindsay: horns on 7
- Isaac McNeill: horns on 7
- Scott Towers: horns on 7