Only CDs Is Sounding Like These # 11: The Finn Brothers, Everyone Is Here (2004)

A new occasional series - CDs are coming back baby! And I’m here for it. BIGTIME! Also, some albums just REALLY suit the format, right

I’ve been playing this a bunch lately — I guess, on some level, I knew it was 20 years old, have always remembered it as a 2004 release, but I wasn’t playing it in the build up to its birthday. At least, not on purpose. And then, it happened. The other week, right after playing it, I saw that it had turned 20.

It’s one of my favourite things either brother did, and the best thing they created together. I love the first album, Finn, it’s weirder, and more fun. I love the best of their work together as Split Enz (True Colours, Time & Tide) and as Crowded House (Woodface, or at least most of it), but Everyone Is Here is where the true magic is.

It might also be the last truly great thing Tim did — his voice wobbling shortly after, and then falling down into musical theatre as a way of getting by, and fair enough. Sporadic solo albums that never quite caught up with any of the earlier magic, and some decent concert performances of course, because that’s in his blood. But his last run of truly great and vital songs is right here.

And it might almost be one of the last truly great things Neil has done too. But of course he has made some great solo records and some superb songs on recent Crowded House re-get-togethers and other projects.

Crucially, though, this is the last time they worked together to edge each other on.

I wrote a poem recently, after a bout of listening to this album all over again.

The song, A Life Between Us, was on my mind. My relationship with my brother might be like theirs, the age-gap is similar, but one thing me and my brother have always shared is a love of all things Finn-related: the Enz and Crowded House, all the solo albums and side-projects, and absolutely Schnell-Fenster.

So, yeah, that was in there. That was part of it.

But, I love listening to this album and just thinking about how close to perfect it is — the tunes, the melodies, the ideas, the instrumentation, the clarity. Just beautiful, melodic, majestic, mature pop music.

I saw them on the tour. Heard they had a huge fight backstage after — an argument. It only made it better to me. Made sense.

Saw them again on the victory lap a few months later, and it was as good as ever. Really, at their peak, they are world class performers — and of course writers, and recording artists. And that’s not saying anything new, but every time it does feel like a revelation, a great reminder.

My copy of the album — in the photo there — is a record company promo. And there’s a story about how when the initial print run of CDs came back the Finns were upset, the cover was supposed to be brown. I always wondered if this was in reference to the cover of Waiata — another great Enz album from their time together in the band. Noel Crombie says on the doco (2002) that “brown is the colour of shit” — and that the record company wasn’t happy with the album cover when it came out in the 80s. Was this, in 2004, the Finns saying they could do what they wanted? It seemed ironic that they were angry it wasn’t brown enough.

Anyway, a record company rep told me to hang onto it — might be worth something. I hung onto it because I’ve never really stopped listening to it.

The sessions for the album weren’t without trouble, there’s a buried Tony Visconti mix (someone gave me a bootleg of it, but I’ve lost that).

But, I get it. There’s bound to be tensions wound tight and emotions running high when you’re writing and making songs this damn good.

So, the brown copies arrived and went out as a second print run of the CD. At huge cost the record company.

A friend was working on the concert recording, and though sworn to secrecy in general, did whisper to me that they were basically cunts; really hard to work with.

I’ve had my own run-in/s with the Finns. I believe I was mentioned in a family email — they weren’t to engage with me. And I regret my part in that, whatever it was…well, of course I know what I did. I said something stupid about Neil working with Sharon, because I didn’t get the album I wanted. That’s the petty stupidity of a reviewer taking his gig way too seriously.

I never stopped loving the majority of the music they made though. And this always feels like a perfect album to me.

So I respect whatever level of difficulty they might be. It’s better if you’re just nice. Sure. But not everyone is. And not all the time. And so many people will have amazing stories about just how generous the Finns have been to them personally…LOOK, I feel like they’re been generous to me (and the world) with the music they’ve made! (Most of it anyway).

And every song on here is a gem. And I just love this album. But I don’t want the fancy new vinyl version. And I never really listen to it on Spotify or online in any other shape. I don’t know why, but to me this album is a CD. And it’s one of the best ones they ever made, and one of the best ones I’ve ever owned.

So happy problematic 20th birthday to this allegedly “difficult” and utterly brilliant album. xx