North, South, East, West: Anthology - Tim Finn (2010)

 




North, South, East West: Anthology, also known as Anthology: North, South, East West is a career spanning retrospective of Kiwi singer Tim Finn's career released digitally and on double CD in 2011, in Australasia only.

Interestinly, North, South, East West: Anthology aims to tell the story of Tim's entire career, from the four major platforms he's released his songs: as the lead singer of Split Enz, the co-lead singer of Crowded House's Woodface, as a member of The Finn Brothers and as a solo artist. Thus the first seven songs here, spanning 1975-1982 cover Split Enz, then there are some solo songs, then some songs from Woodface, then more solo songs, then some Finn Brother songs, etc....

Tim has one of the more interesting music careers in my opinion: I recall reading that on one point Tim was playing a concert with Split Enz to 20 000 people in Australia in 2006 and the very next day he was playing a solo acoustic show in New Zealand village to less than fifty audience members.  The heights and the depths. 

The songs from Woodface have been re-recorded (I imagine licensing was expensive for that album, which was a smash hit in the UK), however, the covers are well done and tasteful and a couple of them are recorded with Neil Finn, so it's not like he was attempting to rewrite history. Of particular interest is a very pretty piano-based solo version of "How Will You Go" from Woodface and a recasting of "It's Only Natural" as a duet with Bic Runga -- this works way better than I might imagine. 

There is also a smattering of new or nearly new songs, as well as a couple of other remaks ("Stuff And Nonsense" done as a duet with Australian singer Missy Higgins, and a new remake of the Big Canoe synth-funk number "So Deep", which works much better in this new, more organic arrangement.) And there are some other numbers as well including the Finn 95 outtake "Into The Water", which had recently been dusted off for one of Tim's first musicals. 

IN all there are a total of about ten new songs, including the remakes. 

However, I feel a bit sad that Tim's worthy solo career needs to be propped up by the Crowded House and Split Enz songs: I'd have prefereed a two-CD retrospective of his entire solo career and had the Crowded House and Split Enz songs left off.  I also note that there are no songs from Big Canoe, other than the remake of "So Deep," and only one song from Say It Is So, which is my favorite album by Tim: another reason to have just done a solo restrospective that focused solely on his solo career.

Finally, I wish that Tim had had the clout to round up a disc of his many extra-album tracks: he has dozens of them, and for me and for most fans, I suspect, that that would be most welcome. 

But what can I say? Ten new songs, or at least ten remade songs. One can't complain and any way people come at Tim Finn is fine by me. I just think it sells his solo career a little short. 

There is not a single bad song on the album, and I guess it does function to highlight Tim's whole career (up to that point). 

As none of these stream on YouTube here in Europe (Australasia only, I'm afraid) here's a live version of "So Deep" from 2010. It's not Tim's best song or anything, but it's one of the "new" songs on the album.




4.5/5

Released only in Australia, this  costs a mint: I probably spent a hundred dollars on it; and it's actually i best bought from the Australian iTunes which includes, or included,  a bonus track called "Mockery", which I absolutely love.


Another Side of Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan

Anthology: Diana Ross & The Supremes

Anthology: Smokey Robinson & The Beatles

Anthology 1: The Beatles

Anthology 2: The Beatles

Anthology 3 The Beatles

Anthology: North South, East West - Tim Finn

Apple Venus: Volume One -- XTC

Apollo 18 - They Might Be Giants

The ArchAndroid: Janelle Monae

Are the Village Green Preservation Society -- The Kinks

Are Well-Respected Men - The Kinks

Armed Forces -Elvis Costello & The Attractions

Around the World in a Day - Prince

Arthur (or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) - The Kinks

At My Piano - Brian Wilson

Autoamerican - Blondie

Automatic for the People - R.E.M.

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