Retro Spins: Crowded House - Temple Of Low Men

With the success of their debut, lead writer, Neil Finn was tasked with the difficult duty of crafting an equally powerful follow up album. However, this would be no small feat. Knowing this, the band even opted for the title, "Mediocre Follow Up", just so expectations wouldn't be set so high. Ultimately, they would land on Temple Of Low Men.

At least this time, the lack of backing from their label wouldn't be a factor, and heavy promotion would occur. Sadly, the end result was that critically, and sales wise, lightning wasn't destined to strike twice for Crowded House. While Temple would be successful in New Zealand and Australia, it didn't garner the international success of its predecessor. Singles from the album didn't fare any better beyond their native borders.

A short tour would follow across Australia and Canada, and joining on keyboards would be Split Enz alum Eddie Rayner. He would be replaced after the tour by Mark Hart, who would go on to become a full member of the band. Arguments would also ensue between founding members Neil Finn and Mark Seymour, which would result in the latter being fired, but returning after a month.

As for my time with Temple Of The Low Men, sadly, I can keep this one relatively short, and to the point. It's not very noteworthy or memorable. By song five of the ten track album, I still hadn't heard anything worth writing home about. Certainly, nothing was getting added to my shuffle list. Much like their debut, the word "mediocre" resonates in my head. It's not good. It's not bad. It's just, meh.

Then, out of nowhere, the brakes get slammed on. Track eight, Sister Madly, comes out of nowhere, and kicks me in the teeth. Grabs my attention. Gets my toes tapping, and my head bopping.

This momentum carries over into the following song, In The Lowlands. While a good thing, it's also disappointing at the same time. Where was this charisma and charm on the prior songs? More of this, please! In hindsight, this is very much the Split Enz sound, and I like it very much.

Overall, I wish Temple were more like track eight and nine, and less like...Well, what it was. It tells me the potential for this album could have and should have been more than what it ended up being.

I defer to my own personal opinions because they clearly don't dictate the success the band has achieved. While the group would disband in 1996 after a farewell tour, since their 1986 debut, they would have four consecutive platinum albums. Split Enz founder, and brother, Tim Finn, would even join the band briefly, and be part of their 1991 album, Woodface.

Tragedy struck in 2005 when founding member, Paul Hester, would take his own life by suicide. Following this, Nick Seymour would reunite with the Finn brothers for a tribute concert to their friend. This would lead to the reformation of Crowded House, and the 2007 platinum album, Time On Earth.

Nick Seymour and Neil Finn have continued the legacy of band since then, and remain among the few 80's artists to continue strong through present day. Their latest album, Gravity Stairs, was released in 2024 with Finn's sons Liam and Elroy on multiple instruments, along with Mitchell Froom on keyboards. Something so strong, indeed!

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
May 24, 1980

 

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
May 24, 1986