Try Whistling This
Try Whistling This is the debut solo album by the New Zealand singer/songwriter Neil Finn, released in 1998. It was produced by Finn, Tchad Blake, Marius De Vries, and Jim Moginie. The Japanese version of the album has a bonus track called "Tokyo", which also appears on the UK release of the single "Sinner". Special editions of the Australian CD contained a bonus CD with six extra tracks which were used as the B-sides for the singles released from the album. The album topped the charts in Australia and New Zealand, and also reached the top five of the UK Albums Chart.
Critical reception
The Guardian wrote that Finn's "eternally yearning tones set him apart from other melodic late-thirtysomethings—though he also happens to write lovely, inexplicably underrated songs."Awards
In 1999, Try Whistling This won the New Zealand Music Award for Best Cover Art. The cover was drawn by Neil's young son, Elroy.Track listing
All songs were written by Neil Finn, except where noted.- "Last One Standing" – 3:04
- "Souvenir" – 3:42
- "King Tide" – 4:33
- "Try Whistling This" – 4:13
- "She Will Have Her Way" – 3:56
- "Sinner" – 4:25
- "Twisty Bass" – 5:09
- "Loose Tongue" – 4:12
- "Truth" – 4:03
- "Astro" – 3:46
- "Dream Date" – 4:51
- "Faster Than Light" – 4:23
- "Addicted" – 4:22
- "Tokyo" – 2:56
- "Family Ties" – 3:11
- "She Comes Scattered" – 3:36
- "Identical Twin" – 3:30
- "808 Song" – 3:30
- "Log Drums" – 3:49
Personnel
- Tony Allen – drums
- Michael Barker – drums, percussion
- Lyn Buchannan – additional drums
- Marius De Vries – programming, keyboards
- Liam Finn – drums, guitar
- Paddy Free – programming
- Mitchell Froom – Hammond
- Jim Moginie – guitars, bass guitar, omnichord, percussion
- Robert Moore – bass
- Sebastian Steinberg – bass
- Pete Thomas – drums
- Neil Finn – all other instruments