Crowded House is a rock band out of Melbourne, Australia that came together in 1985 and to this day, continues to reign as a cultural icon in music. On October 25, 2010, the band released a CD of fan favorites to celebrate the band’s 25th anniversary. The Very Very Best...contains 19 singles and most notably of the songs are my personal favorites, “Don’t Dream Its Over,” “Something so Strong,” and “Be Home Soon.”

The band originally consisted of Neil Finn, who performs the vocals, guitar and keyboards, Paul Hester (parted the band in 1994) on drums and Nick Seymour on bass in the 80′s. Later on, American multi-instrumentalist Mark Hary became a permanent member, and Matt Sherrod joined the CH band on the drums.

In 1986 the band’s self titled debut album rocked the Billboards coming in #12 with it’s break out single “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” which became a world-wide phenomenal #2 hit in 1987. The song is featured on the Very Very CD. “Don’t Dream It’s Over” is, still to this day, one of the world’s best songs and a nostalgic trip back to the days where movies like the Breakfast Club (1985) and Pretty in Pink (1986) were everything that signified what was truly awesome about the 80′s. The band next hit “Something So Strong” also reached the Billboard’s Hot 100 charts at #7.  The song is another fresh and upbeat tune that is also memorable lasting sound.

The hit song, “Don’t Dream Its Over” was the groups’ most successful song, internationally. Let’s not neglect that out of the other songs on the CD I found listening to the initial song “Something So Strong,” with its upbeat tempo and easily a catchy tune was most enjoyable. “Weather With You” is a poetically inspirational and motivating song, as well. From reliving some of the songs of the 80′s I realized that there was some really great music then, so different from what we listen to today.

The song “Better Be Home Soon” was written in 1988 and sold as a single, then dedicated in honor of the memory of Crowded House former band mate Paul Hester, who died in March 2005. The song was sung solo, by Neil Finn, during the 2005 ARIA awards as a homage to the more happier and collective time as a band while Hester’s lively image shadowed the stage and waved at the crowd behind him.

Overall, The Very Very Best of Crowded House is an absolutely brilliant collection of the most varied songs from a musical group that if only for a few moments allowed for someone, like me, who was just a very young child growing up in the mid-eighties, wished I were not too young to miss out on this bands’ soul phenomenon of the times.

Crowded House The Very Very Best of Crowded house is timeless and a classic sound, all in a neatly bundled CD package.

Article first published as Music Review: Crowded House The Very Very Best of Crowded House on Blogcritics.