Neil Finn: 7 Worlds Collide : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Neil Finn may have title billing, but it's definitely a group effort on his disc, recorded live in New Zealand last April. And it's a Whitman's Sampler of hits past and future from the former Split Enz and Crowded House member, as well as a few tunes from his assorted, and distinguished, collaborators, from Johnny Marr and Eddie Vedder to Lisa Germano and Tim Finn. "Will you sing us a song, Johnny?" Finn asks Marr, who then launches into "Down on the Corner" and "There is a Light That Never Goes Out." And gruff harmonies are the highlight as Vedder joins Finn on "Stuff and Nonsense," a Split Enz tune from Frenzy, and Vedder's own "Parting Ways." Pleasantly rough edges -- compared to the pop perfectionism of Finn's previous recordings -- are key to making this a gem, all the more valuable for being less precious than the studio efforts. Collide . . . also marks the first opportunity to hear several songs ("Anytime," "The Climber" and "Turn and Run") which will appear on Finn's next release, One All, out in May.

CHRIS RUBIN
(February 22, 2002)