Try Whistling This

1998 studio album by Neil Finn
Try Whistling This
Studio album by
Neil Finn
Released15 June 1998
Recorded1997–1998
Length54:44
Label
  • Parlophone
  • Work (US/Canada)
Producer
  • Neil Finn
  • Tchad Blake
  • Marius De Vries
  • Jim Moginie
Neil Finn chronology
Try Whistling This
(1998) 		Sessions at West 54th
(2000)

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.[1] The Japanese version of the album has a bonus track called "Tokyo", which also appears on the UK release of the single "Sinner".[2] 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,[3][4] and also reached the top five of the UK Albums Chart.[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]

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."[7]

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.[8]

Track listing

All songs were written by Neil Finn, except where noted.

  1. "Last One Standing" – 3:04
  2. "Souvenir" – 3:42
  3. "King Tide" (Finn, Robert Moore) – 4:33
  4. "Try Whistling This" (Finn, Jim Moginie) – 4:13
  5. "She Will Have Her Way" – 3:56
  6. "Sinner" (Finn, Marius De Vries) – 4:25
  7. "Twisty Bass" – 5:09
  8. "Loose Tongue" (Finn, Moginie) – 4:12
  9. "Truth" (Finn, Moginie) – 4:03
  10. "Astro" – 3:46
  11. "Dream Date" – 4:51
  12. "Faster Than Light" – 4:23
  13. "Addicted" – 4:22

Australian edition bonus disc

  1. "Tokyo" – 2:56
  2. "Family Ties" – 3:11
  3. "She Comes Scattered" – 3:36
  4. "Identical Twin" – 3:30
  5. "808 Song" – 3:30
  6. "Log Drums" – 3:49

Personnel

  • Tony Allen – drums (track 11)
  • Michael Barker – drums (tracks 3, 5, 6, 10), percussion (tracks 5, 6, 7, 8, 11)
  • Lyn Buchannan – additional drums (track 1)
  • Marius De Vries – programming (tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 13), keyboards (tracks 6 and 13)
  • Liam Finn – drums (tracks 2, 8), guitar (track 5)
  • Paddy Free – programming (track 7)
  • Mitchell Froom – Hammond (tracks 10, 11, 12)
  • Jim Moginie – guitars (tracks 4, 8, 10, 13), bass guitar (track 13), omnichord (track 13), percussion (track 13)
  • Robert Moore – bass (track 8)
  • Sebastian Steinberg – bass (tracks 1 to 6, 8, 9, 11)
  • Pete Thomas – drums (tracks 1, 4, 9)
  • Neil Finn – all other instruments

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1998) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[3] 1
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[9] 88
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[4] 1
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[10] 18
UK Albums (OCC)[5] 5
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[11] 19

Year-end charts

Chart (1998) Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[12] 44
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[13] 26

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[14] Platinum 70,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Reviews & Previews". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 27. 4 July 1998. p. 20.
  2. ^ "neil finn . music". Frenz.com. Retrieved 22 September 2007.
  3. ^ a b "Australiancharts.com – Neil Finn – Try Whistling This". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Charts.nz – Neil Finn – Try Whistling This". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  6. ^ AllMusic review
  7. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (19 June 1998). "Neil Finn Try Whistling This". Features. The Guardian. p. 16.
  8. ^ "1999 Winners « Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards". Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  9. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Neil Finn – Try Whistling This" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  10. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Neil Finn – Try Whistling This". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  11. ^ "Neil Finn Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  12. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1998". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  13. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1998". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  14. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1998 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  • v
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Studio albums
Live albums
  • Sessions at West 54th
  • 7 Worlds Collide
  • Goin' Your Way (with Paul Kelly)
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