What old stuff would Neil Finn sound good on?

[Murrow]

Personally I can only imagine him doing Danny Kirwan and Bob Welch stuff. Campbell would probably do all the Greeny material.

[bwboy]

I'm not familiar with much of the pre-Rumours era, but I think Neil Finn could sing Sentimental Lady and Man of the World, both of which are on the Chain 4 CD box set. And Crystal reminds me of Don't Dream It's Over in some ways. Also, it would be wonderful if he would sing I Don't Want to Know with Stevie and Hold Me with Christine.

[Murrow]

I'm not familiar with much of the pre-Rumours era, but I think Neil Finn could sing Sentimental Lady and Man of the World, both of which are on the Chain 4 CD box set. And Crystal reminds me of Don't Dream It's Over in some ways. Also, it would be wonderful if he would sing I Don't Want to Know with Stevie and Hold Me with Christine.

I can imagine Hold Me. Stevie doesn't like IDWTK so I don't see that one happening.

[bwboy]

I can imagine Hold Me. Stevie doesn't like IDWTK so I don't see that one happening.

Are you sure about that? I know she was angry FM took Silver Springs off Rumours and put I Don't Want to Know on in it's place, but I never took that to mean she didn't like the song itself. It's one of my favorites and I think she and Stevie could sing it well.

[Macfan4life]

Hold Me is a tough song to do live because of the overdubs. They perfected it on the Buck/McVie tour. It sounded pretty good but it works because its a duet with Lindsey. It will sound terrible sung by anyone else. No shame to them but you cant imitate Lindsey. It just sounds bad. You don't try to replace people literally and do all their songs and parts. Hold Me is unique because the entire song is a blend of Christine and Lindsey's voice.
Here is my prediction: The Crowded House guy will sing The Chain with Stevie and Lindsey, World Turning and do Man of the world. Man of the world is Christine's all time favorite song.
You guys can reward me for being right in a few months. I don't ask for much. Maybe a free breakfast at Dennys.

[Murrow]

Are you sure about that? I know she was angry FM took Silver Springs off Rumours and put I Don't Want to Know on in it's place, but I never took that to mean she didn't like the song itself. It's one of my favorites and I think she and Stevie could sing it well.

I do seem to remember her saying it was a song she didn't like - this was 1991 when she had got the hump with Mick over the whole Silver Springs thing. Mick's words were "It's either I Don't Want to Know or you only have two songs on the album."

[ryan4136]

I'd think it's possible the Pre-Rumours stuff will include, Oh well, Albatross, Black Magic Woman, why, then maybe things like Future Games, and Hypnotized (of course not all need Finn to sing)

[Mr Scarrott]

Neil's updated his twitter

http://www.neilfinn.com/news/

I know I've gone a bit quiet, been gathering thoughts, learning songs, improving punctuation and buying some new clothes. We'll talk soon.



Hey Neil... in case you need any ideas...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB22ceQcoFw

and good luck to you! There have only been nine guitarists before you in this band. No pressure...(but I think you'll be fine).

[FuzzyPlum]

Man of the World (if they want to play it. Its a bit depressing)
Station Man
Sentimental Lady
Hypnotized
Did You Ever Love Me (with Christine)
Need Your Love So Bad (would they still play this cover?)
Like it This Way

I've got a feeling they'll try Oh Well, Black Magic Woman and Green Manalishi. Maybe they could use co-singers. I can envisage Neil singing Oh Well with Stevie.

[bwboy]

Man of the World (if they want to play it. Its a bit depressing)
Station Man
Sentimental Lady
Hypnotized
Did You Ever Love Me (with Christine)
Need Your Love So Bad (would they still play this cover?)
Like it This Way

I've got a feeling they'll try Oh Well, Black Magic Woman and Green Manalishi. Maybe they could use co-singers. I can envisage Neil singing Oh Well with Stevie.

I would be fine with most of these, though I don't think I've heard Like It This Way. In particular, I would love Sentimental Lady, Hypnotized, Man of the World, and Did You Ever Love Me. Black Magic Woman is a good idea, it's well-known and Mike Campbell would kill it.

[Ench]

Leaving aside what is politically or morally correct, I think that Neil could do a marvellous version of 'I'm So Afraid'. However, I think it's incredibly unlikely that he would actually do so.

[Bubz]

I think he would sound spectacular on any Welch tunes. If they are going to dig in to the history (Nicks said Rattlesnake Shake, Station Man, Oh Well, in the Rolling Stone story), the least they can do is try something like Sentimental Lady, Bermuda Triangle, or any of the killer Bob-era. How fun would that be in the mix...

[SteveMacD]

I can more easily hear Stevie doing a Bob Welch song (especially Hypnotized) than Neil.

Neil is eerily close to Danny Kirwan, IMO. The song that would destroy, although is too obscure by Fleetwood Mac standards, is “Something Inside of Me.” Neil and Mike would tear the bejeuss out of that one.

[SpyNote]

Neil's been writing a lot of ballads lately, so he would be comfortable on the slower stuff. But his biggest hits (with Crowded House) have been on the pop side, so I think he'd sound the best on Christine's songs, like "Don't Stop" and "Hold Me."

[dontlookdown]

He's a great harmony singer.
But I wouldn't expect much pre-1975 songs other than Oh Well.
Station Man would be fantastic, but not holding out hopes for that.

I hope they don't do Go Your Own Way -- or any other Buckingham songs aside from World Turning and Don't Stop.

[Missy]

I think they're definitely doing 'Oh Well' and 'The Chain'.

At first I couldn't see Neil doing Peter Green. But he's had some surprising covers in his catalogue he's done quite well. 'Billie Jean' (yes - really, and made it sound like one of his own songs), Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley. He's done a lot of classic black genre music, and there may be a lot of that influence in NZ, with their very musical Maori population.

If you go back to the Split Enz period, there's a dark, neurotic, borderline 'paranoid' tone to the work, over the tuneful pop melody. Not unlike FM at times.

At times they also went into New Wave, close to punk feel, as FM tried experimenting with on Tusk. Very left of centre.

I still don't know how this will go. Neil doesn't look like an obvious frontman. He's understated, doesn't try to steal the show with theatrics, but he can be surprisingly moving.

They just have to try and do a few things together and see how it works. Just saying he may have a wider range than many may suppose.

[HoursAndHours]

He's a great harmony singer.
But I wouldn't expect much pre-1975 songs other than Oh Well.
Station Man would be fantastic, but not holding out hopes for that.

I hope they don't do Go Your Own Way -- or any other Buckingham songs aside from World Turning and Don't Stop.

I think they are going to do any song they want. I'm pretty sure there's gonna be a decent amount of pre '75 stuff. They're talking about these songs and this era in interviews, that means they're going to do something with it. As I've said, this is is not gonna be the same show we've been getting.

[Missy]

Many people probably know Neil Finn best for 'Don't Dream It's Over' which is a great song, but he's done far more than that, and various music styles.

Mebbe I shouldn't start it again but I wonder if the senior members wish to recognize the band's earlier history in their final tours, or go back to basics a bit, and LB wasn't so keen on it, while Stevie was more agreeable. I think a part of this may be why he's gone, and it's a shame but he can be stubborn. I'm sure there are more reasons than stated in their interview, though they gave hints.

I'm mainly a fan of Buckingham/Nicks era, but I can understand why they may wish to go back to some of the earlier period.

OT and for another thread. But getting back to what they might do - may be interesting how this set list shapes up. I believe Neil is a committed musician and he will give it his best.

[MaryLiz2]

Many people probably know Neil Finn best for 'Don't Dream It's Over' which is a great song, but he's done far more than that, and various music styles.

Mebbe I shouldn't start it again but I wonder if the senior members wish to recognize the band's earlier history in their final tours, or go back to basics a bit, and LB wasn't so keen on it, while Stevie was more agreeable. I think a part of this may be why he's gone, and it's a shame but he can be stubborn. I'm sure there are more reasons than stated in their interview, though they gave hints.

I'm mainly a fan of Buckingham/Nicks era, but I can understand why they may wish to go back to some of the earlier period.

OT and for another thread. But getting back to what they might do - may be interesting how this set list shapes up. I believe Neil is a committed musician and he will give it his best.

I don't want to speculate on Lindsey's opinion, but I can definitely see Stevie being open to doing other things. She genuinely seemed to enjoy "dipping into her trunk of forgotten songs" on her 24K Gold tour (my biggest sadness regarding her tour stops not being near me was missing the chance to see Wild Heart and Bella Donna live), and given that the tour was extended and did good business, I could see her being eager to do some different songs (including pre-B/N era). I imagine performers get tired of doing the same songs all the time...and while the hits are expected, why not throw in some lesser known songs to entertain themselves and the more die-hard fans?

Agree with Oh Well being a definite; though someone in some thread suggested maybe Neil *and* Stevie sing it...I think that could be interesting. Would like to hear Station Man too. I think there's a good chance at Black Magic Woman...and I'll hold out hope for Why until someone sees a setlist and it's not on it. ;)

[Missy]

I don't want to speculate on Lindsey's opinion, but I can definitely see Stevie being open to doing other things. She genuinely seemed to enjoy "dipping into her trunk of forgotten songs" on her 24K Gold tour (my biggest sadness regarding her tour stops not being near me was missing the chance to see Wild Heart and Bella Donna live), and given that the tour was extended and did good business, I could see her being eager to do some different songs (including pre-B/N era). I imagine performers get tired of doing the same songs all the time...and while the hits are expected, why not throw in some lesser known songs to entertain themselves and the more die-hard fans?

Agree with Oh Well being a definite; though someone in some thread suggested maybe Neil *and* Stevie sing it...I think that could be interesting. Would like to hear Station Man too. I think there's a good chance at Black Magic Woman...and I'll hold out hope for Why until someone sees a setlist and it's not on it. ;)

Yes, she likes to vary things. Some interesting opportunities here if approached right way. Many of the younger generation of Mac fans post 'The Dance' are most aware of Buckingham/Nicks era (as I was with ignorance for a long time of what went before) but this could be a good way to bring some awareness to them. Even if not totally what they expect.

I just hope it's sincere in inspiration and well developed, not just 'OMG LB's no longer here, what do we do???' Lol. They have to see and build on what works in practice. But I think Black Magic Woman is a must, fingers crossed...

[Missy]

An article I found with some more background about Neil, his music making philosophy, and previous experiences collaborating with others (which he's done a lot of). Thought some here may find it of interest, in terms of what possibly to expect! But quite often with Neil, there are surprises.

Over 40 years, he's been through many different band setups and styles, because it seems he likes continuing to follow new directions. He's also known for doing many different 'reinterpretations' of his own songs. A few years ago he did a tour with another noted singer-songwriter in this part of the world - Paul Kelly. The article describes it as 'another opportunity for Finn to explore new territory, not just by working with Kelly, but in reinterpreting their own and each other's songs', with Neil saying "I've learned over the years touring that you can discover a song many times over."

If you're not a frequent visitor to the site, you shouldn't get subscription prompt message...

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/neil-finn-is-still-living-the-dream/news-story/8e3717b113b97594bbda69712344c25d?sv=bc0822e87f5278c05f78a64525f9c519

[Sugar Mouse]

Here are some other old songs that would fit Neil very well:

<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/luNSvdWf-c8" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ttliVM44Ilc" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

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<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DnQM535xV-U" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yEQ07_22YA0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B9cNu2ZMaBg" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Sugar Mouse]

Neil would also sound fantastic singing this great Tim Hardin cover that Jeremy Spencer sang during the Peter Green years ...

<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5eDI6rfarNk" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Sugar Mouse]

And the brilliant Danny Kirwan songs "Sands of Time" or "Woman of 1000 Years".

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<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o0zGGQLb0Z4" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Murrow]

Neil would also sound fantastic singing this great Tim Hardin cover that Jeremy Spencer sang during the Peter Green years ...

<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5eDI6rfarNk" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I doubt they'd dig that deep though - only the covers that really became key to the repertoire if at all like Moneymaker or Blue Letter.