Paul’s Dead

In college, Chopper and I had the opportunity to see Crowded House live at the Roxy Theater in Atlanta, an amazing show that seemed to go on, and on, and on. For fans of the band, that show has come to be known informally as “Paul’s Dead,” as drummer Paul Hester announced his intent to leave the band moments before the band went onstage. I am privileged to have seen the show, one of the more noteworthy musical experiences of my life.

This weekend, Paul Hester was found dead, hanged in a tree in a Melbourne, Australia park.

News site telegraph.co.uk has a fine article on the event, summarizing his history with first Split Enz and Crowded House.

As tribute to Paul, I’d like to recommend the work of Crowded House, little-known in the U.S. except for one single, “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” which, while good, doesn’t represent the best work of the band.

• Crowded House, the debut, a solid work but the weakest of their four studio albums
• Temple of Low Men, a quieter, more resonant album, and occasionally, depending on my mood, my preference
• Woodface, their most commercially successful album for international markets and a solid performance
• Together Alone, a sharper, yet more lyrical album with some truly beautiful guitar work, typically my favorite
• And finally, Afterglow, a compilation of the unreleased tracks recorded over the band’s time together, still better than a lot of albums released on their own!