The Mullanes

The Mullanes were a New Zealand/Australian rock group which was formed by Neil Finn after the demise of Split Enz in 1984. Mullane is Neil Finn's middle name and was his mother's maiden name. Following the departure of Craig Hooper the band became Crowded House.

History

The original four-piece lineup included Craig Hooper, formerly of The Reels, who left the band just prior to them travelling to Los Angeles to record their debut album in 1986. At that time they changed their name to Crowded House and became a trio, composed of Neil Finn, Nick Seymour and Paul Hester. The name change was prompted by their record company rejecting the name The Mullanes as well as the band's second choice, Largest Living Things, although Hester used that name for a project of his in the late 1990s.

Most of the Crowded House album was written while the band was still called The Mullanes. One song, "Recurring Dream", was not used on the album as Hooper had contributed to the songwriting. This song was issued as a 12" promotional single in the USA to promote the soundtrack to the 1988 Mel Gibson film Tequila Sunrise. It also appears on the Rikky and Pete soundtrack (Tass and Parker, 1988). A re-recorded version of "Recurring Dream" appears on the Crowded House compilation album Afterglow (1999). Crowded House's 1996 Greatest Hits album was titled Recurring Dream but the song does not appear on that album.

Members

• Neil Finn - vocals, guitars, piano
• Nick Seymour - bass, backing vocals
• Paul Hester - drums, backing vocals
• Craig Hooper - guitars