Jonesing For This One: Crowded House – Temple of Low Men

Matt Jones
6 hours ago
3 min read

Jonesing For This One

Hidden gems from Matt Jones’ record collection

In this new column, I want to shine a light on the essential hidden gems in my record collection. Albums that might not always get the spotlight, but have stayed close to me over years of listening — Matt.

My first pick is from a band close to my heart. Their debut gave me the first song I ever learnt on guitar, ‘Something So Strong’, and was one of the first albums I bought on wax. But for me, the real gem in their catalogue is their second record, Temple of Low Men.

CROWDED HOUSE TEMPLE OF LOW MEN

Released in 1988, Temple of Low Men followed the huge success of Crowded House. It didn’t reach the same commercial heights, but it rewards the listener just as deeply, if not more. Darker, more challenging, and beautifully cohesive, it’s a record that reveals itself slowly.

Matt Jones sits posing in front of a guitar and in possession of many copies of Crowded House's seminal sophomore album, Temple Of Low Men — Can you spot theTemple Of Low Men fan in this photo?!

The journey opens with ‘I Feel Possessed’, gorgeous harmonies literally bringing the house down. Paul’s harmony with Neil in the chorus, that “you come round” line, still sends shivers up my spine.

CROWDED HOUSE TEMPLE OF LOW MEN

Then comes ‘Kill Eye’, all Helter Skelter screeching guitars and unease. The song polarised fans with its themes of death and wanting the earth to open up and hold you. Some say this was the track that alienated fans of the debut’s more playful pop moments. I hear a band pushing themselves rather than playing it safe.

Before moving on, it’s worth pausing on the songs that didn’t make the cut. ‘Dream On’, ‘Never Been Born’, ‘Think I’m Gonna Change’, and the fragments of ‘Whispers and Moans’, which later became a much-revered deep cut on Woodface. Proof of just how strong this creative period was.

‘Into Temptation’ began life as a rockabilly country ballad with banjo before morphing into one of Neil Finn’s most beautiful songs, lifted by sweeping strings. The black-and-white video captures a quietly powerful moment. Is it about infidelity? Maybe. Neil has never confirmed or denied it.

‘Mansion in the Slums’ takes aim at record-company greed, while ‘When You Come’, originally a piano ballad, becomes something closer to a hymn to love, burn and explode included.

Side B opens with ‘Never Be the Same’, one of the oldest songs on the record, dating back to 1987 and first heard live in Saskatoon, Canada. Neil once said, “We never quite got it right”, but for me it’s a fantastic underrated gem, with Nick Seymour’s groovy bassline carrying the melody.

‘Love This Life’ continues the journey into the Temple. A live favourite about the joyous ups and downs of existence, loving life even when it holds you down.

‘Sister Madly’ follows, another early song and long-time live staple. Richard Thompson delivers the cracking guitar solo after being invited to play on the record by producer Mitchell Froom. Listen closely at 2:13 and you can hear someone yell out "Paul!". A small quirk that never gets in the way of a great take.

Before the album’s closing moment comes another underrated beauty, ‘In the Lowlands’, which finds solace amid chaos as the skies fall underneath a blanket.

The classic ‘Better Be Home Soon’ needs little introduction. A campfire singalong that became Crowded House’s live closer for years, it captures the ache of months on the road and the pull of returning home to family.

Ten magnificent songs, very much the sum of their parts. Other Crowded House records may have bigger hits, but they never made a more cohesive album than this, in the opinion of this writer.