Tim Finn – Big Canoe

Tim Finn’s songs are usually easy to enjoy, though time has cost many of this album’s drum-machine-and-dance-beat-laden tracks some of their charm. Not to worry, though – some of this stuff is great for the mid-’80s synth-pop sound, and it’s a wonder they never crossed the Pacific and became bigger hits in America. “Don’t Bury My Heart”, “Big Canoe” and “No Thunder, No Fire, No Rain” are among Tim’s best, and the high-energy dance rhythm of “Spiritual Hunger” is not easily ignored. Some of the songs miss their mark entirely, though – some probably due to the passage of time. The incomparable Anne Dudley arranged the orchestral passages and accompaniments, ensuring that at least that much of it is worth a listen. “Big Canoe” comes out as my favorite, a sweeping ode to the Maori heritage and history of New Zealand.

1. Spiritual Hunger (4:36)
2. Don’t Bury My Heart (4:25)
3. Timmy (3:44)
4. So Deep (3:17)
5. No Thunder, No Fire, No Rain (5:21)
6. Searching the Streets (4:11)
7. Carve You In Marble (5:40)
8. Water Into Wine (4:10)
9. Hyacinth (4:58)
10. Big Canoe (4:39)
11. Hole In My Heart (3:12)
12. Are We One Or Are We Two (3:51)

Released by: Virgin
Release date: 1986
Total running time: 52:06