Rating: 
Summary: A Must Have!
Review: I had never seen alot of the videos on this DVD, so it was a must have for me. It is interesting to see the bands progress over the years they were together. I highly recommend this DVD to any CH fan!
Rating: 
Summary: Something So Bad
Review: I love Crowded House but these videos are bad. The only one I could handle watching was "Locked Out" (though I suppose "Don't Dream It's Over" had its moments). I watched the DVD once or twice and immediately turned around and resold it. Any of the glowingly positive reviews for this DVD must be from die-hard CH fans who blindly love everything with their name on it. These are truly some of the worst videos I've ever seen. Perhaps video making is behind the times down under, I don't know. I just know that I would recommend one of the great Neil Finn DVDs instead of this. Maybe someday Capitol Records will release a DVD of the final Crowded House concert in 1996. It was released on VHS once (not in the US) and I've never seen it, but it's got to be better than this video collection.
Rating:
Summary: Something So Bad
Review: I love Crowded House but these videos are bad. The only one I could handle watching was "Locked Out" (though I suppose "Don't Dream It's Over" had its moments). I watched the DVD once or twice and immediately turned around and resold it. Any of the glowingly positive reviews for this DVD must be from die-hard CH fans who blindly love everything with their name on it. These are truly some of the worst videos I've ever seen. Perhaps video making is behind the times down under, I don't know. I just know that I would recommend one of the great Neil Finn DVDs instead of this. Maybe someday Capitol Records will release a DVD of the final Crowded House concert in 1996. It was released on VHS once (not in the US) and I've never seen it, but it's got to be better than this video collection.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Videos ... Not So Great DVD
Review: I was very surprised when Capitol Records decided to release a DVD for Crowded House - a band which they haven't given a crap about since 1988. Upon viewing this DVD I think it's clear that Capitol had their eyes set squarely on the bottom line. They know Neil has a cult following in the US that will buy anything finn related and I can't help but feel a bit exploited. This DVD would have been so much better, I imagine, if it were made by the Neil Finn / Crowded House fan club or a New Zealand or Australian record company (nevermind zoning issues). Capitol spent as little money as possible to put this DVD together so that they could make a nice profit, the content, however, suffers. The first thing I noticed was that at the beginning of each music video they have a scan of the cover for that video's particular single. It's a nice idea but the covers seem to be scans from someone's private collection! if you look at the images you can see wrinkles, folds, scuff marks and apperently they couldn't find the Weather With You single so, instead, they made a cheesey graphic which was never, to my knowledge, used as a single cover. You'd think that a record company should have some high quality masters of cover art but I guess it wasn't that important. I also noticed that the first second of sound is cut off on both Fall at Your Feet and Distant Sun which is a rather careless mistake. the sound mix doesn't seem to be anything all that great either. Sure I'm glad to be able to finally see all these videos but it's too bad the DVD couldn't have been made by someone who cares.
Rating: 
Summary: a great videography - some vids the USA has never seen
Review: If you're someone who collects things Enz/CH/Finn, you'll definitely want to purchase this.
I enjoyed it b/c I had never seen some of these videos, particularly those from the Together Alone album (which I recently could NOT find to purchase in the USA - hope it gets rereleased). I found several a lot of fun, particularly "It's only Natural" ( a lot of fun on the streets of NYC), and "Locked Out" (great perspective - the entire video is of people running TOWARD the camera). I'd have to put "World Where You Live" at the top of the list - it makes the most sense, in terms of the images matching the lyrics. I echo Johnsta50's review of the consistent goofiness of Nick and Paul, and it was enjoyable at times, distracting at others- like insecure preteens in front of dad's video camera at the family picnic. Really liked seeing Neil and Tim together, camping it up on Chocalate Cake. And I also echo the gripes expressed by Richard.
I'd add one more - and this happens in the 7Worlds DVD, as well.
The first actual song is wrapped into the introductory documentary footage, so to get to hear "Mean to Me" on this collection (and Fall at your Feet on the 7Worlds), you have to sit through or fast forward through the documentary stuff.
Boy, this techno age, we're so picky, eh?
Really loved the Mean to Me video, though. And it took me right back to that purchase of the first Crowded House CD - that first run-in with album 1, side 1, song 1, when I knew I was listening to something remarkable and true. I must say, that I most liked seeing Neil - getting to watch him early in his career, enjoying both his antics and his vision -
and is there ANYONE who can write like he does? It's quite extraordinary. And it's a great musical mix, so when you've had your fill of watching the videos, just leave the DVD on, turn it up, and listen to that incredible songwriting.
Rating:
Summary: Another cardboard tombstone?
Review: It's difficult not to be bitter about the way CH was treated by Capitol. Dylan once said that money doesn't talk, it swears. It is true that the story of bands being squandered by their labels is a "take a number situation", but clearly there are at least 16 people here who cared a great deal about Crowded House. It's not that CH didn't get the visual arts. Nick Seymour has done album and singles covers. Their early stage designs were imaginative. However, let it be conceded that videos were not their strong suit. In composition they are very much of their time. But again, it's not like the label was giving them anything near free rein. Videos were meant to sell product and sometimes all it took was getting the band in front of the camera. Cool to see the guys together again, just don't come expecting Bergman or Fellini. As a product, Capitol is holding true to previous form. We can't complain too much I suppose because something is better than nothing for a band long gone. But the transfers are dicey, the packaging and volume of material is skimpy at best. But who knows what, if anything, we'll get in the future? Take the bait, but keep your expectations in check. Crowded House deserve better, but then, they always did. Another reviewer slyly alluded to the ad campaign for their Best Of ('you know more Crowded House songs than you think you do'). Unfortunately this was, and is, all too true since the subtext here is, "despite the tremendous strength of the material we are in the unfortunate position of reminding you this band exists because we buried them."
Rating:
Summary: Visual aids
Review: Like quite a few Crowdies fans on the wrong side of the ocean, I wound up getting a PAL-to-NTSC converted copy of the band's 1992 VHS video compilation, "I Like To Watch." While a nice sampling of the band's videos up to that point, it suffered not only from the video quality reduction that often happens with format conversions, but also from "on the road" footage that sometimes overlapped into the videos and the music - a feature which annoyed me intensely. Now, thanks to DREAMING, that's no longer a problem - each video is presented in its entirety with a title card, and can be watched individually or all in one go (the latter of which features the bonus of a complete list of credits, including who directed the videos, at the end of the program). We now get to see the videos from the Together Alone singles (I've always loved the "Distant Sun" video) and clips from the new songs on "Recurring Dream." Many of these videos just didn't make the music video channel rotation in America, so this DVD is a true wonder. I find myself going back and watching stuff from this one a *lot*. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: what a great band
Review: like the beatles in that they dropped in for a decade and left behind a fantastic body of work. these videos showcase everything that made them great; finn's beautiful songs, the terrific chemistry and humor, and the look that isn't the least bit dated nearly 20 yrs later. not to mention superb musicianship. the best part about the collection is the fact that hardly any of these videos were seen in the states, except those from the first record(don't dream, something so strong, getting somewhere.) current mtv/vh1 clips are not nearly as technically beautiful. witness four seasons in one day or nails in my feet. this band made great art, but they didn't take themselves too seriously. what higher compliment? if you love the music,even though it was ignored here, you gotta have the dvd. more acts should collect and package their vids like this. crowded house rip!
Rating:
Summary: Crowded House- thanks Capitol Records
Review: So nice to see a collection that is most of the clips released by one of my favorite bands. So 2 or 3 are missing I can handle that just to have the others.
One the of people who reviewed this DVD is actually incorrect, the 'weather with you" cover is a real one, not one made up as I have that on CD.
The sound is great on mine 5.1 and considering this is
part of a budget series as a fan I am very happy with this release. I think only someone really extreme would complain about this collection as it is rather good, especially compared to the Blondie release from the same
budget batch. Nice to see Capitol Records release something like this and here's hoping they release more material around this outstanding group.
I'm not "dreaming" of a box set guys.
Betty.
Rating:
Summary: A look back at a totally under-rated (here in the US) band
Review: This collection serves as an interesting and enjoyable look back at the underappreciated band Crowded House. Even the casual US music fan will recognize "Don't Dream It's Over" and perhaps "Something So Strong", but chances are this collection will be more of a chance for the already-converted to get a look at videos which never appeared on this side of the Pacific. Stylistically, the videos run the gamut from almost home-movie quality (what's up with that ski cap, Neil?) to the well-polished, studio-massaged productions that music videos have become. The only minor complaint is that the "extras" consist of a 20-some minute "interview" which is really just a replay of the videos from the first album, interlaced with scenes of the Crowded House guys goofing off for the cameras... not much to get excited about. For a Crowded House/Neil Finn fan, this is an absolute winner -- either to get the videos you've never seen before, or even just as an freshening-up of the "I Like To Watch" video. For the casual fan, I'd probably start with the audio CDs so you can focus on the music, and work your way up to this one, once you've discovered the delights of Crowded House more fully.
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