Try Whistling This

Try Whistling This is the debut solo album by the New Zealand singer/songwriter Neil Finn, released in 1998. It was produced by Finn, Tchad Blake, Marius De Vries, and Jim Moginie.^[1] The Japanese version of the album has a bonus track called "Tokyo", which also appears on the UK release of the single "Sinner".^[2] Special editions of the Australian CD contained a bonus CD with six extra tracks which were used as the B-sides for the singles released from the album. The album topped the charts in Australia and New Zealand,^[3][4] and also reached the top five of the UK Albums Chart.^[5]

Try Whistling This
Studio album by Neil Finn
Released	15 June 1998
Recorded	1997–1998
Length	54:44
Label	Parlophone Work (US/Canada)
Producer	Neil Finn Tchad Blake Marius De Vries Jim Moginie
Neil Finn chronology
Try Whistling This (1998) Sessions at West 54th (2000)

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]

The Guardian wrote that Finn's "eternally yearning tones set him apart from other melodic late-thirtysomethings—though he also happens to write lovely, inexplicably underrated songs."^[7]

Awards

In 1999, Try Whistling This won the New Zealand Music Award for Best Cover Art. The cover was drawn by Neil's young son, Elroy.^[8]

Track listing

All songs were written by Neil Finn, except where noted.

1. "Last One Standing" – 3:04
2. "Souvenir" – 3:42
3. "King Tide" (Finn, Robert Moore) – 4:33
4. "Try Whistling This" (Finn, Jim Moginie) – 4:13
5. "She Will Have Her Way" – 3:56
6. "Sinner" (Finn, Marius De Vries) – 4:25
7. "Twisty Bass" – 5:09
8. "Loose Tongue" (Finn, Moginie) – 4:12
9. "Truth" (Finn, Moginie) – 4:03
10. "Astro" – 3:46
11. "Dream Date" – 4:51
12. "Faster Than Light" – 4:23
13. "Addicted" – 4:22

Australian edition bonus disc

1. "Tokyo" – 2:56
2. "Family Ties" – 3:11
3. "She Comes Scattered" – 3:36
4. "Identical Twin" – 3:30
5. "808 Song" – 3:30
6. "Log Drums" – 3:49

Personnel

• Tony Allen – drums (track 11)
• Michael Barker – drums (tracks 3, 5, 6, 10), percussion (tracks 5, 6, 7, 8, 11)
• Lyn Buchannan – additional drums (track 1)
• Marius De Vries – programming (tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 13), keyboards (tracks 6 and 13)
• Liam Finn – drums (tracks 2, 8), guitar (track 5)
• Paddy Free – programming (track 7)
• Mitchell Froom – Hammond (tracks 10, 11, 12)
• Jim Moginie – guitars (tracks 4, 8, 10, 13), bass guitar (track 13), omnichord (track 13), percussion (track 13)
• Robert Moore – bass (track 8)
• Sebastian Steinberg – bass (tracks 1 to 6, 8, 9, 11)
• Pete Thomas – drums (tracks 1, 4, 9)
• Neil Finn – all other instruments

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1998) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[3] 1 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[9] 88 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[4] 1 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[10] 18 UK Albums (OCC)[5] 5 US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[11] 19

Year-end charts Chart (1998) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)[12] 44 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[13] 26

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[14]	Platinum	70,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Reviews & Previews". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 27. 4 July 1998. p. 20.
2. "neil finn . music". Frenz.com. Retrieved 22 September 2007.
3. "Australiancharts.com – Neil Finn – Try Whistling This". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
4. "Charts.nz – Neil Finn – Try Whistling This". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
5. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
6. AllMusic review
7. Sullivan, Caroline (19 June 1998). "Neil Finn Try Whistling This". Features. The Guardian. p. 16.
8. "1999 Winners « Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards". Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
9. "Dutchcharts.nl – Neil Finn – Try Whistling This" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
10. "Norwegiancharts.com – Neil Finn – Try Whistling This". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
11. "Neil Finn Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
12. "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1998". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
13. "Top Selling Albums of 1998". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
14. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1998 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 27 December 2021.