Australian-based Crowded House – formed by ex-Split Enz members Neil Finn and Paul Hester, with new bassist Nick Seymour – releases its self-titled first album worldwide. Early attempts to push the album internationally fall flat, until the single “Don’t Dream It’s Over” climbs the American radio charts, landing at #2 for a single week thanks to relentless promotion and small-venue touring. 
Under much scrutiny due to the success of the group’s debut album, Crowded House releases its second album, Temple Of Low Men. This album includes the singles “Better Be Home Soon” and “Into Temptation”.
Capitol Records releases the third Crowded House album, Woodface, featuring the singles “Chocolate Cake” and “Weather With You”, and adding Neil Finn’s brother (and fellow Split Enz alumnus) Tim Finn to the lineup.
Crowded House releases Together Alone, the final studio album featuring its original lineup (though no one is aware of this at the time), in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Europe. Produced by Neil Finn and Youth (a departure from the group’s “producer in residence” Mitchell Froom, who oversaw the first three albums), the album has a unique sound in the band’s catalogue. Multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Mark Hart formally joins the group’s studio lineup, having toured with them since 1989. In America, the album is ensnared by a change of label management and remains unissued for almost a full year as a result.
Having announced the band’s breakup, Crowded House releases Recurring Dream, a final album – priamrily a greatest hits collection – with the band’s original lineup. Despite having left the band months before, drummer Paul Hester rejoins Neil Finn and Nick Seymour to record three new songs for the album.
Capitol Records releases the Crowded House album Afterglow, a compilation of unreleased songs and demos, intended to be the final word on the band’s storied career.
Paul Hester, former drummer for Split Enz and Crowded House, is found dead at the age of 46 in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia. Though police say the death is not “suspicious,” they rule it a suicide. Hester was a mainstay of the Melbourne music scene in the 80s when he auditioned to fill the vacant drum seat in Australian/New Zealand supergroup Split Enz. He joined the group for its 1984 tour, and only recorded one album, 1985’s See Ya Round, in the studio with Split Enz before the band broke up. He joined Neil Finn in a quest to launch a new band which, with the addition of bassist Nick Seymour, was eventually christened Crowded House and scored a #2 on the Billboard charts in early 1987 with “Don’t Dream It’s Over”. He recorded and toured with Crowded House until 1994, when the rigors of touring – and impending fatherhood – convinced him to return to Melbourne with his family.
Capitol Records releases the Crowded House live album Farewell To The World, a chronicle of the 1996 farewell concert of the band’s original lineup.
Capitol Records releases the fifth studio album by Crowded House, Time On Earth, featuring the single “Don’t Stop Now”. This album reunites the surviving members of the original lineup plus new drummer Matt Sherrod.
Pan Macmillan Australia publishes music journalist Chris Bourke’s biography of the recent-disbanded NZ/Australian rock band Crowded House, written with extensive interview access to all of the members (as well as colleagues and family members) of the band’s original lineup.
Fantasy Records releases the sixth Crowded House studio album, Woodface, featuring the singles “Saturday Sun” and “Either Side Of The World”. This is the last album to feature the band’s American members, Mark Hart and Matt Sherrod.
Capitol Records releases an expanded deluxe edition of the third Crowded House album, Woodface, originally released in 1991. Demos, outtakes, alternates, and other unreleased material from the album’s infamously long gestation are added.
Capitol Records releases a 2-disc deluxe edition of Crowded House‘s 1999 collection of B-sides and unreleased tracks, Afterglow, with the second disc doubling the amount of new material. Also included are the three new songs that were previously released on the band’s 1996 greatest hits album.