logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2024
1h 1m

Neil Finn's songs of ascension

DOUBLE J
About this episode

Neil Finn is one of our greatest living songwriters. In Split Enz and Crowded House, solo and in his collaborations, his tunes have become the soundtrack to our lives. 

I’ve been chasing Neil to Take 5 for the TV series since the beginning, and finally he said yes. Even better, he invited us to film at his own studios. Roundhead, a pale green building on an Auckland street that has seen some incredible music history go down.

Bunker down in the basement of Roundhead, as Neil Finn shares the DNA of his songwriting heart, and the music that soars for him.

  • David Bowie – ‘Quicksand’
  • Ludwig van Beethoven – Piano Sonata No.8 “Pathétique” in C minor, Op. 13, 2nd Movement: Adagio cantabile (performed by Arthur Rubinstein)
  • Split Enz – ‘Time for a Change’
  • The Beatles – ‘Across the Universe’
  • Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong – ‘Summertime’

Watch Take 5 on ABC iview: https://iview.abc.net.au/show/take-5-with-zan-rowe

Up next
Jun 27
Eddie Perfect Takes 5 with his 'source material' songs
Eddie Perfect has been entertaining us for years. A star of stage and screen, he’s a writer of Broadway musicals, played Mick Holland on Offspring, and once composed a musical about Shane Warne. Eddie’s currently starring in the titular role for another musical he wrote – Beetlej ... Show More
42m 12s
Jun 20
5 songs that have fused to Richard Fidler's 'history'
If you’re an avid podcast listener, you’ve likely heard one of Richard Fidler’s Conversations. For 20 years he’s been chatting with people from all walks of life, making the Conversations podcast one of the most popular in Australia. So as they mark this big 20th birthday, I thou ... Show More
48m 12s
Jun 13
Little Birdy's Katy Steele Takes 5 with 'breakout' songs
Katy Steele has always been surrounded by music. Her brothers came up with the Sleepy Jackson and Empire of the Sun, and her dad Rick Steele was a legendary blues guitarist around Perth. But Katy made her own mark more than 20 years ago, when she burst out as the songwriter and f ... Show More
37m 2s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2025
Julian Joseph and Aoife Ní Bhriain open the new series
Irish violinist Aoife Ní Bhriain and jazz pianist and composer Julian Joseph are the first guests in the new series with Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe. Together they add the first five tracks, taking us from the Mercury Prize-winning jazz group Ezra Collective to a celebrated pa ... Show More
42m 46s
Aug 2022
Relaxing Piano Playlist Series 1 Episode 1
Feeling stressed? Need to unwind? Then how about some gentle relaxing music for you to ease into. Come and join me as your host, James Quinn as I take you through some wonderful music as I play for you on my own piano ranging from Bach, Mozart, Chopin and more.  In this official ... Show More
31m 33s
Jul 2023
Relaxing Piano Playlist Series 4 Episode 4
Feeling tired? Need to unwind? Then how about some gentle, soothing piano music? Welcome to the Episode 4 of the Fourth Series in the Relaxing Piano Playlist! In this episode, I perform for you music by Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert, Faure, Tchaicovsky, and the Second Movement from ... Show More
33m 16s
Oct 2024
The virtuosity of Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder may be our modern day Mozart. A child prodigy, he joined Motown as a preadolescent where he was marketed as “Little” Stevie Wonder. He wowed audiences with his virtuosic command of the piano, harmonica, drums and of course, vocals. At just 13, he had his first numbe ... Show More
1h 7m
Jun 2021
Miloš Karadaglić | Guitarist
The Montenegrin guitarist talks about falling in love with the guitar in Montenegro, ‘growing up’ in London, his favourite guitar to play, the healing power of Mozart and his latest album The Moon & The Forest. Recordings featured:Joby Talbot: Ink Dark Moon – Luminoso (Miloš Kara ... Show More
40m 22s
Jan 2025
Dance Anthems 249 - [Trance Anthems Special] - 11th January 2025
Dance Anthems with Sean Maynard is back for 2025 and we thought we'd extend the holidays just a little further with one more special. This week it's our very first Trance Anthems edition packed with anthems from the peak era of trance! From Above & Beyond to Armin van Buuren, Tie ... Show More
1h 53m
Jul 2022
Relaxing Piano Playlist Series 3 Episode 4
Feeling tired? Need to unwind? Then how about some gentle, soothing piano music? Welcome to the Episode 4 of the third Series of Relaxing Piano Playlist! In this episode, I perform for you music by Guilio Ricordi, Cesar Cui, Mendelssohn, Bortkiewicz, Debussy, and the Second Movem ... Show More
32m 59s
Jun 2023
Ep. 207 - GRAHAM NASH ("Our House")
Summary: Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Graham Nash joins us to talk about CSN, his solo career, and his most recent album. Part One: Joe Biden and Donald Trump are the two oldest presidents in American history. And it looks like they might square off once again in a contest of the ag ... Show More
1h 5m
Sep 2024
Chicane Presents Sun:Sets Vol 504
Chicane returns with the usual eclectic selection of music.. from ambient and chill to soundtracks, house, early 90s classics, progressive house and trance, electronica, and everything in between. 1. Blood Groove & Kikis x Brandon Mignacca - Let Me Hold You (Cinematic Mix) 2. Ton ... Show More
59m 57s
Mar 2024
Leo Geyer and Gillian Moore take us from Bach to Bowie
Composer, conductor and bassoonist Leo Geyer, and The Southbank Centre's Gillian Moore, join Jeffrey Boakye and saxophonist Jess Gillam - standing in for Cerys Matthews - as they head from a famous Bach well-tempered classic, via Taiwan, to David Bowie's parting gesture. British- ... Show More
42m 40s