The Mullanes

Infobox musical artist 2
Name = The Mullanes


Img_capt =
Landscape =
Background = group_or_band
Origin = flagicon|AUS Melbourne, Australia
Genre = Rock, Pop
Years_active = 1985
Label =
Associated_acts = Crowded House
Largest Living Things
Split Enz
Past_members =Neil Finn
Vocals, Guitar, Piano

Nick Seymour
Bass, Backing Vocals

Paul Hester
Drums, Backing Vocals

Craig Hooper
Guitar

The Mullanes was the first incarnation of the New Zealand/Australian rock group Crowded House following the demise of Split Enz in 1984. The name "Mullane" is bandleader Neil Finn's middle name, given to him after his mother's maiden name.

The original 4-piece lineup included Craig Hooper (formerly of The Reels) but he left just before the band went to Los Angeles to record their first album in 1986, at which time they changed their name to Crowded House. Other than Hooper, the core lineup remained the same as the band became Crowded House with Neil Finn as the bandleader and singer/songwriter. Nick Seymour and Paul Hester remained in the band also across the name change.

The reason for the namechange was due to the label rejecting use of the name "The Mullanes". Following this, the group submitted the name "Largest Living Things" which was also rejected, however drummer Hester later used this in his own project in the late 1990s.

Most of the original eponymous album "Crowded House" was written while the band was still the Mullanes including the song "Recurring Dream". This song was recorded by the trio, however they chose not to release it as Hooper had contributed to the songwriting and so the song was made a B-side, primarily. This song was issued as a 12" promo single in the USA to promote the soundtrack to the film "Tequila Sunrise" in 1988 which starred Mel Gibson, and appears on the "Ricky and Pete" soundtrack (Tass and Parker, 1988). After Crowded House broke up in 1996, a re-recorded version of "Recurring Dream" also appeared on the retrospective Crowded House album "Afterglow" in 1999.