 | Split EnzA Retrospective, 1972-1984 |
Overview:Formed: 1972 Where: Auckland, New Zealand Disbanded: 1984 Band formed by Tim Finn and Phil Judd. Tim’s younger brother Neil joined in 1977. After group disbanded, Neil Finn and Paul Hester went on to form Crowded House. Members:
History:“Best-known for their early-'80s new wave pop hits, particularly I Got You, Split Enz — after surviving a dizzying array of image and personnel changes and a full decade without any recognition outside of their homeland — became the first New Zealand band to achieve worldwide success…Split Enz's output always seemed slightly outside of the times and often frustratingly obscure, but in the end, they left behind a body of work that was always interesting and often reached pure pop brilliance.” AMGThe Beginning:“The band started life in 1971 at the Auckland University, where Tim [Finn] met up with (old friend) Mike Chunn, Robert Gillies, Philip Judd and Noel Crombie. From 1972 the band became a full-time occupation for the friends” NM and they formed “a light acoustic combo called Split Ends…Finn and Judd were the main songwriting force of the band's early years…Judd working out the basic song with lyrics and Finn providing the melodies.” AMG ”The musical style is best described as new wave - eclectic and wildly original, incorporating influences from art rock, vaudeville, swing, punk, rock and pop. Their costumes and hair were like nothing else, wild and colourful.” NM “Judd drew his inspiration from a wild variety of often non-musical sources while Finn’s tastes leaned toward the British pop of the Beatles, the Kinks, and the Move.” AMGFirst Single and a Name Change:“The group…record[ed] their first single, For You/Split Ends, in February of 1973. At Chunn's urging, the band went for a new, electric sound…and they changed their name to Split Enz…The group's shows took on a theatrical tone, as the band members wore wild, colorful costumes and sported a variety of odd hairdos. Finn acted as master of ceremonies, giving odd spoken soliloquies.” AMGDebut Album:“In March of 1975, the group travelled to Australia…they eventually earned a small cult following and secured a contract with Mushroom Records. Their debut album, Mental Notes, was recorded in two weeks. While their inexperience in the studio combined with an unsympathetic producer led to a less than satisfying result in the band's eyes, the album encapsulated the band at its artiest and most ambitious. The album made a brief appearance on both the Australian and New Zealand charts.” AMGNew Single, New Producer, New Album…Sort Of:“Split Enz had caught the attention of Roxy Music’s Phil Manzanera who offered to help the band with their next album; they arranged to meet him in England to redo Mental Notes. Before leaving, they recorded a new single, Late Last Night. Despite the complex song-structure, the single showed the band moving toward a pop direction; nevertheless, it failed to have much impact. ‘Late Last Night’ was accompanied by a video clip, which was an uncommon practice in 1976; the band would continue to make conceptual clips from that point on…Second Thoughts, essentially a reworked Mental Notes, was released toward the end of 1976.” AMGLittle Brother Neil:“Between 1972 and 1977 Tim shared leader duties with Phil…When the latter left the band for good, younger brother Neil Finn joined at 17 years of age, and he went on to write most of the major hits the band had.” NM “The group began to move away from its arty, theatrical tendencies on…1977's Dizrhythmia. In Australia, the album went gold and the single My Mistake became their first Top 20 hit. In England, the group fared far worse. Though their odd looks and new, leaner material wasn't so far removed from post-punk styles, their earlier reputation seemed more in line with the progressive rock the punks sought to destroy.” AMG“By early 1978, Split Enz had been dropped by Chrysalis…They continued writing new material at a feverish pace and rehearsing constantly…they recorded a new single with producer David Tickle — a straight-ahead rocker called I See Red – which charted respectably in Australia. Split Enz returned to Australia to make … 1978's Frenzy.” AMG Commercial Peak:“The band teamed up again with Tickle for…True Colours in 1979. The album lacked the excesses of their previous albums and showcased their new pure pop direction. With Neil Finn's seductive I Got You, the band finally broke through – the single and album hit number one in Australia and New Zealand, eventually selling 200,000 albums in Australia, the equivalent of one in every 10 homes in that country. The success led to an international deal with A&M Records. The band quickly recorded a follow-up during a mid-year break in touring. The result — called Corroborree in Australia and Waiata internationally – was released in April of 1981. The record was somewhat disappointing…but it did manage two hit singles, One Step Ahead and History Never Repeats.” AMG“By late 1981, after many months of intensive touring, the band retreated to the studio to record their most personal and creatively satisfying album to date, Time & Tide. Released in 1982, it immediately topped the Australian and New Zealand charts. The advent of MTV and the channel’s commitment to new wave acts helped the band's growing cult status in America – both Dirty Creature and Six Months in a Leaky Boat (as well as earlier videos) saw heavy airplay on the channel — but the album failed to see much chart action.” AMG Tim Goes Solo:“Early in 1983, Tim took a break…to work on a solo album, Escapade. The album was a big success in Australia, spawning several hits singles including the Top Ten ‘Fraction Too Much Friction.’ For all of its success, though, the album distracted Tim…and effectively ending the momentum Split Enz had built over the previous three albums. Conflicting Emotions was finally finished by the fall of 1983…For this effort, [Tim] was overshadowed by brother Neil who had written a considerable majority of songs for the first time. The album, while predictably successful in Australia/New Zealand, saw a delayed release in the States and failed to make much impact.” AMG“Before work was begun on the next album, Tim announced that he was leaving the band. With Neil as the leader, the band carried on for one more album – 1984's See Ya Round, an uneven album…released only in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Neil decided to fold the band following a farewell tour…for which Tim rejoined the group.” AMG The End of Enz:“Neil and Hester went on to form the internationally successful Crowded House, Tim continued a sporadic solo career, joining Crowded House for the Woodface album in 1991. Griggs, Crombie, and Judd formed Schnell Fenster, releasing two albums before disbanding.” AMG “Eddie Rayner joined Schnell Fenster, but soon after decided to form his own band called The Makers. They released two albums. His ENZSO project saw some of the members sing the old Split Enz songs in an orchestral setting with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and two albums were released with live recordings.” NM “Tim and Neil Finn reunited for a Finn Brothers album in 1995” AMG and released another set together in 2004. In between, both recorded solo albums.Links on this Page:Links Beyond This Page:
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Awards:
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Studio Albums
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Compilations
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Beginning of the EnzSplit Enz |
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Recorded: 1973-1974 Released: November 1979 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave Rating:  2.966 out of 5.00 (average of 12 ratings)
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Tracks:
Total Running Time: 29:50 About the Album (review by Chris Woodstra at AllMusic.com): “Spellbound” also appears on 1975’s Mental Notes. “Lovey Dovey” and “(129) Matinee Idyll” both appeared on the 1976 semi-compilation Second Thoughts. |
Mental NotesSplit Enz |
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Released: January 1975 Peak: -- US, -- UK, -- CN, 35 AU Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave Rating:  3.570 out of 5.00 (average of 14 ratings)
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Tracks:
Total Running Time: 44:17 About the Album (review by Chris Woodstra at AllMusic.com): In 1976, the album Second Thoughts combined four songs (“Walking Down a Road,” “Titus,” “Stranger Than Fiction,” “Time for a Change”) from Mental Notes with old songs “Lovey Dovey” and “Matinee Idyll (129)” (both featured on 1979’s archival Beginning of the Enz) and new songs “Late Last Night,” “Sweet Dreams,” and “The Woman Who Loves You.” To confuse matters, that album was released in the U.S. as Mental Notes. |
DizrhythmiaSplit Enz |
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Released: August 29, 1977 Peak: -- US, -- UK, -- CN, 18 AU Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave Rating: 3.456 out of 5.00 (average of 13 ratings)
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Tracks:
Total Running Time: 40:14 About the Album (review by Chris Woodstra at AllMusic.com): |
FrenzySplit Enz |
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Released: February 19, 1979 Peak: -- US, -- UK, 49 CN, 24 AU Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave Rating: 3.199 out of 5.00 (average of 13 ratings)
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Tracks:
Total Running Time: 45:24 About the Album: Even though this may be “often thought of as a transitional album, Frenzy shows the band in top form.” CC “A lot of the music here is catchy and intelligent, reflecting their influences (Genesis, Roxy Music) without sounding dated.” CC “Produced in England on a diminished budget, the album showcases pure pop with a hungry edge” (Woodstra). “Stripped down of the earlier excesses, the album hints at the direction the band would take in the '80s while capturing a rare, rougher side to their music.” AMG “The ballads Stuff and Nonsense and Semi-Detached – find their songwriting craft at full power. Most of the material is written by brothers Neil and Tim Finn, yet keyboardist Eddie Rayner contributes a real sleeper in Marooned and bassist Nigel Griggs converts the Enz into Australia’s answer to XTC on Livin’ It Up.” CC “‘I See Red’ has since become the album’s spokesman on various compilations, but the songs that follow it – Give It a Whirl, Master Plan, Betty – are more likely to please fans of the Enz’ poppier exploits. It’s all a little rough hewn when weighed against their better work (a charge many level at Squeeze’s pre-Argybargy output), but fans will take some of these songs to heart.” CC The U.S. release of Frenzy was markedly different than the original. Songs “Holy Smoke,” “Semi-Detached,” “Carried Away,” and “Livin’ It Up,” all from the legendary "Rootin' Tootin' Luton Tapes" recorded in 1978, were added to the album and “Famous People,” “The Roughest, Toughest Game in the World,” and “Abu Dhabl” were dropped. Review Sources:
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True ColoursSplit Enz |
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Released: January 21, 1980 Peak: 40 US, 38 UK, 10 CN, 110 AU Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave Rating:  4.066 out of 5.00 (average of 17 ratings)
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Awards: (Click on award to learn more).
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Tracks:
Total Running Time: 38:23 About the Album: “The album leads with the quirky favorite I Got You,” CC which “marked Neil Finn’s emergence as a great songcraftsman.” CC The song was also “buoyed by a pioneering video (no surprise given the band’s artistic bent) and an awfully catchy hook.” CC “Both the single and the album stand as highpoints of the new wave era.” AMG “Brother Tim adds a strong ballad, I Hope I Never, characteristically wistful pop songs like Poor Boy, How Can I Resist Her and I Wouldn’t Dream of It, the irresistible Nobody Takes Me Seriously and the frenzied Shark Attack.” CC “Rounding out the record, in lieu of filler, are two instrumentals: Rayner’s energized Double Happy and the group composition, The Choral Sea.” CC “With True Colours, Split Enz moves into the elite corps of ‘new’ purveyors of pop that included Squeeze and XTC. What distinguishes the Enz from their peers is the choice of synthesizer over guitar as the lead instrument and a penchant for thoughtful pop or the occasional ballad. That and a genuine appreciation for their New Zealand roots make Split Enz a unique treat for pop fans, and True Colours an album that can hold its own with anything from the ‘80s.” CC “The album cover was issued in several different color variations and featured laser-etched vinyl as a preventive to counterfeiting (although its visual appeal was likely a factor as well).” CC Review Sources:
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Corroboree/WaiataSplit Enz |
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Released: March 1981 Peak: 45 US, -- UK, 17 CN, 13 AU Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave Rating: 3.527 out of 5.00 (average of 15 ratings)
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Tracks:
Total Running Time: 37:25 About the Album: Incidentally, “Waiata is the Maori word for party. The album was given the Aboriginal party title, Corroboree in Australia.” AMG Despite a couple of classic singles – One Step Ahead and History Never Repeats – and a handful of other inspired tracks, the album marks the band's first lateral move.” AMG “Two instrumentals (both from Eddie Rayner) are included: Wail (apparently a denizen of ‘The Choral Sea’) and the stately Albert of India (which by coincidence sounds a lot like Vangelis’ theme for the Chariots of Fire movie).” CC “They're still hyped as ‘avant-garde.’ Probably because they mix their twitty, intermittently tuneful art-pop with Nino Rota homages and stereo effects that go back to the house of Gary Usher.” RC Also of note: “Following in the trend of True Colours, A&M issued three different colored covers for the worldwide release.” AMG Review Sources:
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Time and TideSplit Enz |
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Released: April 13, 1982 Peak: 58 US, 71 UK, 4 CN, 12 AU Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave Rating: 3.813 out of 5.00 (average of 14 ratings)
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Tracks:
Total Running Time: 41:24 About the Album: “Tim exorcised demons and fears in the funky workout of” AMG the “suitably sinister” CC Dirty Creature and experienced a joyful communion with nature in Never Ceases to Amaze Me” Woodstra). He also “outlined a global view in Small World, and explored ancient folk music with Six Months in a Leaky Boat,” AMG “an opus unto itself” CC and Haul Away, an autobiographical sea shanty.” AMG ‘Dirty Creature’ and ‘Six Months in a Leaky Boat’ were both singles with, “of course, attendant videos.” CC “Yet the real attraction to this album lies deeper, its pop hooks waiting to snare unwary listeners. ‘Small World,’ ‘Never Ceases to Amaze Me,’ ‘Giant Heartbeat,’ ‘Make Some Sense of It’ and ‘Hello Sandy Allen’ rank right alongside the catchier cuts from their last two albums.” CC “However, even these tracks are tempered with Time and Tide’s lyrical maturity; the boys clearly had something to say with this album, and it does get in the way of a good pop song sometimes…The second side of music features a shared moodiness that suggests something bigger afoot than a simple string of songs. Maybe everyone was waiting for the Enz to get serious.” CC It could be said that “True Colours had a youthful exuberance missing on the masterful and mature Time and Tide.” CC Review Sources:
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Conflicting EmotionsSplit Enz |
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Released: November 21, 1983 Peak: 137 US, -- UK, -- CN, 13 AU Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave Rating: 3.172 out of 5.00 (average of 13 ratings)
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Tracks:
Total Running Time: 41:20 About the Album: It would be nice to “say the band went out with a bang, [but] it was more of a mechanical clank. Time and Tide and True Colours were great albums, Waiata and Frenzy good ones, but Conflicting Emotions is merely okay. The band replaces emotion with effects, and the prickly-sweet adventures of old become agitated encounters…the subsequent See Ya Round is one worth ditching, so this may be as far as some Split Enz fans are willing to venture.” CC Review Sources:
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See Ya RoundSplit Enz |
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Released: November 22, 1984 Peak: -- US, -- UK, -- CN, 29 AU Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave Rating: 2.795 out of 5.00 (average of 13 ratings)
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Tracks:
Total Running Time: 43:44 About the Album (review by Chris Woodstra at AllMusic.com): |
History Never RepeatsSplit Enz |
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Recorded: 1976-84 Released: 1987 Peak: -- US, -- UK, -- CN, 62 AU, 13 DF Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave Rating: 3.791 out of 5.00 (average of 13 ratings)
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Awards: (Click on award to learn more).
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Tracks (U.S. version): (1) I Got You (2) Hard Act to Follow (3) Six Months in a Leaky Boat (4) What’s the Matter with You (5) One Step Ahead (6) I See Red (7) Message to My Girl (8) History Never Repeats (9) I Hope I Never (10) Dirty Creature (11) Poor Boy Tracks (New Zealand/Australian version): (1) Give It a Whirl (2) My Mistake (3) I See Red (4) Late Last Night (5) I Got You (6) Shark Attack (7) Poor Boy (8) I Hope I Never (9) History Never Repeats (10) One Step Ahead (11) Dirty Creature (12) Pioneer (13) Six Months in a Leaky Boat (14) Straight Old Line (15) Message to My Girl (16) Charlie (live) Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:
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Resources and Related Links:
First posted 4/7/2008; last updated 6/1/2024. |
