Split Enz

7-13-10

Split Enz

Having helmed several music blogs since 2002, I have never particularly written about the artists to whom I have had a special affinity (the notable exception would be Frank Zappa). Most anyone reading this knows that I expended a fair bit of effort in a pre-internet world on Split Enz.

I saw them live a number of times from roughly 1977 (Golden Bear, Huntington Beach, CA) to 1984 (“Enz With A Bang”, Auckland, NZ). I’ve met most of them, I have a literal ‘score’ of records and videos. I recently worked on generating a DVD-R of some of my Split Enz music videos – “Maybe”, “Spellbound”, “Late Last Night”, “Lovey Dovey”, “Sweet Dreams”, “Bold As Brass” etc. An entire 1982 MTV live show (66 minutes) from Hamilton, Canada (when it got released as a Sony video Album, it was edited to 54 minutes); a plethora of US TV appearances – being interviewed by Tom Snyder, Dick Clark…

So, for me – Split Enz represent my ascent into the (music) video age. When I went to New Zealand, there were only a few 45’s I had to turn up – but I didn’t have ANY of their music videos! I borrowed a ¾” U-matic videocassette from Mike Chunn that I took to a video post-production house somewhere in Auckland and had converted from PAL ¾” to NTSC Beta (BII) – unfortunately, it was so early on – it wasn’t “hi-fi” (as I painfully noticed while the low-fi audio transferred effortlessly to DVD-R last month).

It would be pointless for me to post even a partial discography for Split Enz – I can just say that if you do not already own a copy, I recommend “Mental Notes”, their original NZ / Australian full-length album – on either LP or CD. The one that’s best that’s somewhat easy to find in the US is also called “Mental Notes”, but it has a pink border on the cover and is on Chrysalis Records, that one is known as “Second Thoughts” in Australasia. It’s good, too.

If the progressive rock of 1975 Enz isn’t quite your kettle of fish – try the more new wave-y “True Colours” or “Waiata” (also known as “Coroboree”) – but be careful on which CD version you get – the Australian WEA re-master CD of “Waiata” / “Coroboree” has indeed been remixed – more than just a little.

I never really warmed to Neil Finn – much less any of his post-Enz activities. It was always so unusual – his attitude towards enthusiastic fans – he was so derisive and dismissive at times. Why would anyone creating art in public generate so much disdain towards the people who love and support what you do?

A final shout out to Phil Judd, the man who wrote a lot of material for the original Split Enz. I did my best to follow his work from afar – it was hard work being a Swingers fan in Los Angeles, where nobody cared. Somehow Schnell Fenster got a US release (well, their first album) – but his work essentially remains obscure in the US. I wish him the best of luck navigating the Australian press / fans through his recent troubles.

Citizen Band

03-05-10 Citizen Band

Greg Clark, Geoff Chunn, Mike Chunn and Brent Eccles. Some ex-Enz!

7" IN A LIFETIME / GOOD MORNING CITIZEN MANDRILL NZ M 10007

1977 2 TRKS no pic sleeve

7" I FEEL GOOD / GOOD MORNING CITIZEN / MY POHUTAKAWA MANDRILL NZ DRILL 4

1978 3 TRKS with pic sleeve

7" SOMEBODY ELSE / HOLY FULELE MANDRILL NZ DRILL 11

1978 2 TRKS no pic sleeve

LP CITIZEN BAND MANDRILL NZ MAN 2

1978 12 TRKS

LP CITIZEN BAND re-issue CBS NZ CBS 001

1978 12 TRKS CBS re-issue

LP JUST DROVE THRU TOWN CBS NZ SBP 237349

1979 11 TRKS

7" RUST IN MY CAR / DIG THAT TEX CBS NZ BA 222562

1979 2 TRKS no pic sleeve

7" NO STEREO / S.O.S. CBS NZ BA 222596

1979 2 TRKS no pic sleeve

LP PIRATE CBS NZ CSP 129

1979 10 TRKS Live

7" I'M SO UP / I'M SOUPED (Greg Clark & Mike Chunn) CBS NZ BA 222702

1980 2 TRKS with pic sleeve (a Phil Judd song)

7" HOME TONIGHT / PAJAMAS / I WANTED TO BE HAPPY CBS NZ BA 222750

1980 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

7" GREEN ROOM, THE (Greg Clark solo) CBS NZ BA 222837

1981 2 TRKS no pic sleeve

7" WAY IT WILL BE, THE (as "The Sinclair Brothers") CBS NZ BA 223004

1982 2 TRKS no pic sleeve

CD RUST IN MY CAR COLUMBIA AUS 474167.2

1993 16 TRK Collection

I had the good fortune to have seen the original Split Enz at the Golden Bear nightclub in Huntington Beach, CA – at the time of the U.S. issue of “Mental Notes” (known as “Second Thoughts” in Australasia). Mike Chunn was still their bassist at that point.

Took me a few years to get to NZ, but the Citizen Band material was everywhere…in 1980. The debut album is really neat English-language pop music – a bit more polished than some NZ rock music. I was instantly a fan.

But I always got the impression that I had just missed them. They were no longer performing by the time I got to NZ, for example. I think I like the debut album better than the 2^nd album, but that’s my opinion. And I like the “I’m So Up” 45 better than almost anything else they recorded!

Took me a few years to even find out that they had re-formed as The Sinclair Brothers, with a great solitary 45, “That Is The Way It Will Be”. End of story.

The CD age has only brought one Citizen Band CD that I am aware of – a “Best Of” CD 17 years ago. Probably out-of-print. Citizen Band were better than being relegated to being merely a Split Enz footnote. Check out their debut LP – snappy stuff!

Make a Mental Note of it...

I was sent this LP recently, by an old record collector friend. Until afew years ago, I couldn't even confirm it's existence! I never knew that Chrysalis records had been released in Japan via King Records! I've only ever known their Japanese product as being via Toshiba! Also unusual about this LP - they basically retain it's US/Euro serial # (1131). I am so totally used to the Japanese re-assigning serial numbers to fit their own numbering sequences.

So...make a Mental Note of it...