Friday, June 4, 2010

Split Enz - Extravagenza

YOURZ

Split Enz were one of the first bands I saw as an impressionable 15 year old boy (so this is the late-ish 70s).  The location was a free festival in Victoria Park at the top end of Sydney city, a trip I took with my brother and some older friends and not a parent in sight.  It was one of those formative occasions, where the older boys, who could buy beer, fed the younger boys both beer and cigarettes and showed us how to have a good time.  I think I drank two cans of some cheap crap ale but remember it was like drinking the nectar of the Gods (in some ways, this feeling hasn't changed, particularly after a long, hot day in the sun).

What I remember of the Enz is a lot of the audience laughing at their ridiculous costumes and makeup but then being suitably impressed by their quirky yet brilliant set of songs.  And fuck, didn't Tim Finn work the crowd into a frenzy.  It was like nothing I'd ever seen.  About the only track I remember distinctly was their hit single of the time, I See Red, which is also included on Extravagenza.  In fact, this double CD collection is a fantastic collection of some of their greatest songs, both the hits and album favourites.

While Crowded House became the more famous of the Finn boy's bands (and deservedly so) I always thought Split Enz were generally a better, more interesting band.  Their output was prodigious and the music quite possibly some of the best skewed pop music ever written (listen to I Got You, One Step Ahead or Hermitt McDermitt - you'll see what I mean).  The playing is absolutely faultless and the lyrics intelligent but hook-laden at the same time.  In fact, listening to all these wonderful tracks together reminded me that we don't have a single Split Enz album on CD, something we're going to definitely have to remedy.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP



MINE

It's a live album!  Our first, I think.  (YourZ sez: I do believe you're right, but don't wallow in this praise, okay?)  Recorded in New Zealand with a notable parochial crowd for this precursor to the slightly-better known Crowded House (who are touring again, regardless of their much-vaunted farewell concert on the Opera House steps).  But you can look up other details about the band yourself. 

I first came across Split Enz (also known as Splut Unz in Australia to mimic the NZ accent) by way of the iconic TV chart show of my youth, Countdown.  With their art-school costumes and makeup, they immediately stood out.  But teenage me couldn't really decide if she could forgive what she thought was posing for the stellar sounds. (Take a look).  Awww, doesn't Neil Finn look young??

Then in my later years of high school, I was lucky enough to have a Kiwi for an English teacher (oh, the irony) and she firmly imprinted the Enz on my psyche.  This double album is full of their hits, and some of my favourites include I Got You and the wildly sweeping  Six Months In A Leaky Boat.

We in Australia are often accused of grabbing NZ actors, bands and other celebs and branding them as our own.  But I think these guys remained Kiwi to the end.  Aotearoa, indeed.
 

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.frenz.com/splitenz

4 comments:

  1. Love Split Enz. 'Mental Notes' or 'Second Thoughts' as it is downunder, would easily make my all-time top ten albums. I saw them in 1976 when they came to England and they were fabulous. I always feel a bit sorry for Tim Finn. He had one helluva band there - quirky, avant guarde and interesting. Once little brother Neil joined and started imposing his 'traditional' writing style, they lost their appeal for me. Don't get me wrong, I like Crowded House but Neil was wrong for Split Enz and has overshadowed his brother's achievement. (I would say that as an older brother whose younger brother became more proficient musically than me!)

    Just give me those old Judd/Finn prog/music hall/folk/rock songs and I'm more than happy.

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  2. The American press claimed they were Australian when they made the move to Sud-knee in the early eighties. I always preferred Split Enz to Crowded House too

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  3. MO, like you, I always felt a bit sorry for Tim but at the same time, Neil elevated Split Enz to a level I'm sure Tim and the rest of the band appreciated. Being the eldest sibling can be a chore, though (I should know as I'm the eldest of five).

    YourZ

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  4. Chris, this goes on with a lot of NZ artists who come across to Australia to further their careers, unfortunately.

    YourZ

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