Customer Reviews

Spellbound: the Very Best of Split Enz

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First off, disclosure: I may live in old Blighty but I'm a kiwi, and therefore like all my countrymen, am insufferably partisan about the half-dozen New Zealanders (and one sporting team) who have, across the whole spectrum of human endeavour, actually been better than anyone else in their chosen field.

New Zealand is (by and large) an egalitarian, progressive, pleasant place, which builds solid, earnest, probably above average but, if truth be known, not entirely interesting citizens. And if that's New Zealand generally, then it's Te Awamutu, the Waikato farming town which spawned Split Enz, specifically: Dull doesn't begin to describe the place.

So the first remarkable thing about Split Enz is the fact that they are in anyway remarkable at all. Their origins couldn't possibly have been more mundane.

When you've got over the shock that this great music has its origins in Nowhere City, the next remarkable thing is that, seeing as they did escape the sheep paddocks, got as far as London and even managed to attract the (disdainful) attention of Margaret Thatcher (she ignorantly banned "Six Months in a Leaky Boat" for its apparent (but non-existent) political connotations on the eve of the Falklands campaign), that Split Enz didn't conquer the world, rewrite pop history and finally give the UK music press something to write about other than the Beatles (alas, this is something it still does monotonously.)

This I am not able to explain and, should you listen to the forty odd tracks on this compilation, I daresay neither will you.

Split Enz rocks, it fizzes, it boogies, it piano-rolls, it slinks, and it pops. It's witty, it's poignant, it's smarty-pants, (but never too smarty pants for its own good), it's consummately performed and beautifully recorded, the Enz had an outstanding live show. For a band which didn't manage to beat the world, there are more world-beating songs on this collection alone than can be rationally explained.

Enz were a good fifteen years ahead of their time. Maybe that's the problem - indeed, fifteen years after their heyday, one of their number did manage to forge his name on rock history, with a diluted version of his old band.

The proof that I'm not exaggerating (should you need it) is the success Neil Finn did manage, second attempt, with Crowded House. You have to feel sorry for the other Enzers, though, who have by and large drifted back into obscurity. The thing is, Split Enz's material is every bit as good as Crowded House's - much of it better - it's not like Crowded House represents any sort of paradigm shift or critical development in the blueprint.

The good news for Crowded House fans is, of course, that there are another dozen or so records to delve into once they've worn out the Crowded House repertoire. For the more casual listener, there's this double album.

For my money, truly essential pop music.

There is an undefinable quality that makes pop music good or bad, respectable or ignorable, brilliant or downright lazy and most of all important or unimportant.

And I a m pleased to say that this compilation, Like the ENZ carrer, is Good, Respectable, Brilliant and definatly important.

Good song writing trancends cultures, nations and even decades and these songs still have a feeling about them which I can honestly say will make any good music fan sing on for years to come. Neil and Tim Finn are New Zealand's, or for that matter, the southern hemispheres, Lennon and McCartney. Just see what Paul thinks of Neil Finn as a song writer.

All the good stuff is here and to a new listener you may find some of the 'have not heard before' material a little dated. But once again, after a few listenings you won't be laughing at 'Haul Away' but singing along to it.

A true show case of the ENZ talent as a band, and as a nod towards the Neil Finn best known in Crowded House.

Best songs: Always up to you but, Then again, History Never Repeats.

Few bands can have managed quite the variety of Split Enz, from the off-beat artsy stuff from their first album (Second Thoughts, Titus) through to some of the most beautiful pop songs ever written (Stuff and Nonsense, Message to my Girl) and on into the pre-Crowded House sound of their last recordings (including I Walk Away). The Finn brothers complemented each other brilliantly, and this CD is a breathless tour through over two hours of their greatest moments. My desert island disc, for every mood under the sun, even if I have to wait there six months for a leaky boat. Thank you Enz!

Unless you want to buy both of the box sets, SPELLBOUND, featuring remastered versions of a wide variety of ENZ songs, from Sweet Dreams to Years Go By, is the best way to get a comprehensive Enz collection in one fell swoop. A great double-CD set!

Spellbound was my first Split Enz album and it's great!

Tracks from Each album:

Beginning Of The Enz: 1- Matinee Idyll (129) (incorrectly printed in liners as the 1976 Second Thoughts version)

Mental Notes: 2- Maybe and Mental Notes

Second Thoughts: 3- Late Last Night, Titus and Sweet Dreams

Dizrythmia: 4- Bold As Brass, My Mistake, Sugar And Spice and Without A Doubt

Frenzy: 3- I See Red, Give It A Whirl and Stuff and Nonsense (S & N has been remixed for this compilation, with great results)

True Colours: 6- I Got You, I Hope I Never, Nobody Takes Me Seriously, What's The Matter With You, Poor Boy and Shark Attack

Waiata/Corroboree: 2- One Step Ahead and History Never Repeats

Time & Tide 6- Dirty Creature, Pioneer, Six Months In A Leaky Boat, Take A Walk, Haul Away and Make Sense Of It

Conflicting Emotions: 3- Message To My Girl, Strait Old Line and The Devil You Know

See Ya' Round: 4- I Walk Away, Voices, Doctor Love and Years Go By

Anniversary (now Extravagenza): 2- Charlie and Time For A Change

Not on albums: Another Great Divide (single, 1977), Semi-Detached, Hermit McDermitt (both Luton recordings, 1978)

While unbalanced in terms of song selection, there's nothing better than Spellbound to get into the Enz, or maybe just buy Mental Notes and Frenzy.

this down-under-only 2-disc compilation is a treasure. you know crowded house, right? "don't dream it's over," etc, etc. well, before there was crowded house, there was split enz, and it's hard to believe how superior these musicians were in their original incarnation. split enz is the greatest band in the history of the southern hemisphere. the music is heavily influenced by the traditional music of the maori culture (new zealand's answer to australia's aborigines), and this means that split enz sound like no one else on the planet ever has or will, because they take those influences, mix them with pop genius, and come out sounding an awful lot like the talking heads would sound 8 years down the road, if the talking heads were from new zealand. make any sense? whatever. check these guys out, really. there is a 10 song greatest hits that you can find anywhere, but i wouldn't want to part with any of the 38 tracks found here.

Initially i was put off by the look of this band,their hair,and make-up and stuff.
I was into more normal looking bands like Kiss and the Sex Pistols,it was just a bit too wacky for me.But the song which was hard to ignore was I Got You,which was a massive seller,and i loved it.It's one of those songs that stand the test of time,they simply don't make songs as good as that anymore.
They had alot of other huge hits,the radio stations at times over played some of their tunes at the time.But in hindsight they were very good songs.I can't say i realy liked crowded house much at all.It was a shame they ended when they did,they were realy on a roll with hit after hit.

If you love Crowded House and the Finn Brothers, this is a must. The history of the brothers and their journey through their musical trip. Well documented and it's all there. The lyrics, the tunes, the fun and crazines, the talent and the love. It was worth the wait...

Even if you own all the other Enz albums this one is still worth having... Its the best flowing compilation I have ever heard.

Pure genius

I have been a fan of Split Enz since the early days. Their art college origins showed in their flamboyant, first couple of albums, which nevertheless contained some memorable numbers like "Late Last Night". Then the next couple of albums produced "My Mistake" and "I See Red" from '77 & 79' respectively, examples of the bands early chart successes in Australia and New Zealand. However,the big breakthrough for the band came in 1980 with the release of "True Colours", which spawned a couple of hit singles, "I Got You" & " I Hope I Never" as well as a the great track "Poorboy", which also received airplay. From there things got bigger and the band were on a roll with the "Corroboree" album (as it was known in Australia) of 1981, "Time & Tide" of 1982, both of which produced a great run of hit singles including "History Never Repeats" & "Six Months In A Leaky Boat". Even Split Enz's last two albums "Conflicting Emotions" & "See Ya Round" made at a point when the band were beginning to consider calling it quits produced the superb "Message to My Girl" & a driving final single "I walk Away" (minus Tim Finn. Split Enz were one of the great bands of the era and they were brilliant live. Visually, in concert or in their videos, they presented a colourful spectacle in their quirky costumes and through their stage antics. I saw them in 1982 at the Sentimental Bloke Hotel in Melbourne, Australia and that night they played their hearts out in a live set full of hits and great album tracks. This compilation is truly representative of all stages of the bands output, has the essential hits and a respectable number of memorable album tracks. When they split in '84, I regretted the end of the Enz, but this collection is a great way to enjoy and relive their timeless music. Both the Finn brother, Neil & Tim, have continued to produce some great music, in their solo works, in Crowded House and as the Finn Brothers. This is where it all began and it still sounds great.