MENTAL NOTES

Ok. This is probably the best place to start if you are interested in the early Split Enz sound before they went pop. Split Enz at this point comprised of some quite eccentric and colourful individuals (considering this is NZ in the 70s - ie dull). This is certainly Enz most proggy, you can hear similaritys to Roxy Music, a few Jethro Tull instrumentals scattered here and there, personally I think itrs Eddie Rayner's keys that really shine here.> In terms of the songs, Walking down the Road is an excellent mini epic with an enthusiasm that some young talented people have on their debut. Tim Finns voice is very theatrical. Under the wheel is a more darker piece and with Phil Judd's twisted vocals will make you think of Comus and Family Eddie's keys here add a great sinister and yet positive at the same time, aided by Wilkinsons guitar.A song with quite a bit of drama in it.> Amy is a neat prog pop song, that contrasts with the previous track with a kind of kiwi feel to it, and a neat little Rayner solo.> Stranger than Fiction is considered a classic, Quite an ambient piece, yet very theatrical when performed on stage, with again excellent work by Eddie Rayner.> Time for a change has excellent Hackett sinfluenced guitar a nice emotional piece, probably the most normal song on the album.> Titus has something to do with the Gormengast trilogy I believe, aided with Tim Finns dramatic singing another excellent song, with the line "sombody must be killing me" I think is a great line and nice classical piano workout by Eddie Raynor, Rob Gillies guest on this pice with his brass> Maybe is a Beatlesque inflected song with future member Rob Gillies doing trumpets in this piece as well, nice and upbeat after the dramtic piece before it.> Spellbound is another classic partially because of the unique maori style of strumming perhaps the only time that has ever occured in a prog song.> Mental notes is a shortrocking Beatlesesque ending that infinately repeated the lines 'Mental Notes' on the orginal vinyl on a loop.>

This album certainly has some weird and at times, a little bit disturbing soundiong, sounding music especially with Phil Judd's singing adds a kind of darkness to it, but this is arguably Enz finest moment and certainly thier most prog sounding, and will convince you that Enz were a prog band. A good addition to your collection, that will show you that their was a least a little bit of prog in NZ.

I was always a bit confused whether this was the first album or would it be the infamous The Beginning Of The Enz would hold that honour. In either case, this is among the first few records that are likely to interest the progheads, as opposed to their mid-period early 80's, when the had regressed and became a new wave electro- pop group. This group is mainly the works of a duo Tim Finn (vocals and piano) and Phil Judd (vocals and guitars) which shared most (if not all the songwriting credits), but interestingly enough neither were lead instrumentalists since Wilkinson and Rayner held top solo slots on guitars and keyboards respectively. SE is a septet, but outside a percussionist, there are no wind instruments to spice things up, but their style is sufficiently eclectic, that there is no real need for it.

The music is a relatively good, inventive art rock with a fairly noticeable pop inspiration. Somewhere stuck between Rundgren's Utopia and the Queen, 10 CC, sharing a bit the frenzy, spastic and silly world of those. But if the music has a solid pop vein and none of the group members seem to be ultra virtuoso at their respective instruments, there is plenty of place for musical interplay and the frequent use of a mellotron often gives a cool symphonic edge to their music. In this regard, the almost 8-min Under The Wheel is probably one of the highlights, especially if you enjoy weird screechy crazy vocals (ala Family's Roger Chapman). This track could've almost been written and played by Gabriel-era Genesis, because the guitar does resemble a certain Steve at times. Another very interesting tune for progheads is the almost 7-min Stranger Than Fiction with the strange and spooky birdsong ambiances, and bridging directly to the next poppier Time For A Change.

Other (shorter) tracks like Amy or So Long For Now are poppier even if there interesting twists and the Maybe and short Titus tracks all present plenty of proggy moments to satisfy most of us. Spellbound is another crazy beauty even if by the end of the album, the Chapman-vocals are getting a tad tiresome.

Clearly, Spilt Enz was on a roll as they would be until the end of the decade, pumping a bunch of good popish Art Rock, but sadly their regression into the next decade is one all progheads are aware of since it happened to some of the legends of the prog movement. But in the meantime, we are left with a string of albums that are, if not essential, very worthy of the proghead's attentions. And among this string of albums, this one is maybe the most interesting one (but not the only one) and it could fit as perfect intro.

Mental Notes is unlike anything else in the Split Enz catalogue, and frankly unlike anything else ever made. It's astonishing to think that this was their first album and their sound was so complete and assured out of the gate.

These crazy young kiwis produced a bizarre stew of early seventies sounds, without leaning too heavily on any one in particular. You can hear lots of weirdo symphonic a la Genesis, the visceral energy of Vdgg, and the unhinged art rock of 10cc and Roxy Music, with folk and music hall tossed into the mix. The album draws you into a weird surreal universe of its own, aided by eerie, echoey production and lots of spooky mellotron. That's right proggers, there's tons of 'tron on this album.

The musicianship is unexpectedly high throughout, particularly from keyboard whiz Eddie Rayner and virtuosic drummer Emlyn Crowther, who wasn't with the band for long, more's the pity. The drum production is excellent, good and thumpy. Guitarist Wally Wilkison also acquits himself well with some great electric playing. But the band's two stars were vocalists Tim Finn and Phil Judd. Finn's style resembles some kind of manic music hall singer, while Judd employs a mega-vibrato bray that is somehow incredibly creepy and matches the weirdness of his lyrics.

The album starts off with an art rock epic with lots of different memorable parts and melodies before delving into Judd's scary death ballad Under the Wheels. That's when you know this is going to be one weird trip. Before you're through, you've been treated to full blown symphonic (Stranger Than Fiction), a beautiful piano and mellotron-led ballad (Time for a Change), a thumpy rocker (Maybe) and a very strange mandolin- based song (Titus), before ending with Judd's maniacal, riffy Spellbound. You can imagine the band rehearsing in a small shack in at the very bottom of the south island of NZ, with a storm crashing overhead, conjuring up the weirdest sounds and vibes imaginable.

Believe me, proggers, no matter what you think of the later edition of the band in its Neil Finn days, this is an absolutely essential art rock album, so just get your hands on a copy!

A gentle mellotron wash introduces us to this band's debut and a most catchy guitar riff for 'Walking Down a Road', a rich and diverse example of the Split Enz brand of Art Rock... and make no mistake, that's exactly what it is in all its splendor on this charming record. And though perhaps not as sophisticated as the courtly fare of Genesis, this session, both ambitious and quite grounded, is simply one of the best rock albums of 1975.

Utilizing the liberties taken by artists such as Bowie, Rundgren and Hammill but with a firmer symphonic ethic and prog sensibility, 'Mental Notes' plays like rock theater; grand, musical and playful with a perfect balance of structure and texture. This is heard on 'Under the Wheel', which transforms into the pseudo-country romp 'Amy (Darling)'. And yet even in all the fun, this group never puts aside its art priorities for the sake of humor the way ELP might. Twee at times but a great extension of 'Amy' is 'So Long For Now', and the theme of this session really begins to gel. Big orchestral booms and Floydian strangeness warms the tone in 'Stranger Than Fiction', and Phil Judd's sadly sweet reflection on life 'Time For a Change' is fortified by Eddie Rayner's lush 'tron. 'Maybe' bounces along in a classic 70s way with hip irony and Beatles swing, Judd's mandolin carries 'Titus', with 'Spellbound' and the silly title wrapping things up. Absolutely pleasing, unpretentious yet complex, it's a shame the Enz took an increasingly commercial direction though you'd never know it from this album. Not grimly sober like the 'real' prog acts but too serious for a party band, this septet deserves a solid spot in the annals of Progressive Rock, especially for this black pearl. The Warner remaster has two live tracks from 1975 in Melbourne, '129' and 'Lovey Dovey'.

What a remarkable album this is! I cannot still melt the fact that it is so gravely overlooked. This is a must have in every prognuts collection, right next to In the Court of the Crimson King and Foxtrot.

It starts with the majestic Walking Down a Road which pays resemblence to Genesis with quirky rythms and grand piano play.

Then you are introduced to the seven minute long Under the Wheel, the most bizarre and longesy track on the album with Phil Judd's ghostly vocals over a superb mellotron and acoustic guitars.

It gets rockier with Amy (Darling), at the start, a simple pop tune that ends in a fantastic virtuosity.

So Long for Now is the most Genesis-like track on the album and adapts Peter Gabriels theatrical side at it's best with whistles and funny singing.

Then we got Stranger Than Fiction, a mini epic in the same style as Under the Wheel, which tells the story of a mans life. A very strange but good track with excellent singing from both Judd and Tim Finn.

The piano ballad Time for a Change is next up and it's very beautiful. It's starts very mellow and slow, but in the end electric guitars and mellotrons take over the song giving it some more power.

The poppiest tune Maybe is very happy and makes you wanna go up and just shake what you got. Beautiful vocal harmonies and mellotron mixed with a simple tune repeated over and over again. It ends with a lalala-chorus, which is clearly inspired by The Beatles Hey Jude.

The acoustic Titus is the most folk inspired song on the album with good guitar and clavinet.

The manicaly riffing Spellbound is, like Under the Wheel, a very disturbing piece, but like the before mentioned, very good. Phil Judd's vocals are as scary as ever and the guitar solo by Wally Wilkinson in the end is just pure magic.

The record ends with the 30 second long title track with Phil Judds voice babbling nonsense til the end.

A very good record, well worth five stars. If you haven't heard it, GO BUY IT! It's well recommended, a hidden masterpiece in the progrock fauna.

(My grammar and spelling can be incorrect sometimes, I hope you don't mind, I'm swedish after all).

"Mental Notes" is the debut full-length studio album by New Zealand rock act Split Enz. The album was released White Cloud in July 1975. Split Enz formed in 1972 under the Split Ends monicker but changed their name to the current one in 1974. While they started out playing a progressive/art rock musical style, they are more known for their later new wave oriented releases.

On "Mental Notes" Split Enz play a progressive rock/art rock hybrid style, which owes as much to the likes of Genesis and Camel as it does to Roxy Music and Queen. So this is certainly eclectic styled music and it´s pretty hard to put into any particular musical box. What can be said about Split Enz is that they are skilled musicians who perform their music with both passion and conviction. The lead vocals are somewhere in the area between Peter Gabriel and Brian Ferry. Although the music often features a humurous element and is predominantly uplifting and upbeat, the songs also often features beautiful pastoral sections, which provide the music with another dimension. Add to that the more rare technical moments where the band toy with time signatures and various stylistic elements like folk and jazz, and again they just come off incredibly adventurous.

"Mental Notes" is a well produced release, featuring a warm, organic, and detailed sound production, which suits the material perfectly. Upon conclusion it´s a good quality debut album from Split Enz, and while the eclectic nature of the sound may scare off some listeners, the more adventure seeking progressive rock/art rock listener should find lots to appreciate here. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

Mental Notes is such a great prog. album that I named my prog.rock radio programme in honour of it which aired in Windsor, Ontario, Canada from 1999-2005. Split Enz recorded one album like this, never to record another like it...although there were some hints retrospectively on 1982's Time And Tide. This album has aged quite well, actually - to the point where it's a bridge between Roxy Music and Marillion (lyrically). This pupp was born in 1975, however...way before Marillion. As mentioned, there's a hint of early Van Der Graaf Generator and the Genesis Foxtrot-era. Lyrics are generally dark in nature (Death...Glorious Death)...and the delivery is at times similar to Christian Descamps of ANGE(except in English). It pains me to put a finger on this one as far as influences go(I can only compare it to other bands...and not other Split Enz LPs), but this is pretty original in scope. Mellotron fans should expect a nice ride. This is a symphonic prog.rock masterpiece on par with Yes-Close To The Edge and Genesis- Selling England By The Pound. Highly recommended.

In 1975 seven quirky young New Zealanders gathered together to record one of the most unlikely but true masterpieces of the whole progressive movement. This record is a veritable orgy of musical fusions, so many different styles and so much ambition all carefully harnessed in a wonderfully rich way, filled with pop sensibility.

Mental Notes, amazingly, the debut album from future 80s New Wavers Split Enz, contains elements of symphonic prog, bizarre morbid art rock, beautiful ballads, cheesy upbeat pop songs, truly unique acoustic passages and even some folk and country, all packaged into a quintessentially antipodean feel. The centrepiece of the album is 4 magical and very different masterpieces of prog glory (and will be marked as such) which while unique and individual in themselves provide the basis for which the band can explore experimental territory with the rest of the LP, knowing that no matter how bad something might backfire they will still always have these 4 tracks alone to make the album more than average. And it never does backfire.

WALKING DOWN A ROAD (Masterpiece No.1): The album begins with one of the more ORGASMIC intros ever. An amazing mellotron wash that slowly gets louder over the first 30 seconds of Walking Down A Road leads us into the rest of a truly great album. This track is a wonderful upbeat mish-mash of Tim Finn's melodies and riffs, all packed together in just over 5 minutes in what really should be a 15 minute song. It contains all the hallmarks that make this such a great album such as awesome rocking guitar riffs, time signature changes and arty lyrics.

AND A MANDOLIN!

UNDER THE WHEEL (Masterpiece No.2): This gem is every bit Walking Down A Road's equal but you could not find 2 more differing songs. The longest officially released song in the Split Enz catalogue, clocking in at 7:47, Under The Wheel is maybe the only instance in the band's career where they could legitimately be accused of pretentious self-indulgence (along with perhaps The Woman Who Loves You off their Second Thoughts follow up to a far lesser extent). But if songs like this are the result of an overblown Phil Judd psyche then godammit I wish that insane genius had been around for far longer. A mindblowingly grandiose deathly poem, filled with more than generous amounts of virtuoso keyboardist Eddie Rayner's mellotron, this is probably the most progressively sinister this usually jolly band got.

AMY (DARLING): This song for the most part is a step down from the first 2 on the album. I give it a slight bad wrap as it gets a bad break being placed after such genius works. Like everything on the album this is a very lovely song, it is just not to the same level. This is the most guitar oriented track on the album with a more folky feel and even a bit of a country sound. Amy is peppered with some hilariously twee lyrics which make for a pleasant listen but in general the hideous 'kiwiness' of it all and its slight overlength combine to make my bored mind wandering off to think about sheep midway through the song, and I find myself with a raging hard-on by the time of its completion.

SO LONG FOR NOW: I can't think of what to write about for this song. I think that says more than anything I could ever rave on about. I associate So Long For Now with Amy in a number of ways even thought musically they have no real similarities. This would be because they are both simpler guitar oriented rock numbers and are the 2 weakest numbers on the record. Having said that, this song at least has the dignity to limit itself to just over 3 minutes unlike its predecessor. It is the basic rock 'n' roll number on the album with driving upbeat rhythms and some very clever vocal wordplay. All in all rather unmemorable but undeniably great and probably the song most likely to hit you first out of any on Side A. I just wrote 134 words on the song I couldn't write anything about. And have now added to it to make it over 150!!

Amazing.

STRANGER THAN FICTION (Masterpiece No.3): Ok. My friends have chastised me before about overhyping certain songs and making them underwhelming when they hear them. So if you won't hear this song and immediately agree regardless of what I say about it DO NOT READ THIS SECTION OF THE REVIEW . Stranger Than Fiction is the pinnacle of the 4 genius pieces on the album. Everything about it blows my mind. Therefore due to the length of its title we shall henceforth refer to it simply as 'the awesome'.

The central basis of the song is an orgasmic and amazingly simple MOOOG! riff done simply on 7 consecutive black keys.

I CAN EVEN PLAY IT!

Over this simplicity plays out a 7 minute (far longer when live)mini-opera of epic proportions, propelled by Wally Wilkinson's driving guitar lines and classically trained Emlyn Crowther's paradiddlicious drumming. The track contains hilarious chipmunk/duck vocals, a cleverly oversimplified profound section headed by Phil Judd's bizarre voice and with a truly amazing chorus which stands alone as the album's crowning glory and one of the real 'moments' of the whole genre.

TIME FOR A CHANGE: Stranger Than Fiction segues cleverly into this relaxing piece that give you a couple of minute to quickly duck off get dressed again. It is not one of the absolute highlights on the album and for the most part is a simple but beautiful Phil Judd ballad. However just when you've gone soft listening to the undoubtedly beautiful but perhaps not as awe inspiring piano section you are blasted with the second half of the song, a loud and long mellotron crescendo accompanied with one of Wilkinson's more bombastic sounding guitar solos.

MAYBE: Ahh this great song. One which I have known since buying the Spellbound compilation more than a decade before I knew of this album's existence in the first place. The album's lead-off single, Maybe is a simple and jaunty 3 minutes of pop fun. It offers a refreshing break from the intensity of the majority of this album and is easily the most accessible piece on the record. However it doesn't sacrifice any of the Split Enz artistic vision just for mainstream appeal. The song is genius in its horribly overjovial music and tempt telling what is for the most part a melancholy story about lost love. Wonderful and fun and although its not an absolute standout it is important to note that I had a phase of obsessive love for this song without which I would never have bought the album

TITUS: The B side to the Maybe single was this equally concise and somewhat bizarre piece. It follows much the same structure as Time For A Change in that it begins as a simple laid back number with 2 verses of vocals (in this case one each shared by Tim Finn and Phil Judd) before early in the second half it changes into a brilliant instrumental passage that is the tracks highlight. This makes sense as both tracks were composed solely by Phil (as opposed to the usual Finn/Judd co-op) But musically Titus is completely varied from Time For A Change which is essentially a relatively accessible piano ballad while Titus is a rather strange song based around Phil's unique acoustic guitar and an aquatic sound created from very subtle stereo panning before the second section is a wash of Woodwinds and Brass (synthesized and otherwise), Piano and Eddie's Organs (genital and otherwise).

SPELLBOUND (Masterpiece No.4): The final precious stone on the record is the revolutionary Spellbound. Its title is certainly apt enough as Phil Judd makes history by presenting is with the Maori strummed guitar on a pop song. The ORGASMTASTIC opening acoustic section then segues, via a somewhat off putting and genius series of single note hits, into the most weird and wonderful vocal performance of Mr Judd's life. The beautiful profound lyrics are backed by the ever present Maori acoustic, subtle and lovely piano and perhaps (along with Sweet Dreams off the next album) the most ingenious and unique usage of the Mellotron I've ever heard. The song fades out with 'tron reminiscent of The Beatles pioneering song Strawberry Fields Forever before leading into the albums stupid and pointless title track which ruins the entire effect of the finale. This song is the perfect album closer and it frustrates me oh so immensely to hear that pointless piece of [&*!#] tacked onto the end like a smelly turd.

MENTAL NOTES:

I've said all I have to say about this song.

Actually not really. I was being overly harsh on it before because I think Spellbound would be a really great album closer. But I have had this admittedly stupid and mostly worthless song for 10 years (on my trust best-of) and always enjoyed it and got a laugh out of it. Fact is people underestimate its cleverness, it would not surprise me at all if the frustration surrounding its ruinousness would be almost intentional. Its placement is very clever and it is very presence that gives Spellbound another fantastic quirk. Its just GAAAAAAAAAHODHA[JHJDAHOJAUDHA[JODA[JAGJGA[JG[AJDGAJDAOPOOBOB. Why does this song even exist? Why does life exist? Why do I bother? Screw this. I'm sitting here writing this review just to bludge off doing my uni homework .

The moral of this story is that Mental Notes is the greatest song.

Ever.

In the history of the universe.

Over and out.

SPLIT ENZ were the result of Phil Judd and Tim Finn's close friendship during the time of their studies at the Auckland University.After releasing a couple of succesful singles,changing their name from the initial ''Split Ends'' to SPLIT ENZ and adapting a theatrical style at their lives using costumes and make-up,they finally released their debut ''Mental notes'' in 1975.Comparisons with GENESIS are undenieable:Elaborate compositions,symphonic orchestrations,STEVE HACKETT-like electric guitars,nice use of mellotron and superb dramatic and theatrical vocals compose an album full of beautiful sounds and excellent diverse musicianship.Some light musical passages,poppish catchy moments and a few synthesizer flights might bring also YES or even better PAVLOV'S DOG,THE BEATLES and KAYAK to mind.Later the band would follow a more accesible style,but they left prog fans a gem to remember.An absolutely essential album!

If there ever was a really, really strange album out there that defied categorization, stretching beyond the norm of conventional rock music, with arguably the weirdest looking dudes since the NY Dolls, Kiss or the Mothers of Invention , then you have never heard of Split Enz from lushly exotic New Zealand! Obviously, offshoot Crowded House (as well as the Potter films) has helped the land of the Maori Kiwis reach the world's artistic mainstream but back in the mid 70s , this bizarroid troupe of characters certainly made their release "Mental Notes" a prime candidate for rock posterity. There are few albums as difficult to describe as this one, so I will give it my absolute best effort but you need to take the plunge yourself. "Walking down the Road" is a rollicking musical adventure full of whimsical passages, odd turns and weird churns, with singer Tim Finn's distinctive voice leading the way. The nearly 8 minute "Under the Wheel" suggests almost symphonic trappings (Mellotron, synths and organs) that simply elevate the affected, trembling and theatrical vocals (Phil Judd) to "scratch your head" levels, absolutely progressive in more ways than meets the ear, jumbling guitars, synths and piano all conspiring to confuse and delight while the bass and drums flutter along , inspired. "Amy Darling" veers into an almost barroom ditty, raise your glasses mates! Funky piano, sudden time changes and instrumental audacity keep the ears focused and the mind puzzled. Finn's vocals amuse, cajole, crackle and shine, with slight hints of Mercury, Chapman, McCartney, Cousins, Bowie, Ferry and some of the wilder New Wave acts, best exemplified by "So Long For Now", a roller coaster ride that consistently keeps one off guard. Bopping bass and tortuous lead guitar propels this short sucker with sheer aplomb. "Stranger than Fiction" is the masterpiece track here, a near 7 minute concoction loaded with symphonic structure as synths and piano set the tone, the guitar drawing the main melody replete with bluesy reverence and all, suddenly spilling into dissonance, drunken vocals, special effects and a return to the main theme. Truly splendid stuff that is totally ORIGINALthat exudes a certain charm that cannot be described, Tim Finn acting as if on a drama stage, capable of massive emotions (with that instantly recognizable 'down under" twinge). Applause, please because it continues with another jewel. "Time for a Change" initiates like a Wakeman etude, courtesy of Eddie Rayner (probably the main reason for Split Enz' presence in PA), a Gershwinesque vocal that is simply awesome (the man can sing), the mellotron set the lead guitar's table while the drums kick in perfectly, succulent stuff. "Maybe" sounds nearly like a Ringo Starr tune, "boom boom tchak" nicely with funny vocals, a wonderful delivery that predates the Crowded House style but in a wilder manner. "Titus" is another short oddity, mandolin leading the way, piano, more trembling vocals (Judd) dueling with Finn's more fluid delivery with a windswept synth solo doing the trick here. "Spellbound" weaves an initial web of intrigue, an indistinct collage of sounds , until the inexorable bass shores up the deal with languid teasing, exploding into a mid-tempo melody , drenched in overwrought theatricality, Wally Wilkinson unleashing a chirping lead guitar solo that only heightens the pace and the mood. Bizarre, I tell you, bizarre. This unique album ends with the 0.33 second sonic pastiche "Mental Notes" that only hint at their rather frenzied sense of musical sanity. A masterful career would emanate from this first blood. 4 all black rugby balls.

This band was a great surprise coming from New-Zealand. At that time, extremely few bands from this remote country (for a European, but not only) did ever reached world recognition (and it is still the case).

But, these guys were extremely original. You could notice already in the cover of their debut album. A certain flair of craziness, bizarre atmosphere is to be noticed.

Their music is very special as well. Very much."Split Enz". Even if the early "Roxy" could be named as an influence. The weirdness starts with the very first notes of the opening number. It ends with the last ones of the short (just over thirty seconds) closing track.

Keyboards have a major influence ("Under The Wheel", "Stranger Than Fiction") and the vocal parts are rather disjointed ("So Long For Now").

Arrangements are quite sophisticated and themes are frequently changing throughout a same song (somewhat in the vein of "10CC" to which the band could also be related to IMO).

Decadent and upsetting can also describe this work (like the good but confidential UK band "Seventh Wave"). "Stranger Than Fiction" is probably the number which best highlights this characteristic. Some sort of mini-opera. An excellent song. Complex, unexpected, but brilliant. The most intricate piece of music and one of the best from Mental Notes.

Another good song is the soft "Time For A Change" with fine mellotron lines and a smooth melody. There are very little weak moments on this album and songs as "Titus" and "Spellbound" (especially the latter) are very pleasant. There is actually only the very short title track which doesn't really fit in here. Maybe just a wink from this impressive band.

It is difficult to relate this work with prog IMO. But its originality should please a lot of progheads. It must have been quite an experience to see these guys on stage (which I did not).

Seven out of ten would have been my rating; but I will increase it to four stars thanks to the originality of this album.

Part music hall vaudeville, part eccentric comedy, part art-rock, this debut album from SPLIT ENZ is the nearest the band ever came to prog rock.

'Mental Notes' is a delicious combination of sympathetically handled tunes, zany originality and understated compositional values. What the album doesn't have is any vestige of virtuosity: these seven lads were more interested in the effect of their music than in extended solos or side-long epics. The songs, while all of high quality, take time to absorb. They've often been compared to 10CC: the production values are far lower and the humour is less acidic, but the comparison is apt. There's also nothing even remotely radio-friendly on this record.

FINN and JUDD's vocals are certainly an acquired taste. Their theatrical delivery serves to heighten the performance aspect of the band, and it's certainly true that SPLIT ENZ come across far better live than in the studio. 'Walking Down the Road' starts the album in fine style, with FINN delivering a restrained performance - in contrast to JUDD's affected vibrato in the magnificent 'Under The Wheel'. Now this is classic ENZ, with a symphonic prog treatment backing JUDD's insanity. Back to FINN with 'Amy', a knees-up of a song and rather dispensable fare compared to the rest of the album. The slapstick 'So Long For Now' is splendid fun. 'Stranger than Fiction', one of the best things the ENZ ever did, melts us with lovely synths before introducing a big beat and a FLOYDIAN guitar strum: make no mistake, this is a monster. You'll probably loathe the vocals - I do - but you get the point fairly quickly. Welcome to SPLIT ENZ's warped sideshow vision of the world. Their prog preoccupations are clearly illustrated in the Gormenghast-influenced lyrics of both this and 'Titus'.

Luscious mellotron descends like a blanket on 'Time for a Change', transforming a simple ballad into a dramatic piece. 'Maybe' returns to the land of vaudeville, and is a welcome break from the growing seriousness of the preceding tracks. 'Titus' lets JUDD weird us out for a bit, then the album finishes with 'Spellbound', one of the ENZ's earliest cuts reworked with studio wizardry into a disturbing sound collage, CHUNN's bass to the fore (MIKE CHUNN would bravely admit to bipolar disorder and front a national mental health campaign).

In more professional hands these tracks could have been worked into something outstanding. PINK FLOYD could have made a couple of billion-selling albums from this material. Thing is, SPLIT ENZ, like most New Zealanders, preferred to paint on a smaller canvas. Modest ambitions, not putting oneself above one's mates and all that.

It's unlikely you've heard anything quite like this. For the adventurous and lovers of melodic art-rock.

I first became aware of this band in 1980 with their hit "I Got You" which was an addictive little pop tune. I never really heard of them again until CROWDED HOUSE arrived on the scene and we were told that this was really SPLIT ENZ under a different name. So here I am probably 25 years later and they're on a Prog site. What !? Well they deserve to be I can tell you that. My first listen to this album wasn't a good one, in fact I considered putting it aside and reviewing it down the road at some point, then I thought no i'll get this over with now. Second listen something clicked, third listen i'm starting to like it, fourth listen and i'm hooked. Man this is different. Heck the singer sounds like a sheep at times. I know they're from New Zealand but this is ridiculous. You just need to look at the album cover and pictures inside to know they're a zany bunch, and that comes through on their music. Complex at times and moving at others. I did think of GENESIS several times surprisingly enough.

"Walking Down A Road" opens with sounds pulsing before drums then a full sound with vocals kicks in. Lots of piano too. A calm after 3 minutes. A GENESIS vibe briefly after 4 1/2 minutes. "Under The Wheel is a complex piece with mellotron, quivering vocals (bahhh), strummed guitar and piano. Just a fantastic tune. "Amy (Darling)" is fun and uptempo with a country vibe bringing to mind THE DECEMBERISTS. I like the instrumental section after 2 minutes. "So Long For Now" is a vibrant track that I like a lot. "Stranger Than Fiction" opens with synths before turning somewhat experimenal. Strange vocals and a calm follow. I find it emotional when the vocals come in before 4 minutes and later before 5 1/2 minutes.

"Time For A Change" opens with piano as reserved vocals join in. Check out the Post-Rock guitar before there was such a thing 3 minutes in. Mellotron follows. "Maybe" is brighter with piano and vocals standing out. A catchy chorus on this one. "Titus" has almost spoken sheep vocals and mellotron. This song moves me so much. "Spellbound" opens with strummed guitar and piano. Drums and bass follow. Vocals before 2 minutes. The lazy guitar melodies 2 1/2 minutes in sound great. Mellotron later. "Mental Notes" is the 33 second closer.

You have to be patient with this album but in the end it will be worth it. It just keeps getting better.

Mental Notes is probably one of the most underrated records of all time. It is truly beutiful and underrated. Most people know the Split Enz from their pop music though the start of there discography is an amazing prog album fronted by Phil Judd and Tim Finn

By the start of the album, you can tell this is prog. This is "Walking Down a Road." A sound fades in that almost sounds it is underwater and climbs up to drums and bass with a beutiful meldody following brought by gutair and keyboards. The beginning of this song is amazing and is good and steady, however, around the two minute mark, it sort of looses it's tempo and the rest of the song seems a little scattered. The begaining is sort of reprised done well but the second part of this song kind of looses itself. Although it does get scattered it's still quite nice

The second song on the album starts with creepy keyboard and a dark sounding intro. This is "Under the Wheel." It is seven minutes being the longest track on Mental Notes. The lyrics of this song were written by Phil Judd, and they are dark about his struggle with drug abuse and other depression problems. The melodies are dark and creepy after the first stanza and at one point through, it get's bizarre for a quick 9 seconds, they get wild and crazy and sort of insane, and in a split second go back as before. After a few moments we get Phil Judd screaming "IT'S NOT FAIR!!!!!" After this comes poetry about death. The album ends with piano and some melodies and slowing ends with the sound of a river. This song isn't the scariest ever, but quite strange and definitely a masterpiece.

The third track cheers us up more as a love song. This is called "Amy (Darling)." It is a personal favorite of mine, with an amazing melody around the minute and a half mark. At one point the song stops and you just hear crickets. The song ends with some satisfying touches. One of my favorite parts of this album.

The albums next track is "So Long For Now." This is not as good as Amy or many other tracks on the album, though it has some nice moment. Though there isn't much memorable in it.

The next track is probably the best on the album. "Stranger Than Fiction." It starts with a melody on the synthesizers and goes right into a spacy feel after this. It's like this until the minute and a half mark. When the drums take you down to a frightening part with poetry that sounds like Edgar Alan Poe and laughing babies. In the background, you here strange mechanical sounds and piano. Then you hear, Tim Finn sing-speak "It's a story, of my LIFE!" And it all explodes into it's earlier spacy feel. After a few minutes of this part, you hear children playing and Finn singing with some scatting too. This continues by a part mostly heard by the gutair and drums and a strange whistling. This is followed by the songs spacy meldies and another lyric break with more scat. The song ends with it's starting synthosizer meldody. Astonishing.

Stranger Than Fiction leads into the next song, "Time For a Change." This is slow, brought by piano. It soon erupts into more mellotron. This song ends very well, though i often listen to it right after Stranger Than Fiction, for it doesn't sound as different.

After our 9 minutes of slow and beautiful bitter sweetness, we get a very happy fun tune. "Maybe." I really LOVE this one. It's an overall guilty pleasure tune with much fun and love seen in it. Sung by both Judd and Finn, with piano leading it all. It ends with a reprising scat melody.

The next track on the album is called "Titus". They use a ukulele through this. This song is okay, but not as good as Maybe. I do love the near end of it though near 2 and a half minutes though.

And here is the grand finally, "Spellbound." Started by what sounds line a gong. Then comes a small build up over an accusitc gutair including the same whistling from stranger than fiction and piano with a few small guitar licks, it then gives us a melody and Judd sings. The song is very positive in lyrics, "The way things are, we'll get there in the end, the way things are, we won't have to pretend, that were all spellbound."

Suddenly, Spellbound comes to an end and we get the 35 second title track, ending us at a weird place.

If you're looking for an underrated prog rock album, i highly recommend this debut that was introduced to me by my aunt. And that's why I give it four stars.

RANKING OF SONGS

1. Stranger Than Fiction 2. Under the Wheel 3. Amy (Darling) 4. Maybe 5. Walking Down a Road 6. Spellbound 7. So Long For Now 8. Titus 9. Time For a Change 10. Mental Notes

Favorite quote from album: "Death, glorious death, is just another bed to sleep. Yes, death, glorious death, is just another appointment to keep." -From "Under the Wheel"

After three years of singles only, Mental Notes allowed Split Enz more room to stretch out, and prog out! It veers very close to being symphonic prog in several places - "Under The Wheel" and "Stranger Than Fiction" particularly - and even in the poppier tracks there are still wigged out prog moments, like the keyboard interlude in "Amy" or the ending of "Song Long For Now". They certainly have great instrumental firepower, particularly in main keyboard player Eddie Rayner. However, there are few extended showcases for the instrumentalists - the focus remains on the vocals at nearly all times. That is potentially the album's weakness, because both singers at this point favoured an overly theatrical, highly mannered vocal approach that can be off-putting, especially from Phil Judd - it took me a few listens to get past that and begin to appreciate the compositions. It's probably the vocals rather than the prog elements that kept them from being an immediate commercial success, considering there are plenty of otherwise radio-friendly moments here - "Amy", "So Long For Now", "Time For A Change" (which resembles an early Elton John ballad at times), "Maybe", "Spellbound" (the version here, with Judd on vocals is far too edgy - the re-recorded version featured on The Beginning Of The Enz shows how much difference a smoother vocal approach could make to the accessibility of some of these compositions) - among the more overtly proggy tracks like "Walking Down A Road", "Under A Wheel", "Stranger Than Fiction", and "Titus". I have definitely found the album to be a grower - if you can learn to love the vocal approach, this album sits up amongst the best of Australian/NZ prog of the era.

A surprisingly collection of highly original and eclectic songs reminding me of so many bands: from early Rush, early Supertramp, David Bowie, Queen, Rod Stewart, Peter Hammill, Family, The Woods Band, Gentle Giant, Gryphon, The Strawbs, Spirogyra, Jefferson Airplane, The Beatles, The Electric Prunes, The Chocolate Watch Band, The Beau Brummels, The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, 10CC/Godley & Creme, Syd Barrett Pink Floyd, and even some early AC/DC, with many truly unique and innovative ideas thrown in that are all their own. The album may not be engineered and mixed very well (thus the comments by other reviewers referring to the "demo" quality of this album when compared to the versions that were re-recorded a year later with Phil Manzanera). I do not, however, comprehend the Genesis comparisons. These are not the mythological musings of young aristocrats, these are the lyrics and theatrics of Elton John and Bernie Taupin, of some Berlin cabaret, of Italian band Jumbo, of Lennon and McCartney.

As other reviewers have said, there really isn't a weak spot on the album while the two long songs, "Under the Wheel" and "Time for Change" really standout. I'm glad this is under the Crossover sub-genre, though Prog-Related would be just as understandable.

Five stars for a minor masterpiece of fresh, energetic music with many, many unique tricks and twists and an astonishing knack for creating seemingly unnatural stylistic or sonic combinations that work! If only the sound were better! I really, really like this album! Definitely a keeper! This is the kind of creative genius that we should be extolling in Prog World!

The failure of Mental Notes has more to do with youthful enthusiasm combined with a first up experience in the recording studio and a recording engineer having no idea what to do with the music, than it has to do with any of the material on the album. Time For A Change, Spellbound and Titus are brilliant songs which were staple diet at their live shows and deserved better execution on this album.

To get an idea what this band was like you needed to attend one of their live shows. Booed off the stage in Sydney they gravitated to Melbourne where the live scene was more active and audiences were more tuned into progressive bands like Pink Floyd. The progressive scene was used to multiple styles within the one song. However Split Enz took this to a new level. You could get everything in a Split Enz song: classical music influences, folk, jazz, rock, pop, swing, boogie woogie and even spoons, all within one song. The nominal leader Tim Finn was mainly influenced by the Sixties English pop scene of The Kinks and The Small Faces. The keyboard player, Eddie Raynor was heavily influenced by the keyboard style of Genesis and Yes. Phillip Judd was interested in multilayered instrumental patterns while Noel Crombie, an art student who studied costume, was into Music Hall and Vaudeville. Together they made zany music which perplexed audiences unable to work them out. In vibrant London in the late 60's and early 70's they would have fitted perfectly into the music scene there. However, in the more conservative New Zealand and Australia, they were ahead of their times musically and unfortunately, by the time they landed in London in the mid-seventies, artists like Roxy Music and David Bowie, who they were being compared with, were moving in a different direction and so Split Enz were starved of opportunities. Ironically, fans of Split Enz from their early progressive phase deserted them after Neil Finn replaced Phil Judd on guitar and Split Enz became a more conventional pop band

The opening chords of the clavinet/electric piano lends an atmospheric start to Walking Down The Road, weaving it's way through some abrupt changes to the main electric guitar theme and energetic singing from Tim Finn. The mandolin begins the middle section of the song through some chorus singing, then a bridge of gentle piano playing before it abruptly changes again to the electric guitar finish. Under The Wheel has some interesting acoustic guitar and mellotron but the song unwinds with the excesses of Finn's voice and Phil Judd doing a soliloquy near the end. Pity as the song built up a beautiful atmosphere with the mellotron and melodious finish on synthesizer and electric guitar. Amy (Darling) is a charming lullaby featuring guitars and piano.

Stranger Than Fiction is a great song which has a haunting synthesizer melody at the start which changes to bass and electric guitar before Tim starts singing the first verse. The voices go all over the place with several time changes as the mood goes deeper with synthesized voices and whistles as Tim strings out his voice for extra effect. The song morphs into Time For A Change which is a sentimental piano piece with a nice mellotron and electric guitar finish. Maybe is one the best early Split Enz songs with strong lyrics and catchy piano rhythm.

Titus is a beautiful Phil Judd composition which he opens with mandolin and sings the first verse. Tim Finn comes in with the higher voice to sing the main theme and song finishes with synthesizer and guitars. Spellbound ups the tempo with acoustic guitar, piano and synthesizer in another haunting song that changes time through the electric guitar part before it closes out on mellotron and synthesizer.

Mental Notes, I call a grand failure. It should have been a five-star masterpiece. It has haunting melodies, strong lyrical ideas which are heavily Genesis influenced, but with enough originality to distinguish Spilt Enz as one of best emerging progressive rock band of the mid-seventies. The singing and it's production lets it down. Phil Judd doesn't have a strong voice and Tim Finn does too much with his voice which gives some of the songs a heavy, laden feel. They deserve better.

When Split Enz traveled to England they decided to re-record four of the tracks off Mental Notes. By that time their lead guitarist, Wally Wilkinson, had left the band so they had his replacement, Robert Gillies, cover the guitar parts with his Saxophone. That album was released as Second Thoughts, here in Australia, but in The UK, they released it as Mental Notes. They were fortunate to get Phil Manzanera to produce the album. However, the result is disappointing, proving that even with the best intentions you can't remake music once you put it out into the public space. Creative artists can only move forwards, not backward.

As a bonus on the 2006 remastered version of the Mental Notes album, there are two early live songs recorded from a Melbourne concert the band performed just before they entered the recording studio to record their first album. I was there at that concert. The first is 129 later released at Matinee Idyll for the Second Thoughts album. The second is Lovey Dovey, featuring some improvised bass work and Eddie Rayner fancy jazz playing on the piano. I wish there had been more recordings taken from this concert. They reveal just how innovative and advanced Split Enz were for their times

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Posted Sunday, May 24, 2020 | Review Permalink