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Split Enz - Waiata / Corroboree CD (album) cover

WAIATA / CORROBOREE

Split Enz

 

Crossover Prog

3.13 | 19 ratings

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russellk
Prog Reviewer
2 stars The opening song says it all. 'Hard Act to Follow' is ostensibly a boy-girl song, but one reflection it could be seen as referring to the difficulty of following SPLIT ENZ's break-thought 1980 album, 'True Colours.'

The band was, in my opinion, only marginally successful. The new-wave pop is repeated here, no longer new ground for the band, more of a formula, and it feels like it. The production is lush, befitting a major act, but the pots of money thrown at the songs don't disguise their compositional thinness. Most of the ENZ's quirkiness is smoothed away by the lavish arrangements, and the same-ness of the sound rob the tracks of their personalities. Gone are shark attacks and radio romances with aliens: this is all about dancing and kissing and laments for unrequited love. NEIL FINN writes the best tracks, precursors to the dreamy pop of CROWDED HOUSE, but TIM delivers the better vocal performances, albeit on sub-standard material. EDDIE RAYNER slots in a splendid, energetic instrumental ('Wail'), proving his talents were severely under-utilised by the band. But apart from this highlight and the single 'History Never Repeats' (sounding so much like a HOLLIES song), the album is largely devoid of interest.

Pop is just like every other form of music: it needs to be good to hold the listener's interest. This isn't, and it doesn't.

russellk | 2/5 |

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