THE BEGINNINGS OF THE ENZ

This is certainly about Beginnings, Split Ends (as they originally spelt it) started of as progressive folk bands, you can hear their humble beginnings with flute and vioin on the track Split Ends (with which the band named itself after that song) this is before even Eddie Raynor and Noel Crombie where a pair of creative dreamers, Tim (then called Brian) Finn and Phil Judd from Auckland University created what was the beginning of perhaps the greatist band to ever come out of New Zealand. Their is a definate marked evolution in the music, from Folk Prog, to Avant Garde to Symphonic Prog/Art Rock, the songs on this compilation are no longer than about five minutes because they are from a bunch of singles dated between 1972 - 1975, before thier first album Mental Notes, released around 1979. The first to songs are as I said earlier a pair of Folksy pieces without yet the insanity, then by the time pretty standard yet something in them that expressed a certain potential that these guy would develop. 129 marks the gradual start of their oddballness as they become more idiosyncratic adding vaudiville music and ellectric guitar, bass and drums, and saxophone (Rob Gillies would join the band briefly before returning to the fold in 1976). You can really hear greast things are destined for these guys as their music grows and develop, the mandolin really adds to the quirkyness. Home Sweet Home again another transitional piece from folk prog to the quirky madness, it starts with medieval kind of harpsichord before starting a folky piece then balanced off with electric guitar and a strange monologue (in a Kiwi voice of course) half way through the piece. There is something very NZ about the music yet its not forced (like a lot of NZ acts) its a very natural sound, ending in bagpipes. Sweet Talking Spoon really establishes the insanity, it starts of the insane vaudiville sound, with mandolin, they have become the Split Enz we know and love, I really love this, No Bother to Me and Malmsbury Villa (though at times Malmsbury sounds a bit Beatlesque but still like nothing before) they are like nothing I've ever heard before in Prog, its so unique, unashably eccentric the innocence makes Enz basically a mix of the Wiggles/Teletubbies and the Rocky Horror Picture Show. You must really check these three songs out they are an absolute must for prog fans!!! Tim is so delightfully old fashioned in his singing, you can here Noel Crombie using the Spoons on Sweet Talking Spoon Song, and Eddies appearance on dance hall piano produce a hugely unique experiance. I can't recommend these songs enough to you all. Lovey Dovey and Spellbound alsodo make it on Mental Notes and Second Thoughts (so does 129, albeit altered as as Matinee Idyll (129)). This version of Lovy Dovy is quite different from the Second Thoughts version both are good in their own way both are dynamic in different ways. Spellbound has Tim singing on this version rather than Phil, I find Tim's voice less disturbing than Phils and gives it a more relaxed feel. The only really negative thing about this compilation is that its only 28 minutes long, I do wish they added their 15 minute epic Nightmare Stampede on it, but perhaps it will see the light of day on an affordable compilation rather than an expensive box set. But many of these songs are just so unique I can't recommend them to you enough, although not perfect the idiosyncracies of the songs make this absolutely essential.

SPLIT ENZ are New Zealand's best, and certainly most original, musical export (sorry Kiri and Hayley), and a band whose 70s output will appeal to crossover prog/art rock lovers. Like many young New Zealanders at the time, Brian (later TIM) FINN and PHIL JUDD avidly absorbed the revolutionary new music coming from overseas, and melded these influences into a uniquely New Zealand amalgam of outrageous musical pastiches with understated lyrics, seasoned with the typical self-conscious, offbeat, bizarre Kiwi sense of humour.

This 28-minute compilation gathers the band's earliest recorded music, from their initial singles, in a package designed to appeal to SPIT ENZ completists. It's a little better than that, though, due to the inimitable vibrancy of the compositions, without ever being outstanding. This is bite-sized ENZ, as one would expect from the format they were extracted from.

The first I heard of the band was in 1973 as contestants in the television programme 'New Faces', in which luminaries of the NZ music scene judged up and coming bands. Frankly, I couldn't believe my ears. For the first time I heard Kiwi music that I could identify with - and the band came stone cold last in the grand final. Says something about us, I think. They played 'Sweet Talking Spoon Song', a vaudeville number, and '129' (later to become 'Matinee Idol (129)'), both wonderful tracks. These two tracks, along with the art-rock 'No Bother To Me' - my favourite from this album, despite the overdone rotating speaker effect - and an early version of 'Spellbound' (with JUDD on vocals) - the only real 'prog' track on the album - are well worth your time.

One of the more important aspects of the band isn't immediately apparent from the music itself, though the cover gives it away. Their stage performances were outrageously zany, over-the-top shows designed to hide behind, involving elaborate makeup, costumes and tomfoolery. Fabulous stuff. Another early strength of the band was the dual vocals of FINN and JUDD, their very different affectations giving songs variation and individual colouring. All in all, this is a useful retrospective, showcasing the formation and early struggles of what would become a splendid band.

(3.5 stars) Noting that this album only had four ratings on this site, I felt somewhat compelled to promote its' evidently little known virtues. Unlike some other compilations of early recordings, this one does not simply reflect the raw and tentative beginnings of a band that would evolve into a major act (at least in Australia/New Zealand and Canada), but, as suggested by the previous reviewers, a strong collection of original, heartfelt, musically rich and diverse songs, that are definitely worth listening to in their own right. Not only is this album essential to appreciate a crucial period in Split Enz' career and its evolution, but it holds its weight against much of the band's later output.

Like most of Split Enz's music, the songs on this album are difficult to categorize, and though one can certainly discern the link between these songs and their early albums, the sound is really quite unique. In general terms, it could be described as offbeat progressive folk-rock, with strong vaudevillian or music hall influences. However, while prog-rock tendencies are evident and the compositions are enriched by an impressive ensemble of instruments, including the violin, flute, saxophone, mandolin, keyboard and tambourine, this is still a few steps removed from the more art-rock oriented material of their first albums (Mental Notes, Second Thoughts or even Dyzrhithmia, which would be released a few years later). Despite the presence at times of many instruments, the songs are essentially less complex and more acoustically-based. Of course Split Enz's quirky sense of humour, weirdness and zaniness are as present as ever in the music as well as the lyrics. However, to a greater extent than would be the case later, the songs are rooted in local folklore, tradition and humour (though I have never been to New Zealand, I assume this to be the case and this is confirmed by the previous two kiwi reviewers). This lends these recordings a more earthy and unpretentious quality than is usually present in Split Enz's later material. Indeed, I find the music to be at times touchingly innocent in its earnestness and enthusiasm. This is exemplified by two of the best tracks, '129' and 'Lovey Dovey', which were re-recorded for the album Second Thoughts, an outstanding, more prog-rock oriented album, but which slightly over-does these two tracks, losing the more spontaneous feel of the originals. On Beginning of the Enz, '129' is lighter and moves faster, while "Lovey Duvey' sounds more direct, enabling the listener to better appreciate its catchy chorus. Like several other tracks on this album, these songs have sections with enticing vaudevillian/music hall arrangements, which are comically danceable. My favourite, 'No Bother to Me' alternates between a gloomy piano melody with melancholic vocals and lyrics, and an almost euphoric vaudevillian cabaret atmosphere. Some other tracks, however, in particular the ones from their first single, 'Split Ends' and 'For You', are more folk-based, dominated by acoustic guitar and the flute, though still rather strange and moving. Meanwhile, 'Spellbound' (re-recorded for 'Mental Notes") is a well-constructed piece of progressive folk with a darker atmosphere.

Ultimately, there is certainly something self-contradictory and even slightly schizophrenic in this music: progressive, eclectic, and innovative and slightly progressive on the one hand, while folk-based and traditional on the other. And in fact, this contradictory/schizophrenic character perhaps characterizes Split Enz's entire musical career; their frenetic changes in melodies and rhythms (most evident in their earlier work); their eventual conversion from avant-garde and eccentric forms of pop-rock to catchy new wave pop, not to mention the different musical styles explored along the way. Be that as it may, The Beginning of the Enz is certainly an album to be appreciated by more than just die-hard Split Enz fans in my view.... Of course, this is obviously just the opinion of one of those die-hards.

A collection of early singles, mostly predating the recording of Mental Notes, I bought this expecting an insight into their early development as a band that was initially considered progressive. Given that it consists entirely of singles, it is somewhat limited and not really representative of their most progressive side, since the single format demands shorter songs designed to catch the ears of radio programmers. It would be somewhat unfair to judge their progressive credentials based on this - after all, how many of the great prog titans would come out looking great if all we ever heard were their singles? eg Yes, ELP, Floyd etc

To start with, Split Enz favoured acoustic instruments, including flute and violin, and made music with a distinct folk edge. At it's best (such as on their first single and my personal favourite track, "For You"), it resembles prog folk groups such as Comus (without the bloodshed), Spirogyra, or the acoustic side of Jethro Tull. However, there was also a side to their early writing that leaned toward jug-band ragtime, as though they were attempting to be New Zealand's answer to the Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band; and although the two sides coexist in the best tracks, the raggy side seems to dominate here. That songwriting approach continues into the later recordings, even as the sound of the band changes, becoming more electric and keyboard-led - in that timbral context, the songs take on the character of zany, arty pop. Which is exactly the direction Split Enz ulimately followed (though with gradually decreasing levels of zaniness and artiness). Aside from "For You", the proggiest track here is the re-recorded version of "Spellbound", with it's more symphonic keyboard textures - nevertheless, it's a much more smoothed out and radio-friendly version of that song, compared to the much more edgy version on Mental Notes.