WAIATA / CORROBOREE

Certainly a better album than its predecessor True Colours. Hints of the sophomore '80s effort Time & Tide. Great sounding production. This would also appeal to fans of XTC for it's quirkiness, as well as 10cc for production values. Definitely headphone pop.prog and an album to put on during sunny days. Nothing gloomy here, except maybe...Ghost Girl.

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Posted Tuesday, February 5, 2008 | Review this album | Report (Review #160856)

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.

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Posted Thursday, September 4, 2008 | Review this album | Report (Review #181710)

Waiata (Corroboree in Australia) is usually seen as an acceptable, yet somewhat less original, safe follow-up to Split Enz's breakthrough album, True Colours, released a year earlier. Indeed, this is perhaps Split Enz's only lateral move, essentially maintaining the sharp, new wave-like sound of Tr ... (read more)

Report this review (#699065) | Posted by filster8 | Thursday, March 29, 2012 | Review Permanlink

Originally called Corrobree in Australia and Waiata in the rest of the world, this is like a sister album to True Colours , there are elements of prog in here especially Eddies input, such as the new wave influenced prog instrumental and the song Albert of India which adds eclecticism to this albu ... (read more)

Report this review (#140814) | Posted by Cheesecakemouse | Friday, September 28, 2007 | Review Permanlink

Waiata was my introduction to Split Enz. It's pop, not progressive, but as far as pop goes, its pretty good - especially considering the competition at the time. The songs of course sound a bit dated now, but other pop tunes from the early 80s seem worse somehow. If you appreciate acts like E ... (read more)

Report this review (#137879) | Posted by Foxtrot | Wednesday, September 12, 2007 | Review Permanlink

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