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Split Enz
New Zealand's most successful music export, Split Enz, began in
Auckland in 1972 when Tim Finn and Philip Judd formed an acoustic
band called Split Ends. They released three singles in New Zealand,
grew into a seven piece band and became Split Enz. Shortly after
they moved to Melbourne in 1975, Michael Gudinski signed them to his
independent label Mushroom, and they began work on their first
album, Mental Notes.
Split Enz took Australia by surprise. Audiences didn't know what
to make of the band's quirky, idiosyncratic music. Record sales were
modest. They were an arty contrast to the prevalent pub rock of the
time and preferred taking their oddly theatrical stage show to the
university circuit. With their eccentric costumes (designed by
percussionist Noel Crombie), high-rise hairdos and strange facial
expressions, they came across as a troupe of mentally disturbed
clowns.
Not everyone was put off by their weird appearance. When the
British art-rock band Roxy Music toured
Australia in 1976, guitarist Phil Manzanera was so impressed with
Split Enz that he organised for them to record their second album, Second
Thoughts, in the UK and offered to produce it himself.
The band signed an overseas deal with Chrysalis and based
themselves in London for a while. But England in 1976 was in the
grip of the punk rock explosion and it was
the wrong time for what audiences perceived as 'Art Rock'.
When Phil Judd quit the band in March 1977, Tim Finn's younger
brother Neil was summoned from Te Awamutu as his replacement. The
band continued to spend lengthy periods in England, improving as a
live act but getting nowhere, even though their 1977 album went gold
in Australia and New Zealand and spawned the hit single My
Mistake. After touring the world to promote their album, the
band recorded Frenzy (1979), which reached number 24 on the
Australian charts.
Frequently changing their appearance, their line-up and their
sound, Split Enz returned to Australia, released the catchy Top 20
rocker I See Red and spent the rest of 1979 playing the pubs.
The big breakthrough came with the True Colours album.
Released early in 1980, it sold 250 000 copies in Australia
(quadruple platinum). The single I Got You was a smash, going
to number one in Australia for ten weeks, Number 1 in New Zealand,
Top 20 in the UK, Canada and Holland and Top 40 in the USA .
Neil Finn had blossomed as a pop songwriter - His melodic pop
songs made Split Enz's music more accessible, and coupled with some
noteworthy video clips, helped to broaden their audience. During his
tine with Split Enz, Neil wrote and sang many of the band's most
popular songs, including the Top 10 singles I Got You, One
Step Ahead, History Never Repeats and Message To My
Girl.
The albums Corroboree (1981) and Time And Tide
(1982) both went to Number 1 on the Australian charts. The band
toured America, Europe and Canada where Six Months In A Leaky
Boat topped the singles chart. With a lead vocal by Tim Finn,
the song typified his enormous contribution to the band's commercial
success in the early 1980s when he wrote and sang hits like I
Hope I Never and Dirty Creature.
When Tim left Split Enz in 1984 to pursue a solo career, Neil
briefly continued with the band. Following a farewell studio album, See
Ya Round, and the Enz With A Bang tour in late 1984,
Split Enz called it quits. After nine albums they had been unable to
make significant inroads into the US market. Neil decided to start
from scratch with a new band, initially known as The Mullanes, which
eventually found huge international acclaim as Crowded
House.
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