Okay, here we are on round five, and now it's getting fairly difficult. Second Thoughts, though a brilliant album from start to finish in its own right, is the poorer cousin to its predecesor -- so it wasn't much of a surprise for it to be one of the first to go. Next on the chopping block were later Enz albums, the Tim-less See Ya 'Round and the Tim-saving-his-best-songs-for-his-solo-record Conflicting Emotions. Both have their moments ("Devil You Know," "Years Go By," and "Message to My Girl" being obvious highlights).

Most recently, we lost the oh-my-god-we're-successful-pop-stars-now-what? album Waiata (a.k.a. Corroboree).

Which will be next to go? Your job is to choose the album you think should be eliminated next. The last one standing will be declared Enz Album Survivor.

Mental Notes and Time and Tide are in the lead for being booted off. Surely there's some mistake. Is there someone from the True Colours camp handing out bribes or what...

What!? I suggest people go back and listen to Time and Tide again to make sure they know what they're doing. Right now I can't get Giant Heartbeat out of my head.

quote:

Originally posted by Nick Hamblin:
[qb] What!? I suggest people go back and listen to Time and Tide again to make sure they know what they're doing. Right now I can't get Giant Heartbeat out of my head. [/qb]

It's all strategic, I think -- not based upon a dislike of that album. People are voting T&T in order to preserve Mental Notes.

Not in my case. I voted for Mental Notes 'cos I don't think it's that great. The songs are good, I prefer it to a lot of the albums that have already fallen by the wayside, but I've never seen it as anything close to their best.

(stands by to receive flack from the prog brigade... )

I think if you took the best tracks from Mental Notes and Second Thoughts and put them on one you'd get a great album. For example the MN versions of Walking down a road and Stranger than fiction are better than those on ST, and the other way round with regards to Titus and Time for a change.

I'd agree with that. Tim creasing up laughing in Stranger Than Fiction has always bugged me (though I've also always wondered what Phil was doing in the studio to make him laugh...) I also prefer the Beginning of the Enz version of Spellbound as well.

Yes!! Definately. I think Phil's 'weird' vocal delivery works only occaisionally (like on Under the Wheel and Titus); why he didn't sing 'properly' more often (Sweet Dreams has got to be his best performance) is a mystery to me. Maybe to add variety?

I much prefer the Mental Notes version of Titus. ISTR reading that when Tim recorded his vocals on STF for MN he laughs because Phil has recorded something obscene in place of the hippie man part, hence Tim cracking up and it made it onto the record.

I can't believe Frenzy is still here, considering it as an album it's by far one of the worst IMHO, muddy sound, lifeless performances. Maybe if it was all replaced with the same songs from Luton I could understand, but as it's the Mushroom Frenzy, ????

As far as Phil's vocals go, I believe it was confidence.

Are you serious? I see red, She got body, Give it a whirl lifeless? Have to admit I do prefer the A&M version though - Holy Smoke and Semi-Detatched are great additions especially. Well each man to his own I guess. It'll probably be given the boot next round with Dizrythmia not too far behind.

Not to mention the glory that is Stuff & Nonsense (best song ever written, ever )

Going by the latest results though, it seems the best way to ensure something gets more votes is to start defending it. Next round, I think I'll be loudly 'praising' True Colours...

It may be a pretty good album, but we're talking Survivor here. No mercy!!

Interesting that the album voted best NZ album of all time by NZ musicians and music writers in a few years ago is about to be booted out by Frenz voters.

I find that funny too.

I agree with Tim that Mental Notes is a flawed album. For me it's a good manifestation of a brilliant idea - The actual recording of the album doesn't do the inspiration behind it much justice.

When the poll came out a few years ago I wondered was this because the people who voted actually really liked the album, felt an affinity to it like many of us do with our favourite records, or was it because they recognised that beyond doubt it was one of the most daring, brave and original albums to be made by a New Zealand group. I don't profess to know a lot about New Zealand as a country, but if it's anything like Ireland, a country of similar size, with a similar reliance on agriculture, was in 1975, releasing an album like Mental Notes on to the public was a very very brave move. I think in ways Mental Notes does stand up better than True Colours does, because whilst True Colours was a very good New Wave record, there really isn't a point of reference for Mental Notes.

I was truly hoping to see it come down to Time and Tide and Mental Notes - the former being the pinnacle of the Finn\Finn era of the Enz, and the latter being the highlight of the Finn\Judd era.
That I would consider a serious match, and I'm afraid should it come to that, i'd have to abstain from voting.

I have to admit to voting for Mental Notes - admittedly to give Frenzy the best chance of survival although MN would have gotten it next round had Dizrythmia (my actual choice) been voted off. As you mentioned the recording doesn't do some of the tracks justice and as I mentioned earlier the substitution of Second thought versions and re-working of Spellbound could have made it my all time number one...

Yes I am serious about Frenzy, the album is so badly recorded and I think the performances are by a band going through the motions. The actual songs I think are quite good, I was talking about the performances though. If I could replace every song on the Mushroom album with it's Luton counterpart (like they did with half the A&M Frenzy) it'd be one of their best albums IMHO. Lifeless performances? Masterplan, Roughest Toughest Game In The World, Stuff and Nonsense, Frenzy and I See Red wasn't on the album originally, it's from a totally different recording session in a different studio with a different producer, as the Mushroom album stands, I See Red is the only decently recorded track and performance. Imagine Frenzy recorded by David Tickle (As originally planned). The problem with Frenzy lies with Malory Earl, a man I suspect who was way out of his depth (that's what it sounds like anyway) and a band not really giving it's all. Split Enz themselves have said they dropped the ball with Frenzy.

Give It A Whirl is possibly the worst recorded song I've ever heard. It's a muddy lo fi mess and Eddie's remix sounds worse, it's totally gutless.

As for the A&M version, you can't polish a turd, I think in a lot of ways the A&M Frenzy is worse, though as a plus side B is from Luton.

Jaffa: considering only 30 or so of us are voting I don't think it's very representative

Mmm... some good points. Do you think 'True Colours' would have been as good had Tickle recorded 'Frenzy'? Afteral I seem to recall reading (probably in Stranger than Fiction) that they got him back to do Waiata/Corroboree after the success of 'True Colours' and he became very reclusive and difficult to work with and the band wasn't entirely satisfied with the finished article.

Talking about 'I See Red' being released as a single before the recording of Frenzy I think someone also suggested it be put on 'True Colours' for its North America release but the Enz didn't think it suited the style of the album. Also 'One Step Ahead' was recorded seperately as well wasn't it? Was that recorded by Tickle too? (I imagine so but I can't be arsed to look it up).

The problem with Tickle and Corroboree I think was the fact that he became very big headed after the success of True Colours and became disinterested in recording with Split Enz. Could have happened after Frenzy if he recorded that, we won't really know.

Don't know if One Step Ahead was recorded separately, if it was, it was still produced by David Tickle, and was always on Corroboree. I do know that One Step Ahead was being played live when they were touring True Colours, as was half of Corroboree. Looking at the setlists for 1980, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Corroboree was already released so much of it is being played live.