Well, right off the bat, 'Under the Wheel' is outrageous; love that great big ending with the melodic keys. I think I'm going to really fall for Phil and Eddie as I discover their collective genius.

And even with all that beautiful bombast, you can still here the Tim of today on, for example, 'Amy (darling)'.

The ocerall feel is still very pastoral, which tends to make the heavy bits stand out that much more. More on this as I work my way through.

It's probably my favourite Enz album. I particularly like Titus (especially the Mental Notes version).

Don't be put off by the similar track listing of Second Thoughts, they are different recordings and slightly different arrangements. Lovey Dovey is insane on Second Thoughts, nothing like the Beginning of the Enz version, and the album is worth it alone for The Woman Who Loves You. It also has a much superior version of Time For A Change, the guitar solo is huge screaming distortion, not a twanging rubber band like it is on Mental Notes.

I partially agree with you, Camus, but then I partially disagree with you on TfaC. The first half is better on the Mental Notes but like you said, there is a MUCH better guitar solo on Second Thoughts.

My favourites off Mental Notes are Walking Down A Road, Under The Wheel, Amy (Darling), Stranger Than Fiction, Maybe and Titus. Not dissing So Long For Now, Time For A Change, Spellbound or the title track but the ones I mentioned stand out more to me.

definitely one of my favourite split enz albums, very artistic approach with such a colourful imagery, i love that natural flare to it as well. imagine how even more so incredible this album could have been had 'the woman who loves you' & 'lovey dovey' (both recorded during the mental notes sessions but left off the final album) had been added to it from the beginning

incase you didn't guess 'the woman who loves you' is one of my absolute favourite split enz tunes

I think Lovey Dovey and Woman Who Loves You were booted off the album for time constraint purposes.

I'm not convinced that the Mental Notes version of The Woman Who Loves You would have been better. I'm basing that on a live version I've heard from 1974. Wally's guitar just didn't fit into the arrangement IMHO.

quote:

The Woman Who Loves You

What do you think of post-Phil arrangements of the song featuring electric guitar work-outs, Joe? In particular I'm thinking of the excerpt in 'Strait Old Line' from Anniversary/Extravagenza.

It was the sax lines I was thinking of Gav, which were played by Wally. The post Phil lines on Extravagenza etc.. are the same lines as Phil's on Second Thoughts, and I thought they sounded fine.

I'm not a huge fan of Mental Notes but I do like it much better than most of the band's post-True Colours output. For me, the only essential song on this collection is "Maybe" which is totally an overlooked gem of the Enz collection.

I think this version of "Walking Down a Road" is better than the Second Thoughts version but I think the rest of the re-recorded version are superior. "Titus" just sounds like a demo without the *real* trumpet solo.

I always listen to "Amy (Darling)" and "So Long For Now" hoping to enjoy them more than I do. It seems like Tim is pretty fond of these two and hearing him sing "So Long For Now" a number of times on his recent tour certainly helped get me into it a bit more.

I can't really get into "Under the Wheel", "Stranger Than Fiction", or "Spellbound". They strike me as too theatrical, too indulgent, and too long. I know lots of people love that part of the Enz but it's not ultimately what I'm looking for in music.

Can't help but wonder what "Mental Notes" would have sounded like if they wrote it out to a full song. It certainly has a catchy beginning.

Thanks everyone for a brilliant array of opinions and observations. Strangely enough, I have fallen in love with "Maybe", yet still can't get over the bombast and and majesty "Under The Wheel" and "Stranger Than Fiction". After a few listens to the two versions of "Spellbound", I have to say that I prefer Tim's vocal and the energy on the "Beginning Of The Enz" version.

I like Mental Notes, but I'm probably in the minority in thinking that (almost) all of the rerecorded songs for Second Thoughts sound better there than on Mental Notes.

That sounded confusing!

Which re-recorded Mental Notes track do you prefer in its original form, KhanadaRhodes? I bet it's either Walking Down A Road or Stranger Than Fiction.

quote:

Originally posted by six species on leaky boat:
Which re-recorded Mental Notes track do you prefer in its original form, KhanadaRhodes? I bet it's either Walking Down A Road or Stranger Than Fiction.

Both actually! Although I prefer the original (BOTE obviously) version of 129. The MN version of Titus I just can't get into, though. Phil's vocals remind me of a goat or something, and I love Phil!

quote:

I like Mental Notes, but I'm probably in the minority in thinking that (almost) all of the rerecorded songs for Second Thoughts sound better there than on Mental Notes.

The recordings themeselves, soundwise are much better than Mental Notes. It's the performances that I don't like, they sound tired and lacklustre (they needed to move on and record new songs, to me Second Thoughts sounds like a band knowingly repeating itself and sick of playing the same songs over and over). Imagine Second Thoughts with Another Great Divide, True Colours, Nightmare Stamepede and Sugar and Spice on it, all songs that had been kicking around at the time, or very shortly after.

For energy and vitality, every re-recorded track on it is better in it's original form (except Lovey Dovey) IMO (including Late Last Night). Titus in particular sounds like a bored band (thought using a real trumpet is preferable to the synth on Mental Notes).

"Titus" on Second thoughts sounds like a bored band? I don't agree with that.

It was that version of the song that got me into Split Enz in the first place. It was track 1 on a best of Split Enz CD that I bought in the early 90's. It was "Titus" and "Late Last Night" that really peeked my interest. They sounded like nothing else I had listened to at that point (I think I was 15).

quote:

"Titus" on Second thoughts sounds like a bored band? I don't agree with that.

When you compare it to the Mental Notes version though? One has a spine tingling explosive vocal full of energy and menace, the other has a completely neutered vocal. Tim in particular sounds like he's going through the motions. It's only the real trumpet that saves it for me.

Obviously it's not a band so bored they don't give a toss. It's acceptable but it isn't 100%.

quote:

Originally posted by Camus:
The recordings themeselves, soundwise are much better than Mental Notes. It's the performances that I don't like, they sound tired and lacklustre (they needed to move on and record new songs, to me Second Thoughts sounds like a band knowingly repeating itself and sick of playing the same songs over and over). Imagine Second Thoughts with Another Great Divide, True Colours, Nightmare Stamepede and Sugar and Spice on it, all songs that had been kicking around at the time, or very shortly after.

Nightmare Stampede on an LP? That would rule! At least True Colours (Let's Rock) found its way onto the DVD and Sugar And Spice turned up on Dizrythmia.

quote:

Nightmare Stampede on an LP?

It's live on the Oddz and Enz CD with a live version of True Colours from the same concert in Auckland, 1976, a concert that would make a great club disc.

They need to reissue Oddz and Enz and Rear Enz as a 2-CD set with some overhauls to the track list methinks...

quote:

Originally posted by six species on leaky boat:
They need to reissue Oddz and Enz and Rear Enz as a 2-CD set with some overhauls to the track list methinks...

I definitely agree! Since they're long out of print, the box sets are hard to find and when you can, they're so expensive. I don't even really want the box sets seeing as I have the remastered and original albums already, I just want the extra stuff.

A remaster of those two CDs with extra tracks would be so awesome.