Just acquired some more rare Enz the other day. Some amazing stuff there. My thoughts on a few tracks...

'You Can Lead A Horse To Water' [live, 1981]
One of the classic lost Enz live rave-ups! Add this to the ranks of 'Outer Mongolia'. Features the perfect sing-along chorus.

'Cheated' [demo, 1980?]
An early version of 'Clumsy'. I've heard a few people comment that they prefer this to the finished product. Much more prominent synth from Eddie and I think the lyrics are more catchy.

'Albert Of India' [demo, 1980?]
Interesting for the fact that Eddie's beautiful piano work is largely replaced by synth.

HARLEQUIN DEMOS, JUN 1979
Undoubtedly the best tracks were released on Oddz And Enz CD. A total of 9 tracks were recorded, many under the 3 minute mark. As Jaffaman has noted, many of these songs didn't progress beyond the demo stage.

The early version of 'Things' (titled 'Everything I Do I Do For You' - perhaps a more apt, if wordy, title) is interesting, with its slightly slower arrangement.

Many a throw-away song in this lot, including the infamous 'Family Way' - the lyrics rank amongst Tim's most banal and lazy, but it's growing on me like 'Things' does for everyone who hears it.

The early version of 'I Hope I Never' is nice - 'Charlie'-style acoustic guitar (with Maori strum) replaces the familiar piano accompaniment. The stark arrangement makes more of an impact.

LIVE @ FRIARS, AYLESBURY, JAN 1978
Wow!!! The missing link between Dizrythmia and Frenzy. I hope these tracks make it to a Frenz Of The Enz CD someday, preferably as part of a complete concert release. Some of the rarest and most revered Enz recordings out there, with good reason too.

'Play It Strange', as mentioned in Enzology, is a lost classic and doesn't deserve to be.

Great to finally hear the much talked about guitar work on 'Bergen Aan Zee' - as many know, this turned up in 'History Never Repeats' 3 years later, although who wrote it remains the subject of some conjecture.

'So This Is Love'
An absolute lost gem, especially in its band version from the BBC's Dave Lee Travis Show. Tim and Phil's vocals sound great together, outstripping anything they did before Phil's 1977 departure.

LIVE @ WELLINGTON OPERA HOUSE, SEP 1977
Apparently Peter Green has some of this on DAT in his archives. Again, these live tracks need to see the light of day. The band are in blistering form, rocking and full of vitality.

This is an audience recording of the full show, so many audience comments can be heard. The guys play all of Dizrythmia, plus 8 other numbers including Mishaps (with Eddie doing the most mind-blowing things you've heard on the synth! - Emerson Lake & Palmer eat your heart out!), 'True Colours', Neil's solo 'Platform Three' and the obscure 'Exaggerate' (can anyone share any info on this tune?)

I've heard rumours that this show was filmed as well - DVD release, please!

Hi, Semi-Detached! Listen, I envy you kiwis for the ease you have in sourcing Enz material, even
if obscure (or rarities)... over here in Italy you may occasionally find True Colours, and just
forget the rest... unless you travel abroad (UK and the Netherlands)... maybe when I retire I'll
gift myself a nice long trip to New Zealand and Australia, who knows... Bye

Well, to be honest, I haven't found it all that easy. A lot of rare Enz tracks haven't even been released in NZ. I actually acquired this lot from outside NZ!

That all sounds very familiar Gav Glad you like it. Isn't it the Wellington 79 concert that was filmed? I also think it's a show from the Australian Diz tour that Peter has in his archives, basically the same setlist i think.

Where the hell do you get these from? The rarest Enz material I consider myself having is the A&M Frenzy and I haven't had the guts to buy either Oddz and Enz or rear Enz on ebay cause they're bundled with the albums I already have.

Yeah, the Wellington '79 show was filmed. An excerpt of 'Give It A Whirl' from it is featured in the Spellbound doco.

Must say i prefer the demo of Albert of India, I love the synth sounds, Eddie goes Kraftwerk And as you mentioned ELP, I'll say that I much prefer Eddie's playing, he always plays with soul, whereas Keith Emerson rarely played with feeling IMHO, more like how much and how fast can I play it. Plus they took themselves way way too seriously, at least the Enz knew how to have a laugh. I'll take Nightmare Stampede any day over the pompous mess that is Karn Evil 9

Re: Wellington filming, What I meant was I thought ONLY 79 was filmed, I've never heard of a 77 concert filmed.

quote:

Originally posted by Semi-Detached:
[qb] 'So This Is Love'
An absolute lost gem, especially in its band version from the BBC's Dave Lee Travis Show. Tim and Phil's vocals sound great together[/qb]

Yeah, the version I've heard of this (probably the same one) is fantastic - really quite different to anything else they officially released around then, almost 'soft-rock' in its approach. Can't especially pick out Phil's vocals though - sounds like a group effort on Beach Boys-esque chorus harmonies... unless you're talking about a different recording....

Phil's part starts with "Lost in confusion, imagination's running wild..."

I'm green in envy reading all your possessions

Raul

Green too.

I set up a trade with someone here at FrenzForum (Antipodean is all I'll say) who promised to send me most of this stuff in return for some video & live stuff that I had. Alas, he accepted the stuff I sent but never sent me the promised goodies, nor even a word. Karma where are you?

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy - sounds great!

Camus:

Keith Emerson rarely played with feeling IMHO

nice one!

Emo is definitely a speed freak, but have you heard Aquatarkus live. Absolutely perfect IMHO.

don't think Eddie would fitted in with the ELP sound, or Emo in Split Enz

I haven't heard Aquatarkus live (not that I remember), I agree, he's an amazing player, incredible speed, I just really don't like the feel of his playing.

I agree that you can't really compare Eddie and Emerson.

quote:

LIVE @ FRIARS, AYLESBURY, JAN 1978
Wow!!! The missing link between Dizrythmia and Frenzy. I hope these tracks make it to a Frenz Of The Enz CD someday, preferably as part of a complete concert release. Some of the rarest and most revered Enz recordings out there, with good reason too.

drooooooooooooooooooooool!

I would love a release of a CD or two of the Best (read worthy) of the rare stuff. I read that a LI release of the 'luton tapes' material was on the cards but wouldn't an obscure tracks, regardless of their origins, release be more practical? that way the songs that aren't up to scratch need not be included if that lads are embarrassed?

If a song has not had an official release on a CD with the words Split Enz in plain sight then I have Probably not heard it. If anybody can help me with this sorry state of affairs I will be extremely grateful, that goes for Solo and CH stuff as well.

I think it's all to do with copyrights, master tapes and such. what a shame though

quote:

Originally posted by Semi-Detached:
[qb] ... the obscure 'Exaggerate' (can anyone share any info on this tune?)[/qb]

An excerpt from another live rendition of "Exaggerate" (aka "Exaggeration") turned up on one of Neil's personal cassettes from 1977/78. Here's the interesting bit: the song ended with the sound of church bells. Right at the end of this, on the cassette tape, you hear the click of Neil's Sony Cassette Recorder button being pressed - and then Neil plays the opening of "Give It A Whirl" on acoustic guitar, as heard on "Enzology". Now you know what inspired the intro.

Just found another interesting obscurity. From a 1978 cassette of rough demos recorded at Tim's residence in Radlett, the song "Cowboy Dave" which features the instrumental break later used in "Poor Boy" - here hummed and strummed by Tim.

This has previously been referred to at Juddfinn's Split Enz page so I'm wondering if other copies of this are floating about?

quote:

This has previously been referred to at Juddfinn's Split Enz page so I'm wondering if other copies of this are floating about?

It's mentioned in Stranger than Fiction. I've certainly never come across it.

Thanks, Camus. I remember reading that now.