Well it's happening in the Crowded House and it's one HOT topic!
So what is everyone's fave Enz albums?
Mine
True Colours
Followed closeley by Anniversary, Corroboree(Waiata) and Conflicting Emotions.
Worst: Probably The Beginning Of The Enz; Sorry Phil Judd fans!! TBOTE is something that had to be released but... I don't know... It's certainly Split Ends - Not Split Enz (these songs are worlds apart from the actual album versions of these tracks!)

My favourite Enz album is prolly Second Thoughts,just cos it has so many of my fave songs on it...Sweet Dreams,Walking Down a Road,The Woman Who Loves You..etc.I also love Time and Tide,and the Frenzy with Livin' it Up and Semi-Detached.As for TBOTE...sometimes that one just does it for me..it sounds do fragile.

I'll bite... :-)

"Mental Notes". To this day, I find it an incredible album, a wild ride of mood swings against an impenetrably dark background. A journey which no other album I have ever heard has taken me on.

I'm a Judd fan for sure and the Judd/Finn tracks are still standouts from the whole Enz catalogue to me. Fifty million listens later, "Under the Wheel" still frightens the hell out of me and "Walking Down A Road", "Titus", "Spellbound" and "Time For A Change" remain delightful in their own ways.

Also I think that the Chunn/Crowther rhythm section is the most musically creative and interesting that the Enz ever had. Mike Chunn's bass lines were often melodic and counter-melodic in the best McCartney tradition, which I think is often sadly overlooked, and Paul Crowther's excellent drumming brings the songs to life in a manner that the straightfoward rock drummers like Green and Hester got nowhere near. Eddie Rayner's always top class keyboard work I think was also best showcased here.

Although I still listen to them all, for me "Mental Notes", "Frenzy" and "Corroboree" are the ones in the highest circulation. Well, and "Dizrhythmia".

I understand the criticism of "Beginning of the Enz" but I think that you have to consider that that was a compilation, a mish-mash of A&B(?) sides that were never meant to be jammed together on a single album. Which is probably why it sounds so fractured.

Worst album... I'm not huge on "Conflicting Emotions" but I think "See Ya Round" would have to take the wooden spoon. Nearly saved by "Ninnie Knees Up" but not quite. :-)

Paul.

I think the best Enz albums are Time and Tide,Second Thoughts, True Colours and Dizrythmia.

I like Conflicting Emotions, or at least Neil's songs - Tims's are fairly ordinary on this one.

Mental Notes has shocking production and Corroboree, with a few exceptions, One Step. History, Albert of India, Wail and Walking throught the Ruins, sounds like a poor persons True Colours.

Frenzy has some good songs (HErmit McDermit, She's Got Body, Give It A Whirl and 1 great one, Stuff and Nonsense. Otherwise it sounds a bit lit a jumble of songs.

The album that surpises me is See ya Round. I really like it and think it has some great songs. It is one of my favourites - the only dud song is Ninnie - pretty self indulgent but then it was their swansong.

Mine are "Beginning of the Enz", "Frenzy" and "Mental notes"
I prefer the older stuff, you see...
I�m not a fan of these typical eighties songs...

Favorite would have to be Dizrythmia and Time And Tide, Disrythmia because I felt it really is where Tim started to shine as a vocalist and songwriter and Time And Tide becuase everthing just seemed to gel on that album as far as them balancing that guirky/comercial sound...Least Favorite would be Conflicting Emotions, probably more due to it being the last Tim album as anything else.

OK, heres my top three.

1. TRUE COLOURS - It may not have been their creative peak, but every single song on it is just so damn catchy. How can you not fall in love with this album. It's a classic.

2. TIME AND TIDE - A beautiful album with dark, raw, painful emotions. An album about fighting your inner demons, going to hell and back, and winning. Also, Noel, Tim, Eddie, Nigel and Neil have all said that this is their favourite album out of all the albums Split Enz made. If perhaps not a classic, there is no denying that there is some great material here. Six months in a leaky boat, Log Cabin fever, Dirty creature, Small world. I could go on forever.

3. DIZRYTHMIA - As much as I love MENTAL NOTES and SECOND THOUGHTS, this album is more historically important. Tim Finn finally steps out from Phil Judd's shadow and proves that he can write even better songs by himself. To this day Bold as brass and My mistake still sound delightful, and Charlie still sends a shiver down my spine. Have you ever heard a more haunting Tim vocal. All in all a magical album, and one which made Tim the undisputed front man.

Least favourite albums.

1. SEE YA ROUND - I feel very strongly that as soon as Tim left the band, they should have broken up. By the time this album was made, there were only two band members left who had played on all Split Enz albums. Noel Crombie and Eddie Rayner, and even they werent original band members. Tim Finn was the last original band member. Don't get me wrong. I have the hugest respect for the musical talents of Neil Finn, Noel Crombie, Paul Hester, Nigel Griggs and Eddie Rayner. But by themselves, with no original band members left, they werent Split Enz anymore. As for the music on the album itself, aside from some great cuts like Ninnie knees up, This is massive, Kia kaha and Years go by, the album is way too self indulgent. I would easily rate ODDZ AND ENZ and REAR ENZ over this album in terms of song quality and flow.

2. CONFLICTING EMOTIONS - This is not actually a bad album at all. There is clearly some very personal sentiments in alot of the songs here. Message to my girl, Strait Old line, Bon Voyage and Conflicting emotions are all great songs. My only real problem is that the whole album is more Keyboard driven than Guitar driven. Certainly, after hearing TIME AND TIDE, you could be forgiven for feeling more than a little bit let down when hearing this album. Whether it is fair or not, when fans are treated to a great album, they expect the next album to be at least as good or even better than the last one. Sadly, despite a couple of great songs, CONFLICTING EMOTIONS fails in both these regards.

I agree with Paul G, Mental Notes is a uniquely eerie, dark and atmospheric album.
I have no problems with any Split Enz albums except maybe the one with Neil's Ghost Girl. I find Split Enz as good as Crowded House, if not better.

Last time I listened to See Ya Round I remember being impressed with the general sound of it. Kia Khia exemplifies why Neil is such a consistently impressive songwriter - "We used to laugh at the words of the schools song, I pray that you never be strong" is a classic line & melody. Maybe school students should take it up.

The album that I always put foward and would do so to any prospective and potential fan is Frenzy. It's an instant album - all the songs are catchy. Betty has a great and grand chorus, what with the big sounds in it.

Another general thing about Split Enz is they had many musical / creative sources to work from. Hence they are a better band than Crowded House and as a product too. The head of Mushroom Australia once said on a major show "Split Enz were the best band in the world". Maybe having more band members and straying away from the 3 or 4 person setup is the way to go. No disrespect to Crowded House but Split Enz has more songs & albums to choose from and deserve as much success as them.

I hope I don't sound anti Crowded House because I'm not, they're great. I've been paying sympathies to Tim lately on this forum and as good as he is, Neil is still my hero, so there you go. Split Enz did have a longer life and maybe it's not right to compare them to the shorter life of the House. Though that just gives another reason on why the Split Enz trademark makes them the better band ...

An English slant on things: I find the early Split Enz albums very inaccessible, having bought the two box sets on import some years ago. I got into Crowded House from Temple, and subsequently went through Tim and the Split's back catalogue (though only True Colours was available initially). Frenzy is the first of the better era of albums, and I think this simply stems from having two great song writers. I think this is why both Neil and Tim have had subsequent problems, Neil's lack of writing support in CH, and Tim's lack of a regular band to develop his ideas, hence Tim Finn the album being a great album based around Peter Gabriel's musicians of the era. I think this also explains why Woodface and the Finn songs are so good.

to try and answer the question though: Conflicting Emotions, closely followed by True Colours.

I'm split (no pun intended) between Mental Notes and Second Thoughts. My first Enz experience was the Canadian "Mental Notes" which was actually "Second Thoughts" with the inclusion of Mental Notes as the last track. When I finally got Mental Notes I was blown away by how different Walking Down A Road and Stranger Than Fiction sounded. Love at first listen. But I have always loved The Woman Who Loves You as well. Such a dilemma.

If those two are tied for first then Time and Tide runs second. The first time I heard the opening of Sandy Allen I remember looking outside to see if we were under attack. The coincidence of having to go to Shelbyville, In 10 years later was not lost on me. This was also the second live Enz show that I saw in 1982 - Duran Duran opened for them. And where are THEY now? Oh, wait a minute......

PS - Jose - The line in Kia Kaha is "I hope that you will EVER be strong."

Cheers everyone

Peter

*My favourite Enz album: Dizrythmia. As I have said before, this is a powerful album. It's full of great, catchy, yet still quirky and original melodies; heartfelt, soulful, deep lyrics and some of Tim's best-ever songs ('Bold As Brass', 'Without A Doubt', 'Charlie'). The band reinvented themselves on album for the first time, forging an identity without Phil. Gone were Tim's contrived mannerisms and vocal style; gone were the complex, uncommercial epic songs and arrangements. This was the first Enz studio album I got and it still holds special meaning after all the years and listens. An essential Enz album.

*I don't feel that the Enz ever released any bad albums or recordings, since all songs/albums are different, and therefore incomparable. But I think Conflicting Emotions is their least commercial album. Don't get me wrong, it has some classic Enz on it ('Strait Old Line', 'Message To My Girl', 'The Devil You Know'), but there is more than a fair share of less-than-commercial Enz music that would have been best relegated to B-side status, while B-sides (e.g. 'Parasite') should have had their status elevated.

I'm resurrecting a very old post here. I did a search for a favourite album thread & found this.

Well mine is:
Mental Notes - Really cohesive, creepy, compelling. Musical and strange full of shades and echoes. Phil Judd and Tim Finn were great writing talents, and the musical cohesion is amazing. A weird twist to Prog rock that went somewhere completely new and set off the recording career of a great band.

Time and Tide
Next best. Again a really cohesive group effort and Noel's drumming is beautiful, the song-writing is the Enz showing themselves as very human and very creative. It goes to the heart.

True Colours
Such a pop classic but still very original. Very catchy but still the same themes of insecurity and trepidation.

Dizrythmia
It was great to see Tim could lead the band without Phil and come up with a completely satisfying album. From catchy Bold as Brass & That was My Mistake to the classic longer songs of Jamboree and Without a Doubt.

Frenzy
Since it has been remixed has emerged as a significant album, different from any other (except maybe Rootin Tootin Luton Tapes). This one was certainly a sleeper as with the old mix for a long time I thought it was a bad album. But Give it a Whirl & Stuff and Nonsense are pure classic and the other tracks show a band brimming with ideas.

The Beginning of the Enz
This is just so charming and to see even at the start the Enz were on a roll.

I've only just got Rootin Tootin Luton Tapes they again show Split Enz in another light and makes you wonder how many facets this band has. But I'm not yet sure where it finds it's place in my heart.

The other albums seem to fall in the shadows of previous albums. So these although all of them are good must fall into the worst category.

Second Thought is overshadowed by Mental Notes. But I love the version of Titus one of my all time favourite Enz tracks. Sweet Dreams is also excellent.

Waiata falls under the shadow of True Colours and is just too much a part two. Still very enjoyable.

Conflicting Emotions
Not enough Tim and after an album that gelled perfectly to have one that didn't set was disappointing but at least it is different, it is like no other Enz album. I quite like Tim's I wake up every night.

See Ya Round
Seems to be not quite an Enz album. I haven't listened to it much. But I do like that all band members contributed and again it was something different.

What a great band It's fabulous to have all these excellent albums.

Well Borris, Since you have resurrected this old post, I thought I may as well throw my opinion in too. However, I make my judgement on the way I hear songs (if they are catchy or not) as I am not a muso & I can't read music like others can.

My favourite Enz album is True Colours due to the fact that this album is extremely catchy & is hard to ignore. I alway remember I Got You on the TV when I was 10 years old & could not get it out of my head & it won't get out !

Years ago my second pick would have been Time & Tide but since the release of the re-masters I must throw in Frenzy as this album clearly demonstrates the turning point in the history of Split Enz. I used to get quite bored with Frenzy but now it sounds heaps better & I hear sounds that I have never heard in these songs before. It is clearly my second pick.

Third pick goes to the Rootin Tootin Luton Tapes mainly because I keep playing it & it seems to be the flavour of the month at the moment. Also because it is very significant to the Frenzy album.

A close 4th goes to Time & Tide. Some nice catchy tunes on this one but still don't enjoy it the way I enjoy Frenzy.

5th is Dizrythmia. Tim clearly stepping up in gear & also the end of the Split Ends era. I find that the first 2 albums Mental Notes & Second Thoughts have that early Split Ends feel to them as is what the Beginning Of The Enz is all about. I don't hate that era, I just don't find too many catchy songs on those albums even though I love listening to them once in a while. Dizrythmia is clearly the album that heralds the beginning of the NEW Enz. It was a good thing that Phil Judd had left because Split Enz would not have anywhere near the success that they enjoy now or have anywhere near those 10 studio albums that were released if Phil Judd had stayed & Neil Finn not joined as it is quite clear that Phil cannot write catchy pop songs like Neil can. I always find that Tim is better solo than in a band & Neil is better off in a band than solo.

As for the other albums, I do quite like most of them but clearly the one that stands out as the worst is Second Thoughts. I just can't seem to put it on the player, it just does not do it for me.

Well that's my opinion, so maybe it's time I had another listen to Frenzy or will I throw on Luton. So many titles to choose from. I've got all day so maybe I'll do a chronology. AAAHHHH !!!

quote:

Phil cannot write catchy pop songs like Neil can.

Counting The Beat not catchy enough?

I reckon Phil's got it in him (some of the songs on Novelty Act are ridiculously catchy too) just he's been happy doing his own stuff.

I like your idea that Tim is better solo than in a band...looking at Tim's body of work I tend to agree

Time & Tide (best & favourite)

See ya Round (sounds like a CH demo to me)

quote:

Originally posted by AGM155:

quote:

Phil cannot write catchy pop songs like Neil can.

Counting The Beat not catchy enough?

I reckon Phil's got it in him (some of the songs on Novelty Act are ridiculously catchy too) just he's been happy doing his own stuff.

I like your idea that Tim is better solo than in a band...looking at Tim's body of work I tend to agree

I agree with you both, Counting the Beat obviously was catchy, it went to number one in New Zealand, but I don't think Phil ever had Neil's appeal. Phil would have had to pretend to be something he wasn't to produce hits and that kind of pretense doesn't tend to work.

I would have loved to see some more Enz albums with Phil in, I might be dreaming away but I'd love to see one more Enz album with Phil & both the Finns & of course Noel, Eddie & Nigel and whoever else, but with Phil again taking the lead role and painting the cover. That would be real cool...I've got my head way above the clouds...

I can't agree that Tim is better without a band, I love the Enz stuff too much, personally I like it better than anything that happened afterwards.

I do agree that Tim is batter than Neil is without a band. I suspect though that Neil's solo albums were deliberately low key as i don't think Neil has that great a love for fame and may have been trying to get some space. Bob Dylan in Chronicles seems to suggest that his albums directly after John Wesley Harding were done almost to give himself some distance from a very intrusive world and fan base. Tim and Phil I don't think have ever needed to do that. Just a theory but i don't detect much in the way of ambition in Neil's solo albums.

My quick opinion, based on what I'm still likely to listen to these days (and sadly it's rarity for me to listen to the Enz much - 10 years of solid listening burns you out a little!)

Best: Two way tie between "Time and Tide" and "Dizrythmia".

Worst: Conflicting Emotions. No competition there.

Thats a real hard one!!!

i love Mental Notes and Dizyrithmia(cant spell it)
i dont like See ya round or Conflicting emotions

AAAAARRRGGGHHHHH - Just impossible and it depends what mood I'm in musically if I want to listen to something a bit more adventurous I'll go for Mental Notes - Commercial probably Time & Tide then True Colours. Am probably not so taken with Second Thoughts (pointless exercise - apart from the newer tracks - although I suppose The Beginning Of The Enz release has made it look more pointless over time & I prefer these earlier versions on there or Conflicting Emotions which is probably the weakest/ worst produced (in a dated production sense).

The first time I really sit down and listened to all the Enz albums, I had expected that I would like the Neil-era stuff the most. Since Neil was the reason I got into all things Finn in the first place. I was surprised, therefore, to find that Conflicting Emotions was Gawd Awful and that the strongest and most consistent album was Dizrythmia. Those would be my picks for best and worst Enz albums.

Two things that I don't agree with in this forum are people's negative opinions of Second Thoughts and their positive opinions of Time & Tide.

I think Second Thoughts, when judged on it's own merits, is a very strong album. They really nailed the new versions of "Titus", "Time for a Change", and "Lovey Dovey". New songs like "Late Last Night", "Sweet Dreams", and "The Woman Who Loves You" are all excellent. The only real short comings were the unnecessary (but still good) re-recordings of "Walking Down a Road" and "129".

As for Time & Tide, I think both the band and fans alike wanted that album to be their definitive artist statement but I think it falls short. "Small World" is an overlooked gem but many of the other songs reek of filler. "Hello Sandy Allen" was a cute idea but the huge production makes it sound like it's trying to carry more weight than the lyrics are capable of supporting. "Never Ceases to Amaze Me", "Lost For Words", "Giant Heartbeat", "Log Cabin Fever", and even "Make Sense of It" are all middle of the road at best and quite bad at worst.

The new Frenzy is great and probably now in my top five. I have no idea how to judge the Lutin Tapes. Coroborree and See Ya Round would be in my bottom five for sure.