I have a special fondness for this band. Having first seen Split Enz at The Roxy in Los Angeles during their debut American tour in 1977 and having interviewed the band shortly after, I was baffled they didn’t receive the huge acceptance I could have sworn they were going to get from the start.
Well, that was a bit early. And it wasn’t for another couple of years before they got the worldwide recognition they really deserved. Split Enz were always an intelligent, well-crafted, thoroughly engaging band to listen to. And I will confess to wearing out my first copy of Mental Notes in a little less than a month.
Between November 1977 and February 1978 Split Enz toured solidly throughout the UK and Europe. At the turn of the year Rob Gillies left and despite their earlier falling out, Phil Judd returned, briefly, in early 1978 after Tim and Eddie heard some of his new material, but he apparently felt uncomfortable with their changing musical direction and style, and left the band for good about a month later. The Enz struggled to survive through 1978: they lost their Chrysalis contract and spent most of that year without a UK record deal, a booking agent or a manager. Debts mounted and, unable to get gigs, they were forced to go on the dole, but they continued writing new material and rehearsing constantly. It was at this point that the New Zealand Arts Council came to the rescue with a grant of $5000. This crucial break allowed them to book a tiny 8-track studio in Luton and with the help of 18-year-old English engineer David Tickle they made demos of 28 new songs in less than five days. These sessions—known as the Rootin Tootin Luton Tapes—became the basis for the group’s new direction. One of Tim’s new songs from these sessions – which showed the clear influence of British punk and New Wave – became their next single, “I See Red”.
They went through some personnel changes in the years later, eventually packing it in for a while in 1984 and going off to other endeavors. But Split Enz have always remained a unique entity in the story of Rock, weirdo stage personas not withstanding.
Tonight’s post is during that formative phase, a little while after I first saw them. In Concert in London and recorded by the venerable BBC for their In Concert series, Split Enz retain all that originality and energy, some 30+ years later.
Maybe you’ll feel the same way.
As you know, we’ve suspended indefinitely our ads in order to make Past Daily a better experience for you without all the distractions and pop-ups. Because of that, we’re relying more on your support through Patreon to keep us up and running every day. For as little as $5.00 a month you can make a huge difference as well as be able to download all of our posts for free (news, history, music). You’ll see a banner just below. Click on that and become a subscriber – it’s easy, painless and does a world of good.