Beginning Of The Enz (1973-1974)/(1979)
A quick detour from the main sequence. This is a compilation of early Split Enz demos from their formative years, an Australia-only release in 1979 that scoops up the sketches surrounding Mental Notes and Second Thoughts. Same eccentric, artsy, experimental band, just caught before the studio polish. Some of these turned into album tracks. Others never left demo form, and this is the only place to find them.
It’s not a clean-sounding record, and it isn’t trying to be. Split Ends and For You are raw and a little chaotic, leaning into an art-folk looseness, with fiddles and flutes giving off a country-bumpkin charm that was never going to fit on the proper albums. Home Sweet Home goes the same way and then ends with bagpipes, which lands somewhere between baffling and great. I still don’t have a better word for it than that.
The fun really lives in 129, Sweet Talking Spoon Song, No Bother to Me, and Malmsbury Villa, a run of carnival-flavored, Dr. Seuss-adjacent tunes that are catchy in spite of themselves. The musicianship holds up too, especially the saxophone on Malmsbury Villa. There’s no genre tag for this, so I’ll make one: Dr. Seuss rock.
It closes with Lovey Dovey and an alternate take of Spellbound, which already turned up on Second Thoughts and Mental Notes. Hearing them in demo form is a treat for the right listener, and the alternate Spellbound especially is worth the trip.
This is a completist record, full stop. If you loved the first two albums, you’ll find plenty in the rough edges and the sonic curiosities. If you came for the band’s more commercial pop era, there’s not much here for you. For everyone else, it’s a chance to watch the band become the band, with the context that comes with it.
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Highlight Songs:
129
Spellbound
Lovey Dovey
Malmsbury Villa
Sweet Talking Spoon Song
Own it, Stream it, Forget about it?
This record is not available for streaming, as it was only released in Australia. As I mentioned, if you're a completist who enjoyed the first two albums, it's worth seeking out and owning. Otherwise, it's best to skip it altogether.
Overall Rating:
3 Stars
