I didn’t know much about Split Enz in the 1970s. New Zealanders, strangely dressed and coiffured, possibly like an antipodean Deaf School (whom I didn’t know much about either)?
Had Crowded House broken big when I bought this? Looking at the dates, yes.
The first few tracks are very listenable, a vaudeville theatrical feel, mostly from the Second Thoughts album, with Phil Judd as the main songwriter. Titus, Late Last Night and Lovey Dovey stand out. Perhaps I’ll check out those earlier albums.
However, my impression from Crosswords onwards is that the band underwent a change to a more commercial sound as Judd left and Tim Finn took over songwriting duties, and the spark that makes the earlier works interesting vanishes. Bold As Brass is a cheerful little tune with an engaging guitar hook, and the hit single I Got You (the band’s only UK Top 40 hit) is catchy - Neil Finn’s first songwriting credit on this compilation - but most of the rest is bland, formulaic pop. Not actually bad, but very little that makes me want to hear more. Dull.
2* - the first five tracks were worth 3*, but not much else is.
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