Split Enz Celebrate 50 Years With Enzcyclopedia – The Pre-Neil Finn Years

Split Enz, one of the most original and daring bands ever to come out of New Zealand, are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their debut album Mental Notes with the release of Enzcyclopedia Volumes One & Two on November 14. The massive archival set arrives as a 5CD collection, a 3LP vinyl edition, and a Blu-Ray Atmos mix, offering fans the deepest dive yet into the early, experimental years of the band.

When Split Enz first arrived in Australia in the mid-70s, they were a tough sell. Their music was complex, theatrical, and eccentric, far from the straight-ahead rock dominating radio at the time. Their debut Mental Notes (1975) was art-rock bordering on avant-garde, filled with strange characters and surreal imagery. It was unlike anything else, which was precisely the problem. Commercially, it stalled.

But Michael Gudinski, founder of Mushroom Records, saw something unique. While other labels might have dropped a band with little return, Gudinski doubled down. He kept Split Enz signed and funded their second album. Without his belief, the band’s story might have ended right there. Gudinski’s gamble was vindicated later when Split Enz became the first New Zealand band to break internationally.

For that second album, Gudinski set up the band in London with Roxy Music’s Phil Manzanera producing. Manzanera was fresh off the success of Roxy’s Siren album, with the global hit “Love Is The Drug” still climbing charts, and his solo album Diamond Head had just cemented his status as one of art-rock’s most adventurous guitarists. By the late 70s, he’d also be back at work with Roxy for Manifesto. But in 1976, his focus briefly shifted to Split Enz.

Watch the Noise11 interview with Tim Finn and Phil Manzanera:

Recorded at Basing Street Studios in Notting Hill Gate, while Bob Marley and The Wailers were working on Exodus downstairs, the resulting album Second Thoughts refined the chaos of Mental Notes. Manzanera remembers seeing the band for the first time on Australian TV: “I was absolutely blown away… they were amazing, inventive, and completely unique.” The sessions showed just how accomplished the group already were, even if commercial success was still elusive.

Enzcyclopedia captures Split Enz in their pre-Neil Finn years. This was the Tim Finn and Phil Judd era, when songs were ambitious, theatrical, and often bizarre. Judd’s angular guitars and eccentric lyrics matched Finn’s dramatic piano and vocals, while Eddie Rayner layered lush, intricate keyboard parts. Mike Chunn’s melodic bass and Emlyn Crowther’s restless drumming kept the foundations shifting, and Noel Crombie added colour both musically and visually. Guitarist Wally Wilkinson and Robert Gillies’ brass brought even more eccentricity to the table.

Watch the Noise11 interview with Eddie Rayner:

Together, they built a sound unlike anything else in Australasia. But when Neil Finn joined in 1977, everything changed. His melodic pop instincts balanced the experimental edge, leading to chart success with songs like “I Got You” and the global recognition that followed.

• 1972 – Split Ends (as they were first known) form in Auckland, founded by Tim Finn and Phil Judd. Their original sound is rooted in folk, but quickly grows more experimental.

• 1973–74 – The band evolves into Split Enz, embracing theatrical art-rock, complete with elaborate costumes and stage personas. Noel Crombie becomes instrumental in shaping their visual identity.

• 1975 – Split Enz release their debut album Mental Notes, produced in Sydney. The record confuses critics and audiences but establishes them as true originals.

• 1976 – Thanks to Michael Gudinski, the band relocates to London to record their second album Second Thoughtswith Phil Manzanera. The sessions highlight their musical ambition, even as success remains elusive.

• 1977 – Bassist Mike Chunn departs due to health issues. Around the same time, Tim Finn’s younger brother Neil Finn joins the band, bringing with him a knack for melodic songwriting. This marks a turning point, setting the stage for Split Enz’s eventual commercial breakthrough.

Tim Finn now looks back on Mental Notes with fondness, even if the band once thought they had fallen short. “Phil [Judd] and I had imagined epic and luxurious soundscapes that would stand alongside the masterpieces from the sixties we loved,” he recalls. “At the time, we thought we hadn’t achieved it. Now I hear beauty in the flaws, and completeness in the imperfections.”

Keyboardist Eddie Rayner, who has remixed several tracks for the new set, says revisiting the sessions surprised even him: “I was hit by how inventive and fearless the arrangements were – far more refined and accomplished than I remembered.”

The Enzcyclopedia Release

The 5CD box set includes remasters, remixes, rare singles and previously unreleased material:

CD 1 – Mental Notes (2025 Remaster)
1. Walking Down A Road
2. Under The Wheel
3. Amy (Darling)
4. So Long For Now
5. Stranger Than Fiction
6. Time For A Change
7. Maybe
8. Titus
9. Spellbound
10. Mental Notes

CD 2 – Second Thoughts (2025 Eddie Rayner Remix)
1. Late Last Night
2. Walking Down A Road
3. Titus
4. Lovey Dovey
5. Sweet Dreams
6. Stranger Than Fiction
7. Time For A Change
8. Matinee Idyll
9. The Woman Who Loves You

CD 3 – Second Thoughts (2025 Remaster)
1. Late Last Night
2. Walking Down A Road
3. Titus
4. Lovey Dovey
5. Sweet Dreams
6. Stranger Than Fiction
7. Time For A Change
8. Matinee Idyll
9. The Woman Who Loves You
10. Mental Notes

CD 4 – The Beginning of the Enz (2025 Eddie Rayner Remixes + Remasters)
1. Spellbound
2. No Bother To Me
3. Malmsbury Villa
4. Sweet Talking Spoon Song
5. Lovey Dovey
6. 129
7. Split Ends
8. For You
9. Home Sweet Home

CD 5 – Wide Angle Enz (Unreleased and Rare)
1. Sweet Dreams [Live at Ormond Hall, Eddie Rayner Remix]
2. Late Last Night [Archival Rough Mix]
3. Stranger Than Fiction [Mental Notes Version, Eddie Rayner Remix]
4. 129 (Matinee Idyll) [Live at Ormond Hall, Eddie Rayner Remix]
5. Titus [Archival Rough Mix]
6. Under The Wheel [Live at Ormond Hall, Eddie Rayner Remix]
7. Time For A Change [Live at Ormond Hall, Eddie Rayner Remix]

Vinyl Edition – 3LP Set
LP 1 – Mental Notes (2025 Remaster)
Side A

1. Walking Down A Road
2. Under The Wheel
3. Amy (Darling)
4. So Long For Now

Side B

1. Stranger Than Fiction
2. Time For A Change
3. Maybe
4. Titus
5. Spellbound
6. Mental Notes

LP 2 – Second Thoughts (2025 Eddie Rayner Remix)
Side A

1. Late Last Night
2. Walking Down A Road
3. Titus
4. Lovey Dovey
5. Sweet Dreams

Side B
1. Stranger Than Fiction
2. Time For A Change
3. Matinee Idyll
4. The Woman Who Loves You

LP 3 – The Beginning of the Enz
Side A – 2025 Eddie Rayner Remixes

1. Spellbound
2. No Bother To Me
3. Malmsbury Villa
4. Sweet Talking Spoon Song
5. Lovey Dovey

Side B – 2025 Remasters
1. 129
2. Split Ends
3. For You
4. Home Sweet Home

Blu-Ray Edition
Mental Notes (1975 Original Stereo Mix Remastered – 96/24 bit)
1. Walking Down A Road
2. Under The Wheel
3. Amy (Darling)
4. So Long For Now
5. Stranger Than Fiction
6. Time For A Change
7. Maybe
8. Titus
9. Spellbound
10. Mental Notes

Second Thoughts
• Michael Carpenter Dolby Atmos Mix (48/24 bit)
• Michael Carpenter 5.1 Mix (48/24 bit)
• 2025 Eddie Rayner Stereo Mix (96/24 bit)
• 1976 Original Stereo Mix Remastered (96/24 bit)

Tracklist:
1. Late Last Night
2. Walking Down A Road
3. Titus
4. Lovey Dovey
5. Sweet Dreams
6. Stranger Than Fiction
7. Time For A Change
8. Matinee Idyll (129)
9. The Woman Who Loves You
10. Mental Notes (1976 Stereo Mix Only)

Music Videos
1. Sweet Dreams
2. Lovey Dovey
3. Late Last Night

Neil Finn, who would later redefine the band’s trajectory, remembers hearing Mental Notes as a 17-year-old: “It made me believe anything was possible.” Five decades on, that’s the legacy of Split Enz – a band so unique that the world eventually caught up with them.

Enzcyclopedia Volumes One & Two will be released November 14.

Watch the Noise11 interview with Tim Finn and Andy White:

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Tagged as: 70s, alternative, Eddie Rayner, Enzcyclopedia, New Zealand, rock, Split Enz, Tim Finn