Split Enz – Mental Notes (1975)

A band from New Zealand, though one or two members were Australian I believe.  Coming out in the year of punk one didn’t know what to expect – and we weren’t left in suspense for long.  I saw them the following year at the Roundhouse – and they were incredibly different, dressed bizarrely in multicoloured costumes and zany coloured hair they were a strange but hypnotic mix of music hall, punk and glam.   The songs were eclectic and quite brilliant.   After a couple of albums they settled down to making superb catchy poppy rock songs.  Lead singer was Tim Finn, who was later joined by his younger brother Neil.  The band eventually petered out in ’84 but Crowded House emerged.  Best on this debut are ‘Walking Down The Road’, ‘Time For A Change’ and ‘Spellbound’.  They have become somewhat of a ‘cult’ band in this Century and their albums are now sought out and command quite high prices; luckily I got them all in the mid-eighties.  Still one of my favourite bands.