12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finn v Finn, 29 Aug 2004
This review is from: The Best of Split Enz (Audio CD)
Having previously been a Crowded House fan, this was the record that introduced me to Split Enz and resulted in me buying their entire back catalogue.
One of many Enz 'best ofs', this CD presents the tracks in chronological order and gives you a really good feel of the change in sound over the years as Tim Finn's avant garde arty wierdness was eventually overpowered (at least in the Singles stakes) by Neil Finn's classic pop tunesmithery.
I approached as a Neil fan, and soon found the early Tim (and Judd) compositions becoming some of my favourites. For the full experience, which must be seen to be believed, get the Split Enz DVD, or even better see them live on the next of their sporadic reunions.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Probably the best band New Zealand has ever produced, 1 Jun 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: The Best of Split Enz (Audio CD)
Prior to moving on to Crowded House and solo material, the Finn Brothers, were producing some of the best material of that decade. Unfortunately under the Split Enz name, they never got the recognition they deserved. If you like the sound of a more up beat Crowded house, try this album. 'I See Red' is definitely one of my top ten all time favourites.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Pot pourri pop, 9 Sep 2011
This review is from: The Best of Split Enz (Audio CD)
Before Lord of the Rings made New Zealand cool and a must-visit alternative, to me and I dare say a few others, only Split Enz and of course its various subsequent manifestations linked any form of culture to this antipodean country. Rugby union excluded, of course! (Debatable if that's cultural, though!!)
I have three Split Enz albums that were either released or featured early Enz, two on vinyl and this Best Of, which is misleading as it hardly covers any of the popular (ie commercial pop songs) era of the band. Instead it concentrates on the brash early and widely varying range of styles, from punk to jazz and then progressive and a dollop of pop.
'Charley' was always my favourite, the keyboards, especially the overlaying shower of tinkling piano, like a waterfall, cascading into an earthy sax and the floating mellotron melting the song out. Time for a Change is another fine song. This pot pourri of pop (& stuff) does show that the Finn's had ideas galore and just had to harness them and temper them into popular songs.
Much mention has been made of the singles (featured on here) I Got You, History Never Repeats and Six Months in a Leaky Boat. I See Red is often vaunted as being a favourite; not for me, though. Too aggressive!
Having pretty well all of the Enz's output, I don't go looking for their Best Of's any more and so cannot say how this differs or whether it is better than the others. I have to say that I would be disappointed if there were not a more consistently representative collection of their work, if I were still looking for one.
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