Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/13JONCNdFs29FCFylgC0ou?si=3f0f2b8c90ab4577
1
The first Split Enz album I bought was their very first, "Mental Notes." I found it in the promo bin at Rhino Records in Westwood. I'd heard of the band, but I ultimately didn't like it.
But that was the nature of promo records. They cost half or two-thirds the price and you took a risk, you never knew what might be good. I remember purchasing a promo of Alan Parsons's "Tales of Mystery and Imagination," loving it and buying more copies for more people. That's an album that's been lost to the sands of time, but the first side is incredible, the best work Alan Parsons ever did. He brought Arthur Brown back from the dead, and "The Tell-Tale Heart" was not the equal of "Fire," but it was pretty damn good. And looking at the track listing I now know I have to mention every cut on that first side, except for the brief opening instrumental, "A Dream Within a Dream."
Parsons himself and Leonard Whiting share vocals on "The Raven." NEVERMORE! They don't make records like this anymore, they take money and time and most people have neither. These were professional productions, not something you could replicate in your bedroom, even to this day.
"The Raven" built and built, but "The Cask of Amontillado" was softer and less intense. And featured John Miles as the vocalist. I ended up buying two of his albums as a result, can't say they were great and now Miles is dead. He had a moment in the U.K., but never meant anything in the U.S.
But the most accessible cut on "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" is "(The System of) Doctor Tarr and Professor Feather," which closes the first side and also features Miles as vocalist. It was a perfect fit for the AOR radio of the day but was not played because the album came out on the completely lame 20th Century Records, which didn't have the muscle to squeeze it on to the airwaves. Then again, the previous year the label had a hit with Ambrosia's "Holdin' On to Yesterday," but that track was undeniable, you only had to hear it once. You should check out Ambrosia's debut, it was much more edgy and innovative than the ultimate Warner Brothers records that have been placed in the soft rock bin.
But I paid full price for "True Colours," Split Enz's A&M breakthrough, the album in which Neil Finn emerged from the shadow of his older brother Tim and made a dent on the American airwaves with "I Got You." I won't say you only had to hear it once, but that's close. And KROQ played it, that's how I got turned on to the record, before the Pasadena outlet became the Roq of the 80s and the playlist was tightened dramatically and it was new wave 24/7. Before that KROQ was the last free format rock station in Los Angeles. KMET and KLOS were playing the meat and potatoes hits, KROQ was playing stuff that was not tied to the past yet was oftentimes better than the more famous stuff, like Split Enz.
Now "True Colours" was not a commercial smash, but more of a cult item. And one of the marketing hooks was that the vinyl itself was etched into a pattern via laser. It really was. If you just tilted the album at an angle you could see it... Otherwise it looked like the record has been mishandled by someone who didn't respect the music, with scratches.
And "True Colours" is the best work Split Enz ever did. It's two tracks on the second side that seal the deal, Neil Finn's "Missing Person" and Tim Finn's ethereal "Poor Boy." I saw the band at the Whisky, back when bands played their initial gigs there, even if their albums were on the radio, seemingly everybody started there, I saw not only Split Enz but Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson...all before they broke wide, although the latter two broke much wider than the Enz.
So now with the momentum of "True Colours" under their belt, Split Enz released the follow-up "Waiata" to a good amount of press, there was eager anticipation, but expectations were not quite met. This was still the hodgepodge of Tim and Neil tracks, ultimately Neil had to break away and form the trio Crowded House to truly break through to mass success. However, there are a couple of great song on "Waiata," both Neil Finn's.
2
Now the album started out with "Hard Act to Follow," a typically raucous Tim Finn number. It was good, but fast and chaotic, reinforcing the band's reputation as whirling dervishes, exhibiting sped-up intensity live and on record. "History Never Repeats" was also relatively speedy, but it was not edgy, and Neil's vocal is more mellifluous.
"History never repeats
I tell myself before I go to sleep"
This song started going through my head while watching the Hitler documentary, thinking how we're doomed to repeat the past, thinking today everything is different when usually it is not, people don't change, despite all the technological advances.
But "History Never Repeats" is personal, it's about a girl.
"There was a girl I used to know
She dealt my love a savage blow
I was so young, too blind to see
But anyway that's history"
Now, more than ever, we're used to bombast. Men are considered to be loud and untrustworthy. And there are certainly some like that, but there are many who are introspective and sensitive and they bought records like this and resonated.
It's hard to get over a breakup, especially when it wasn't your choice, and it's never mutual, no matter what anybody tells you. So you lie with your head on the pillow in the dark, unable to fall asleep, running scenarios through your head, both past and future, hoping that what's coming down the pike is different, and better, and that the problem is not you.
"Deep in the night it's all so clear
I lie awake with great ideas
Lurking about in no-man's land
I think at last I understand"
I'm not saying you don't get insights alone in the dark, but taking action is quite another thing.
"You say I always play the fool
I can't go on if that's the rule
Better to jump than hesitate
I need a change and I can't wait"
It's all about jumping, doing, and I know it's a cliché, but that's the hardest part and most people can't do it, they can't take a risk, they sit on the sideline waiting for something to happen to them, and sometimes something does, but usually not, and you've got no choice in the matter.
But you try to stay optimistic, after all, history doesn't repeat, right?
The singer keeps trying to convince himself in this tear of a number, so fast and energetic that it amps you up and squeezes out your doubts.
But, unfortunately, although attitude helps, history definitely repeats.
3
But my mind only focused on "History Never Repeats for a short while, then it switched to "One Step Ahead," the best song on "Waiata."
I'm going to get into the lyrics, but really "One Step Ahead" is all about feel. Like the tracks from "Tales of Mystery and Imagination," "One Step Ahead" exists in its own universe, so many of our favorite tracks back then did. That's one of the reasons we admired the musicians so, how did they come up with this stuff that fed ourselves back to us while at the same time pushing past limits and teaching us lessons? "One Step Ahead" could never be a hit on the Top Forty, but it's better than almost all of them. The record creates a private universe that you are privy to. You're peering into Neil Finn's brain as well as his relationship. But what puts the track over the top is the changes, when it goes up from the first verse to the second there's a layer of intensity as well as gravitas added.
"One step ahead of you
Stay in motion, keep an open mind
Love is a race won by two
Your emotion, my solitude"
He's afraid to slow down, to stop, he's got a further destination in his mind's eye, things are pretty good now, but what lies over the horizon?
And then there's that modulation up and...
"If I stop, I could lose my head
So I'm losing you instead
Either way I'm confused
You slow me down, what can I do
There's one particular way I have to choose"
People have no idea of the drive, the commitment it takes to be successful, not a single hit here or there, but a career. Not famous for nothing, not an influencer, but an artist. Your art has to come first and those surrounding you can't understand your drive, your state of mind.
"One step ahead of you
Always someone makes it hard to move
She says 'Boy I want you to stay'
But I save it all for another day
He understands where she's at, he's calm, he knows what's going on, but, the song modulates up again and...
"If I stop I could lose my head
But I'm ready for romance
Either way I'm confused
I don't know what I'm supposed to do
I can only stay one step ahead of you"
It's not like he wants to be alone, he wants romance, to what degree he desires intimacy is unclear, but we know he likes what he's got but he's afraid if he slows down it will hurt him in his pursuit of his personal destination and as good as this is, is there something better in the future?
And then the song quiets down, almost becomes downbeat, certainly introspective, with a section of "Da, da, da, da." This is his personal contemplation of the future, he's flummoxed, he's afraid to give it all up for what's behind curtain number three, and there may not be a curtain at all!
And then this denouement is trashed, thrown aside, and the intense emotionality is back.
"Stop, I confess sometimes
I don't know where I'm going
Part of me stays with you"
The future is obscure, this is not like working for the man, being a doctor or a lawyer, you're making it up as you go, by the seat of your pants, and there are no guarantees, but if you stop now you'll regret it forever.
"I'm slowing down, what can I do
It's hard to stay one step ahead of you"
The more he talks, the more he tells his story, the less he can stay separate, ahead of her, he's becoming enmeshed and he knows this will make it harder to stay one step ahead and move on. There's so much good where he is, but the future calls out.
"One step ahead of you
Time is running out, catching up with you"
She's not going to be open forever, it's now or never.
"One step ahead of you
When I hold you close can I really lose"
That's the question, is this as good as it's going to get? And even if there's something potentially better out there, this is real and feels good and maybe it's not worth the risk.
And then there's the closer.
"One step ahead
Only one step ahead
She's one step ahead of you"
This is a record, this is oblique, songs are open to interpretation, but I think Neil is singing about a future woman, who is one step ahead of him, he's in control of the situation now, but in the future will the roles be reversed and will he not be able to catch up with her?
This is not a simple ditty. Nor is it belabored. Sure, "One Step Ahead" has elements of heaviness, but there are no flashing lights imploring you to pay attention, rather it's some guy who's in a band from New Zealand telling his story, honestly, and it's the combination of words, vocal and music that draws you in. There's magic in this track, and it's always one step away, Neil is not only one step ahead of the woman, but he's one step ahead of you, our greatest artists always were and still are, they're looking inside and to the future, just like the singer in this song, and all we know is we're all-in, we're not jumping from this ship, no matter how leaky the boat might get, we need more. And we get it two LPs later with "Message to My Girl":
"I don't want to say 'I love you'
That would give away too much
It's hip to be detached and precious"
That's the image of men in society, be wary, they're hard to tie down, hard to get to commit, they might kick you to the curb.
But as good as it is, as honest as he is, as into it as he is, as unencumbered by inhibition he is, the roles are now reversed, he's the one bucking up, trying to rationalize his position, saying he won't get wrapped up in her tomb, but the reality is...
"No, I don't care, I don't care why you've gone now"
But he does. He can't forget her. She haunts his dreams. This is his message to the girl he hopes is listening but has moved on and is probably not.
It hurts.
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