Mental Notes

It�s a different sound than later SE for sure.

Some songs I just adore and can't get enough of (Amy and Maybe) and some haven't grown on me (not yet anyway).

I was used the Second Thoughts version of �Titus� and �Time for a Change�, so it was different listening to the MN version.

quote:

Originally posted by Mlee Mains:
[qb]And it doesn't have Neil! (Probably the worst thing about it.) [/qb]

(lmao) That's great satire. It was satire, wasn't it?

Paul.

ooooooooooooh. I love Mental Notes. Took me quite a while to get into, that i'll admit. I took the enz in steps. I think it's a flawed album in some respects, I was a fan of second thoughts before i really got into MN, but i really like the album all the same. So Long For Now, Amy, Maybe - all perfectly done. I prefer the ST versions of Walking Down A Road, Stranger Than Fiction and Time For A Change (although Tim's vocals on the MN versions are also excellent). Titus - each version is just different. Spellbound isn't a patch on the Beginning of The Enz version.

This was a completely different PLANET to the Neil era enz. I respect each era, but you can't compare them - They were based on very different ideals, Mental Notes was more about trying to make an audible representation of a state of mind, Trying to represent what was floating in the air in Phil and Tim's Uni years, Their lives, habits, the books they read (Titus Groan trilogy by Mervyn Peake would be an obvious example), The experiences they had.

The Neil era enz was about trying to create perfect pop music, Trying to make great records, Great singles.

Both I totally respect, but i don't compare.

quote:

Originally posted by iarla:
[qb]ooooooooooooh. I love Mental Notes. Took me quite a while to get into, that i'll admit. I took the enz in steps. I think it's a flawed album in some respects, I was a fan of second thoughts before i really got into MN, but i really like the album all the same. So Long For Now, Amy, Maybe - all perfectly done. I prefer the ST versions of Walking Down A Road, Stranger Than Fiction and Time For A Change (although Tim's vocals on the MN versions are also excellent). Titus - each version is just different. Spellbound isn't a patch on the Beginning of The Enz version.

This was a completely different PLANET to the Neil era enz. I respect each era, but you can't compare them - They were based on very different ideals, Mental Notes was more about trying to make an audible representation of a state of mind, Trying to represent what was floating in the air in Phil and Tim's Uni years, Their lives, habits, the books they read (Titus Groan trilogy by Mervyn Peake would be an obvious example), The experiences they had.

The Neil era enz was about trying to create perfect pop music, Trying to make great records, Great singles.

Both I totally respect, but i don't compare.[/qb]

yto??? yto R zdjel'al....??!! What I meant to say ... was that 'I do agree that Mental Notes was of another 'dimension' It has been so long that I hear it ...Second Thoughts was 'just that'......the addition of certain tracks and a re-thinking of of the production. They are , in my mind, far superior albums, than anything that came later. I agree that the early Enz work, that was more of a collaborative effort with Phil Judd and Tim Finn, reflected a state of mind ...and more!!
.......a passage in time......the storytelling and imagery was on another level.
"Pop is pop.....but art iz art.....there is an art to pop......but no pop to art... )"

'Music' and 'lyrics that transport one, into another realm .......do not go out of fashion, for the reference point is both 'subjective' and objectively relevant to the writers....Second Thoughts was an extension of Mental Notes, both in the realm of ideas and their execution in a studio....the producer was Phil Manzanera....was it not ? I only have a very old tape of Second Thoughts!! The first era of Split Enz and the second incarnation, bear 'no relation' but the one between the brothers 'Finn' ....but IMHO Mr Judd was for me 'the essence of Split Enz'....

Keep listening to the songs....and you may hear them.....

Raz Putin

quote:

Originally posted by RazPutin:
[qb] yto??? yto R zdjel'al....??!! What I meant to say ... was that 'I do agree that Mental Notes was of another 'dimension' It has been so long that I hear it ...Second Thoughts was 'just that'......the addition of certain tracks and a re-thinking of of the production. They are , in my mind, far superior albums, than anything that came later. I agree that the early Enz work, that was more of a collaborative effort with Phil Judd and Tim Finn, reflected a state of mind ...and more!!
.......a passage in time......the storytelling and imagery was on another level.
"Pop is pop.....but art iz art.....there is an art to pop......but no pop to art... )"

'Music' and 'lyrics that transport one, into another realm .......do not go out of fashion, for the reference point is both 'subjective' and objectively relevant to the writers....Second Thoughts was an extension of Mental Notes, both in the realm of ideas and their execution in a studio....the producer was Phil Manzanera....was it not ? I only have a very old tape of Second Thoughts!! The first era of Split Enz and the second incarnation, bear 'no relation' but the one between the brothers 'Finn' ....but IMHO Mr Judd was for me 'the essence of Split Enz'....

Keep listening to the songs....and you may hear them.....

Raz Putin [/qb]

Amen to that.

Mlee, give it time. The "Mental Notes" album is QUITE unlike the Neil Finn-era Enz albums, but that doesn't mean it's any less notable. I've noticed that many on the forum here (not naming names) are either pro-Judd or pro-Neil Finn, with nothing in between... while personally, I can appreciate both eras and both artists in their post-Enz and subsequent solo work.

Call me a fencesitter if you must, I prefer to think of myself as having a diversivied taste in music (which may explain why my CD collection ranges from the Sisters of Mercy, to Nirvana, to Beethoven, through to the back-catalogue of most Enz-related bands...)

The point I guess I'm trying to make is, don't just think "oh it hasn't got Neil so therefore it's no good..." - try thinking "Well, this is the band BEFORE Neil joined..." - and then, remove all thoughts of Neil from your head and just LISTEN, and enjoy!
"Mental Notes" is an experience quite unlike some of the later albums, but it is a journey worth taking, and many times more than once.

Remember, too, that the men making this album were fresh out of university... I added this point, because as a college student yourself, you might understand some of the spirit of inquiry, discovery, and intellectualism which is visible in many of the songs on this album.

Give it another few listens, Mlee... I'd be interested to know what you think of it by then.

Cheers,
Fiona.

Well said, kia kaha!!