Split Enz's Most Punk Rock Moments

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(And Sid Vicious supposedly said the Enz were the worst band he'd ever seen. Rest in pieces, Sid.)

Did you know the only official recording you'll ever here him actually playing on is the live version of Belsen Was A Gas on The Great Rock and Roll Swindle soundtrack, where he prooves Stuart Sutcliffe was the better bass player, (Glen Matlock was asked back for Never Mind The Bollocks)?

I have to go with Livin It Up, Mental Notes is too complicated to be a punk song and image wise, the front cover of Dizrythmia.

I'd also count I See Red and Shark Attack as punk songs.

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Originally posted by Electric Elf:
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Didn't Neil do a head-dive at an awards ceremony or something similar?

Rob Gillies says he had the dubious honour of being the first in the band to be spat upon.

I've been playing "Livin' It Up" a lot in the past few days. That's a great track. So much energy.

Also came across a rehearsal recording of "I See Red" that's twice as fast as the released record.

Gotta be 'Livin' It Up'. That's how a lot of the Frenzy album should have sounded. I'd love to hear a live version of that, if such a recording exists.

I'd go with Livin' It Up. But, I thought (slightly off topic) that Eddie Vedder and Betchadupa did a great version of I See Red on Neil's live DVD. Then when Tim jumped in as well, that was too cool! I was thinking to myself "That was the way they should have recorded it". They may have for all I know, but it didn't make on the regular release of Frenzy

Actually, that Enz rehearsal of "I See Red" is THREE times as fast as the record. Very funny.

Camus said,
"Did you know the only official recording you'll ever here him actually playing on is the live version of Belsen Was A Gas on The Great Rock and Roll Swindle soundtrack, where he prooves Stuart Sutcliffe was the better bass player, (Glen Matlock was asked back for Never Mind The Bollocks)?"

Yeah, I didn't think he was heard much (or at all) on the Sex Pistols' studio recordings. For various reasons, I don't think he deserves any of the cult following he's gotten over the years. Thus my Bugs Bunny quote.

You're right about the complexity of "Mental Notes" compared to most punk, but I think the overall aggressive/abrasive tone of it makes it fairly punky.

Actually, the most punk moment in Split Enz is Phil Judd shouting "It's not faaaaiiiiirr!!!" in "Under the Wheel." It came out a couple years before punk really broke, but I think it pretty much sums up punk rock.

EE gives us something way out in left field that turns out to be a really fun question. Good one E. Hearing Betchadupa's ferocious "I See Red" on "Seven Worlds Collide" made me think of only one thing: that I'd LOVE to hear them do an entire CD of Split Enz covers with that energy level. I think it would throw a whole new light on the Enz catalogue. I don't imagine this will ever happen, but left-field wish list items aren't exactly "unknown" to this forum BTW, Tim's entrance in that live selection comes not a moment too soon, if ya ask me.
Could we call Neil's solo in "Hard Act to Follow" a punk moment? Just asking.

You could call Neil's spontaneous punk take on "I Hope I Never" during a Melbourne "Enz With a Bang" show a punk moment. "HAPPINESS...IS BACK IN STYLE!!!"

He did a good one of those at Auckland at the last concert too! Playing that diminished chord in every position up the neck of the guitar. Goodstuff eh!!

Today at my local library, I got out a book titled Images Of Punk, which is a pictorial record of the major UK and US punk and punk-era artists.

Anyway, to my surprise (and delight), there's a photo of Tim, circa early 1976, with the hairdo he was sporting at that stage of the band's image. And this is in amongst photos of the likes of Sid Vicious, the Damned and the Ramones...stranger than fiction, no?