Split Enz – True Colours
(A&M Records 1980 AMLH64822)
Matrix No’s: A1/B1 – UK Pressing
Blue Sleeve in Nr MINT condition
Inner Sleeve in Nr MINT condition
Vinyl in Nr MINT condition
(there are some light surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality)
Split Enz were a New Zealand art rock and pop band during the late 1970s and early 1980s featuring brothers Tim and Neil Finn.
The band started life in 1971 at Auckland University, composed of Tim, Mike Chunn, Robert Gillies, Philip Judd and Noel Crombie. Beginning in 1972 the band became a full-time occupation for the group, and they named the band Split Ends. The spelling was later changed to Split Enz when they went on their first trip to Australia, to signify their New Zealand roots.
The musical style is best described as new wave – eclectic and wildly original, incorporating influences from art rock, vaudeville, swing, punk, rock and pop. The group’s costumes and hair were notable for their wild and colourful designs.
Between 1972 and 1977 Tim shared leader duties with Phil; when the latter left the band for good, younger brother Neil Finn joined at 17 years of age, and he went on to write most of the band’s major hits. Their biggest international record was the single “I Got You”.
In 1983 Tim decided to leave the band to pursue a solo career. Because of this, Neil took on primary vocals. The band finally broke up in November 1984.
True Colours, the fifth album released by New Zealand band Split Enz, was their first major commercial success. Released in 1980, the album featured more mature songwriting from Neil Finn. Credited to him is the album’s New Zealand and Australian #1 single, “I Got You,” which also broke them internationally. The US release of the album featured “Shark Attack” and “I Got You” in reversed positions due to the latter’s success on the single charts.
Originally, the band thought “Missing Person” to be the album’s standout track, not realizing “I Got You” would become the hit. “I Hope I Never” was mixed differently for the Australian single release, with strengthened percussion. “Nobody Takes Me Seriously,” “What’s the Matter With You” and “Poor Boy” were released as singles in the northern hemisphere.
The album was initially released in four colour combinations – yellow and blue, red and green, purple and yellow, and blue and orange – but would ultimately be given another four makeovers with releases in lime green and pink, hot purple and burnt orange, gold and platinum (to mark its sales milestones), and finally yellow, blue and red.
When it was later released on the A&M label, wild, imaginative shapes and patterns covered the vinyl using a technique known as “laser-etching”. When light hit the record, these designs would protrude and spin about the room. The album was the first to ever use this technique, originally designed to discourage the creation of counterfeit copies.
A synthesizer melody played in “I Wouldn’t Dream of It” was first introduced in an early Split Enz recording, aptly titled “The Instrumental”.
In October 2010, the album was listed at number 22 in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums, despite being a New Zealand production.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Tim Finn unless noted.
| Side A | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | ||||||||
| 1. | “Shark Attack” | 2:52 | ||||||||
| 2. | “I Got You” (Neil Finn) | 3:24 | ||||||||
| 3. | “What’s the Matter with You” (N. Finn) | 3:02 | ||||||||
| 4. | “Double Happy” ([Instrumental] Eddie Rayner) | 3:15 | ||||||||
| 5. | “I Wouldn’t Dream of It” | 3:14 | ||||||||
| 6. | “I Hope I Never” | 3:24 | ||||||||
| Side B | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | ||||||||
| 7. | “Nobody Takes Me Seriously” | 3:32 | ||||||||
| 8. | “Missing Person” (N. Finn) | 3:32 | ||||||||
| 9. | “Poor Boy” | 3:19 | ||||||||
| 10. | “How Can I Resist Her” | 3:26 | ||||||||
| 11. | “The Choral Sea” ([Instrumental] T. Finn, N. Finn, Rayner, Noel Crombie, Malcolm Green, Nigel Griggs) | 4:29 | ||||||||
NOTE: On the A&M version, tracks 1 & 2 are inverted. The listing above is the original Mushroom (AUS) / Polydor (NZ) listing.
Personnel
Split Enz
- Tim Finn: vocals, acoustic guitar
- Neil Finn: vocals, guitar
- Noel Crombie: vocals, percussion
- Malcolm Green: drums
- Nigel Griggs: bass guitar
- Eddie Rayner: keyboards
Technical
- Produced and engineered by David Tickle
- Assistant Engineer: Scott Hemmings
- Recorded at Armstrongs, Melbourne 1979
- “Two Of A Kind” Produced by Tim Finn and engineered by Doug Rogers
- Recorded at Harlequin Studios, Auckland 1979
- Cover Art: Noel Crombie
- Design and layout: Traffic Design Studios
- International Management – Nathan D. Brenner
- Project Coordinators: Dean McLachlan, Peter Green
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