- Mental Notes (Split Enz album)
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Mental Notes 
Studio album by Split Enz Released 31 July 1975 (Australia)
7 August 1975 (New Zealand)Recorded May – June 1975 Genre Art rock, progressive rock Length 44:17 Label Mushroom Records (Australia)
White Cloud Records (New Zealand)Producer David Russell, Split Enz Split Enz chronology Mental Notes
(1975)Second Thoughts
(1976)Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating Allmusic 
[1]Mental Notes is the 1975 debut album by New Zealand art rock band Split Enz. The album cover was painted by band member Phil Judd. Original vinyl copies featured Phil saying "Make a mental note" in the runout groove of the record's second side, causing the phrase to be looped ad infinitum until the needle was removed from it.
Contents
Track listing
Side one No. Title Writer(s) Length 1. "Walking Down a Road *" Tim Finn, Phil Judd 5:26 2. "Under the Wheel" Tim Finn, Phil Judd 7:50 3. "Amy (Darling)" Tim Finn, Phil Judd 5:18 4. "So Long for Now" Tim Finn, Phil Judd 3:19 Side two No. Title Writer(s) Length 1. "Stranger Than Fiction *" Tim Finn, Phil Judd 6:58 2. "Time for a Change *" Phil Judd 3:46 3. "Maybe" Tim Finn, Phil Judd 2:59 4. "Titus *" Phil Judd 3:02 5. "Spellbound †" Tim Finn, Phil Judd 5:00 6. "Mental Notes" Phil Judd 0:34 * These songs were re-recorded for the Second Thoughts album.
† This version has Phil Judd singing lead vocals. An earlier version (found on The Beginning of the Enz) recorded in 1974 has Tim Finn singing lead.
Personnel
Split Enz
- Timothy Finn – vocals, piano
- Philip Judd – vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin
- Jonathan Michael Chunn – bass, piano on 'Titus'
- Noel Crombie – vocals, percussion
- Emlyn Crowther – drums
- Eddie Rayner – organs, synthesizers, piano, clavinet, mellotron, electric piano
- Wally Wilkinson – lead guitar
- David Russell – bass on 'Maybe' link
Production
- Engineered by Richard Batchens
- Produced by: David Russell and Split Enz
- Recorded at Festival Studios, Studio 24, May/June 1975
- Tapes and Equipment: Murray Ward
- Artwork: Graeme Webber
- Cover painting by Phil Judd
Special Thanks to
- Robert Gillies – trumpet on "Maybe", saxophone on "129 (Live)" and "Lovey Dovey (Live)".
- Geoffrey Chunn
- Peter Madill
- James Farrell
- David Russell
- Miles Golding
History and features
The album was a moderate success on its release in July 1975. It sold 12,000 copies in Australia, reached #35 on the album chart for one week, and peaked at #7 in New Zealand. Much of the material derived from Tim Finn's and Phil Judd's fascination with the work of the renowned English writer and artist Mervyn Peake – notably Spellbound, the epic track Stranger Than Fiction (their concert centrepiece) andTitus, named after the hero of Peake's Gormenghast trilogy. [2]
Reference list
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ From Enzology, Radio New Zealand National's story of Split Enz
Categories:- Split Enz albums
- 1975 albums
- Debut albums
- Chrysalis Records albums
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