early Split Enz

I find it fascinating to watch how a band evolves, even if I have to go back and retrace their evolution. 

I don't quite remember how much I knew about Split Enz back in my college days. I must have been aware of their later songs such as: "Six Months In a Leaky Boat," "I Got You," and "Dirty Creature." To me, it was a band led by the brothers Tim and Neil Finn. 

You might know Neil Finn more for his band Crowded House. But in the early days of Split Enz, Neil wasn't even in the band. And Tim wasn't necessarily the lead singer - as far as I've seen, a musician named Phil Judd co-led the band with Tim. 

I sort of started catching up with the band's history when I picked up a video that was a compilation of their music videos, from their beginnings and throughout their career. What an eye-opener! What I knew as a melodic pop band used to wear costumes and make-up, with quite a different line-up of band members... you'd have to see it. 

In this video, if you're at all familiar with "I Got You"-era Split Enz, there are three members in common here: Noel Crombie and Tim Finn playing tambourine (and trotting across the set at one point), and Eddie Rayner on keyboards. Eddie is extraordinarily talented and has served as musical director for New Zealand Idol, their version of Pop Idol, American Idol, et al. 

Keep an open mind while watching this video!