Officially the first Split Enz album (though the music on 1979’s Beginning of the Enz predates it by as much as three years), this is a promising collection from a group that would not hit its stride for a few years. It’s almost impossible to describe Split Enz in a way that the average American listener can understand, because there has never been anything like the Enz in the States. They’re definitely capable of rocking and even reaching into the heavy end of the spectrum, but most of all, their music is imbued with a whimsical wit quite unlike anything else and in their early work, they seemed to prefer a lighter approach with mild percussion, an electric or acoustic piano, an acoustic guitar and maybe an electric thrown into the mix. These guys had fun when they played, and it comes across in the music itself. The closest I can think of would be 10cc – and they’re from Britain! For an introduction to the Enz, I’d recommend the following year’s Second Thoughts much more than Mental Notes, which finds charm in its 
roughness, but suffers from a vocal style that sounds like a hundred-year-old man telling a story he’s told once too often. Still, this album is the home of one of my all-time favorite Enz tunes, Maybe, which never made it as a single according to what I’ve read (though I find that hard to believe). It’s hard to describe Split Enz, but easy to like them.
- Walking Down a Road (5:26)
- Under the Wheel (7:49)
- Amy (Darling) (5:18)
- So Long For Now (3:19)
- Stranger Than Fiction (6:58)
- Time for a Change (3:46)
- Maybe (2:59)
- Titus (3:13)
- Spellbound (5:00)
- Mental Notes (0:33)
Released by: Msuhroom
Release date: 1975
Total running time: 44:71
