Split Enz - Dizrythmia (1977) *****
Nominated by: KS
Music club: Wander to Wozza's
Playlist addition: Without A Doubt
Just getting this out there now - this is my favourite Split Enz album. Always has been.
I was on board with Split Ends (sic) from the moment they appeared on our T.V. screens doing One Two Nine and Sweet Talking Spoon Song. But then they went weirdly art rockish, almost goth, with Mental Notes and I was suspicious of it for quite a while (my previously blogged thoughts on Mental Notes are here).
Ironically, after Phil Judd and Mike Chunn left the band (both had commercial hits later with The Swingers and Citizen Band respectively) they returned to the commercial mothership with their next single - My Mistake. Cor! What a song! They followed that up with another brilliant single - Bold As Brass. These were big hits in NZ and I was hooked, again.
Those late seventies days were heady ones for me: going to Auckland University, meeting new people, living a self-indulgent lifestyle, so carefree in so many ways. Split Enz as they now called themselves were a real part of that. Both in concert and on record.
I saw a few of their late seventies Auckland shows - most notably at the Auckland Town Hall and His Majesty's Theatre, that one in the company of the brothers Knowles. I remember the Town Hall one because The Swingers were the support and they were deafeningly loud. It was a really unpleasant experience for me and my date (Phyllis Omand). The Enz sound was much better but it's the His Majesty's one that I remember best of those Dizrythmia centred gigs. The venue was great and we had superb views. It is a very cherished memory of a band at their peak (in my opinion) and a great, iconic, venue (His Majesty's was demolished in the late eighties).
But, here we are in 2025. Older, more knowledgeable, and definitely wiser. Unlike my buddies, I much prefer a live album to a live in person experience; especially these days. And a vinyl record remains the best of all. I listened to this album four times during the week and the vinyl version sounded much better than the Spotify experience.
Back in '77 I knew very little about the inner dynamics of the band - i.e. why Phil Judd, Mike Chunn and Emlyn Crowther left and were replaced by Neil Finn, Nigel Griggs and Malcolm Green. Without the internet, a celebrity culture, and with Rip It Up just starting out - I was in the dark about how much of the album reflected the tensions between Phil and Tim.
Now, of course, we have the benefit of hindsight, the internet, and completist collectors (it seems Kevy is by no means alone in his collecting approach to Split Enz). So, we now know much more.
Which brings me to Dizrythmia. I haven't heard it for years, so - here we go - a fresh listen in 2025!
The album title is interesting - Kevy says the 'z' is a nod to Nu Zild and I'm happy to believe him. The absence of an 'h' is more problematic though. Presumably they named the record after the medical condition (an abnormal heartbeat) because the beats are irregular - i.e. not the usual. So, the name signals something bizarre, off-kilter and unusual is coming (in sympathy with their hair, clothes, and style of music).
The cover is also fractured, disjointed and unusual. Each of the seven members is seen separately and each comes with their upside down near reflection. Things ain't what they used to be (the Mental Notes cover has a group portrait).
The schism between Phil and Tim becomes the focus for many of the album's best songs, mostly from Tim's p.o.v. as he's the main lyricist (and lead singer throughout). It's a chance for Tim to start over again but he clearly misses his creative foil:
First song, Bold As Brass, presents Tim's mission statement -Standing fast as bold as brass/ Holding on until the last/ Call the tune and play it all day long/ There's a song that's just begun/ Strikes a chord in everyone/ It's the decent thing to do your best.In My Mistake Tim wishes Phil well, even though he misses him - When all I needed was a friend/ To make me stop and think again/ To pull me up and pull me through/ Tally ho, your health my dear.
Maybe the duality is best summed up in Without A Doubt (my favourite song on Dizrythmia) - When you have yourself a friend/ Then you have yourself a foe/ My right to defend, yours to scatter with one blow, and in Crosswords - We're still friends but we're still fighting.
Musically this may be the bravest Split Enz album. It often seems the band dares to be different at every opportunity and those songs where they chance their arm are terrific. The most straightforward pop song is Nice To Know and it's probably the weakest one (still great, but the rest is outstanding in a next level way).