:: theLogBook.com Music Reviews ::

Collected here in one easy-to-grab chunk is the entire ’80s career of Split Enz, courtesy of Mushroom Records. Normally I rail against labels reissuing the unpteenth iteration of a band’s greatest hits, but since we’re getting the whole albums here, I can honestly give you hearty recommendations for this set. My big gripe with the five original albums included in this 6-CD box set has nothing to do with sound quality - everything was cleaned up by Enz keyboard whiz Eddie Rayner for this re-release - but everything to do with packaging. When the Split Enz 70s box set was released, there was at least some attempt to retain the original LP artwork, front and back, in some form. Not so here - and I wouldn’t be griping unless this omission involved the best back-cover art ever, Time & Tide’s photo montage. Okay, so maybe that’s something not everyone’ll see as a problem, but it honked me off a bit. As I noted, had the same effort not been made for the 70s set, I would have shrugged it off more easily.

The real treasure here is the sixth disc, a bonus CD of non-album B-sides, demos and other rarities. Much more entertaining than the first box set’s disc of extras, this one is a solid slice of studio material with no live cuts (and really, why bother when The Living Enz has this part of the band’s career covered so well?). “Fire Drill” is an early Tim/Neil Finn collaboration (with Eddie Rayner getting a credit as well), and makes one wish that the Finn brothers had written more Split Enz material together - it’s definitely hit material. “Next Exit”, written by Tim and released as a stopgap single between albums in 1983, is another guilty favorite of mine - it’s goofy as hell lyrically, and yet still listenable. Other Tim songs - “Big Heart”, “Parasite”, “In The Wars”, “Remember When” - all have their own quirky appeal.

The real fascination here is the chance to witness - in an aural way at any rate - the evolution of songs that would later see release in other forms. Neil’s “I Walk Away” is heard in two early forms (”Your Inspiration” and the surprisingly disco-fied “Love & Success”, though portions of the latter became “Can’t Carry On”), with drastic steps yet to be made in both lyrics and the structure of the song’s melody itself. Even more revealing is Tim’s “Mr. Catalyst”, a jumpy dance tune which would be given entirely new lyrics and held back until his second solo album, Big Canoe, where it became “Spiritual Hunger” - though certain Eddie Rayner-penned instrumental breaks were lifted out of it completely and transplanted to Neil’s “Years Go By” on the final Split Enz album to great effect. Rayner also contributes an instrumental number all his own, “Over Drive”.

And the money shot of the Rear Enz bonus disc? Easy one - Neil’s “Serge”, a song dating back to his pre-Enz days in a band called After Hours (when it was titled Late In Rome). While it’d be easy to say that Rayner’s synth-sampled strings make the song, it’s a lovely example of Neil’s early ballad writing. (And it’s no surprise that it was a fan favorite in Crowded House’s live shows.)

The first five discs in this set are also available separately and have been reviewed previously: True Colours, Corroborree, Time & Tide, Conflicting Emotions and See Ya Round.

1. Fire Drill (3:11)
2. Your Inspiration (3:27)
3. Parasite (2:44)
4. Next Exit (4:15)
5. Over Drive (4:17)
6. Serge (4:06)
7. In The Wars (4:08)
8. Love & Success (3:43)
9. Big Heart (3:41)
10. Mr. Catalyst (2:59)
11. Remember When (3:50)

Released by: Mushroom
Release date: 1992
Bonus disc total running time: 44:24

Catchy music seems to be a family affair among the members of New Zealand’s Finn clan, as this EP featuring Liam Finn - son of Crowded House frontman Neil Finn - demonstrates.

Boasting only half a dozen songs, the self-titled Betchadupa EP puts to rest any comparison between this group’s young members, and, let’s say for example, Hanson. And to say that the production style shows a little bit of influence from Liam’s dad’s latest solo album would be an understatement.

The better tunes include the lively “Derelict” (which sounds - production-wise, though not musically, a little like “Souvenir”), the bouncy “Empty Head”, and the slow, Beatlesque “Spill The Light”. This latter track demonstrates that Liam has picked up quite a few of his father’s stylistic licks. All of them are originals written by the band members themselves.

The production is a little rough in places, but it’s important to remember that Betchadupa’s freshman effort is basically a demo which has gotten more attention than most demos thanks to one of its members’ family connections. This shows the potential that Betchadupa could have.

And from the sound of this release, they have a lot of potential.

1. Empty Head (3:08)
2. Spill The Light (3:34)
3. Bits (1:33)
4. Mr. White (2:03)
5. Derelict (3:25)
6. Heavy Dog (2:20)

Released by: Flying Nun
Release date: 2000
Total running time: 16:06

Supertramp has always been a musical class act. Not many bands can harmonize, both instrumentally and vocally, the way they do. And while we’re not talking about “Bohemian Rhapsody”-type vocal harmonies, they do make for a nice throwback to the 1950s. This, then, is their best-of album…but it presents a unique problem. Rather like A Flock of Seagulls, how do you get a full-length compilation out of a group that really blew its whole wad of talent on a select handful of songs?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not slamming Supertramp, but I have listened to their actual albums in the past and got the very distinct impression that the effort was spent on the singles - the stuff which was going to get airplay. The solution for that is their best-of album, which puts all of the familiar tunes, and a few less-familiar ones, into something of a vaguely chronological order for the benefit of those who, like myself, enjoy the music but fall short of really being fans.

1. Goodbye Stranger (4:29)
2. The Logical Song (3:47)
3. Bloody Well Right (4:15)
4. Breakfast In America (2:18)
5. Rudy (7:17)
6. Take The Long Way Home (4:05)
7. Crime Of The Century (5:32)
8. Dreamer (3:31)
9. Ain’t Nobody But Me (5:06)
10. Hide In Your Shell (6:47)
11. From Now On (6:10)
12. Give A Little Bit (4:07)
13. It’s Raining Again (4:22)
14. Cannonball (4:51)

Released by: A&M
Release date: 1987
Total running time: 67:22

The first (and I should add, only) vinyl album I ever owned was the soundtrack to Return Of The Jedi. Since then, I’ve purchased various incarnations of the Star Wars soundtracks on various media (except 8-track) and listened to them countless times. Through it all, though, I kept thinking to myself, You know, this would really be something with a little saxophone and bass to liven it up.

Well, thank the Force for The Evil Genius Orchestra! As a tribute to their fellow jazz musician “Johnny” Williams, they saw fit to record an album of selected pieces from the Star Wars trilogy with a swingin’ jazz flair.

This collection, to me, is great fun. While some pieces come across better than others, overall the transformation of John Williams’ epic soundtrack to the Star Wars films to what can almost be called “lounge music” works very well. There’s just something about substituting electric keyboards, saxophones, and muted trumpets for the traditional pieces of a symphony orchestra that makes the music fresh and definitely different.

Believe it or not, a few pieces actually translate quite well to jazz numbers, most notably “Yoda’s Theme” (!) and “Cantina Band”. With other pieces though, I found myself laughing out loud. The addition of some jazzy snapping fingers to “The Throne Room” just seemed so out of place for the triumphant final scene of Star Wars. Likewise, the swinging tempo for the energetic portions of “The Asteroid Field” implied Han, Chewie, and Leia lounging with sunglasses and sipping Long Island iced teas instead of fleeing the Empire.

Star Wars purists should steer clear, as this music could be considered sacrilegious by some. But for those of us who enjoy fresh takes on old favorites, I highly recommend it.

1. Star Wars Main Theme (4:41)
2. Princess Leia’s Theme (3:33)
3. The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme) (3:33)
4. Cantina Band (4:18)
5. Ben Kenobi’s Death / TIE Fighter Attack (4:12)
6. Han Solo and the Princess (3:50)
7. Yoda’s Theme (3:56)
8. Lando’s Palace (3:51)
9. The Asteroid Field (4:02)
10. Parade of the Ewoks (3:33)
11. Binary Sunset (3:33)
12. The Throne Room (1:57)
13. End Titles (4:35)

Released by: The Oglio Entertainment Group
Release date: 1999
Total running time: 49:24