Split Enz: ENZyclopedia Volumes One and Two (Chrysalis/Mushroom Records, 5 CDs). Formed in 1972 in Auckland, New Zealand, Split Enz, known initially as Split Ends, were a unique band. After some pop singles, they issued a couple of prog albums, both included here, that were marked by unusual songwriting, musical changes and sometimes weird vocals.

They were the first band from New Zealand to achieve major success beyond the Southern Hemisphere. Their music evolved from folk-inspired beginnings into a fusion of art-rock, new wave and theatrical performance. At the beginning, the band used a lot of mellotron, which recalls the Moody Blues.

In 1975-1976, Split Enz were Tim Finn on vocals, piano; Phil Judd on vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin; Eddie Rayner on acoustic and electric piano, mellotron, synthesizer, organ, clavinet; Mike Chunn on bass; and Emlyn Crowther on drums. They were joined by Noel Crombie on percussion and Wally Wilkinson, lead guitar on “Mental Notes,” and Robert Gillies, saxophone on “Second Thoughts.”

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of their groundbreaking debut album, “Mental Notes,” this archival box set presents a comprehensive tribute in the 5-CD box set (also available as a 3-LP + Blu-Ray edition). The release has been curated in close collaboration with the band. It offers an in-depth look at their formative years.

The first CD features a 2025 remaster by Phil Kinrade at AIR Studios, from the original master tapes of the band’s 1975 debut. Disc two has a new remix of “Second Thoughts,” their second album, by the band's keyboardist Rayner. The album was recorded at Basing Street Studios in London with Roxy Music’s Phil Manzanera as producer. The third CD has a remastered version of the original mix of “Second Thoughts.” Disc four collects the band’s earliest singles and rare tracks from their formative years, while disc five, “Wide Angle Enz,” is an archive of unreleased and rare material, including four never-before-heard live recordings from a Dec. 30, 1975 Ormond Hall show in Melbourne and rough mixes from the “Second Thoughts” sessions, recently uncovered in the Chrysalis archives.

The five-disc set is housed in a tri-fold sleeve within a rigid slipcase, complete with an obi-strip and a lavish and fun 40-page booklet with previously unpublished photographs (often wacky), rare memorabilia and in-depth commentary from Finn, Rayner, Wilkinson, Chunn and Manzanera.

The 3-LP vinyl set features newly remastered editions of “Mental Notes,” “Second Thoughts” (Eddie Rayner 2025 Remix), and “The Beginning of the Enz,” pressed on three 140g LPs. The package mirrors the CD edition with a rigid slipcase, heavy-stock inner sleeves, obi-strip and the full 40-page booklet. The Blu-Ray, exclusive to Superdeluxe edition, features Atmos and 5.1 mixes of “Second Thoughts” by Michael Carpenter, as well as hi-res stereo versions of the new Rayner remix and the original 1976 stereo version, plus a hi-res stereo version of “Mental Notes” and three music videos.

Lead singer Finn, in a press release, states, “’Mental Notes’ was an album we carried around in our heads and hearts for a few years before we actually got the chance to make it. Phil and I had imagined epic and luxurious soundscapes that would stand alongside the masterpieces from the ‘60s we had fallen in love with in our most impressionable years, far removed in a land at the bottom of the world. Which is why, thinking we had fallen short, we tried to make our first album twice. Once in Sydney and again in London in 1976. So, the ‘real’ ‘Mental Notes’ is still hovering somewhere between two records, never to be fully realized. However, nowadays I can hear beauty in the flaws, and completeness in the imperfections.”

Much of the early material derived from Finn’s and 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 centerpiece) and "Titus," named after the hero of Peake's “Gormenghast” trilogy.

Of the task of remixing tracks from the mid-1970s, Rayner, says in the press release, “The original 1976 mixes (of ‘Mental Notes’) always felt right to me — no need to touch them. But in early 2025, while sifting through digital transfers from the Chrysalis archives, the sessions quietly called to me … and curiosity got the better of me. At first, I thought a remix might just be an interesting curio for die-hard fans. Remixing something that didn’t need fixing was daunting. Phil Manzanera and Rhett Davies had nailed it the first time around. But hearing the raw tracks again, I was hit by how inventive and fearless the arrangements were — and how good the band actually was. Croth’s complex, swinging drumming, Chunn’s melodic bass lines, Tim’s piano, always tasteful. Juddsy’s inspirational guitar work and Rob’s dexterous brass — all far more refined and accomplished than I remembered. Even Noel’s colorful percussion, which had been tucked away in the original mix, got a proper moment this time around.”

Finn and Judd shared most of the songwriting credits, but neither were lead instrumentalists since Wilkinson and Rayner held top solo slots on guitars and keyboards respectively.

On “Mental Notes” (44:17), the music is inventive art rock with a noticeable pop inspiration. There often is a frenzied spastic sound. There is plenty of musical interplay and the frequent use of a mellotron adds a cool symphonic edge. The keyboard sound is lighter on the nice “Walking Down a Road,” while “Under the Wheel,” the longest track at 10:19, starts with nice guitar, but the vocals sometimes screech. Around the 8-minute mark, there are pop “la-las,” before the sound changes completely.

The short “Amy (Darling)” is cool and the drums stand out on “Stranger Than Fiction,” which features weird vocals and ends with the sound of children playing and then birds. Also good are the energetic rocker “Maybe,” the piano and mellotron on the ballad “Time for a Change” and the riff-filled “Spellbound.”

Since the band’s first album had not originally been released outside Australasia, “Second Thoughts” (41:48) was their first album in Europe and North America. In both territories, the album was titled “Mental Notes” and had a different album cover. The album was recorded in London with Roxy Music guitarist Manzanera producing. Split Enz had been the opening act for Roxy Music’s 1975 tour, which opened the door for Manzanera to produce their album. The album’s title is clever, as the band clearly had second thoughts about their first album, re-recording “Walking Down a Road” (now 5:22), “Stranger Than Fiction,” “Titus” and “Time for a Change.”

"Late Last Night" was initially a non-album single in April 1976 (in-between the two albums) and was re-recorded for “Second Thoughts.” It has some big orchestral sounds and horns. The version here of “Walking Down a Road” excels and the keyboard-heavy “Lovey Dovey” is fun. Here, Finn takes over the lead vocal on “Titus” from Judd, and there is nice piano on this version of “Time for a Change,” which is smoother rather than energetic. The new “Woman Who Loves You,” which closes the album and is the second longest track at 6:28, has horns and dance percussion.

Judd, who opposed the idea of redoing their original material, added the new tracks “Late Last Night” (similar to 10cc) and “Sweet Dreams” (similar to Genesis). The song “129” gets a new name, “Matinee Idyll.” Manzanera turned out to be a stabilizing influence.

“The Beginning of the Enz” disc (29:27) includes demo versions of “Spellbound” (with a sweeter Finn vocal), “Lovey Dovey” and “Home Sweet Home” (it ends with bagpipes). The singles – all more pop with occasional weirdness, but not really prog – include the upbeat “Sweet Talkin’ Spoon Song,” “No Bother to Me” (which opens with party sounds) and “For You.” The single b-sides include “Home Sweet Home” and “Split Ends.” Five of the tracks are remixed by Rayner.

The fifth CD has a fine live “Time for a Change” and a nice remix of “Stranger Than Fiction/Time for a Change” (10:48). Also live are “Sweet Dreams,” “129” and “Under the Wheel.” There are rough mixes of “Late Last Night” and “Titus.”

Split Enz continued to record, including two more albums in the 1970s, but became a new wave electro- pop group in the early 1980s. The band last week announced a 2026 reunion tour, their first tour in 18 years. Grade: box set A-