| Frenzy | ||||
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| Studio album by Split Enz | ||||
| Released | 19 February 1979 1981 |
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| Recorded | The Manor Studios, England November–December 1978 Startling Studios, England July 1978 |
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| Genre | New Wave, Punk rock | |||
| Length | 45:24 | |||
| Label | Mushroom Records (AUS/NZ) A&M Records (UK/US) |
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| Producer | Mallory Earl, David Tickle, Split Enz | |||
| Split Enz chronology | ||||
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
Frenzy is a 1979 album by New Zealand New Wave band Split Enz. The album, like much of the band's work, featured mainly Tim Finn compositions. Frenzy ventured even further beyond the band's art rock roots to more of a pop sound.
The album is notable for being the first to feature Neil Finn on lead vocals – though the lyrics to "Give It A Whirl" and both music & lyrics to "Master Plan" were written by his brother Tim.
The album was primarily recorded at The Manor Studios in England between November and December in 1978, however the song "I See Red" had already been recorded at Startling Studios (also in England) in July 1978.
The song "Abu Dhabi" created controversy due to the use of phrases such as "greedy westerners" and "oil barons", considered to be racist by some. As a result, the song's vocals were mixed softly, the offensive lyrics were not printed anywhere on the album and with the exception of a few shouts of 'Abu Dhabi' left in, completely mixed out of the 2006 remix of the track.
Dissatisfaction with the original mix of the album led to Eddie Rayner remixing the album in 1981 for the North American and British releases. Side one comprised songs from the original release, while side two was a mix of songs recorded on the Rootin' Tootin' Luton Tapes from 1978. The sound of the original album apparently suffered from either bad tape stock used for the recording of the album, or misalignment of the tape machines used to record it – which limited what Eddie Rayner had to work with in the aforementioned 1981 remix.
Subsequent developments in recording technology led to the remix of album track "Stuff and Nonsense" for the 1997 compilation Spellbound, and an entire remix of the album by Eddie Rayner released in 2006. Release of the Rootin' Tootin' Luton Tapes finally eventuated in 2007 after many delays.
Contents |
All tracks written by Tim Finn, except where noted. "I See Red" was not included on the first 10,000 copies of this album, having not been a part of the same sessions. It was added subsequently on 1 March 1979.
Some bootleg versions of the A&M 1981 Frenzy also include b-sides "Message Boy", "Hypnotized" and rare "Next Exit" – all recorded during the Luton sessions. "Stuff & Nonsense" is preceded by a brief introduction by Tim Finn, who dedicates the song to the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team. The original version of "Next Exit" from the Luton tapes was released on the "More Hits and Myths" compilation.
All tracks remixed in 2005–2006 by Eddie Rayner. The track listing on the CD case is incorrect on some editions.
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia[2] | #24 |
| New Zealand[3] | #13 |
| Canada (1982)[4] | #49 |