Waiata (album)

Waiata (Corroboree)

New Zealand release
Studio album by Split Enz
Released April 1981
Recorded AAV Studios, Melbourne, 1980
Genre New wave
Length 37:20
Label Mushroom (Australia and New Zealand)
A&M (Rest of world)
Producer David Tickle
Split Enz chronology
True Colours
(1980)True Colours1980		 Waiata (Corroboree)
(1981)		 Time and Tide
(1982)Time and Tide1982

Australian release

International release
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic link
Robert ChristgauC+[1]

Waiata is the sixth studio album by New Zealand new wave band Split Enz, released in 1981. Its Australian release was titled Corroboree. Waiata is the Māori term for song and singing, while corroboree is the Aboriginal term. According to Noel Crombie the intention was to name the album using a word from the natives of every country it was released in. This did not go ahead and the only country to adopt this change was Australia. The rest of the world kept the New Zealand title Waiata.

Although the album hit #1 on the Australian and New Zealand charts it could not match the huge sales of band's previous release, True Colours. A lot of this was due to internal conflicts between the band and their producer/engineer David Tickle, whom they chose not to use again after the album was complete.

Drummer Malcolm Green, in spite of his strong performances, was fired before the album's release due to musical differences between himself and Tim Finn. While the split was not amicable at the time, Malcolm rejoined the group for their 2006 reunion.

"Ships" was originally titled "Up to the Nines"; "Clumsy" started life as "Cheated".

Noel Crombie was annoyed about the album cover change for the American market, as they had an aversion to the colour brown.

The songs "History Never Repeats" and "One Step Ahead" were among the first music videos aired on MTV when the cable television channel launched in the United States in 1981.

Track listing

All songs written by Tim Finn, except where noted. Side one:

  1. "Hard Act to Follow" – 3:17
  2. "One Step Ahead" (Neil Finn) – 2:52
  3. "I Don't Wanna Dance" – 3:34
  4. "Iris" (N. Finn) – 2:50
  5. "Wail" (Eddie Rayner) – 2:49
  6. "Clumsy" – 3:29

Side two:

  1. "History Never Repeats" (N. Finn) – 3:00
  2. "Walking Through the Ruins" – 4:15
  3. "Ships" (N. Finn) – 3:01
  4. "Ghost Girl" – 4:26
  5. "Albert of India" (Rayner) – 4:03

2006 remaster

All songs written by Tim Finn, except where noted.

  1. "Hard Act to Follow" – 3:21
  2. "History Never Repeats" (N. Finn) – 2:59
  3. "I Don't Wanna Dance" – 3:34
  4. "One Step Ahead" (Neil Finn) – 2:51
  5. "Walking Through the Ruins" – 4:07
  6. "Wail" (Eddie Rayner) – 3:09
  7. "Iris" (N. Finn) – 2:51
  8. "Clumsy" – 3:32
  9. "Ghost Girl" – 4:39
  10. "Ships" (N. Finn) – 3:03
  11. "Albert of India" (Rayner) – 4:14
  12. "In the Wars" – 3:33

Singles

Chart positions

Chart (1981) Peak
position
Australia[2] 1
Canada[3] 17
New Zealand[4] 1
United States[5] 45

Personnel

Split Enz

Technical

References

  1. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Waiata". Robert Christgau.
  2. ↑ Kent, David. Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W. (1993). ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  3. ↑ "RPM Canadian Charts". Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  4. ↑ "New Zealand Charts". Retrieved 11 November 2010.
  5. ↑ "All Music Guide". Retrieved 11 November 2010.
Preceded by
Swingshift by Cold Chisel		 Australian Kent Music Report number-one album
27 April – 17 May 1981 		Succeeded by
The Beatles' Ballads by The Beatles
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