"Hearing the raw tracks again, I was hit by how inventive and fearless the arrangements were—and how good the band actually was."
Split Enz (Credit: Peter Hill-Travis)
Before Crowded House, there was Split Enz. Led by Tim Finn—joined by his brother, Neil—Split Enz were wild, wacky, and wonderful, and perhaps the kind of band that was never supposed to make it.
This November, the band will celebrate 50 years of their debut album, Mental Notes, by releasing the first instalment of a landmark archival project, ENZyclopedia Volumes One & Two. Curated closely with Split Enz, the project offers an in-depth exploration into the band’s formative years and showcases their evolution through a deluxe 5-CD box set or 3-LP plus Blu-Ray edition.
Set for release on Friday, 14 November, you can pre-order your copy here and check out Late Last Night (2025 Eddie Rayner Remix) and Titus (2025 Eddie Rayner Remix) below.
Discussing the 50th anniversary of Mental Notes, Tim Finn said, “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 [Judd] and I had imagined epic and luxurious soundscapes that would stand alongside the masterpieces from the sixties 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 realised. However, nowadays I can hear beauty in the flaws, and completeness in the imperfections.”
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Keyboardist Eddie Rayner added, “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.”
Rayner continued, “Croth’s [Emlyn Crowther] complex, swinging drumming, [Mike] Chunn’s melodic bass lines, Tim’s piano, always tasteful. Juddsy’s inspirational guitar work and Rob [Gillies]’s dextrous brass— all far more refined and accomplished than I remembered. Even Noel [Crombie]’s colourful percussion, which had been tucked away in the original mix, got a proper moment this time around.”
The collection will be released as follows:
1. Walking Down A Road
2. Under The Wheel
3. Amy (Darling)
4. So Long For Now
5. Stranger Than Fiction
6. Time For A Change
7. Maybe
8. Titus
9. Spellbound
10. Mental Notes
1. Late Last Night
2. Walking Down A Road
3. Titus
4. Lovey Dovey
5. Sweet Dreams
6. Stranger Than Fiction
7. Time For A Change
8. Matinee Idyll
9. The Woman Who Loves You
1. Late Last Night
2. Walking Down A Road
3. Titus
4. Lovey Dovey
5. Sweet Dreams
6. Stranger Than Fiction
7. Time For A Change
8. Matinee Idyll
9. The Woman Who Loves You
10. Mental Notes
1. Spellbound
2. No Bother To Me
3. Malmsbury Villa
4. Sweet Talking Spoon Song
5. Lovey Dovey
2025 Remasters
6. 129
7. Split Ends
8. For You
9. Home Sweet Home
1. Sweet Dreams [Live at Ormond Hall, Eddie Rayner Remix]
2. Late Last Night [Archival Rough Mix]
3. Stranger Than Fiction [‘Mental Notes’ Version, Eddie Rayner Remix]
4. 129 (Matinee Idyll) [Live at Ormond Hall, Eddie Rayner Remix]
5. Titus [Archival Rough Mix]
6. Under The Wheel [Live at Ormond Hall, Eddie Rayner Remix]
7. Time For A Change [Live at Ormond Hall, Eddie Rayner Remix]
*Previously unreleased/new mixes
1. Walking Down A Road
2. Under The Wheel
3. Amy (Darling)
4. So Long For Now
1. Stranger Than Fiction
2. Time For A Change
3. Maybe
4. Titus
5. Spellbound
6. Mental Notes
1. Late Last Night
2. Walking Down A Road
3. Titus
4. Lovey Dovey
5. Sweet Dreams
1. Stranger Than Fiction
2. Time For A Change
3. Matinee Idyll
4. The Woman Who Loves You
Side A 2025 Eddie Rayner Remixes
1. Spellbound
2. No Bother To Me
3. Malmsbury Villa
4. Sweet Talking Spoon Song
5. Lovey Dovey
Side B 2025 Remasters
1. 129
2. Split Ends
3. For You
4. Home Sweet Home
1975 Original Stereo Mix Remastered [96/24 bit]
1. Walking Down A Road
2. Under The Wheel
3. Amy (Darling)
4. So Long For Now
5. Stranger Than Fiction
6. Time For A Change
7. Maybe
8. Titus
9. Spellbound
10. Mental Notes
Michael Carpenter Dolby Atmos Mix [48/24 bit]
Michael Carpenter 5.1 Mix [48/24 bit]2025
Eddie Rayner Stereo Mix [96/24 bit]
1976 Original Stereo Mix Remastered [96/24 bit]
1. Late Last Night
2. Walking Down A Road
3. Titus
4. Lovey Dovey
5. Sweet Dreams
6. Stranger Than Fiction
7. Time For A Chan
8. Matinee Idyll (129)
9. The Woman Who Loves You
10. Mental Notes (1976 Stereo Mix Only)
1. Sweet Dreams
2. Lovey Dovey
3. Late Last Night