Split Enz – Mental Notes (2020 Reissue on 180g White Vinyl)

Released on 31 July 1975, Mental Notes is the debut album by Split Enz. This edition is newly remastered from the original master tapes.

Much of the material derived from Tim Finn’s and Phil 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 centrepiece) and Titus, named after the hero of Peake’s Gormenghast trilogy. The album cover was painted by band member Phil Judd.

Original vinyl copies featured Judd saying ‘Make a mental note’ in the runout groove of the record’s second side, causing the phrase to be looped ad infinitum on manual turntables until the stylus is removed.

Track Listing

Side One

1. Late Last Night
2. Walking Down a Road
3. Titus
4. Lovey Dovey
5. Sweet Dreams

Side Two

1. Stranger Than Fiction
2. Time for a Change
3. Matinee Idyll
4. The Woman Who Loves You
5. Mental Notes