Stranger than Fiction, Larger Than Life: the Finn Brothers song-by-song discussion thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Lance LaSalle, Jan 21, 2019.

  1. robcar

    robcar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver, CO
    "Overdrive" has that sound that screams 1984 to me. Almost like it could have been in an action movie soundtrack or something. While it's arguably better than a couple of the other "side two" tracks on See Ya 'Round, I find it hard to imagine this as anything other than the single b-side it was. 2.6/5
     
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  2. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    I can definitely feel the action movie vibe here. Pretty funny.
     
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  3. HitAndRun

    HitAndRun Forum Resident

    This is a good instrumental. I think The Lost Cat fits better on the album, so holding this one off for a b-side works. I would give this a 4/5 if there was more guitar on it like the very end, which I think raises the song up a notch.

    I agree that it does sound rather dated.

    So:

    3/5
     
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  4. Paul H

    Paul H The fool on the hill

    Location:
    Nottingham, UK
    At this point, I feel the need to offer genuine and sincere condolences to any NZers who were following the cricket World Cup. I can't think of a worse way of winning/losing a match. Personally, I think you was robbed.
     
  5. jimbutsu

    jimbutsu WATCH YÖUR STEPPE

    Unbelievably dated and so very repetitive...
    All I can think is that this song should only have been available on VHS -- as the background music for a photo montage of some industrial supplier's product line.

    "New for 1984 - SMASH your sales goals with ConHugeCo's amazing new innovations!"

    2/5
     
  6. therunner

    therunner Forum Resident

    Location:
    England
    Sounds like Depeche Mode to me, which is definitely not a compliment.

    1/5
     
  7. Jaffaman

    Jaffaman Senior Member

    Thank you. Not an ideal outcome but at least it was exciting game, I'm told. I only saw the beginning.
     
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  8. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Our votes for "Overdrive":

    1-1
    2-1
    3-4
    4-0
    5-0
    Average: 2.35
     
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  9. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Today's song is "Serge", written by Neil Finn and Rod Murdoch.



    It was previously discussed as "Late In Rome" during the Luton Tootin Putin Tape discussion, see here:

    Stranger than Fiction, Larger Than Life: the Finn Brothers song-by-song discussion thread

    It was unreleased until the Rear Enz compilation album that accompanied the box set in 1991. Neil wrote the song when he was about 15 or 16, before he joined Split Enz.

    Neil has occasionally revived this very, very early song in concert over the years.

    Note: the video in the link cuts out the ending abruptly.
     
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  10. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    I don't have much to add to what I wrote then. But This time I'm going to rate it higher than that one, which was stripped down to only piano. This one moves me more: 4.4

    It strikes me that this song would have fit thematically with the rest of the Neil songs on See Ya Round, the ones about moving forward (and I think "Kia Ora" also fits there too, as a brief look back at the past) however, of course, it does not sound like Split Enz...

    It has some lovely strings on it, and there's a stately feel to the arrangement that suits the song well.
     
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  11. HitAndRun

    HitAndRun Forum Resident

    Serge is a nice song and it's a nice arrangement, but it's a bit 'normal' for me. There are plenty of Neil songs that, for me, are head and shoulders above this. For me, it's between 3 and 4, but after careful consideration, this time it's:

    3/5

    One thing I find interesting is whether this track was part of the original inspiration for ENZSO. It's the most orchestral Enz song I can think of off the top of my head, though I'm sure that someone's going to point out a track that I've forgotten in my still morning-addled state.
     
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  12. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Well, there are quite a lot of strings on "Matinee Idyll"; also "Under the Wheel"-- it has no real strings on it, I think, but a lot of synthesizer work that is plainly trying to sound like an orchestra.

    (And I think "Under the Wheel" is the standout track on Enzso, it's one of the only ones I really remember 20 years later.)
     
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  13. Paul H

    Paul H The fool on the hill

    Location:
    Nottingham, UK
    I love Serge, perhaps more than it really deserves because it is far better than it's obscure status infers that it should be. It has so many Magic Musical Moments (c). I love the way it falls out of the chorus into the "who of you would know me now" line. In any other catalogue, this would get a 5. In Neil's it has to be reduced to a paltry 4/5.
     
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  14. HitAndRun

    HitAndRun Forum Resident

    True, but even if the strings are real on MI and UtW, and fake on this version of Serge, this Serge sounds closer to ENZSO style to me.
     
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  15. robcar

    robcar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver, CO
    This later 1984 incarnation of this song as "Serge" is awful to my ears and just pales in comparison to the 1978 Luton version titled "Late In Rome" that was belatedly released on RTLT. The strings just do not work here and neither do the drums and percussion. I find it hard to listen to this one after hearing the original, more stark and simple version. Neil's vocal here is curiously passionless and lacks the emotional empathy he gave the song in 1978. I gave "Late In Rome" a rating of 4.3; I give "Serge" a harsh 2.7.
     
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  16. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    No I don’t think the strings are real on “Under the Wheel” and I think they are real here!
     
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  17. HitAndRun

    HitAndRun Forum Resident

    I did think the Serge strings sounded realistic for the 1980s! But, realism with sampled strings depends considerably on the skill of the player. And if anyone was going to manage that illusion then Eddie would be a strong candidate. They had an Emulator by then, I think.

    I couldn't remember real strings on UtW and was going to go back and check :)
     
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  18. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Synth or not, it’s a beautiful arrangement.
     
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  19. Turk Thrust

    Turk Thrust Forum Resident

    Location:
    U.K.
    I think this is an improvement on Late in Rome and it sounds less like an Elton John knockoff.

    I gave the early version 3 so for this I will give 3.5/5.
     
  20. jimbutsu

    jimbutsu WATCH YÖUR STEPPE

    3/5 - it's pleasant enough, but not one I really come back to...
     
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  21. I like Serge and could see it fitting into later day Crowded House with the maturity in Neil's vocal delivery.
    3.5/5
     
  22. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Our votes for "Serge":

    1-0
    2-0
    3-3
    4-4
    5-0
    Overall score: 3.4429
     
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  23. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Collated ratings for See Ya 'Round

    1. Breakin' My Back 3.77
    2. I Walk Away: 4.175
    3. Doctor Love: 2.6090909
    4. One Mouth Is Fed 3.7444444
    5. Years Go By: 4.2444444
    6. Voices 3.776923
    7. The Lost Cat 3
    8. Adz 3.3875
    9. This Is Massive: 3.41
    10. Kia Kaha 3.65555555
    11. Ninee Knees Up 1.947

    Overall average: 3.175
    Vote by song: 3.42908703

    Bonus tracks
    • Overdrive 2.35
    • Serge 3.4429
     
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  24. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    For anyone reading this thread sometime and curious about the Finn Brothers, I've made playlists of all the songs that we've covered so far that were voted 3.75 or above, i.e. the cream of the crop. It just happens that at this phase in their career, that amounts to exactly three CD-length playlists. Of course, there are songs I really like that are missing from this playlist; and Im sure others will feel the same way, but that's democracy! If you're lucky enough to be in a territory where you can legally stream these songs, try it out.

    I'm in the processing of ranking the songs, but as it's not information that excites me too much, I haven't finished it yet. I may just end up ranking the following songs.

    .

    Finn Brothers Playlist 1:1973-1977 ( 79 minutes)
    Not everyone is a fan of the Finn-Judd songs and at times during the discussion of this era, only @robcar and I were voting! Still, it made a nice playlist. I've color coded the songs: by songwriter: Purple=Judd-finn Red=Judd,(Blue=Tim Finn including co-writes)Orange=Neil Finn [incluing co-writes0 [ Green=Neil Finn/Tim Finn collaborations] Pink =Eddie Rayner

    1. For You: 3.78
    2. MalmsBury Villa: 4.66
    3. Spellbound: 4.66
    4. Walking Down the Road [Mental Notes]: 4
    5. Amy: 4
    6. Maybe: 4
    7. Late Last Night 4.5
    8. Titus: 4.5[Second Thoughts]
    9. Sweet Dreams: 4.75
    10. Stranger Than Fiction [Second Thoughts]
    11. Time for a Change [Second Thoughts]
    12. Matinee Idyll 4.66
    13. The Woman Who Loves You: 4
    14. Bold AS BRass --3.75
    15. My Mistake --4.35
    16. Parrot Fashion Love: 4.25
    17. Nice To Know 3.82
    18. Without a Doubt 4.13
    Finn Brothers Playlist 2 1977-1980(70 minutes)
    1. So This Is Love 3.9
    2. Semi-Detached: 4.38
    3. I See Red: 4.6
    4. Give It a Whirl: 4.85
    5. Master Plan 3.9
    6. Famous People: 3.925
    7. Hermit McDermitt: 4.15
    8. Stuff and Nonsense 4.333
    9. Teh Roughest Toughest Game in the World: 3.9
    10. Betty: 4.14
    11. Mind Over Matter: 4.233
    12. Things: 3.8571428
    13. Shark Attack: 3.83
    14. I Got You: 4.8333...
    15. What's the Matter With You: 3.8428571
    16. I Wouldn't Dream of It: 3.8625
    17. I HOpe I Never: 3.94
    18. Nobody Takes Me Seriously: 4.17
    19. Missing Person: 4.41111
    20. Poor Boy: 4.6090909
    Finn Brothers Playlist 3 1981-1984(77 minutes)

    1. Hard Act to Follow: 4.133333
    2. One Step Ahead: 4.78888
    3. Iris: 4.0125
    4. History Never Repeats: 4.8571428
    5. Ships: 4.34
    6. Dirty Creature: 4.644444 (9)
    7. Hello Sandy Allen 4.2428571
    8. Small World: 4.36
    9. Take a Walk: 4.22
    10. Pioneer: 4.425
    11. Six Months in a Leaky Boat: 4.75
    12. Haul Away: 4.0857142
    13. Next exit 3.86
    14. Remember When 4.1
    15. Through the Years: 3.82222
    16. Message To My Girl: 4.625
    17. Our Day: 4.0363636
    18. The Devil You KNow: 4.4
    19. Breakin' My Back 3.77
    20. I Walk Away: 4.175
    21. Years Go By: 4.2444444
    22. Voices 3.776923
     
  25. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    We'll take today to discuss the double live album The Living Enz.

    Coinciding with the release of their last album See Ya 'Round, Split Enz embarked on a final "Enz With a Bang" tour of New Zealand and Australia. Tim Finn flew in from London to rejoin the Enz for this final tour, which took place in November and December of 1984.

    A year or so later (November 1985) a live double album was released , called The Living Enz. Most of the songs were taken from this tour, though for some reason three songs were taken from an earlier tour in 1982.

    There are no overdubs or much studio trickery involved in this album. It really is just a live recording.

    The track list was thus:

    1. "I Walk Away" (Neil Finn) – 4:43
    2. "One Step Ahead" (N. Finn) – 3:34
    3. "Bold as Brass" (Tim Finn, Robert Gillies) – 5:34
    4. "Ninnie Knees Up" (Noel Crombie) – 3:39
    5. "I See Red" (T. Finn) – 4:15
    6. "Message to My Girl" (N. Finn) – 4:27
    7. "I Hope I Never" (T. Finn) – 4:52
    8. "Dirty Creature" (T. Finn, Nigel Griggs, N. Finn) – 5:57
    9. "Hard Act to Follow" (T. Finn) – 3:08
    10. "Time for a Change" (Phil Judd) – 3:57
    Disc 2

    1. "Strait Old Line" (N. Finn) – 4:16
    2. "Walking Through the Ruins" (T. Finn) – 6:41
    3. "Pioneer" (Eddie Rayner) – 2:01
    4. "Six Months in a Leaky Boat" (T. Finn, Split Enz) – 5:23
    5. "Take a Walk" (N. Finn) – 4:20
    6. "Small World" (T. Finn) – 4:57
    7. "Lost for Words" (T. Finn, Griggs) – 3:42
    8. "Years Go By" (N. Finn, Rayner) – 4:17
    9. "Charlie" (T. Finn) – 5:47


     
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