See Ya 'Round

Last updated

See Ya 'Round
See Ya Round.jpg
Studio album by
Released22 November 1984
StudioAAV Studios, Melbourne
Genre New wave
Length43:45
Label Mushroom
Producer Jim Barton, Split Enz
Split Enz chronology
Conflicting Emotions
(1983)
See Ya 'Round
(1984)
The Living Enz
(1985)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

See Ya 'Round is the ninth and final studio album by New Zealand's premier new wave band, Split Enz, and was released in 1984, following the departure of founding member Tim Finn, whose solo career had officially taken off the year before. Remaining songwriter Neil Finn, claiming to be a little daunted by the prospect of leading his older brother's band, subsequently announced that this would be the final Split Enz studio recording. Since he only had an EP's worth of material ready, the record was filled out by lightweight, experimental contributions from each of the other band members, as well as "Kia Kaha", which been previously released as a non-album B-side to "Message to My Girl", the second single from their previous album Conflicting Emotions . In interviews, Neil has revealed that the original EP was to have been the first five tracks on the album ("Breakin' My Back" through "Years Go By").

Contents

Neil Finn's demos from this era included an early version of the future Crowded House hit, "Something So Strong" (at this point a ballad), as well as prototypes for "I Walk Away" (known as "Love and Success" and "Your Inspiration"), and "Can't Carry On". Tim Finn had also recorded a collection of demos at Sing Sing Studios for the next Enz album, but his departure ensured that they would remain unreleased.

The album's lead single, "I Walk Away", had a low-budget video clip which features the band protruding their faces through theatrical costume cut-outs, much like on the artwork of the album. The song was also released on a 12" single, featuring an of-its-era extended remix. Neither single nor album were released in the US, because after most copies of 1983's Conflicting Emotions ended up in bargain bins, the American label A&M would not risk another potential Split Enz failure and dropped them from the roster. "I Walk Away" was later re-recorded (with a different verse) and included on the US issue of the first Crowded House album, as it was new to US audiences. Originally intended as a goodbye to Split Enz, and supposedly reflecting Neil's uncertainty of venturing away from the security of the band, key parts of the song were rewritten for the Crowded House album.

See Ya 'Round was initially released only in Australia and New Zealand, charting at #29 [2] and #5, [3] respectively. A later release in Canada featured a grey border on the cover instead of an orange one.

After an appearance on Countdown and the release of "One Mouth Is Fed" as a follow-up single, the band decided to end with a proper goodbye and beckoned Tim Finn back for one final "Enz With a Bang!" tour. It was on this tour that Neil met future Crowded House bassist and collaborator, Nick Seymour. After the last date on the tour in December 1984, Split Enz officially broke up. A live album was released a year later featuring songs from the three Melbourne shows of this tour and the 1982 "Time and Tide" tour.

Track listing

  1. "Breakin' My Back"
  2. "I Walk Away"
  3. "Doctor Love"
  4. "One Mouth Is Fed"
  5. "Years Go By" (N.Finn, E.Rayner)
  6. "Voices"
  7. "The Lost Cat" (E.Rayner)
  8. "Adz" (N.Griggs)
  9. "This Is Massive" (P.Hester)
  10. "Kia Kaha (Ever Be Strong)"
  11. "Ninnie Knees Up" (N.Crombie)

2006 Re-release

  1. "Breakin' My Back" – 3:54
  2. "I Walk Away" – 3:50
  3. "Doctor Love" – 4:18
  4. "One Mouth Is Fed" – 3:27
  5. "Years Go By" (N.Finn, E.Rayner) – 4:15
  6. "Voices" – 3:31
  7. "The Lost Cat" (E.Rayner) – 5:41
  8. "Adz" (N.Griggs) – 4:11
  9. "This Is Massive" (P.Hester) – 3:48
  10. "Kia Kaha" – 3:38
  11. "Ninnie Knees Up" (N.Crombie) – 3:20
  12. "Next Exit" (T.Finn)* – 3:15

Personnel

Split Enz

All tracks on original album except "Kia Kaha"

"Kia Kaha" and 2006 re-release bonus tracks

Additional musicians

Charts

Chart (1984)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [4] 29
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [5] 5

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ) [6] Platinum15,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. Allmusic review
  2. Kent, David. Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W. (1993). ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  3. "New Zealand Charts" . Retrieved 11 November 2010.
  4. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. p. 288. ISBN   0-646-11917-6. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988.
  5. "Charts.nz – Split Enz – See Ya 'Round". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  6. "Gold and platinum New Zealand albums to 2013". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 7 December 2021.