CONFLICTING EMOTIONS - Split Enz

YEAR: 1983

LABEL: A&M

TRACK LISTING: Strait Old Line, Bullet Brain and Cactus Head, Message To My Girl, Working Up An Appetite, Our Day, No Mischief, The Devil You Know, I Wake Up Every Night, Conflicting Emotions, Bon Voyage

IMPRESSIONS: Continuing with 80's week and still one more of the "pool records" described in the Lene Lovich NO MAN'S LAND entry. This is usually mentioned as Split Enz's poorest release but there is some really good stuff here. Also, I consider it the last Split Enz album (even though there was one later on which surely IS the worst Enz album by the way) as this is the final one involving Tim Finn who left his group after the great success of his solo album "ESCAPADE". Therefore to me this is the real farewell to Enz fans; especially with the exquisite final track "Bon Voyage" which is nothing else but Tim Finn saying goodbye. The album opener "Strait Old Line" has an instrumental opening which has to be the most Split Enz-sounding song encapsulating everything that made the group unique. Beautiful Neil Finn-penned songs like "Message To My Girl" and "The Devil You Know" point the way to Neil's post-Enz career while Tim Finn-penned classics like the aforementioned "Bon Voyage" and the Devoesquely mental frenzy of "I Wake Up Every Night" show the band could've continued if they'd wanted to. However, the presence of a fair amount of dross makes us conclude that their hearts just weren't in it anymore and they needed to go their separate ways. Conflict over Tim Finn's insistence on utilizing drum machines and general jealously from other band members over Tim's successful solo career pretty much guaranteed the band should call it a day. At least for the time being.

MY FAVOURITE TRACKS: Strait Old Line, Message To My Girl, The Devil You Know, I Wake Up Every Night, Conflicting Emotions, Bon Voyage

GUEST ARTISTS: Ricky Fataar (drums on "Message To My Girl")

FACT SHEET: CONFLICTING EMOTIONS is Split Enz's eighth album and the final one featuring Tim Finn. The intriguing, autumnal album cover art is by Split Enz's original frontman Phil Judd.