Another Great Divide

Split Enz
Split Enz at Rod Laver Arena, 13 June 2006
Background information
Origin	Auckland, New Zealand
Genres	New wave, art rock, pop rock
Years active	1972–1984
Labels	Mushroom, Chrysalis, A&M
Associated acts	Crowded House, Finn Brothers, Schnell Fenster, The Makers, Enzso, Citizen Band
Website	frenz.com
Past members	Tim Finn Phil Judd Mike Chunn Miles Golding Mike Howard Div Vercoe Wally Wilkinson Robert Gillies Geoff Chunn Eddie Rayner Emlyn Crowther Noel Crombie Malcolm Green Neil Finn Nigel Griggs Paul Hester Michael Barker

Split Enz was a new wave band from New Zealand that was popular during the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was founded in 1973 by Tim Finn and Phil Judd, and had a variety of other members during its existence. Split Enz had eight songs listed in the APRA Top 100 New Zealand Songs of All Time, more than any other band.

Split Enz had ten albums (including seven studio albums) reach the top ten of the Official New Zealand Music Chart. From 1980 to 1982, the band had four number-one albums in New Zealand and three in Australia. It also had two albums break the top ten of the Canadian Albums Chart, two break the top fifty of the Billboard 200, and one break the top fifty of the UK Albums Chart. The only number-one single for Split Enz was "I Got You" (1980), which topped the charts in both New Zealand and Australia. Other top-ten singles include "One Step Ahead" (1980), "History Never Repeats" (1981), "Dirty Creature" (1982), and "Six Months in a Leaky Boat" (1982).

In 1972, Tim Finn and Phil Judd founded a largely acoustic band called Split Ends in Auckland, New Zealand. Finn sang and played piano, while Judd sang and played guitar. Both wrote songs. They were accompanied by Mike Chunn on bass, Miles Golding on violin, and Mike Howard on flute. They were an odd mix for a pop band, Golding having been educated in classical music and Finn influenced by the Beatles, the Move, and the Kinks. In 1973, they issued their first single, "For You"/"Split Ends", and toured. Golding and Howard left soon after, and Chunn wanted the band to become electric, so new members were added: guitarist Wally Wilkinson, saxophonist Robert Gillies, and drummer Geoff Chunn. After Eddie Rayner joined the band in 1974, the name was altered to Split Enz. He was followed by Noel Crombie and Paul Crowther, while Geoff Chunn and Rob Gillies departed.