It's always a good time when Neil Finn has something to say. The legendary New Zealand singer-songwriter has been making the rounds promoting Gravity Stairs, the newly released album from Crowded House - and in an hourlong chat with countryman Zane Lowe for Apple Music, he said some exciting things for fans of Finn's first band Split Enz, which he was a part of with his older brother Tim.

"There's various things happening with Split Enz at the moment, which I'm really happy about," he revealed. "We've finally found somebody that has got the energy and the vibe to organize our affairs, because it's been languishing. We've had no manager for years."

Though he didn't reveal who the new manager was, he did say the activity should encompass a more standardized presentation of their catalogue around the world. "There's weird records that are not available in some countries," he continued. "The only record, for awhile, I'd find in a record store in the U.S. [was] a best-of that we hadn't approved. It had all the hit songs on it, but had the worst cover - one of the worst photos of us that you could possibly imagine. It was really depressing!"

But it sounds like the work might be in the physical space, too. "There'll be various releases happening, and some supporting material," he said. "And the band are talking quite a lot, so who knows? Something might even happen. I think it should! It's, like, 50 years."

Indeed, next year will be 50 years since the band's debut Mental Notes was issued in Australia and New Zealand, though Tim Finn and co-founded Phil Judd had been working together for several years beforehand, releasing some singles and establishing a unique reputation as an arresting if hard to pin down live act. (The group made a TV appearance at home on the talent series New Faces, and placed second to last.) Over time, as Tim and then Neil Finn became the chief songsmiths of the group, they amassed a loyal following at home and a cult following abroad thanks to hits like "I See Red," "I Got You," "One Step Ahead," "History Never Repeats" and "Six Months in a Leaky Boat." Tim enjoyed a solo career after his time with the Enz, and Neil used the band to springboard the work of Crowded House in the '80s, '90s and beyond.

But the catalogue could certainly use a once over. Enz's longtime Australian label Mushroom Records - now distributed by Warner Music Group - reissued the band's catalogue in 1992 and 2006, timed to various band reunions and offering rare B-sides and archival bonus material. In the U.S., however, only a handful of the band's albums are digitally available, and none with bonus tracks: 1975's Mental Notes and 1977's Dizrythmia, available through Chrysalis Records; and four albums released stateside by A&M Records (True Colours (1980), Waiata (1981), Time and Tide (1982) and Conflicting Emotions (1983)). (There's also a bare-bones "early years" compilation from Chrysalis.) And only in the last few years were the band's unique, early MTV-staple videos officially uploaded, either.

In that spirit, we've revisited one of our long-dormant features: Back Tracks, offering a look at the band's studio and live releases and notable compilations and devising some sort of road map as to what fanz of the Enz can look forward to when the band's plans are carried out.

Mental Notes (1975)

The ever-evolving Enz by this point was comprised of founders Phil Judd (vocals/guitars) and Tim Finn (vocals/piano) along with keyboardist Eddie Rayner, lead guitarist Wally Wilkerson, bassist Mike Chunn, drummer Emlyn Crowther and percussionist Noel Crombie. Known for wild live shows performed in unusual outfits and makeup (designed by Crombie), they attempted to distill their sound in the studio - Judd's progressive fandom juxtaposed with Finn's ear for pop melodies - but found themselves waylaid by the relative disinterest of a production and engineering team who didn't get it. Nonetheless, songs like "Spellbound" and "Stranger Than Fiction" were early favorites. (A 2006 reissue added two live bonus tracks.)

Second Thoughts (1976)

As Split Enz struggled to be noticed outside of New Zealand, they found a champion in Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera, who helped the group head to London, where he produced their second album. Perplexingly (but fitting to its title), Second Thoughts was largely a re-recording and reshuffling of Mental Notes; it was issued by that title in several territories, as if it was replacing its predecessor. (Wilkerson and Crowther had departed the band before they re-entered the studio - the latter replaced by new drummer Malcolm Green - and saxophonist Rob Gillies, who'd departed the band before the recording of Mental Notes, briefly rejoined.) It's hard to assess which version is better, though it did mark a pretty significant turning point for the band, when Judd - who felt his material lost its impact when played for audiences, who were often left stymied by what the Enz were attempting - decided to withdraw from the group.

Dizrythmia (1977)

Judd wasn't the only one to disrupt the Split Enz line-up. Bassist Chunn would also leave, replaced by Nigel Griggs - and Tim welcomed his brother Neil - six years his junior - into the line-up as well. Not yet 20, he would not yet contribute a song to the group; here, Tim mostly leads that charge, with some contributions by Rayner and even a few old Phil Judd numbers in the mix. Working with Geoff Emerick, The Beatles' late-period engineer, in the producer's chair, the band slowly began to metamorphose toward a more mainstream but wholly unique and original pop sound on tracks like "My Mistake" (a No. 15 hit in Australia) and the fan favorite "Charley." (The 2006 reissue added the last single with Judd in the band, "Another Great Divide," to the end of the album.)

The Rootin Tootin Luton Tapes (rec. 1978, rel. 2007)

1978 turned out to be a pivotal year for the Enz. After a brief, fruitless reunion with Judd, the group found themselves in their direst straits yet, dropped by their label and management. Desperate to record, the group successfully applied for a grant from the New Zealand Arts Council and paid $5000 to book a small studio in the English town of Luton. Though the lineup of the Finns, Rayner, Griggs, Green and Crombie barely fit in the cramped quarters, the creative energy was starting to light more sparks, with Neil contributing his first songs to the band and fiery tracks from Tim like "I See Red" and "Next Exit." The sessions would take on near-mythic qualities after portions of the sessions began to be released - more on that in a moment - and were finally released in the wake of the band's last remaster campaign in 2006, first as a single disc in a larger box set then as an expanded 2CD package.

Frenzy (1979)

However successful the group found the Luton sessions, they were largely abandoned for a time (though not the songs) for Enz's fourth album, recorded largely at the The Manor in Oxfordshire (where Mike Oldfield recorded Tubular Bells and Queen tracked A Day At the Races). A re-recording of "I See Red" from Starling Studios the prior summer became another No. 15 hit in Australia; the album also featured Tim-Neil co-writes like "Mind Over Matter" and "Give It a Whirl." Frenzy became something else entirely, though, when A&M Records elected to release a version in North America in 1981 after True Colours started to take off. Rayner remixed several tracks from the Antipodean version and replaced the rest with a side's worth of Luton outtakes. The mix was still a point of contention among the band, and Rayner took a stab again when the album was remastered and resequenced in 2006, featuring all 13 tracks from the original pressing, two from the Luton sessions ("Semi-Detached" and Neil's "Carried Away"), and a previously unreleased outtake, "Horse to Water."

The Beginning of The Enz (rec. 1974-1975, rel. 1979)

While the more rock-focused Enz were gaining traction, there was an idea by the group's label Mushroom Records to assemble an LP of odds and ends from the Finn-Judd era, including a handful of early, pre-Mental Notes singles issued between 1973 and 1975 and three unreleased demos (two of which were re-recorded for Second Thoughts). Because there's always some confusion with this band and titles, Chrysalis in the U.K. released a compilation with nearly the exact same name (minus the The) in 1980, consisting mostly of tracks from Second Thoughts and Dizrythmia.

True Colours (1980)

Returning to record in Australia with producer David Tickle (who'd worked on Frenzy) became one of the Enz's biggest masterstrokes to date. Not only was Tim's songwriting strong on tunes like "Poor Boy" and the heartbroken "I Hope I Never," but so was Neil, who contributed the bouncy "What's the Matter with You" and the irresistible "I Got You," which not only topped the Australian and New Zealand charts but took a surprising Top 20 turn in Canada and England, and even hit the middle of Billboard's Hot 100. Having shed their makeup for simply sharp attire still designed by Crombie, and embracing the Anglophonic trend of making music videos for their singles, Split Enz had a brief, shining moment as a new band to watch the world over. (Vinyl collectors had quite a few gimmicks to enjoy from this album, from the myriad of color palettes for the sleeve to the laser-etched U.S. vinyl that bounced unique designs onto walls under lights.) The 2006 remaster added 1979's "Things," the band's first single written by Neil, and outtake "Two of a Kind." For the album's 40th anniversary in 2020, Rayner lent his remixing magic to another Enz LP, and seven live bonus tracks were added (all versions of songs recorded and released after the success of True Colours).

Waiata / Corroborree (1981)

True Colours may have been the international breakthrough Split Enz didn't expect, but follow-up Waiata may be their most sterling artistic statement. (The album, named for the Māori term for singing, was renamed to its Aboriginal equivalent in Australia; plans for a native-specific rename in other countries were not carried out.) Here, Neil and Tim shouldered nearly equal songwriting credit - five for Tim, four for Neil, and Rayner writing instrumentals "Wail" and "Albert of India" - and they're some of each man's best, with Tim's driving power-pop ("Hard Act to Follow," "I Don't Wanna Dance," "Walking Through the Ruins") complementing Neil's soaring singles and deep cuts (the Australian/New Zealand Top 10s "One Step Ahead" and "History Never Repeats," the gorgeous "Iris"). It's a shame that Split Enz's U.S. catalogue is kind of a mess, but having this one available digitally still is a blessing. (The 2006 reissue added "In the Wars," a B-side to "One Step Ahead.")

Time and Tide (1982)

With Split Enz's eighth album, it surely felt like the band - now a five-piece after Malcolm Green departed and Crombie switched from percussion to drums - were on the precipice of something big. Working with ascendant producer Hugh Padgham (Phil Collins, The Police) and featuring some of the group's most collaborative writing, Time and Tide flows with vibes like opening killer "Dirty Creature" and the unforgettable "Six Months in a Leaky Boat," more Top 10 hits in Australia and New Zealand. (The latter attracted bizarre controversy for being perceived as a commentary on the Falkland Islands conflict, which happened to break out as the album was released.) Perhaps the band felt the album was so perfect that it was one of the few not expanded when remastered in 2006.

Conflicting Emotions (1983)

If ever a Split Enz album fit its title, it was Conflicting Emotions. Wanting to stretch his legs a bit, Tim Finn embarked on a solo venture earlier that year, earning a hit album and single with Escapade and "Fraction Too Much Friction." It thus fell to Neil to pen the bulk of the album, and he didn't disappoint: singles "Strait Old Line" and the romantic "Message to My Girl" remain some of his best tunes overall. But the mood in the studio (with Padgham returning as producer alongside Eddie Rayner) was challenging at times: Tim insisted on using session drummer Ricky Fataar on some tracks and drum machines on others, nearly icing out Crombie entirely. (Crombie switched back to percussion on the ensuing tour, with a new Aussie drummer, Paul Hester, taking over.) The vibes were still good - Phil Judd even came back to paint the album cover - but it didn't seem like they'd last.

See Ya 'Round (1984)

The writing was on the wall - er, sleeve - for the Enz on their final studio album: Tim Finn announced he was going solo that spring, and Neil - either not wanting to front a band without its two leaders or wanting to establish his growing songwriter bona fides in an outfit that wasn't over a decade old - decided to call time on the group. The results are a raucous, New Wave party version of Neil's future endeavors in Crowded House, which he'd soon form with Hester and bassist Nick Seymour. (See Ya 'Round's lead single, "I Walk Away," was re-recorded for CH's debut - in part because A&M opted not to release the Enz's final bow in America - and Hester's frenetic "This is Massive" was a staple of the band's early sets.) Though it's clearly intended as an EP blown up to album length by a few B-sides and whatever was lurking in the other members' back pockets (Rayner's instrumental "The Lost Cat," Griggs' confounding "Adz"), "I Walk Away," opener "Breaking My Back," the sinewy "Doctor Love" and the low-key "Voices" are all winners. (The 2006 CD reissue was erroneously pressed with an old outtake, "Mr. Catalyst," then non-LP single "Next Exit," both of which are odd choices on the disc, as they were both written by Tim.)

The Living Enz (1985)

The band's first live album largely covered their final tour, deemed "Enz with a Bang." And it lived up to its name: Tim Finn was coaxed back to help Split Enz bid farewell. (Tim's presence meant that a handful of tracks from a Time and Tide-era show in 1982 could be sprinkled in, as well.) Though never included with reissues of the studio albums, this too-rare double CD would be worth getting back into print as well.

History Never Repeats: The Best of Split Enz (1987)

By this point, no Split Enz compilation is complete: the Antipodean Enz of An Era ends at the singles from Time and Tide, and History Never Repeats - issued just as Crowded House were starting to make inroads in America with "Don't Dream It's Over" - was tuned solely to North American audiences, including solely tracks from the albums A&M deigned to release there (Frenzy, True Colours, Time and Tide, Conflicting Emotions). Still, it's a terrific primer on the early triumphs of the Finn brothers, and future releases down under attempted to broaden the scope with varying degrees of success.

Split Enz 1972-1979 / Split Enz 1980-1984 (1992)

As CDs were taking a proper hold of music consumption in the '90s, Australian label Mushroom sought to standardize the Split Enz catalog for the format. These remastered versions came in two box sets that split the discography in half - one covering Mental Notes to The Beginning of the Enz, the other tackling True Colours to See Ya 'Round - and each came with an exclusive disc of bonus material. Oddz and Enz offers some singles and B-sides from the period that would reappear on the 2006 reissues, with a handful of rare and unreleased demos and live cuts; Rear Enz gets a little more into the weeds with not only singles and B-sides (most of which didn't appear on the 2006 reissues) but a few early versions of "I Walk Away" and two of Tim's demos that went unused after he left the group.

Anniversary / Extravagenza (1993/2005)

Crowded House had a fascinating go of it in their time: their biggest singles in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia all came from different albums. The U.K.'s standout was the band's third album, 1991's Woodface, which featured Tim temporarily joining the band to perform songs he wrote with his younger brother; before the group came back with 1993's Together Alone, the Enz reunited for a tour down under to mark their 20th anniversary as a band. (The line-up was the same as their last tour: the Finns, Rayner, Griggs, Hester and Crombie.) The resultant live document Anniversary was belatedly issued in the States with three extra tracks, but all those and more figured onto 2005's Extravagenza, a greatly expanded 2CD chronicle of that same material with a significantly better mix.

Spellbound (1997)

With the Enz properly in the past (Crowded House had also disbanded the year before, ending with a massively attended concert at the steps of the Sydney Opera House), this double-disc set - released, like True Colours, with many different colors of front sleeve and repackaged many times over the next decade, particularly for the band's 2006 and 2008 reunion tours (which featured the Finns, Rayner, Griggs, Crombie and a returning Malcolm Green in place of the recently deceased Paul Hester) - featured a terrific selection of band-selected hits, album cuts and rarities, including a new remix of "Stuff and Nonsense" and selections from the Luton sessions. Probably their most comprehensive overview on the market today.

Enz to Enz (2006)

WIth another reunion came another Split Enz box set: 10 studio albums remastered under the supervision of Eddie Rayner (including the remixed and resequenced Frenzy) and the single-disc edition of The Rootin Tootin Lution Tapes. These are quite expensive on the secondary market, individually or together; this is kind of astounding, as the albums only feature a total of nine bonus tracks - seven of which were on the Oddz and Enz and Rear Enz bonus discs, which had an additional 14 tracks not on here.

Live in America (2007)

A tough-to-quantify live disc of unclear origin, released by a U.K. indie label called "The Store for Music," Live in America ironically doesn't have many of the band's well-known tracks there, outside of "I Got You." Safe to say this wouldn't be reissued any time soon.

Live, Alive Oh (2017)

Almost as intriguing as Live in America but considerably more official (it was produced and mixed by Rayner and released on the Liberation label, an offshoot of the band's longtime Mushroom Records down under), Live, Alive Oh is a one-off double disc set released a year after the Crowded House discography got the deluxe treatment. It offers a disc of concert cuts from the 1993 reunion tour (seemingly different from Anniversary) and another disc from a 2008 reunion show in New Zealand. Avoiding overlap was no mean feat, as many of these songs were probably heard on both tours, so this is a welcome late-period entrant in the Enz canon.