Second Thoughts (album)

Infobox Album | Name = Second Thoughts
Type = Album
Artist = Split Enz


Released = August 1976 (AUS, NZ), September 1976 (UK), January 1977 (US)
Recorded = April - May 1976, Basing Street Studios, London, England
Genre = Art rock, progressive rock
Length = 42:07
Label = Mushroom Records (AUS/NZ), Chrysalis Records (Rest of world)
Producer = Phil Manzanera
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3jdsa9ugb23g link]
Last album = "Mental Notes"
(1975)
This album = "Second Thoughts"
(1976)
Next album = "Dizrythmia"
(1977)

"Second Thoughts" is a 1976 album by New Zealand art rock band Split Enz. It was recorded in London with Roxy Music's guitarist Phil Manzanera producing the album. Five of the songs on the album were reworked versions of songs from their 1975 debut album "Mental Notes". Two other songs on the album had been first recorded during the "Mental Notes" sessions, but left off and re-recorded for "Second Thoughts".

The album was called "Mental Notes" when released outside Australasia and also featured a reworked version of the "Mental Notes" cover (for comparison see [http://www.radionz.co.nz/__data/assets/image/22609/2-1.jpgoriginal] and [http://www.radionz.co.nz/nr/programmes/enzology/ep03/gallery?result_page=1 remake] ). Wally Wilkinson's image was replaced with that of Rob Gilles, and some band members are shown with newer haircuts: Phil Judd was now bald, and Tim Finn had his sides shaved.

Tim Finn, Robert Gillies and Eddie Rayner have said that the band felt the songs needed to be redone. But both Phil Judd and Noel Crombie have been quoted as saying that the re-recording of the "Mental Notes" tracks was a waste of time. On his MySpace forum Phil has been quoted as saying that Tim Finn was obsessed with making the songs sound better, while he had new songs that he wanted to record.

Track listing

tracklist
headline = Side one
writing_credits = yes
title1 = Late Last Night
writer1 = Phil Judd
length1 = 4:03
title2 = Walking Down a Road *
writer2 = Tim Finn, Phil Judd
length2 = 5:22
title3 = Titus *
writer3 = Phil Judd
length3 = 3:15
title4 = Lovey Dovey †
writer4 = Tim Finn, Phil Judd
length4 = 3:06
title5 = Sweet Dreams
writer5 = Phil Judd
length5 = 5:04

tracklist
headline = Side two
writing_credits = yes
title1 = Stranger Than Fiction *
writer1 = Tim Finn, Phil Judd
length1 = 7:07
title2 = Time for a Change *
writer2 = Phil Judd
length2 = 4:05
title3 = Matinee Idyll
writer3 = Tim Finn, Phil Judd
length3 = 2:56
title4 = The Woman Who Loves You †
writer4 = Tim Finn, Phil Judd
length4 = 6:50

* These songs are new arrangements of songs that first appeared on "Mental Notes".

† These songs had been recorded during the "Mental Notes" sessions but were not included in that album, and had been re-recorded for "Second Thoughts".

Personnel

* Tim Finn - vocals, piano on "Stranger Than Fiction"
* Phil Judd - vocals, guitars, mandolin
* Jonathan Michael Chunn - bass, piano on "Titus"
* Noel Crombie - percussion
* Emlyn Crowther - drums
* Robert Gillies - saxophone, trumpet
* Edward Rayner - keyboards
* Miles Golding - violin on "Stranger Than Fiction" and "Matinee Idyll"
* Ian Sharp - cello on 'Matinee Idyll'
* Rhett Davies, Guy Bidmead - Recording engineers
* Phil Manzanera - producer
* Rhett Davies - Mixing engineer
* Front cover photograph - John Prew
* Back snaps - Split Enz
* Special Thanks To Dave Russell and Wally Wilkinson