What a comeback! Kiwi legands Split Enz having been rocking Christchurch, New Zealand, and the world for decades, and they're back to the top of the album charts in 2020.
A remixed and remastered anniversary release of Split Enz’s legendary album TRUE COLOURS has reached the #1 position on the Official New Zealand Top40 Album Chart today - 40 years after the album’s initial release in 1980. This was the album that launched global hit 'I Got You', written by Neil Finn, as well as 'I Hope I Never' and 'Poor Boy'.
TRUE COLOURS spent 76 weeks on the Official New Zealand Album Chart, and it was internationally successful too – it was #1 in Australia for 10 weeks, and reached the Top 40 Album Charts in the UK, USA and Canada.
Split Enz’s Eddie Rayner has worked with the band's individual 24 track recordings and crafted new mixes for each of the songs. “This was our ‘iconic’ album. To depart from that too much, or to do radically new mixes, would surely incur the wrath of fans and band members alike,” says Rayner. “So I approached the project with caution and some trepidation, with the maxim 'the same, but better’. What a fantastic result, and a great feeling to top the charts 40 years on!"
Funnily enough, according to Neil Finn the band “went through a period where we shunned it ‘cause it was so successful. We were sick of playing it. But it’s a fantastic record. Lean and tight, energetic and up. Good songwriting and I love the sound of it now. I don’t know if anyone else feels the same way about True Colours. There’s a tendency for bands to turn on the record that makes you successful and regard it as a curse, but now I think it was a blessing in every respect.”
"Reflecting on the success of the 40th Anniversary Edition of TRUE COLOURS, Tim Finn says "pop music is often seen as ephemeral. Something quickly replaced and soon forgotten. It's a delight and a pleasure to know that an album we made in 1980 is in the 2020 charts. Who knew?"
The remastered 40th Anniversary Edition was released on Friday 31st July on multiple coloured vinyl configurations, as CD with an expanded tracklisting, and – as the modern version it is – is available to download and stream.