Split Enz’ Eddie Rayner

In 1996 and 1999, Split Enz and the NZSO collided on two albums curated by former Split Enz keyboardist Eddie Rayner. Twenty years later, that music is being reissued.

Tell us a little about the genesis of the original EnzSO project in 1996.

I moved back to NZ in 1994 after 20 years overseas with the Enz, and heard about the Rolling Stones’ symphonic album. That triggered the idea of doing something similar with Split Enz songs, and it gave me the impetus to start programming some Enz material for possible orchestral recording. The conductor of the Stones’ album was Peter Scholes, who lived down the road in Ponsonby. I contacted him, and he was generous with his advice and offered to conduct the recording sessions. I beavered away for several months in my home studio and came out with good synthetic versions of how I’d envisaged the songs orchestrally, played them to the Finns, who were intrigued and even impressed – as were Paul Ellis and Michael Glading at Sony, who liked what they heard. TheNew Zealand Symphony Orchestra were keen and made the recording possible financially.

What made you think it was a worthwhile project to pursue?

Initially, it was just an idea that I’d been toying with, but I lacked confidence in being able to pull it off. Once I’d received enthusiasm for the synthetic versions, my confidence grew to a point where I was ready to do it for real, so it was definitely worthwhile for me personally.

Did you see it as primarily ‘‘Enz plus Strings’’, or was the orchestra more important than an add on?

The NZSO in this case were the entire band – there was no drums or bass, no guitars or synthesizers. There’s nothing more emotional or dramatic than a symphony orchestra, and the NZSO played some of the songs, particularly the less ‘poppy’ ones, with a gravitas I could only dream of creating with my keyboards or in a smaller band.

Why did you want to release a 20th Anniversary edition?

Sony informed me the 20th anniversary was imminent, and I was gobsmacked! Seemed like only yesterday I was holed up in my studio, trying to discern the difference between a Cor Anglais and an English Horn. So it was Sony’s idea to do the re-release, and I’m pleased they thought it was worth it.

What’s it like now, 20 years later, listening back to these recordings?

The recordings have held up well – they’re just as flawed as they were 20 years ago! These days, I spend most of my time mixing recordings by other artists, so I’m probably being hyper-critical. EnzSo was recorded on tape, not digitally, and has a warmth you only get in the analogue domain.

Are many of the old Enz players still in touch?

I bump into Neil walking up Mount Eden sometimes, and I work with Tim occasionally. The others (Noel Crombie and Nigel Griggs) live in Melbourne, so we only see each other when we cross the Ditch.