Mental Notes

This painting was used as the cover design for Mental notes, the first Split Enz album. The painting is by band member Phil Judd. The left-hand side of the work - which shows the members of the band in a surreal landscape - was used as the front of the album cover. The right-hand side of the painting, with the crying baby, was used as the design for the back cover. The image reversed when it was printed, meaning that the band members appear in the opposite order on the cover.

This painting is slightly different from the original Australasian album cover, which was released by White Cloud and Mushroom Records in 1975. By the time the re-recorded album was released overseas in 1976, Wally Wilkinson had been replaced in the band by Rob Gillies. Judd painted Gillie's head over the top of Wilkinson's on the painting, changed the colour of his jacket from yellow to gray, and also updated a few of the band members' hairstyles. Here we see Rob Gillies back left in the group of band members - wearing a grey suit jacket and blue tie. [1]

In 1975 Bruce Robinson reviewed the album in student magazine Salient: 'A great album ... and one which is a landmark in the history of New Zealand rock'.[2] Twenty-nine years later it was voted the number one New Zealand album of all time by Rip It Up magazine.

[1] 'Enzology Part 2 - Mental Notes (1974-76)', produced and presented by Jeremy Ansell for Radio New Zealand National (https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/enzology/audio/2534637/enzology-part-2-mental-notes-1974-1976)

[2] 'Split Enz - Mental Notes: White Cloud', Salient 38: 23 (September 19 1975)