Waiata (album)

For the Māori word for "song" (Waiata), see Māori music.

1981 studio album by Split Enz

Waiata (Corroboree)

New Zealand release

Studio album by

Split Enz

Released| March 1981
Recorded| AAV Studios, Melbourne, 1980
Genre| New wave
Length| 37:20
Label| Mushroom (Australia and New Zealand)
A&M (Rest of world)
Producer| David Tickle
Split Enz chronology
| Beginning of the Enz
(1980)  | Waiata (Corroboree)
(1981)  | Time and Tide
(1982)

|
|

Alternative cover

Australian release

Alternative cover

International release

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [1]
Robert Christgau| C+[2]
The New Rolling Stone Record Guide| [3]

Waiata is the seventh studio album by New Zealand new wave band Split Enz, released in March 1981. Its Australian release was titled Corroboree. Waiata is the Māori term for song and singing, while corroboree is an Aboriginal term. According to Noel Crombie the intention was to name the album using a word from the natives of every country it was released in. This did not go ahead and the only country to adopt this change was Australia. The rest of the world kept the New Zealand title Waiata.

The songs "History Never Repeats" and "One Step Ahead" were among the first music videos aired on MTV when the cable television channel launched in the United States in 1981.[4]

## Track listing

[edit]

All songs written by Tim Finn, except where noted. Side one:

1. "Hard Act to Follow" – 3:17
2. "One Step Ahead" (Neil Finn) – 2:52
3. "I Don't Wanna Dance" – 3:34
4. "Iris" (N. Finn) – 2:50
5. "Wail" (Eddie Rayner) – 2:49
6. "Clumsy" – 3:29

Side two:

1. "History Never Repeats" (N. Finn) – 3:00
2. "Walking Through the Ruins" – 4:15
3. "Ships" (N. Finn) – 3:01
4. "Ghost Girl" – 4:26
5. "Albert of India" (Rayner) – 4:03

## 2006 remaster

[edit]

All songs written by Tim Finn, except where noted.

1. "Hard Act to Follow" – 3:21
2. "History Never Repeats" (N. Finn) – 2:59
3. "I Don't Wanna Dance" – 3:34
4. "One Step Ahead" (Neil Finn) – 2:51
5. "Walking Through the Ruins" – 4:07
6. "Wail" (Eddie Rayner) – 3:09
7. "Iris" (N. Finn) – 2:51
8. "Clumsy" – 3:32
9. "Ghost Girl" – 4:39
10. "Ships" (N. Finn) – 3:03
11. "Albert of India" (Rayner) – 4:14
12. "In the Wars" – 3:33

## Personnel

[edit]

### Split Enz

[edit]

* Tim Finn – vocals
* Neil Finn – vocals, guitar
* Noel Crombie – percussion
* Malcolm Green – drums
* Nigel Griggs – bass
* Edward Rayner – vocals, keyboards
* International Management – Nathan D. Brenner

## Charts

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

Chart (1981)  | Peak
position

|

Australia (Kent Music Report)[5] | 1
Canada[6] | 17
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[7] | 1
US Top LPs & Tape (Billboard)[8] | 45

### Year-end charts

[edit]

Chart (1981)  | Peak
position

|

Australia (Kent Music Report)[9] | 10
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[10] | 3

## See also

[edit]

* List of Top 25 albums for 1981 in Australia

## Certifications and sales

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

Australia (ARIA)[11] | Platinum  | 50,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[12] | Platinum  | 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Corroboree Review by Chris Woodstra". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
2. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Waiata". Robert Christgau.
3. ^ Marsh, Dave; Swenson, John, eds. (1983). The New Rolling Stone Record Guide. New York: Random House/Rolling Stone Press. p. 480\. ISBN 978-0-394-72107-1.
4. ^ "The First 50 Music Videos Ever Played on MTV". DataLounge.com. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
5. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. p. 288\. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988.
6. ^ "RPM Canadian Charts". Retrieved 13 July 2011.
7. ^ "Charts.nz – Split Enz – Waiata". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
8. ^ "All Music Guide". Retrieved 11 November 2010.
9. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 433\. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
10. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1981 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
11. ^ "Major fight economics with quirky rock originals". Billboard. 12 June 1982.
12. ^ "Split Enz – Part Two - The Eighties". AudioCulture. 1 April 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2020.

* v
* t
* e

Split Enz

* Tim Finn
* Phil Judd
* Mike Chunn
* Miles Golding
* Mike Howard
* Div Vercoe
* Wally Wilkinson
* Geoff Chunn
* Robert Gillies
* Eddie Rayner
* Emlyn Crowther
* Noel Crombie
* Malcolm Green
* Neil Finn
* Nigel Griggs
* Paul Hester

Studio albums|

* Mental Notes
* Second Thoughts
* Dizrythmia
* Frenzy
* The Beginning of the Enz
* True Colours
* Waiata / Corroboree
* Time and Tide
* Conflicting Emotions
* See Ya 'Round

Live albums|

* The Living Enz
* Anniversary
* Extravagenza
* Live, Alive Oh

Compilations|

* Beginning of the Enz
* Enz of an Era
* History Never Repeats – The Best of Split Enz
* Oddz and Enz
* Rear Enz
* The Best of Split Enz
* Spellbound
* Rootin Tootin Luton Tapes

Tribute albums|

* She Will Have Her Way
* He Will Have His Way
* They Will Have Their Way

Singles|

* "Late Last Night"
* "My Mistake"
* "I See Red"
* "I Got You"
* "I Hope I Never"
* "Poor Boy"
* "One Step Ahead"
* "History Never Repeats"
* "I Don't Wanna Dance"
* "Dirty Creature"
* "Six Months in a Leaky Boat"
* "Never Ceases to Amaze Me"
* "Next Exit"
* "Strait Old Line"
* "Message to My Girl"
* "I Walk Away"

Videos|

* Split Enz

Related articles|

* Discography
* Members
* ENZSO
* Forenzics
* Crowded House
* Finn Brothers
* The Makers
* Rikky and Pete
* Schnell Fenster
* The Swingers
* One Out of the Bag

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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