The Go‐Betweens | ||
| Allmusic Biography : The Go-Betweens were perhaps the quintessential cult band of the 80s: they came from an exotic locale (Brisbane, Australia), moved to a major recording center (in their case, London) in a sustained bid to make a career out of music, released album after album of music seemingly tailor-made for the radio in spite of their having little use for contemporary Top 40 musical/lyrical formulas, and earned considerable critical praise and a small but fervent international fan base. Although the Go-Betweens were absent throughout the 90s before re-forming in the new millennium, both of the bands songwriters embarked on respectable solo careers in the interim and, while rarely reaching the heights the Go-Betweens scaled, they still managed to uphold the groups legacy. Robert Forster and Grant McLennan began as a pair of teenagers obsessed with the earthy rock of Dylan, CCR, and the Velvet Underground and encouraged by the Australian punk of the Saints. As collected on The Able Label Singles, their first two singles show a fondness for scruffy, British Invasion/new wave-influenced pop/rock. Picking up permanent drummer Lindy Morrison, they recorded their debut LP, moved to England, and signed a short-lived deal with Rough Trade. Going for a lush, tuneful sound crammed with nonstandard rock instrumentation, they went on to record five more excellent LPs. Though their pre-Beggars Banquet albums were traditionally hard to find in the States, that label finally reissued all six albums on CD in 1996. In 2000 the band reunited and released a new album, The Friends of Rachel Worth, which also featured all three members of Sleater-Kinney. It wasnt just a fluke, as the band recorded follow-up albums released in 2003 (Bright Yellow Bright Orange) and 2005 (Oceans Apart). Documenting a 2005 concert in their hometown, the DVD/CD package That Striped Sunlight Sound arrived in early 2006, just a few months before the death of McLennan in May. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 19 Title: Before Hollywood Released: 1982 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:04:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 A Bad Debt Follows You (02:26) 2 Two Steps Step Out (03:29) 3 Before Hollywood (03:45) 4 Dusty in Here (04:10) 5 Ask (05:19) 6 Cattle and Cane (04:21) 7 By Chance (02:20) 8 As Long as That (05:26) 9 On My Block (03:50) 10 That Way (04:09) 1 Hammer the Hammer (02:48) 2 Heaven Says (04:07) 3 Just a King in Mirrors (02:58) 4 A Peaceful Wreck (02:31) 5 Man O’Sand to Girl O’Sea (03:26) 6 Near the Chimney (03:40) 7 This Girl, Black Girl (03:30) 8 The Exception of Deception (01:49) |
| Before Hollywood : Allmusic album Review : The Go-Betweens were already a good band well before they made Before Hollywood, but this second album is what proved for many listeners that they were great. For good reason -- both Robert Forsters and Grant McLennans singing sounds much more honestly theirs, finding their own voices, while collectively the trio create a series of intricate, surprising melodies and songs which balance past and present beautifully. Strange as it may sound, the bands peers at this point could and did range from the Cure (for both melancholic intensity and guitar -- check some of the electric work on "Ask") to more obvious cohorts such as Orange Juice, but the Go-Betweens already had their own identity firmly established. For many the albums reputation rests on the presence of one song alone, and understandably so: "Cattle and Cane." Arguably the bands absolute highlight of its earliest years and one of the early-80s utter classics, the combination of McLennans nostalgia-laden but not soppy lyric, his flat-out lovely singing and overdubbed backing vocals, and the catchy, beautifully elegant acoustic/electric arrangement is simply to die for. There are plenty of other songs that demonstrate the threesomes collective strength. "Two Steps Step Out" is a prime example, with sudden tempo shifts, from a more straightforward beat on the chorus to the sudden breakdown on the brisk chorus, and McLennans lovelorn lyric and quietly impassioned singing making it an instant winner. Another McLennan winner is "Dusty in Here," soft piano from Bernard Clarke adding just enough to the spare but warm arrangement. Forster gets his own share of memorable moments, not least of which is the title track, not to mention the edgy, desperate "By Chance" and slightly calmer "On My Block." Lindy Morrisons abilities as a drummer are similarly improved, the at-times strident work of Send Me a Lullaby here replaced with a good balance between impact and steady swing. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 19 Title: Send Me a Lullaby Released: 1982-02 Tracks: 12 Duration: 35:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Your Turn, My Turn (03:03) 2 One Thing Can Hold Us (03:17) 3 People Know (02:11) 4 The Girls Have Moved (02:36) 5 Midnight to Neon (02:31) 6 Eight Pictures (04:52) 7 Careless (02:34) 8 All About Strength (02:12) 9 Ride (03:30) 10 Hold Your Horses (02:14) 11 Arrow in a Bow (02:00) 12 It Could Be Anyone (04:30) |
| Send Me a Lullaby : Allmusic album Review : The first official album from the Go-Betweens, after a slew of earlier recordings and initial singles, was described by Forster and McLennan in later years as sounding like a practice room session, "metallic folk in a way." Its a fair assessment, and certainly while its the work of a young band, Send Me a Lullaby is still a promising start, showing that the original trio had an aesthetic and the talent to carry its work over an albums length. Another McLennan comment, that its the 1981 version of the Pixies, is partially accurate -- theres no walls of feedback or screaming, but the songs are short, brisk, angular. The not-so-secret weapon, as one can imagine, is the singing of Forster and McLennan, investing even the sharpest songs and most cutting rhythms (check out the relentless rhythms of the art-funk "The Girls Have Moved") with a sometimes desperate and sometimes withdrawn emotion. At points the vocals are forced, as can also be heard on Very Quick on the Eye, but both are starting to audibly try out other approaches. As musicians, the three definitely had something of that metallic folk thing about them, with Morrisons drumming adding a sometimes brusque but (except for part of "Eight Pictures") never brutal touch to the proceedings that holds up quite well. Forsters guitar work and McLennans bass are both interesting to hear in context given how much of an influence they would exert in later years. Rather than sounding like theyre trying to recodify rock and roll or the like, its a series of often gentle explorations in restraint, saying more with less. There are definitely more thrashy numbers that live might well have completely rocked out -- "People Know," with its squirrelly guest saxophone from James Freud, is the most likely candidate of all. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 19 Title: Spring Hill Fair Released: 1984 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:12:08 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Bachelor Kisses (03:33) 2 Five Words (04:05) 3 The Old Way Out (03:41) 4 You’ve Never Lived (03:55) 5 Part Company (04:53) 6 Slow Slow Music (03:05) 7 Draining the Pool for You (04:16) 8 River of Money (05:10) 9 Unkind and Unwise (03:05) 10 Man O’Sand to Girl O’Sea (04:41) 1 Emperor’s Courtesan (02:22) 2 Rare Breed (02:53) 3 Newton Told Me (02:33) 4 Just Right for Him (03:29) 5 Attraction (02:26) 6 The Power That I Now Have (02:45) 7 Second-Hand Furniture (04:14) 8 Marco Polo Jr. (04:12) 9 Sweet Tasting Hours (03:40) 10 Unkind & Unwise (instrumental) (03:02) |
| Spring Hill Fair : Allmusic album Review : With Robert Vickers and his more straightforward style of bass introduced to the band, McLennan switched fully over to guitar and the quartet entered the studio with producer John Brand for Spring Hill Fair. A slightly more conventional but no less entrancing collection of songs in comparison to Before Hollywood, Spring Hill Fair contains its fair share of Go-Betweens classics, with the rough, barbed emotional edge of many lyrics getting almost gentle arrangements. Theres more appearances from guest musicians than ever before, with contributions running from string arrangements to trumpet and saxophone. Its all still the Go-Betweens own style of chiming guitar rock, able to switch between restraint and a hard-swinging (definite credit again to Morrison -- check out her glammy stomp on "The Old Way Out") but not hard-riffing punch. Leadoff track "Bachelor Kisses," with its subtly intense mid-song break, McLennans suddenly nervous singing matched by a quiet intensity in the music, is easily matched at the end with Forsters "Man O Sand to Girl O Sea," its pounding chorus one of the bands best captured moments of desperation. If McLennan had ultimate pride of place on Before Hollywood with "Cattle and Cane," Forster comes to the fore here with the just tense enough "Draining the Pool for You." Its a blackly humorous portrait of a maintenance worker and the faded superstar who hired him that also succeeds as a perfect kiss-off, with a memorable chorus to boot. Other Forster-sung standouts include "Part Company," an almost-Smiths-like all-around performance on the verses spiked with an at once inspirational and regret-laden chorus. Throughout the album one can not only hear the expanded lineup testing things out, but individual players adding their own particular flair -- the brush-and-shuffle percussion from Morrison on "Five Words," McLennans great lead guitar solo on "Youve Never Lived," Vickers ability with crisp funk on "Slow Slow Music." | ||
 | Album: 4 of 19 Title: Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express Released: 1986 Tracks: 10 Duration: 36:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Spring Rain (03:06) 2 The Ghost and the Black Hat (02:38) 3 The Wrong Road (04:55) 4 To Reach Me (03:38) 5 Twin Layers of Lightning (04:24) 6 In the Core of a Flame (02:58) 7 Head Full of Steam (03:36) 8 Bow Down (03:47) 9 Palm Sunday (On Board the S.S. Within) (03:19) 10 Apology Accepted (04:20) |
| Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express : Allmusic album Review : Robert Forsters endearingly fey persona, equal parts Bryan Ferry and gangly bookstore clerk, reaches full flower on the Go-Betweens fourth album, which tempers the angularity and occasional claustrophobia of the bands previous work with a new airiness and nervous romanticism. The lighter sound can be partly attributed to the growing influence of co-leader Grant McLennan, whose wistful "Cattle and Cane" and "Bachelor Kisses" lent grace to the Go-Betweens sometimes stilted early records. McLennans touch is all over Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express -- his "In the Core of a Flame," a love song that manages to be at once tenderhearted and impatient, is a highlight -- but this is still mostly Forsters show, and as such is a revelation. The merry, pastoral opener "Spring Rain" serves as notice that this will be a less dour affair than usual, yet, rather than negating Forsters pained, self-doubting lyrics, the comparatively gentle songs set them off beautifully. "You opened my mail apart at the seams/and now you know I live beyond my means," he sings at the outset of the swaying "Bow Down," and the prettiness of the melody makes him sound all the more uneasy. Other highlights include the sublime "Head Full of Steam," a tale of infatuation so strong that Forster breathlessly reports what his beloveds parents do for a living before realizing that such trivia is probably "of no importance at all" to anyone but him (which doesnt stop him from blurting out just a few lines later the earth-shattering news that neither he nor his object of desire have ever had a nickname). Protestations aside, the urgency in his voice makes it clear that the minutiae of love matter very much indeed, and anyone whos been there will sympathize. Liberty Belle is by no means free of the old Go-Betweens edge (the brooding "Twin Layers of Lightning" is proof of that), but it is the pervading warmth and rueful humor of this release that make it so accessible and such a delight. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 19 Title: Tallulah Released: 1987 Tracks: 10 Duration: 38:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Right Here (03:54) 2 You Tell Me (03:38) 3 Someone Else’s Wife (04:09) 4 I Just Get Caught Out (02:16) 5 Cut It Out (03:58) 6 The House That Jack Kerouac Built (04:42) 7 Bye Bye Pride (04:06) 8 Spirit of a Vampyre (03:56) 9 The Clarke Sisters (03:20) 10 Hope Then Strife (04:55) |
| Tallulah : Allmusic album Review : Tallulah, the Go-Betweens fifth album, was supposed to be the bands breakthrough recording in America. That said, its sound is nearly a full-on break with the edginess that began to fade on 1986s Liberty Belle and The Black Diamond Express. More lush, rounded, and polished, it sounds like a record made in the mid-80s thanks in large part to Lindy Morrisons use of drum programs in addition to her trap kit. Add to this the contributions of new member Amanda Brown on violin, oboe, and backing vocals and one has a revamped band. Fans didnt take to the new sound with kindness initially, but the songwriting of Forster and McLennan was so much more focused and taut, it more than compensates for production errors. Nowhere is this more evident than "Right Here," the albums opener. The multi-tracked violins drive the center of the tune sprightly, in an off-rail, cut-time tempo. Robert Vickers colorful keyboards and Morrisons programming are truly adornments, but McLennans soulful yet philosophical vocal anchors the tune on bedrock and is supported by a beautiful chorus of backing vocals led by Brown. "You Tell Me," sung by Forster, leads with distorted guitars held in check by the sweetness of the melody and Morrisons meld of trap and synthetic drumming. Once more, keyboards counter the guitars as Vickers accents the beat pushing Forster and the wafting backing vocals deeper inside lyric and melody. McLennans "Someone Elses Wife," is, by contrasts, stark, dark, and suffocating with moody strings accenting the protagonists plight. The driving "Cure-ish" riff that kicks off Forsters "I Just Get Caught Out," is nearly transcendent; its pained verses are juxtaposed against backing vocalists filling the refrain with a cheery ba-ba-ba-ba-bum. The nearly funky organ and bass swirl of "Cut It Out," is unlike any Go-Betweens song before or since. The beautiful cello and violin section that fuels "The House That Jack Kerouac Built," with a shimmering rhythm guitar line, is the perfect maelstrom for Forsters gorgeous images of stolen illicit love in a dodgy cinema and are topped only by his desperate delivery. This recording may not have had fans of the band swooning at the time, but despite its production it has aged exceptionally well although it remains a product firmly of its time. The raw emotion, vulnerable tenderness and romantic desperation in its songs, textured by the blend of strings and keyboards, adds depth and dimension to this well of fine songs. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 19 Title: 16 Lovers Lane Released: 1988 Tracks: 10 Duration: 37:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Love Goes On! (03:18) 2 Quiet Heart (05:20) 3 Love Is a Sign (04:13) 4 You Can’t Say No Forever (03:57) 5 The Devil’s Eye (02:04) 6 Streets of Your Town (03:36) 7 Clouds (04:02) 8 Was There Anything I Could Do? (03:07) 9 I’m All Right (03:11) 10 Dive for Your Memory (04:14) |
| 16 Lovers Lane : Allmusic album Review : Arguably Australias greatest pop group ever, The Go-Betweens seemed to save the best for last when they split in 1989. (They reunited in 1999, and have issued two more studio recordings since that time). 16 Lovers Lane is simply breathtaking; it is a deeply moving, aurally sensual collection of songs about relationships and the broken side of love that never lapses into cheap sentimentality or cynicism. Songwriters Robert Forster and Grant McLennan had always been visionary when it came to charting personal and relational melancholy and heartbreak, but here, their resolve focused on charting the depths of the romantics soul when it has been disillusioned or crestfallen, is simply and convincingly taut. While its true that the group was going through its own version of a soap opera-styled romantic saga, that emotional quagmire seemingly fueled its energies and focus, resulting in an album so texturally rich, lyrically sharp, and musically honest, its effect is nothing less than searing on an any listener who doesnt have sawdust instead of blood in his or her veins. Opening with McLennans "Love Goes On," the stage is set for a kind of refined yet primal emotional transference that pop music is rarely capable of revealing. As he sings: "There are times when I want you/I want you so much I could bust/I know a thing about lovers/Lovers lie down in trust/The people next door they got problems/They got things they cant name/I know about things about lovers/ Lovers dont feel any shame/Late not night when the lights down low/The candle burns to the end/I know a thing about darkness/Darkness aint my friend/Love goes on anyway," the doorway to the heart and its secrets opens. In the grain of his voice lie the flowers in the dustbin whose names are desperation and affirmation. With its hyperactive acoustic guitars, Amanda Browns cooing string arrangements, and the deftly layered, subtly played brass instruments, the tune becomes a gauzy anthem; it celebrates the ravaged heart as a beacon of strained hope in the entryway to a hall of bewilderment. He follows it with "Quiet Heart," a song whose opening was admittedly influenced in structure by U2s "With Or Without You," but blows it away lyrically and with its subtly shifting melody and harmony between the guitars. Browns multi-layered strings actually stride the backbeats pulse. His protagonist speaks to an absent lover. His ache offers a view of his own weakness, desperation, and an all-consuming tenderness: "I tried to tell you/But I can only say when were apart/How I miss your quiet, quiet heart." Forster seems to underline McLennan s raw emotionalism with his painterly, nearly baroque, "Love Is A Sign," where images from visual art, remembered scenarios, and real life brokenness intermingle effortlessly with the elegance of mandolins, a string orchestra, and a shimmering bassline. With "Streets Of Your Town," the Go-Betweens scored a minor hit in the U.K., and even got played on American radio for a moment, but despite the fact that it has the most memorable hook on a record filled with them, it merely underscores how constant the quality is on the record. Evidenced further by "The Devils Eye," and the shattering closer "Dive For Your Memory," 16 Lovers Lane is melancholy and somber in theme, but gloriously and romantically presented. Despite the fact that band has but a cult following, even in the 21st century, the Go-Betweens have nonetheless given us a far more literate, magnificently written, performed, and produced slab of pop classicism, than Fleetwood Macs wonderfully coked out, love as co-dependency fest, Rumours. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 19 Title: 1978–1990 Released: 1990-08-20 Tracks: 22 Duration: 1:16:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Hammer the Hammer (02:48) 2 Cattle and Cane (04:02) 3 Man O’Sand to Girl O’Sea (03:26) 4 Bachelor Kisses (03:33) 5 Draining the Pool for You (04:16) 6 Spring Rain (03:06) 7 The Clarke Sisters (03:20) 8 Right Here (03:54) 9 Bye Bye Pride (04:06) 10 The House That Jack Kerouac Built (04:42) 11 Streets of Your Town (03:36) 12 Love Is a Sign (04:13) 13 I Need Two Heads (02:34) 14 When People Are Dead (04:29) 15 People Say (02:40) 16 World Weary (01:41) 17 Rock and Roll Friend (03:34) 18 Dusty in Here (04:10) 19 Second-Hand Furniture (04:13) 20 This Girl, Black Girl (02:31) 21 Don’t Call Me Gone (02:17) 22 You Won’t Find It Again (03:21) |
| 1978–1990 : Allmusic album Review : A summation of the Go-Betweens rewarding body of work. Frustratingly, several of their best numbers were left off in favor of some so-so ones. Even so, this collection is invaluable because besides a complete discography, personnel history, and liner notes courtesy of Forster and McLennan, it contains a few interesting unreleased tracks, two good early singles ("People Say" and "I Need Two Heads"), as well as some of the best of the Go-Betweens frequently amazing B-sides, including the shimmering "Rock and Roll Friend." From that perspective, its a worthy epitaph for a special band. [Collectors/world travelers: Look out for the double-CD/record Japanese/U.K. versions that include all the tracks mentioned above -- the U.S. release is a single CD that eliminates six of the rarities.] | ||
 | Album: 8 of 19 Title: Live on SNAP With Deirdre O’Donoghue Released: 1999 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:08:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Introduction to Acoustic Session (01:58) 2 Rock ’n’ Roll Friend (05:39) 3 Dive for Your Memory (04:33) 4 Quiet Heart (07:00) 5 Clouds (05:58) 6 Love Goes On (07:20) 7 Introduction to Electric Session (00:40) 8 Bye Bye Pride (04:17) 9 Bow Down (04:09) 10 Right Here (05:13) 11 The Clarke Sisters (03:57) 12 I Just Get Caught Out (02:48) 13 Twin Layers of Lightning (04:53) 14 Cattle and Cane (03:37) 15 Apology Accepted (06:36) |
 | Album: 9 of 19 Title: 78 ’til 79: The Lost Album Released: 1999-04 Tracks: 13 Duration: 37:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Lee Remick (02:33) 2 Karen (04:07) 3 Help or Something (02:15) 4 Just Hang On (02:17) 5 Long Lonely Day (04:12) 6 Day for Night (03:00) 7 Love Wasn’t Made for You and Me (01:37) 8 Summer’s Melting My Mind (02:45) 9 Obsession With You (03:03) 10 Rare Victory (03:12) 11 The Sound of Rain (03:12) 12 People Say (02:40) 13 Don’t Let Him Come Back (02:51) |
| 78 ’til 79: The Lost Album : Allmusic album Review : The 1960s always provided major stimulus for Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, permeating a large portion of their catalog. The lineage of that influence is tracked to its source on this collection of their earliest, chiefly unreleased songs. Unearthed after 20 years, 78 til 79 is an actual lost album that precedes any of the bands official albums, and it is saturated by the duos reverence for the era. The bands first two singles bookend the album, and the music that occurs in between is, in a sense, a matter of hero worship, whether it is a case of the decades pop culture affecting Forster and McLennans attitudes and worldview ("Lee Remick," the posters of Jean-Paul Belmondo and Bob Dylan that decorate the practice space shown on the cover) or the songs themselves. Dylans hand is particularly felt. The beatnik nonchalance of "Karen," with its literary roll call -- Hemingway, Genet, Brecht, Joyce -- is very much in the mold of Dylan, even showing a similarly effortless, tongue-in-cheek artsiness, while "Love Wasnt Made for Me and You" and "Rare Victory" mirror his most sardonic, bittersweet romantic side. In addition, "Summers Melting My Mind" dives full-body into psychedelia, "Day for Night" has mod written all over it, and "The Sound of Rain" was almost certainly an effort, even if it only a subconscious one, to rewrite the Rolling Stones "As Tears Go By." But they also surprisingly show an affinity for the Ramones ("Just Hang On") and for the then en vogue London punk scene, while simultaneously reaching back to their precedents in garage rock, which the album frequently echoes. The recording levels rise and fall (most the songs were recorded live to McLennans 2-track in Forsters bedroom), feedback escapes from speakers, mistakes remain intact, McLennan and Tim Mustaphas rhythmic underpinning is rudimentary in the most terrifically thudding way, and the hooks and melodies are relatively simplistic. Forster and McLennan could never bypass hooks, however, and they dont do so on these songs, no matter how raw and youthfully reckless they are. The duos songcraft was already in place, and, while boldly insolent and unsophisticated, the album nevertheless displays a unique talent that was soon to flower fully. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 19 Title: Bellavista Terrace: Best of The Go-Betweens Released: 1999-04-05 Tracks: 14 Duration: 56:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Was There Anything I Could Do? (03:07) 2 Head Full of Steam (03:40) 3 That Way (04:09) 4 Part Company (04:53) 5 Cattle and Cane (04:21) 6 Draining the Pool for You (04:16) 7 The Wrong Road (04:55) 8 Bye Bye Pride (04:06) 9 Man O’Sand to Girl O’Sea (03:26) 10 The House That Jack Kerouac Built (04:42) 11 Bachelor Kisses (03:33) 12 Streets of Your Town (03:36) 13 Spring Rain (03:06) 14 Dive for Your Memory (04:14) |
| Bellavista Terrace: Best of The Go-Betweens : Allmusic album Review : Not quite as comprehensive or well-chosen as the earlier (and now out-of-print) 1978-1990 retrospective, Bellavista Terrace is nevertheless a fine introduction to the Go-Betweens enduring brilliance. As Robert Forsters liner notes point out with painful accuracy, this 14-track compilation could scarcely be called a greatest-hits collection as none of the bands singles actually charted, a mystery which has only deepened with the passing years -- that perfect pop confections like "Head Full of Steam," "Bye Bye Pride," and the sublime "Streets of Your Town" could fail to reach an audience is a crime. ("...Anyway, we were too good for the bloody charts," Forster continues -- damn right.) There is consolation to be had in that these songs all sound as good today as when they first appeared -- if the Go-Betweens refusal to bow to current trends was a liability during their own era, that same timelessness is their musics greatest strength in the here-and-now. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 19 Title: The Friends of Rachel Worth Released: 2000-09 Tracks: 10 Duration: 39:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Magic in Here (03:52) 2 Spirit (03:59) 3 The Clock (04:06) 4 German Farmhouse (03:51) 5 He Lives My Life (03:57) 6 Heart and Home (03:13) 7 Surfing Magazines (04:33) 8 Orpheus Beach (04:48) 9 Going Blind (02:56) 10 When She Sang About Angels (04:30) |
| The Friends of Rachel Worth : Allmusic album Review : Twelve years after disbanding the Go-Betweens, Brisbane-based singer/songwriters Robert Forster and Grant McLennan reformed the band they began in 1978 for their seventh album. While they havent quite picked up where they left off (none of the other original members hopped on board), and the violin/viola that was such an integral aspect of their last few albums appears sporadically, this isnt a huge departure from the trademarked Go-Betweens sound. Poetic, languid, spoken/sung vocals similar to Lou Reed weave between lovely melodies whose appeal unfolds with repeated listens. Strummed guitars and sympathetic drums (sadly, the marvelous percussionist Lindy Morrisson, a mainstay of the band, is missing) spar with Forster and McLennans breathy, often stream of consciousness vocals. But since the singer/songwriters evenly split the ten tracks, this sounds more like a combination of two solo albums rather than one from a cohesive unit. The backing musicians, which include Olympias similarly hyphenated Sleater-Kinney, are generally faceless except on the riff-rocking "German Farmhouse" where the band sounds even more like the Velvet Underground than usual. Forsters ode to Patti Smith, the album closing "When She Sang About Angels," is occasionally gorgeous, with half-recited lyrics that sometimes flow yet often sound uncomfortably meshed with the beautiful melody. But on the effervescent "Going Blind," the duo returns to the uncluttered, wistful, folk-pop sound of their best work. While it wont garner new fans, or even make newcomers search out their earlier work, The Friends of Rachel Worth is a convincing if inconsistent return to form. Its highlights recall the past glories of this commercially overlooked band and add a handful of keepers to their best work. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 19 Title: Bright Yellow Bright Orange Released: 2003-02-18 Tracks: 14 Duration: 51:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Caroline and I (03:52) 2 Poison in the Walls (04:28) 3 Mrs Morgan (04:10) 4 In Her Diary (03:02) 5 Too Much of One Thing (05:54) 6 Crooked Lines (02:50) 7 Old Mexico (04:41) 8 Make Her Day (03:45) 9 Something for Myself (04:02) 10 Unfinished Business (02:12) 1 Instant Replay (02:41) 2 Woman Across the Way (02:54) 3 The Locust Girls (03:24) 4 Girl Lying on a Beach (03:21) |
| Bright Yellow Bright Orange : Allmusic album Review : Fans of the Go-Betweens were happily amazed when Robert Forster and Grant McLennan reunited after 12 years and began recording again. This is the second product of their hopefully long-lived reunion. Recording in its native Australia, the duo added bassist and vocalist Adele Pickvance and drummer Glenn Thompson to the band for 2003s Bright Yellow Bright Orange. All the hallmarks of a great Go-Betweens record are here: memorable melodies, wry and literate (in Forsters case, literary) lyrics, Forsters dramatic vocals, and McLennans sweet croon. It is indeed a great record, but falls just short of being a great Go-Betweens record. Bright Yellow Bright Orange lacks some of the energy and excitement that Friends of Rachel Worth (and some of the earlier records) had. That record had the thrill of rediscovery in its favor; this album feels more like Forster and McLennan are settling comfortably into their partnership. The tempos are relaxed, the melodies easy to hum along with and underpinned with strummed acoustic guitars, the music very straightforward and steady, and the lyrics almost sentimental. A larger number of tracks than usual feature lush background vocals; Pickvance picks up where the sorely missed Amanda Brown left off and provides timely harmonies. McLennans tracks sound particularly mellow: "Mrs. Morgan" is a gently propulsive strum-pop gem, "Crooked Lines" is a ballad with lovely vocals by Pickvance, and "Unfinished Business" is a brief, achingly pretty, piano-based ballad that ends the record on a strong note. Forsters contributions are more dramatic: the near spoken word track "In Her Diary," an unsparing look at a lonely life; the country ballad "Too Much of One Thing"; and the hard-rocking "Make Her Day," with some very nontypical distorted guitar. Album highlight "Old Mexico" pulls off the rare feat of featuring Forster and McLennan sharing vocal duties. It is an instant classic, the pounding beat and staccato vocals of the verses giving way to the lush chorus that is vaguely and pleasantly reminiscent of "Bachelor Kisses." Go-Betweens fans should be very happy with Bright Yellow Bright Orange and glad the band decided to stay together and continue to make smart, exciting adult pop music. | ||
 | Album: 13 of 19 Title: Oceans Apart Released: 2005-04-25 Tracks: 10 Duration: 39:01 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Here Comes a City (03:25) 2 Finding You (04:02) 3 Born to a Family (03:08) 4 No Reason to Cry (03:53) 5 Boundary Rider (02:45) 6 Darlinghurst Nights (06:18) 7 Lavender (03:09) 8 The Statue (04:25) 9 This Night’s for You (04:25) 10 The Mountains Near Dellray (03:28) |
| Oceans Apart : Allmusic album Review : Though its been two years since Bright Yellow Bright Orange, Oceans Apart is further proof that the Go-Betweens are still a going concern. It is their third recording since reuniting after a 12-year hiatus. The lineup is the same as the last time out: Songwriters and frontmen Robert Forster and Grant McLennan are joined once more by drummer Glenn Thompson, and bassist, keyboardist, and backing vocalist Adele Pickvance. In addition, there is a small wind and brass section on some tracks, and, for a change, no strings. The band dug into its past for this one, bringing in producer Mark Wallis, who helmed the sessions for the classic 16 Lovers Lane in 1988. Oceans Apart sounds very little like its aforementioned predecessor, but thats hardly a problem. Wallis understands the bands subtleties and the textures they like to evoke better than anyone else theyve ever worked with. His production is more assertive, but hardly excessive. In fact, he lends the added dimension (he loves keyboards and electronic percussions) the bands records have lacked since their comeback. The set opens with "Here Comes a City," a literary rocker by Forster. Its shimmering, chunka-chunka riff and Forsters vocals feel like a refined, musical nod to the Talking Heads "Life During Wartime." Its also paranoid, clamoring for an edge it doesnt quite get to, and careens along to an uncertain yet quite arresting end. Things become a bit more characteristic on McLennans beautiful "Finding You," with its lilting guitars, spare, clean lines, and poetic, emotional lyrics that can open veins with the fine slash of their honesty. The dreamy, pillowy "No Reason to Cry" is among the more elegant songs McLennan has ever composed. Its soulful vocal, chorus, and the way Wallis layers keyboards, vocals, and Forsters distorted lead lines give the lyrics great weight and depth. Its a truly wonderful pop song. The poetry in "Darlinghurst Nights" is some of Forsters more poignant, moving through reverie, grief, and loss. The weave of acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, drums, and percussion surrounds his voice, pushing it out in front just enough to let his words move toward the listener with enough force to draw her in. In contrast, his "Lavender" touches country music but never goes there. Loops, keyboards, and washes of guitars carry the tune somewhere else as a clarinet wafts in from the margin. Once more, its reverie is in his lyric, with a hint of the previous, as it meets the solitary present, and its gorgeous. The electronic beats in "The Statue" are a bit jarring until the watery, warm, and luscious keyboards slip underneath subtly, only to be buoyed by a ringing lead-guitar line and McLennans vocal speaking his desire without flinching. Forsters brief, elegiac "Mountains Near Dellray" closes the set with another sense of place, very different from his openers. The mood is pastoral as the guitars wind and slip over one another. In addition, early editions of the CD come with a six-track, live EP, recorded at the Barbican in 2004. With its imagination, startling creativity, and sheer pop soul, Oceans Apart is the first great Go-Betweens record of the 21st century. | ||
 | Album: 14 of 19 Title: Live in London Released: 2005-05-09 Tracks: 28 Duration: 2:04:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 The Sound of Rain (04:27) 2 It Could Be Anyone (04:40) 3 Your Turn, My Turn (04:03) 4 Hammer the Hammer (03:22) 5 People Say (03:11) 6 This Girl, Black Girl (02:53) 7 Make Her Day (03:50) 8 Karen (06:05) 9 Magic in Here (03:23) 10 Poison in the Walls (04:37) 11 Surfing Magazines (05:04) 12 Baby Stones (04:16) 13 Cattle and Cane (05:05) 14 The Clock (04:17) 1 Too Much of One Thing (07:21) 2 He Lives My Life (04:11) 3 The Wrong Road (05:38) 4 Right Here (04:09) 5 Spring Rain (04:24) 6 Here Comes a City (03:49) 7 Love Goes On (04:00) 8 The House That Jack Kerouac Built (05:29) 9 Spirit (04:20) 10 German Farmhouse (03:50) 11 Bye Bye Pride (05:01) 12 When People Are Dead (04:55) 13 Streets of Your Town (03:37) 14 In The Core of the Flame (04:37) |
 | Album: 15 of 19 Title: That Striped Sunlight Sound Released: 2005-11-27 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:09:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Black Mule (04:36) 2 Clouds (02:17) 3 Boundary Rider (02:58) 4 Born to a Family (04:21) 5 Streets of Your Town (03:49) 6 Here Comes a City (03:31) 7 Draining the Pool For You (06:28) 8 Finding You (03:55) 9 Spring Rain (03:30) 10 Was There Anything I Could Do? (02:50) 11 Surfing Magazines (06:23) 12 The Devils Eye (02:32) 13 Too Much of One Thing (06:28) 14 People Say (02:53) 15 The Clock (05:37) 16 Karen (07:41) |
| That Striped Sunlight Sound : Allmusic album Review : This curiosity piece is perhaps an essential document for fans of Australias Go-Betweens. That Striped Sunlight Sound (a feeling Mssrs. Forster and McLennan have used in print to describe the bands sound) consists first of a DVD containing two different films of shows done at the Tivoli Theatre in the bands hometown of Brisbane in August of 2005. The first gig places Robert Forster and Grant McLennan up close and personal playing acoustic versions of "Black Mule" and "Clouds." The band enters on "Boundary Rider," and the magic truly begins. Carrying on through "Born to a Family" and "Streets of Your Town," the Go-Betweens are a band that sounds on-stage just a little more immediate than in the studio, which is a compliment. Other tracks include "Here Comes a City," "The Devils Eye," "People Say," and "Karen," among others. The performance is inspired, loose, and lively. There is also a CD component to the package that carries the entire 70-minute show. The other gig on the DVD is a special "songwriters session," held on Sunday, August 7. This film is quite wonderful in that it features Forster and McLennan playing acoustically and commenting on the process of songwriting, the songs themselves, and the Go-Betweens history. In many ways this is the real gem in the package. It includes versions of "Lee Remick," "Cattle and Cane," "Head Full of Steam," "Bachelor Kisses," "Dive for Your Memory," and five other cuts. The intimate charm of this film is irresistible in that the pair are home, relaxed, and wide open. There are no pretensions on display here, just an honest look at what makes Forster and McLennan tick as a pair and as individual writers. This is a fine addition to the Go-Betweens catalog. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 19 Title: Quiet Heart Released: 2012-08-31 Tracks: 30 Duration: 1:57:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Spring Rain (03:06) 2 Love Goes On (03:21) 3 Bye Bye Pride (04:06) 4 Part Company (04:53) 5 Darlinghurst Nights (05:32) 6 Bachelor Kisses (03:33) 7 Surfing Magazines (04:36) 8 Karen (04:08) 9 The Clock (04:07) 10 Head Full of Steam (03:40) 11 Streets of Your Town (03:39) 12 People Say (02:40) 13 Finding You (04:01) 14 Dive for Your Memory (04:14) 15 Cattle and Cane (04:17) 16 Right Here (03:53) 17 Here Comes a City (03:25) 18 Quiet Heart (05:21) 1 Unkind and Unwise (03:12) 2 Part Company (03:17) 3 The House That Jack Kerouac Built (05:22) 4 The Clarke Sisters (04:11) 5 The Wrong Road (03:37) 6 Cut It Out (03:27) 7 Head Full of Steam (04:08) 8 Right Here (03:56) 9 In the Core of the Flame (03:10) 10 Man OSand to Girl OSea (03:01) 11 Spring Rain (03:19) 12 Apology Accepted (03:56) |
 | Album: 17 of 19 Title: 5 Album Set Released: 2014-05-30 Tracks: 52 Duration: 39:09 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Your Turn, My Turn (?) 2 One Thing Can Hold Us (?) 3 People Know (?) 4 The Girls Have Moved (?) 5 Midnight To Neon (?) 6 Eight Pictures (?) 7 Careless (?) 8 All About Strength (?) 9 Ride (?) 10 Hold Your Horses (?) 11 Arrow In A Bow (?) 12 It Could Be Anyone (?) 1 A Bad Debt Follows You (?) 2 Two Steps Step Out (?) 3 Before Hollywood (?) 4 Dusty In Here (?) 5 Ask (?) 6 Cattle And Cane (?) 7 By Chance (?) 8 As Long As That (?) 9 On My Block (?) 10 That Way (?) 1 Bachelor Kisses (?) 2 Five Words (?) 3 The Old Way Out (?) 4 Youve Never Lived (?) 5 Part Company (?) 6 Slow Slow Music (?) 7 Draining The Pool For You (?) 8 River Of Money (?) 9 Unkind And Unwise (?) 10 Man OSand To Girl OSea (?) 1 Spring Rain (?) 2 The Ghost And The Black Hat (?) 3 The Wrong Road (?) 4 To Reach Me (?) 5 Twin Layers Of Lightning (?) 6 In The Core Of A Flame (?) 7 Head Full Of Steam (?) 8 Bow Down (?) 9 Palm Sunday (On Board The S.S. Within) (?) 10 Apology Accepted (?) 1 Right Here (03:55) 2 You Tell Me (03:38) 3 Someone Elses Wife (04:10) 4 I Just Get Caught Out (02:17) 5 Cut It Out (04:00) 6 The House That Jack Kerouac Built (04:43) 7 Bye Bye Pride (04:07) 8 Spirit Of A Vampyre (03:56) 9 The Clarke Sisters (03:20) 10 Hope Then Strife (04:58) |
 | Album: 18 of 19 Title: G Stands for Go-Betweens Sampler Released: 2015-01-19 Tracks: 16 Duration: 53:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Cattle & Cane (04:17) 2 Lee Remick (02:33) 3 I Need Two Heads (02:48) 4 Hope (02:03) 5 Bachelor Kisses (03:33) 6 8 Pictures (04:52) 7 Lies (02:22) 8 Second-Hand Furniture (04:13) 9 Part Company (04:53) 10 Hammer the Hammer (02:48) 11 The Sound of Rain (03:12) 12 One Thing Can Hold Us (03:17) 13 The Clowns Are in Town (02:13) 14 Hold Your Horses (02:14) 15 As Long as That (05:26) 16 Unkind and Unwise (03:05) |
 | Album: 19 of 19 Title: G Stands for Go-Betweens, Volume 1 Released: 2015-01-19 Tracks: 112 Duration: 3:52:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Lee Remick (02:33) 2 People Say (02:40) 3 I Need Two Heads (02:34) 4 Your Turn, My Turn (03:03) 5 Hammer the Hammer (02:48) 6 Karen (04:07) 7 Don’t Let Him Come Back (02:51) 8 Stop Before You Say It (02:57) 9 World Weary (01:41) 10 By Chance (?) 1 Your Turn, My Turn (03:03) 2 One Thing Can Hold Us (03:17) 3 People Know (02:11) 4 The Girls Have Moved (02:36) 5 Midnight to Neon (02:31) 6 Eight Pictures (04:52) 7 Careless (02:34) 8 All About Strength (02:12) 9 Ride (03:30) 10 Hold Your Horses (02:14) 11 Arrow in a Bow (02:00) 12 It Could Be Anyone (04:30) 1 A Bad Debt Follows You (02:26) 2 Two Steps Step Out (03:29) 3 Before Hollywood (03:45) 4 Dusty in Here (04:10) 5 Ask (05:19) 6 Cattle and Cane (04:21) 7 By Chance (02:20) 8 As Long as That (05:26) 9 On My Block (03:50) 10 That Way (04:09) 1 Bachelor Kisses (03:33) 2 Five Words (04:05) 3 The Old Way Out (03:41) 4 You’ve Never Lived (03:55) 5 Part Company (04:53) 6 Slow Slow Music (03:05) 7 Draining the Pool for You (04:16) 8 River of Money (05:10) 9 Unkind and Unwise (03:05) 10 Man O’Sand to Girl O’Sea (04:41) 1 I Want to Be Today (?) 2 The Sound of Rain (03:12) 3 People Say (02:40) 4 Don’t Let Him Come Back (02:51) 5 Long Lonely Day (?) 6 Day for Night (03:00) 7 Love Wasn’t Made for You and Me (01:37) 8 Just Hang On (02:17) 9 Summer’s Melting My Mind (02:45) 10 Obsession With You (03:03) 11 The Night (?) 12 Rare Victory (03:12) 13 Big Sleeping City (?) 14 Beachcomber (?) 15 The Missing One (?) 16 I Am an Architect (?) 17 8 Pictures (04:52) 18 The Green Light Don’t Mean Go (?) 19 Cold Flame (It Burns) (?) 20 Help or Something (?) 21 Only Sinners Care (?) 22 Lies (02:22) 1 Don’t Let Him Back (?) 2 The Clowns Are in Town (02:13) 3 Serenade Sound (02:23) 4 Sunday Night (02:50) 5 Hope (02:03) 6 It Took You a Week (?) 7 Day After Tomorrow (?) 8 I Know Why (?) 9 Circle You (?) 10 I Need Two Heads (02:34) 11 All About Strength (02:12) 12 One Word (02:02) 13 Red Epaulettes (?) 1 Metal and Shells (?) 2 Your Turn, My Turn (?) 3 Careless (?) 4 Distant Hands (?) 5 Hammer the Hammer (?) 6 People Know (?) 7 I Need Two Heads (02:48) 8 One Thing Can Hold Us (?) 9 Near the Chimney (?) 10 Undo What You Did (?) 11 By Chance (?) 12 It Could Be Anyone (?) 1 A Peaceful Wreck (02:31) 2 Heaven Says (04:07) 3 On My Block (?) 4 Cattle and Cane (?) 5 Hammer the Hammer (02:48) 6 Man O’Sand to Girl O’Sea (?) 7 Newton Told Me (02:33) 8 Man O’Sand to Girl O’Sea (03:26) 9 This Girl, Black Girl (02:31) 10 Emperor’s Courtesan (02:22) 11 Attraction (02:26) 12 Marco Polo Jr. (04:12) 13 Sweet Tasting Hours (03:40) 14 Part Company (?) 15 Bachelor Kisses (?) 16 The Old Way Out (?) 17 Unkind and Unwise (?) 18 Just a King in Mirrors (?) 19 Rare Breed (?) 20 Second-Hand Furniture (04:14) 21 The Power That I Now Have (02:45) 22 Five Words (?) 23 Just Right for Him (03:29) |