The Go-Betweens
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 band's 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 group's 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 wasn't 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.
© Michael Ribas /TiVo
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Discography
13 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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16 Lovers Lane (Remastered)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Beggars Banquet on May 1, 1988
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Before Hollywood
Alternative & Indie - Released by Domino Recording Co on May 1, 1983
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
First Five Singles
Alternative & Indie - Released by Domino Recording Co on Sep 1, 1978
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Spring Hill Fair
Alternative & Indie - Released by Domino Recording Co on Sep 27, 1984
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Send Me A Lullaby
Alternative & Indie - Released by Domino Recording Co on Nov 1, 1981
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express (Remastered)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Beggars Banquet on Jan 1, 1986
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tallulah (Remastered)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Beggars Banquet on Jan 1, 1987
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fountains of Youth (Live at the Town and Country Club)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Beggars Banquet on Feb 28, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
16 Lovers Lane (Remastered)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Beggars Banquet on May 1, 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live on Snap!
Alternative & Indie - Released by Beggars Banquet on May 3, 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tallulah (Remastered)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Beggars Banquet on Jan 1, 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express (Remastered)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Beggars Banquet on Jan 1, 1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fountains of Youth (Live at the Town and Country Club)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Beggars Banquet on Feb 28, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo