THE GO-BETWEENS
Send Me a Lullaby
Circus/Jetset TWA46
Before Hollywood
Circus/Jetset TWA47
Spring Hill Fair
Circus/Jetset TWA48
http://www.go-betweens.net/
As Summer draws to a close, and dulcet days grow hotter and yet shorter, my
mind wanders back through the years to similar times in the past: 1984, on
the shores of Lake Mendota with L., enjoying a Plaza burger; 1993, biscuit
breakfast with V. at the Cozy Cafe in Chicago; 1997, fried quahogs with C.
by the cranberry bog in Patuisset…
So what do these memories have in common, save humidity, indigestion, and broken hearts (alas, and apologies to all): the late Summer soundtrack provided by that most special of pop groups, The Go-Betweens.
For those who care (and you must!) The Go-Betweens were, and are, nearly the perfect pop band: bitter and sweet melodies performed compactly (and sometimes powerfully) by a three-piece (later quartet, later still, sextet). Two singers, one smarmy, one sincere, share life's joys and miseries in a fashion that elicits empathy from the listener - you've been there, you've heard the story before - but never told so beautifully.
The Go-Betweens were formed in 1977 by Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, later to be joined by drummer Lindy Morrison, and by the turn of the decade were fixtures in Brisbane's music scene, often gigging with pals The Birthday Party. Like BP, they would later move to London to advance their careers, become mired in botched label deals, and eventually find their biggest audience on this side of the Atlantic.
The Circus reissues give us their first three albums complete, and offer a
bonus of contemporary b-sides and ephemera to fill out the package. Send Me
a Lullaby, the first, was recorded in Brisbane during the Winter (July) of
1981, and betrays the band's interest in U.S. groups like Television and Talking
Heads, while hinting at the sensibilities that would later be brought out
with aplomb on later albums. Nonetheless, some wonderful angular pop gems
like "One Thing Can Hold Us", "People Know Us", the lovely
"It Could Be Anyone." In all, a wonderful invitation into the Go-Betweens
world.
1983's Before Hollywood remains, for me, their finest album. While cases can
certainly be made for later work, especially Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond
Express, BH is my favorite Go-Betweens experience. From the bass opening to
"A Bad Debt Follows You" through the sing along fadeout of "That
Way", the album unveils perfect pop memories one after another, with
a sequencing that is utterly seductive and convincing. Grant McLennan's singing
had grown more confident, as well as his songwriting, giving us the gorgeous
"Cattle and Cain", for many the most loved GB song. Robert Forster's
"Ask" is my personal fave, but there is not a single misstep on
this album, and if you are new to the Go-Betweens, please start here - and
don't stop.
Spring Hill Fair, from 1994, is generally regarded as the GB's weakest album, and it probably is. In the inevitable push for widespread popularity they would ever find elusive, big budget production values overwhelm the songs at times. That, and minor teething pains as McLennan move from bass to guitar, giving the new 4-piece a more conventional rock sound.
And yet, and yet, there are some gorgeous songs: it only takes the first minute of "Bachelor Kisses" to invite tears.....
"Part Company", "Draining the Pool for You", "River of Money", amazing songs all. Had the sequencing been different, or singles such as "Emperor's Courtesan" or "Newton Told Me" been included, this would have been a fabulous album. Hey! But wait - thanks to the second chance of reissues, these very songs are included on the second CD of Spring Hill Fair's release, allowing a more perfect memory of the past, through the focus of hindsight.
Credit must be given to Circus/Jetset for the high quality of these reissues, leaving the original album intact on one CD, and offering the singles and outtakes on a second. Too often for me, as in the case of Rykodisk's 80-minute Mission of Burma comp, the pace of the original album is destroyed by adding this, that, and bacon fat to the end. I personally enjoy the break in the action changing one disc for another. And the second discs on these sets make the reissues all the more worthwhile, including such gems as their early Postcard Single and a wonderful collaboration with the Birthday Party "After the Fireworks."
The Go-Between are once again the late Summer soundtrack, this time with LA sunsets and adobada from La Abeja.
No broken hearts yet.
-William Mohline