I can totally understand that a whole album can leave you underwhelmed if you are not a hardcore fan of the band. I have the same problem with Tallulah and Liberty Belle.
As a whole LP i think that 16 Lovers Lane is their most accessible and finest pop album. Next to Streets of your Town you´ll find a bunch of really great songs. The production can´t deny its 80ies origin though.
My other favourite songs are scattered throughout their different lps. My absolute fave is without a doubt "Cattle and Cane" which has only one fault: It fades at a moment when I would like it to go on forever!
"Bye bye pride" is another great track.
I was surprised how good their (sniff) last record "Oceans Apart" turned out to be. "Finding You" is one of those tracks that grabs you by the throat and doesn´t let go.
It brought me to tears when Grant was still alive and now it is painful to listen to.
And man, what a hottie Grant was in his later years!!!
You really need 16 Lovers Lane. It's truly one of the best pop records ever recorded.
I've always wanted to hear some Go-Betweens songs, so thanks for giving me a sample.
Ivy has made some great songs, but I bought "Apartment Life" three years ago and only liked two of the songs on it, so I haven't bought any of their albums since then. "I Think of You" from "Long Distance," which I first heard over the closing credits of "Shallow Hal," is a perfect pop song. And "Edge of the Ocean" and "I've Got a Feeling" have a similarly perfect dreamy feel about them.
How is Ivy's cover of Papas Fritas's "Say Goodbye," John? And would you recommend any one album of theirs over all others?
JOHNNY SEZ: Ivy's "Say Goodbye" is okay - it's off an EP of covers called "Guestroom", which also includes the Cure's "Let's Go To Bed" & Nick Heyward's "Kite", but I would recommend "Long Distance" if you wanted to try one Ivy album - they've moved into a more synthesized, almost dancey direction since "Apartment Life". Ivy definitely wear their New Wave influences on their sleeves, so any fan of this site should check them out.
Apartment Life is a pretty damn solid pop record. Whenever one of those songs pop up on my ipod, I wonder why Ivy weren't bigger.
As for the go-betweens, 16 Lovers Lane is pretty indespensible. I recall being oddly saddened by McLennon's passing, not so much for his sake but for Forrester's. They had been writing together for 20 something years, and I heard that they were each others lifeline. This may sound hoaky, but 2 days after I heard of Grant McLennon's death, I had a dream that he was strumming guitar, whisper-singing Bye Bye Pride and I woke up very sad. (Being sappy isn't my usually my thing, but there you go...)
I always love the big sweet sounding pop hits with the catchy chorus and biting lyric, so at one point I really fell in love with the song "Spring Rain" from Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express. I'll mail it over.
The song "Cattle and Cane" is one of the definitive songs for life on the Pacific Rim
As opposed to starting with the Go-Betweens, I highly recommend you begin with Horsebreaker Star, which is a solo Grant CD (I imagine this is blasphemy to some). It has a great organic (think REM in the 80's) feel - sort of feels like Grant and co are in the other room.
Namatjira: "Cattle and Cane" is indeed a genius song, and I love the way you describe it. Funny—so many of my impressions of daily life in Australia come from songs by the Go-Betweens and Not Drowning, Waving. Mind you, I have no idea how *accurate* they are, as I've never been there...
Also noteworthy are the two records Grant McLennan made with Steve Kilbey (of The Church) under the name Jack Frost. A mixed bag—some roaring Churh-type psychedelic rock, some goofy studio jams, weird electronic stuff, and a few gorgeous McLennan ballads. Will be happy to supply, if anybody's interested...
Thank You!
Right here is great!
The GoBes were in my life since Cattle and Cane, I love every song since, and before, Karen!
watershed. grant's first solo disc. lovely. first lyric: "a man stands by a window. he breathes like a bird."
i love the go betweens, but man oh man is this a good album.
Some GB greats:
"Bye Bye Pride"
"Love is a Sign"
"Rock n' Roll Friend"
"Dive for your Memory"
From solo Grant McLennan (Horsebreaker Star):
"Simone & Perry"
"Ice in Heaven"
"Put You Down"
"Coming Up for Air"
"Keep My Word"
"Open Invitation"
From solo Robert Forster (Danger in the Past, I Had a NY Girlfriend):
"The River People"
"I've Been Looking For Somebody"
"2541" (cover of Grant Hart)
"Bird"
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