The Go-Betweens: Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express, Tallulah, and 16 Lovers Lane- Jetset Records 2004

When Lee Remick b/w Karen was released as a debut single, I was barely attuned to the music of the wind-up mobile above my crib. The Go-Betweens started their slow but steady ascent up music mountain during the tiny years of my life spent mesmerized by The Jackson Five and The Beatles lp's spinning on my plastic Fisher Price. I had hardly heard of them, much less heard them until their 2000 release of The Friends of Rachel Worth, yet upon pressing play, I knew I needed more.

The band history is scopic and is well-fleshed out in the recently updated and expanded biography written by David Nichols (and available here) but by means of introduction for the uninducted here is a brief summary:

The Go-Betweens formed in 1978 in Brisbane and subsequently expatriated to London. The band first consisted of Robert Forster and Grant McLennan and saw their first full length release, Send Me A Lullaby (where they were joined by drummer Lindy Morrison), on the supersonic Rough Trade label in 1982. (Though, in 1999, former bassist Robert Vickers' molto fabulous label Jetset released ex post facto "78 Til '79: the Lost Album consisting of the aforementioned single and other home recordings). Send Me A Lullaby is redolent with the post-punk shine of state-side bands such as the Gang of Four and the Talking Heads. The Go-Betweens also have general similarities shared with New Zealander bands The Bats/The Clean. There must be something extra tasty in the water that side of the southern hemisphere (Though that does not account for horror shows such as the Outfield and Men and Work).

The band enjoyed skirting the shoals of notoriety for 12 years, splitting in 1988 to focus on solo efforts (though Robert and Grant continued to play together) and reuniting in 2000 to release their incredible comeback, Friends of Rachel Worth. Friends incorporated indie rock stalwarts Sleater Kinney as backing musicians. This release was followed by 2003's solid Bright Yellow Bright Orange. Rumor has it they are currently writing and gearing up for a third post-comeback cd.

Honestly, the history is such that I could fill pages just getting the unfamiliar up to speed. Their lore is filled with interesting quirks, such as the double LL inclusions on early album titles and the tasteful arrogance paramount in their brushes with media. One of the most compelling charms is the bands two distinct songwriters, Forster and McLennan. Each has quite different strengths and style that allow The Go-Betweens to go from racing in songs like Man O Sand to Girl O Sea, to a more meandering in Clouds.

Robert Vickers appeared as bassist for Liberty Belle and Tallulah, though upon moving to the States was replaced with multi-instrumentalist John Willsteed for 16 Lovers Lane. Also in the line-up for these releases was Amanda Brown, providing lush orchestration on strings.