Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Go-Betweens masterpiece..., 18 May 2006
There isn't really such a thing as bad album by The Go-Betweens, they're one of those bands like The Fall or Stereolab who always produce decent material. Even albums that weren't that raved over - debut LP 'Send Me a Lullaby', 1987's 'Tallulah' or their return albums 'The Friends of Rachel Worth' and 'Bright Yellow Bright Orange' have much to commend them. C'mon, this is the Go-Betweens!
'Oceans Apart' is the Go-Betweens tenth album, the preceding two albums were fine, maybe it took awhile for Forster and McLennan to get back into the swing of things? There's a solid band here, alongside the key members are bassist/keyboard player/backing vocalist Adele Pickvance and drummer/multi-instrumentalist Glenn Thompson. I think it's their most assured album since 1988's classic '16 Lovers Lane' and certainly ranks as one of their all time classic albums alongside 'Lovers', 'Liberty Belle & the Black Diamond Express' and 'Spring Hill Fair' (...it's all good though...)
The ten songs here are all perfect, everything that was great about the greatest Go-Betweens songs are here - both Forster and McLennan's contrubutions are fantastic. The tracks that seem to stand out are single 'here comes a city', 'Lavender' (not far from the territory of the latest Shack LP), 'darlighurst nights' (which out Belles Belle & Sebastian and has the kind of jangly riff Johnny Marr has been looking for since 1987) and the heartbreakers 'No Reason to Cry' and 'Finding You.' But it's all great...and was one of my favourite albums of 2005, a highlight to rank alongside Low's 'The Great Destroyer', Nine Horses' 'Snow Borne Sorrow', Fiona Apple's 'Extraordinary Machine', The Fall's 'Fall Heads Roll' & 'Twin Cinema' by the New Pornographers. The Go-Betweens are up there with the best of their peers, like Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, The Fall, Shack and Sonic Youth they still make decent records - leaving people like Morrissey, Matt Johnson, Prml Scrm, Depeche Mode, Echo & the Bunnymen, New Order and R.E.M.(who might be seen as peers) in the dust. If you're lucky enough, you can get 'Oceans Apart' with an excellent six-track bonus disc recorded live at the Barbican - particularly stunning versions of 'The Wrong Road', 'Bye Bye Pride' & 'Streets of Your Town.'
Clearly the Go-Betweens have made another classic album and hopefully the follow-up would have been as great. Sadly Grant McLennan died recently...which is a tragic loss to one of the great partnerships - Forster/McLennan more important than Morrissey/Marr or Lennon/McCartney where I reside...Listening to this record since McLennan's death the songs have taken on another meaning, who could not feel their soul a little bit touched by lines like "What would you do if you turned around and saw me beside you not in a dream but in a song?" or "Don't know where I'm going/Don't know where I'm flowing/But I know it's finding you"? McLennan has left behind some of the greatest songs whose mark is left on thousands of listeners he never met. Both Forster and McLennan's work captures the highs and lows of life, part of the soundtrack to my life and a tragic loss on the back of such a great record. RIP Grant.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The greatest album ever made, 17 Feb 2006
If a gun was put to my head and I had to shout out the name of the greatest record I´d ever heard I might well say this. I´ve listened to this record so many times it´s slowly cracked into little pieces. I´ve now bought two extra copies just in case one breaks in an emergency. I know this record has been well received but no amount of praise can do this record justice. It´s Forster and McLennan laying down gauntlet to the younger generation saying,"you may think you can write a song but listen to this." The faceless dross of most of todays bands pales into insignificance when you hear this.
For me it´s the greatest Go-betweens record (that´s a very controversial statement,) because it´s got something the other records haven´t; menace.
"Here comes a city," is an indication of the new-found punchiness. "Finding you," is a moving slice a perfect guitar pop, "Boundary rider," is beautifully wistful and melancholic. And the list goes on. For me, "The Statue," is a hauntingly moving song about love the loss the likes of which I´ve heard before. The lyrics penetrate your, they touch your heart like no other songwriters can.
Go-Betweens fans can be a close-knit rather closed bunch, I´m sure some may not agree with my assessment of this reocrd. I was introduced to them by a Dane of all people whilst travelling around Europe in 2003 and instantly got hooked. I was too young to listen to the 80´s albums at the time but,"Liberty Belle and the black Diamon Express," and, "16 lovers lanes," are two of the other GREATEST albums of all time
recorded by this band. In fact go out and buy the whole lot. I have. "Part Company," from "Spring Hill Fair," is one of the most beautiful songs ever written.
I love this band so much, their music is as majestic as any natural wonder you´ll ever see. I know this record and ALL the others have made my life and the lives of many others complete. That´s the biggest complement I can pay them.
Dave
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
At last an album worthy of their name, 4 May 2005
By A Customer
Glad as I was that the Go-betweens reunited ,I must admit to being slightly dissapointed by their last two albums. They were fine, but if often sounded like they were coasting without trying to produce anything for which they are truly capable of.
How wrong was I. They have got back their edge which made them one of the best groups ever to grace this planet. Robert's songs are great but surprisingly it is Grant who excels himself with all of his five contributions, 'finding you' and 'no reason to cry' are excellent showing that no-one can write such fantastic pop music. The statue', could rate as one of his best ever tracks. Believe me, Robert's songs are great and as always they are so much better together then apart. If you love the go-betweens please get this album, if not give it a try.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
sublime
Joyful, sad, beautiful, gentle, harsh, humorous, ironic, compassionate, regretful, wistful, all wrapped in great stories. This is what pop music was always meant to be.
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Published on 28 Mar 2006
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~ Robert Forster
~ The Go-Betweens
~ The Go-Betweens
~ The Go-Betweens
~ The Go-Betweens
