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     Victor Prose Unregistered guest |
Continued from first post. 11. “Love Is a Sign” The subtitle of Forster’s Lovers Lane songs might’ve been Bobby Calms Down (albeit by way of oppressive emotional-romantic depression). Either way, he did so at the peak of his powers, and this classic stands as a marvelous preview of the delicate, affectionate Forster of Rachel Worth. Key declaration: “This is what I’ve found.” 12. “Let Your Light In, Babe” I firmly believe the collaborations on The Evangelist, a very strong album, were the golden moments, and as I put “It Ain’t Easy” on Grant’s list, I owed Forster this. As wonderful as the more archetypal “Born to a Family” (which this sounds a lot like), Forster tries something lyrically here that is at once lovely, cute and disarming – funnier and more fanciful than Grant, but as reassuringly sweet as “Quiet Heart”. 13. “Draining the Pool for You” The first time I ever heard this song, I was so hopelessly taken I was compelled to play it about 12 more times. After I wore my voice out on it for a week, it settled into permanent cliché, the shortest shelf-life of any of my very favorite ‘tweens tunes. But it’s still great, and the lyrics are Forster at his bitchy, quippy finest. 14. “When People Are Dead” On the lower end of the scale because it lacks a chorus and because Robert (reportedly) didn’t write the lyrics. But the sheer dark power of the composition, performed by the band like a mad funeral-procession Beatles, catapults it into Tallulah’s ranks as one more lost ’87 classic from the Forster music machine. 15. “Rock And Roll Friend” A standard, and as exquisite a coda to early Go-Betweens as “You Won’t Find It Again”. At times I wish the melody was more Grantishly exploratory, and I hate more than any other RF song that I’ll die never knowing what or who this is about. But this is as functional a piece of poetry-pop as ever – at its best on Warm Nights. 16. “Justice” After those first two(-and-a-half) DITP relics, “Baby Stones” is the logical successor, but much as I enjoy the tune there are better country songs – among them “Born To A Family” and all of Calling From a Country Phone. But the closer, a phosphorescent, pseudo-Appalachian hymn to marriage, never fails to hit me the right way. 17. “The Darlinghurst Years” Thank rock & roll heaven at least one of the Go-Betweens decided to give orchestral art rock a try before one of them took up residence. From the winds to the brass to the violins (are there violins?), as sumptuous, moving and clever as Peter Gabriel 1. 18. “Girl Lying On a Beach” Its charms are as simplistic and unassuming as most of his other Bright Yellow Bright Orange songs, but something must’ve compelled him to play it first at his Four Ages show. And maybe it’s the same elusive magic that keeps drawing me back in over the cuts that apparently merited inclusion on the album – Forster’s worst showing. 19. Send Me a Lullaby-era Forster (1980 – 82) Inevitably, lumping some 30 to 40 slices of sleek avant-garde pop into one entry puts me in the unwise position of misrepresenting myself as an angularity-resistant hack who can’t tell the difference between “World Weary” and “Stop Before You Say It”. They’re not exactly the most easily distinguished pair of songs, however, and Forster did have a shtick here – herky-jerky and amelodic. I deeply love “People Know” and the classic “I Need Two Heads” and the poignant “Careless”, but couldn’t put one above the other without opening up a whole new realm of tricky ranking; the same quandary Tallulah and Country Phone gave me. Ergo – all at once. 20. “I Love You Still” & “Running the Risk of Losing You” Both from The Botany Sessions (I don’t know if there are even any other versions of the first one), these are pieces of workbook – naturally – lacking a little in the lyrics and melody department. But there’s something marvelously pastoral about these tracks, particularly the former, that have compelled more constant listening than any of their counterparts on this bootleg set. Once I figure out exactly what “I Love You Still” means, I have a feeling it’ll mean far more to me than “Quiet Heart” ever did. RUNNERS-UP: “Dive for Your Memory”, another luminous elegy that’s a little too traditional for my tastes (cf. “Caroline & I”); “Warm Nights”, the best song on the half-excellent-half-infuriating album of the same name; the fun, fantastic, eternally underrated “You’ve Never Lived”; the beguiling lost B-side “A Little Romance”; and the unjustly maligned, automatically disqualified I Had A New York Girlfriend. Go to the next post for the 10 worst... | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 1929 Registered: 03-2005 |
Shortly after Grant died I made up a sampler CD of his songs to send off to a trusted friend, just to let her know why I was grieving. Approximately a month ago I decided to make up a CD for the same listener devoted to "the other guy." Thing is, I found that I could not settle for one CD of Robert Forster; it had to be two (one and a half probably would have been ideal). And that right there will tell you what I think of Robert Xgau's "lesser half" evaluation of Robert. I'm not really a melody guy; for me, it's Robert Forster who gets the checkered flag. Here are the playlists. About the absence of SMAL & BH songs: this was intended for another listener. I felt that Robert's most angular experiments would be too much a case of throwing her into the pool at the deep end. Were these CDs for myself alone I would find places for "On My Block," "Ask" and "Midnight to Neon." CD 1: People Say The Clarke Sisters 121 Danger In The Past Part Company If it rains Spirit I Can Do (Radio 96 version) Loneliness Rock And Roll Friend Clouds Caroline And I The Evangelist Darlinghurst Nights Head Full Of Steam Drop Justice Atlanta Lie Low CD 2: Pandanus I Want To Be Quiet You Tell Me Karen Love Is A Sign You've Never Lived I'll Jump Spring Rain Girl Lying on the Beach Something For Myself Don't touch anything Did she overtake you? Heart Out To Tender The Mountains Near Dellray Spirit Of A Vampire Dive For Your Memory Demon days From Ghost town | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 1387 Registered: 01-2005 |
What, no love for "Baby Stones"? Otherwise Randy's list is near perfect. | ||
| Charles Coy Member Username: Coy Post Number: 122 Registered: 10-2006 |
...add the Sound of Rain,Make her Day,He lives My Life,When People are Dead and Beyond Their Law... For me the list is now complete... | ||
| C Gull Member Username: C_gull Post Number: 133 Registered: 05-2005 |
and I'm Alright! | ||
| Charles Coy Member Username: Coy Post Number: 123 Registered: 10-2006 |
..oh what a great pick up..I'm Alright, probably. nearly, surely the best. Cheers C.Gull.. | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 268 Registered: 10-2006 |
Rock and Roll friend was about Robert surely, as seen through the eyes of a lady friend of that moment, obviously not a muso, welcoming him back in the early hours after another sweaty concert. I think he explained as much at the concert I saw. Wonderful lyric, beautiful song. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 1560 Registered: 10-2004 |
Some possibly underrated Robert favorites which I would include on my own intro-to-Robert comp: To Reach Me - an understated gem. Absolutely love this song, and I love how they copped some of the chords from The Power That I Now Have. Grant's (I'm assuming) echoey guitar solo is pure guitar-pop heaven. Twin Layers of Lightning - To these ears, quite possibly the best song Robert Forster ever wrote. Words cannot do justice to how profoundly beautiful this song is. I listen to this song as little as possible so that it won't stop giving me goose bumps whenever I do listen to it. Rare Breed - Why oh why did this not find its way onto Spring Hill Fair? The melodic, Johnny Marr-esque interplay of Robert and Grant's guitars is profoundly riveting. If I could come up with chord changes even half as cool as these I'd have an ego the size of Siberia. And in particular, I'm talking about the Peel Sessions version. The demo is kind of underdeveloped, the b-side is too draggy, but the Peel Sessions version, although thin and trebly, shows they'd worked out all the kinks and they play it with gusto. Easily in my top 5 Robert Forster songs. On My Block - Seems to be one of the least talked about songs on Before Hollywood, but to this day it floors me every time I hear it. The chorus, in particular, with that little Television-esque guitar melody that follows/answers the "On my block" line, just hits me right there. Then You Tell Me - I remember being kind of pissed off when David Nichols dismissed this song (in his Go-Betweens biography) as if casually swatting away a fly. Sure, it's simple and doesn't possess the stunning originality of a song like Rare Breed, but I do like it quite a bit, and Grant's lead/melodic guitar playing really takes the song to another level. Cat's Life - Wow. What a powerful song. With scorching lead guitar by whatshisname, and a powerful vocal performance from Forster, this is a truly exciting song. I still think Country Phone is Forster's best album, too. Mountains Near Delray - Breathtaking. This song easily transports the listener to the majestic location suggested by its title. Careless - This has always been one of my favorites from SMAL. The rich guitar interplay is truly exciting, the lyrics are amusing. The band's energy is incredible. | ||
| Charles Coy Member Username: Coy Post Number: 124 Registered: 10-2006 |
Country Phone, I agree JW, I apologise for doubling up, I love Tell me and Tallulah, great songs..anywhere and especially in the car and the shower. | ||
| C Gull Member Username: C_gull Post Number: 134 Registered: 05-2005 |
Obviously not a true RF song but I really like 2541. I seem to remember this being great live aswell |