| Author | Message | ||
     Gretsch_Geezer Unregistered guest |
Hi, this is my first post here, so please let me introduce myself and explain the thread title! I'm a relatively old music fan and I've rationed myself over the years so as not to squander all the good listening too soon, keeping a few sonic aces up my sleeve, so to speak, as delights I could acquaint myself with on a rainy day... One of those delayed pleasures was the Go-Betweens. Maybe it was being in lockdown or maybe it was just a karmic kick up the backside but now is the time for me to embrace what has been bubbling away under the surface and indulge. The only problem is... ... it's quite difficult to find the albums on CD at a reasonable price. Then there's the added confusion of whether I should be aiming for the 2 CD versions (the reviews suggest in some cases at least that the bonus tracks are essential). Are the albums out of print or just shy?! Your received wisdom would be gratefully , erm, received! | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 4398 Registered: 03-2005 |
Hi, welcome to the world of the Go-Betweens! CDs are not exactly the currently favored format for music. The Go-Betweens 1980s albums have been issued and reissued on CD several times, most recently in 2004. I personally recommend the 2CD versions of their albums from 2004 because of the better remastered sound and, yes, also the extras on the second disc. Those extras will include b-sides, singles that never made it onto an album, BBC sessions, and things that stayed in the can. These odds and sods can include minor classics like "King in Mirrors" and "This Girl, Black Girl" and "Second Hand Furniture" and lest anyone think I'm only listing Grant's songs, there are Robert's "Rare Breed," "When People Are Dead" and "Rock 'n Roll Friend." All greats. Admittedly, the extras also include some things I personally don't feel a need to hear. Taking a quick look on discogs I see what you mean about them getting a little expensive. If money is an insurmountable issue, the next option I'd choose would be the Beggars Banquet CDs from the mid 90s. At least some of them were remastered and they all come with nice booklets including commentary from Grant and Robert. They seem to be more affordable. But you miss the extras. You can get some of the extras if you buy the single disc version of the compilation "1978 - 1990." That, in fact, is how I was first introduced to the band. The two disc Japanese version has some more tracks but is expensive. Before you make your decision perhaps you should think about how much you are responding to their music, i.e. where it looks like this band will fit in your personal pantheon. If it's getting under your skin, I'd say search out the best but most affordable copies of the 2-CD versions because you'll end up getting them anyway AFTER you spent your cash on the Beggars Banquet versions. Don't forget to try discogs, eBay and the Amazon marketplace sellers. Prices can vary a lot. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 9326 Registered: 05-2005 |
I second Randy on 1978-1990. I was doing some cleaning in the kitchen just now and turned on the radio. Our PM was speaking so I immediately turned it off and pressed play on the tape deck, not knowing if there actually was a tape in there. There was, and it was 1978-1990. And it was brilliant. | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 1748 Registered: 10-2006 |
Ah, lucky guy GG, to be trembling on the cusp of so much great music! Just where I was, 14 years ago, is that possible? And then there are the solo albums too! And then, should you continue, all the other non-GBs stuff you might not know the guys here will have you spending your hard-earned cash on! And, hard to believe on the internet, virtually no wantonly ferocious insults! | ||
| Gretsch_Geezer Unregistered guest |
Thanks for both replies. I know I'm a bit of a luddite when it comes to listening formats but I like to have something tangible, even if it is made up of 0s and 1s below the surface! And I resisted CDs for years, until they stopped putting the new releases I wanted out on anything else...and now vinyl is back, well who'd have thunk it?! But I digress... Can I bend your metaphorical ears and ask specifically about Oceans Apart? From what I can gather, it is considered one of, if not the, best albums from the reunion period but the original mastering was not thought highly of and so it was tweaked slightly, which some seem happy with and others less so. If that is all basically correct, how do I know which version is which? And is the 2 CD version of that guaranteed to be the tweaked (and indeed is that a valid expansion, in that it's live tracks, if my memory serves)? The 1978-1990 compilation sounds worth seeking out from what you say. It feels like at least a minor crime against music that the catalogue isn't better represented on CD, given what is widely available by other acts. Mind you, Amazon kindly informed me that the CD of Real Life by Magazine that I'd left in my basket 'for later' had gone up to £345.99, so maybe it could be worse! | ||
| Ric Member Username: Ric Post Number: 5 Registered: 05-2019 |
that 1978-1990 cassette is so good. took me years to realise it was mostly off-cuts and b-sides  | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 4400 Registered: 03-2005 |
GG, other members will have to weigh in for their experiences. I originally purchased the Yep Rock version of "Oceans Apart." That's the original U.S. market version. When the sound issue came up, I obtained a replacement copy of the main disc (not the second disc with the live recordings) from Lo-Max. At the time Lo-Max offered to replace everyone's disc, including those of us with the Yep Rock disc. That was incredibly generous of them. I have no idea if Yep Rock ever revised their disc. It might be a better bet for you to obtain a Lo-Max version. The difference is really just a matter of a slightly less loud master rather than an actual remaster. The album could definitely use remastering and that will hopefully happen in the next half dozen years. Maybe TROU or Andreas can report on the Tuition version of the disc. Since you mention Amazon, I reiterate my recommendation that you explore the offers on discogs and ebay. The prices can vary a great deal at times. | ||
| Gretsch_Geezer Unregistered guest |
Thank you again for the info, it's very useful. The first fruits of my exploratory harvest arrived just a little earlier today, which was a Beggars Banquet CD of Liberty Belle. Annoyingly, I can't play it yet (family stuff!) and to be honest with you I am keen to listen to it in the right environment so as to appreciate it properly. I have heard a couple of its tracks in the past but I always like to listen to a new (to me!) album as a whole (Lou Reed obviously made an impression 30 years ago with his stance!). I'll report back after the happy event. Cheers again. | ||
| Farepaygeo Unregistered guest |
Similar to Gretsch_Geezer, I am a recent convert to the Go-Bees. I got heavily into 16LL and Tallulah in about 2017 and then went really deep during the pandemic. This is a difficult band to collect in physical formats but, especially considering how much material is missing from streaming services in the USA, is totally worth it in my view. I started with the 1978-1990 comp a couple years back and it is indeed essential. The liner notes, with commentary on each of the track, written by Robert and Grant, are wonderful. This week I have been going a bit crazy on discogs and decided it's time to start collecting the rest of the GBs on CD. I decided to start with the 1996 Beggars reissues, as I quite like the "wedding invite" design and very generous looking liners. I will be receiving, shortly, Spring Hill Fair, Liberty Belle and Tallulah. I have in hand Send Me A Lullaby. For anyone who has just become acquainted with this band through streaming in the US, what you see on DSPs is just like the tip of the iceberg. You're missing pretty much everything from before Liberty Belle, which is a real shame. And, just recently, everything after 16LL it looks like. After I get the Beggars reissues I'm going to look into the other CD odds and ends: live material, that 16LL demos disc, other comps. I have the 1984 Peel Session on Cherry Red coming as well. I'll keep posting my experience collecting here if anyone is interested. Also, does anyone know why the Domino campaign hasnt been accompanied by "mass market" versions that don't require the whole deluxe box treatment? It's common to offer single disc versions of individual records available outside the box, is it not? That would certainly help with the cost of these discs on the secondary market. Lol. | ||
| Michael_D Unregistered guest |
Off topic, but just wanted to say how heartening it is to see people not only discover The Go-Between's but also this board, at any age! Great to hear from you Gretsch and Farepaygeo. Also thanks to the ever supportive power users who are always here to help! | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 2163 Registered: 10-2006 |
You're right, Michael, it is great to see new people caught up in the great GBs surge. Still remember swithering over BYBO in an Italian record shop, thinking about the scattering of excellent songs of theirs I had gathering dust on boxed-up cassettes and wondering whether I should give them another try. Halfway through Caroline and I, there it was, "a great ring of pure and endless light,/All calm, as it was bright;/And round beneath it, Time in hours, days, years,/Driv’n by the spheres/ Like a vast shadow mov’d; in which the world/ And all her train were hurl’d." More or less, anyway. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 4804 Registered: 03-2005 |
Either Robert or Grant described the Go-Betweens as a mixture of The Monkees and Dylan. For a quick thumbnail that's fairly apt. They brought literacy to unapologetic pop. I was late to the Go-Betweens as well but more than 20 years on from my belated discovery their music still resonates. And it still inspires the music of younger artists today. | ||
| Farepaygeo Unregistered guest |
I promised I would update. I have Ocean's Apart on the way, which just leaves Friends of Rachel Worth and 16 Lovers Lane. I have heard about the issues with OA and have no idea if the original owner of my disc will have replaced it with the corrected one offered by the label. I did score the 2CD version at least. That covers the studio LPs - I want to pick up Striped Sunlight Sound at some point to round out my collection. In addition to the studio albums, I also got the Peel Sessions CD from Too Pure (which has my favorite version of Five Words), and Grant's Watershed + Horsebreaker Star. I eventually want to get all of his and Robert's solo discs. So actually, upon receipt of the CD a couple weeks ago, I listened to Before Hollywood for the very first time. I knew Dusty In Here and of course Cattle and Cane but the rest was entirely new to my ears and it blew me away (of course). I can see how for many it is their favorite GBs album. Mine remains Tallulah (or Liberty Belle depending on the day). I haven't had a chance to sit with the liner notes for these yet but am looking forward to a rainy day in the near future when I can listen to each record with the accompanying reading. I appreciate hearing remembrances of stumbling upon these in physical record stores! | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 2166 Registered: 10-2006 |
16 LL and Oceans Apart both play to my lush pop instincts, FPG. Having them on the way is a bit like someone who's already read and loved a lot of Dickens waiting to get David Copperfield and Great Expectations. A good place to be, in other words. And then all the solo Roberts..."There's richness for you!" as Mr. Squeers said. |