| Author | Message | ||
     Bob |
Anyone got any more info on the reissues and the track listings for the bonus disk yet -very little has surfaced so far -I presume the two vids will be Head full of steam & Spring Rain for LB, Right Here & Cut it Out (is there a video for this song??) for Tallulah and Streets of your town and Was there anything I could do for 16LL -come to think of it does this put a halt on DVD plans as will have most of the videos already ??? problems , problems I hope they do make a DVD from the London show as I believe the current GB line up is the best four piece that they have ever been -and the addition of strings for London will prove that -will Dublin have the honour of having strings too?? anyone know about this.. | ||
| Babs Keatings neighbour |
Unfortunately I can't shed any light on what the extra material will include but I will say that I don't recall a video for 'Cut it Out' but can confirm the existence of a video for 'Bye, Bye Pride'. Furthermore, there were 2 videos (one for each release, presumably) doing the rounds for 'Streets of Your Town'. Fingers crossed that common sense will prevail and the second video (which features footage of the band out for a stroll!!!) will be included. The other version having been included on the 'Video Singles' of course. | ||
| david nichols |
The 2 Streets of Your Town videos. One is 'by the band' on the basis of a small budget from Mushroom which the group used largely to travel around Australia with. The other is presumably a bigger-budget Capitol records 'can we have a hit record please' video. Neither really address the content of the song itself, but I guess that's OK. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker |
I'm still bitter about not having seen the "real" Cattle and Cane video. And now I find there are two videos for Streets. Poo. | ||
| Pete Azzopardi |
I hope they include the Peel sessions version of 'I work in a health spa' on the Liberty Belle disc. I have a very muddy live recording of it and it sounds like it could be a great lost song. I also hope they include the alternate Velvety version of 'The Wrong Road' that appeared on the 'Head Full of Steam' 12" as the three previous reissues seemed to avoid any song doubles even if they varied greatly (ie, 'Rare Breed' and 'Five Words'). | ||
| david nichols |
I hope they erase the remade 'Don't Let Him Come Back' from history | ||
| Dusty |
Have to disagree with that one, David. I think it's a bit of a classic myself. Much prefer it if they dropped Forster's 'Little Joe' from the same period. Odds-on to say they'll include both though. | ||
| Pete Azzopardi |
I'd have to agree with David on that one, though it's done in an interesting style for the band which they adopted successfully, I believe, for 'The Life at Hand'. Haven't heared 'Little Joe' myself. Is it that bad? I've always been a bit ambivalent about 'A Little Romance' - great chorus but sluggish verses and occassionally embarrassing lyrics. I think that besides the obvious b-side material and unreleased tracks I'd like to hear some live renditions of earlier Go-Bs material adapted to the five-piece format of the band (yes, I know it'd be inappropriate for these reissues). Padraig recently gave me a copy of the '82 live at the Wireless sessions and I was floored by Lindy's drum part to 'I Need two Heads'. She completely made it her own and it's such a shame that most of her fans out there won't hear it. I can only imagine what Amanda Brown would have played on 'Cattle and Cane' in the late eighties. Anyway, I hope some more gems are uncovered for these reissues, like 'Just Right For Him' which I thought was such a fantastic pop song it could have easily made it onto "Liberty Belle". | ||
| Alfred |
"Little Joe" isn't as strong as "Rare Breed," a tune with a similar sonic feel, but it's definitely one of the weaker B-sides, like the anemic "The Life At Hand." I aways liked "A Little Romance" myself: Grant's harmonies, Robert's saucy lyric about swimming in Veronica Lake with your male model friend. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker |
Wow, believe it or not, I genuinely love how there's absolutely zero agreement on the Liberty Belle-era b-sides. Personally, I am completely floored by Life At Hand everytime I hear it. A completely fucking marvelous song with infectious hooks and gorgeous, sunny melodies. I love the soul-ish chord progressions, especially the build-up before the chorus with the funky guitar part. And the Hammond organ is fabulous, especially during that middle-eight. To me it's almost like the Go-Betweens beating Aztec Camera at their own game. We've quibbled over Don't Let Him Come Back before on this board, but I have to disagree with David on that one. I think it's a fabulous updating/reworking - an old classic given that Liberty Belle sound. Sure, the old one is better, but I quite like hearing the 2nd version, especially with added instrumentation like Grant's wire-y lead melodies throughout the song. Very nice. Pete - I've heard that muddy live version of I work in Health Spa too, and I hope they include the Peel version as I've never heard it. I kind of forgave Circus for not including the full contents of the remarkable Peel Sessions EP circa '84, 'cause that had already been released. But if they don't include all the BBC sessions from '86 - '89 (all of which remain unreleased) I swear I'm gonna throw a fit. Oh yeah, and I really dig Little Joe, I'm slightly bummed that Circus will surely not include the demo version of Wrong Road, and I can't stand A Little Romance, Don't Call Me Gone, and Doo Wop in A - those three songs could be erased from history and I wouldn't flinch. There. | ||
| Gareth |
My opinions on 'Little Joe' and 'Life at Hand' has always been tainted as my cd of 'LBATBDE' has them added on at the end. The albums ends on one of their greatest ever tracks - 'Apology Accepted' so for these 2 tracks to be stuck on has always left a sour taste in my mouth towards them. I remember 'Life at Hand' as being OK though, quite a different sound/feel for them i thought. Re: 'Don't Call me Gone'. For a while in the late 80's, this was my favourite Go-Betweens song. Don't ask me why. Stil love it though. | ||
| Pete Azzopardi |
RE: Don't Call Me Gone I wish Grant had sung the line about wearing Mama's dresses just like the male singer on the tribute album. I can't remember the name of the band as I refuse to buy it unless, like my sister, I can find it for under $10. I've always loved the song for being Grant's unique take on country, though they wouldn't have got away with it on an album. On the subject of the tribute album, has it been discussed much in this chat room? Along with BH it was my introduction to the band and I think there are several great moments. I really dig Smudge's grungey version of 'I Just Get Caught Out' and the minor chord retooling of 'Right Here'. In fact, upon hearing this CD I first got the impression that "Tallulah" must've been their strongest offering. Of course, there are no songs off of BH or SMAL. When I think about it, it's suprising how may of the covered songs are b-sides or early singles. How many other bands have strong enough b-side material worthy of being chosen over album tracks? | ||
| Dusty |
I remember at the time of Tallulah that loads of critics focussed on what a great song 'When People are dead' is. Forster wished he'd written it earlier so that it could have fitted onto the album (ineteresting to know what he would have replaced it with). Nowadays no-one seems to mention it and there has been a conspicuous absence of it on this website with lots of discussion on the other B-sides. Personally I've always found it a bit so-so, lyrically Ok but musically a bit dreary. Incidentally I've always loved 'A little romance' - sounds like there's no concesus on that one either. | ||
| Mark Ilsley |
Can someone describe Little Joe for me. I've never heard it. | ||
| Alfred |
What's most courageous about When People Are Dead is the band's willingness to submit to the song's emotional currents. Robert enunciates with great delicacy; no word is held too long. Except for understated guitar fills (by Robert? Grant?), the band's performance is also restrained, as if the members intuitively understood the song's message. It's a beautiful, delicate performance. If I walked into a club and saw the Go-Betweens for the first time and they were playing this song, I'd be transfixed. It's also an unusual song, hard to duplicate, so I'm not surprised that the song was neither included on "Tallulah," on which it would have thrown the album off-balance, nor performed very often. | ||
| Jonathan L |
>>the BBC sessions from '86 - '89 (all of which remain unreleased)<< Not quite all unreleased, two songs from the 26 March 1987 Kershaw session appeared as b-sides to the Bye Bye Pride single release: The House That Jack Kerouac Built and Bye Bye Pride. The Bye Bye Pride session version features a completely different and arguably superior lyric so I really hope that comes back to life as a reissue bonus track, though given the inclination not to duplicate tracks... Jonathan L | ||
| david nichols |
Interesting that Pete was inducted by the tribute album. I thought it was a poor effort, myself, though I have to say I haven't heard it since 1996. Maybe I should relisten. | ||
| Padraig Collins |
I thought most of the tribute album was really good. A particular favourite is the version of Rock 'N' Roll Friend by The Drunk, The Monk, and The Spunk, which, as I recall, includes John Wilsteed. (I'm sure Jeff will correct me if I have gotten that wrong!). The main reason I bought that album - apart from the fact that I got is cheap as a cut-out - was that it contained a version of Lee Remick by The Meanies! I'd heard so much about this song, but never actually heard The Go-Betweens' version. And this was my second time hearing it as a cover version as I already had The Wannadies' version. It's been so long since I played them that I can't really remember what the cover versions sound like now, but I've loved the original since hearing it on Bellavista Terrace and the Lost Album. | ||
| Padraig Collins |
ps I finally got David's book sent to me by a friend in Ireland. Enjoying it a lot so far. | ||
| Mark Ilsley |
I didn't know John was a Monk! | ||
| Pete Azzopardi |
David, I also thought parts of the tribute album were shit but I admired it for its sprawling overview of their songs, especially alongside the dark, singular tones of BH which I got into at the same time. I next delved into 16LL which was something completely different again: all slick, sunshine and sweetness. | ||
| Pete Azzopardi |
Oh, while on the topic of the tribute album, you can't get much more cock rock than that cover of 'In the core of a Flame'. Perhaps it has shaped my opinion of the song forever. No strings though. Very Hoss-like actually, who I've been listening to non-stop of late just to prove I'm not all flaccid pop music. David, were you cut you weren't asked to contribute to the tribute album? I remember in VCE I used to force our music class band to do at least one Go-Bs song at every school concert. We did 'Spring Rain' once and our epilectic drummer would always stutter the drum rolls before the chorus and completely slur the tempo of the song. One other time, myself and a couple of friends did an acoustic 'Bye Bye Pride' at an elderly nursing home and the song brought back some sort of horrendous memory for one lady who, screaming hysterically, needed to be wheeled out of the room. Surely the devils music! | ||
| Mark Ilsley |
An epilectic drummer!! Wow, what an excelent choice of instrument for the young lady concerned. Who sung the lyric, an idiot savant called Ian?  | ||
| Pete Azzopardi |
No, it was me unfortunately: an idiots servant. | ||
| david nichols |
I wouldn't have wanted to be asked to be involved in the tribute album - I am a suck, but not that kind of suck. | ||
| Mark Ilsley |
..and so you come here, seeking atonement for your heinous confessions of Go-Betweens crimes! Call the Schoolmaster!!! The crown will now plainly show the prisoner who now stands before you was caught red handed showing feelings showing feelings of an almost human nature For aye, Pete. For aye. | ||
| Pete Azzopardi |
What the fuck ARE you talking about, Mark? I did a great job. I'm pretty drunkas I write this so I'd just like to mention that I jusr came from a Davey Graney/Joel Silbersher gig. I feel that Mr. Graney may be a bit bitter about loosing Adele to Rob and Grant as he told an anecdote of how he recorded a song (something about a "Red Velvet Suit") using somebody from the Go-Bs guitar and how it was sad to have done such a thing, the said guitar being imbued "with Go-Betweeness". Great show, though. In fact, Mr Graney managed to also shit on Bob Dylan, another of my favourites. | ||
| pups |
"Go-Betweeness" that's pretty funny. What did he say about Bob Dylan? I could be wrong here, but didn't Adele play with Robert first? Back in the pre Warm Night days? | ||
| Pete Azzopardi |
Graney said nothing too harsh about Dylan, not that my hazed memory can recall anyway. I believe he mentioned he wasn't that into him (a minor offence) but irreverantly went on to say he was getting paid to play a Dylan birthday bash in Sydney at the end of the month and he had chosen an old folk standard Dylan had covered for one of his early '90s traditional albums. To dismiss Dylan's mighty pen like that! As I said, though, it was a great gig and Graney is both a gentleman and a scholar. I believe you are right pups, about Adele first playing with Graney. My girlfriend just assured me that he actually described the guitar as being "infected with Go-Betweeness" which is much more of an insult. She'd know as she was my personal designated driver of the evening. | ||
| Cassiel |
Think the song in question is 'One Million Dollars in a Red Velvet Suit.' Cracker it is too and a great title; though not quite as great as 'I Caught My Heel in the Crack of Time.' | ||
| david nichols |
Can musicians here confirm that the chord that starts 'a million dollars in a red velvet suit' (one of my favourite D. Graney songs by the way, though I have many) is the same as the chord that starts 'A Hard Day's Night'? I've often wondered about that. Robert Forster 'found' Adele in Brisbane but the Dave Graney Show offered her a regular 'gig' (I hate that word!) until the GoBs reformation, and even then the GoBs business is sporadic. She has a day job, lucky for her. | ||
| Mark Ilsley |
Dunno Pete, but I do think I deserved that. Somethin' about schoolmasters, trials, crimes and confessions, Pink Floyd and repressed anger. | ||
| andrew stafford |
David Nichols writes he wouldn't have wanted to be involved with the tribute album, saying "I am a suck, but not that kind of suck". I fully understand. I still haven't forgiven myself for the appalling liner notes I wrote for Right Here, and would like nothing better than to see every CD slick from every copy of the album set aflame. Let's just say I was much younger then. | ||
| Padraig Collins |
Epilepsey: Mark, does your drummer really have epilepsey or are you using that word as a verb? If you are, please don't. Epilepsey is a medical condition that kills some people, not a descriptive term for musical ability. If your drummer is epileptic I'm sorry for the insinuation. | ||
| Pete Azzopardi |
I'd like to apologise for any offence taken by my careless use of language. No, the drummer did not have epilepsey but I chose to wrongly use the word to describe how they played the drums to said song. It was stupid and naive and I promise I will be more careful in the future. I've apologised to Padraig outside of this chatroom and I am extending it here to anybody else who took exception to what I said. | ||
| Mark Ilsley |
I must 'ave got lost somewhere. Don't worry about it Pete, Paddy. It's just entertainment. We all know music can have real healing power for anybody with an illness. So can comedy. It was only because I didn't think I had anything else to contribute on this thread that I tried to inject a little levity. Obviously it didn't work. Nothing falls flatter than a bad joke. Sorry. | ||
| Padraig Collins |
Your joke was not the issue Mark. Apology accepted Pete! (Go-Betweens song titles are like Hallmark cards for us, there's one for every occasion). Now back to the anal-retentive stuff. | ||
| Randy Adams |
Makes me think of another song title from an earlier much more pop Brisbane group. | ||
| Padraig Collins |
Go on then Randy, which band and which title? | ||
| Randy Adams |
A guilty pleasure: "I Started a Joke"--the Bee Gees. I distinctly remember coming upon an Australian anthology of the Monkees in a record shop here in LA in the late 70s that I wanted. I had to buy something else (say, Magazine) at the same time in order to show the clerk that I wasn't a total idiot. Yes, I was a coward. The Bee Gees' 60s records fall into that category for me. They're cornball, but I love em. | ||
| andrew stafford |
No need to be guilty at all Randy. The Bee Gees were a great band. Always judge things on their own terms, not yours (or at least try to) is the first rule I apply. I don't pull out my copy of the best of too often, but I enjoy it when I do. Spicks and Specks is a bona fide Australian classic, and that's before we even start talking disco! | ||
| gareth |
Great to see The Bee Gees mentioned here. I think their skills as songwriters, producers and performers have been diminished as a result of their huge success and being forever tarred by the disco brush. Can't think of many songs better than 'To Love Someone' and the three of them singing with just acoustic guitars is always a joy to hear. Utterly talented guys I think who seem(ed) very down to earth too. Not sure about the hairpiece though... | ||
| Randy Adams |
Who had the hairpiece? Robin, I suppose. One of the things I enjoy about the BGs is that it is possible to watch them grow from kiddie squeakers into something more substantial. By the time of the "Monday's Rain" album, they really had something to show. But they were still shitty players--which I probably love most of all. Age might be a factor here. I had to suffer through the very late 60s/early 70s when the aesthetics of Rolling Stone dictated everything. Many of my favorite bands--you should see how many things I have by the Hollies--were just totally discounted as bubblegum crap. Of course, some of it was. But I'd rather hear the Monkees' "Headquarters" than "Disraeli Gears" at any time. The BGs were firmly on the "uncool" list. "To Love Somebody" is obviously a pretty great song but I always had a special weakness for their overblown psychedelic/melodrama tracks like "Down to Earth" or "Every Christian Lion-Hearted Man." Once the disco thing happened, well, maybe they should have gone down in a plane somewhere . . . . | ||
| david nichols |
One of the best live shows I ever saw was the Bee Gees in Sydney in the early 90s - it was certainly the best entertainment centre-type show I've ever seen. My favourite stuff is the early 70s, Odessa - Trafalgar period - Trafalgar is probably my favourite album, I was listening to it only a couple of days ago. Maurice's early songwriting efforts are often really cool, not just 'Sweet Song of Summer', he also has a great song on Trafalgar the name of which eludes me. Some of their lyrics are appallingly bizarre, and I suppose they have a ratio of hits to misses (artistically speaking) of around 3:1, which actually isn't bad, the disturbing thing being they seem to have no real perspective on which is which... in any case, I pity anyone who feels they're above the Bee Gees (I don't mind the disco stuff either, most of the singles are fine, but a lot of it sounds really stodgy these days). 'Jive Talking' and 'Staying Alive' are indisputibly classic, and 'Too Much Heaven' etc is pretty great too. Anyone lucky enough to get their hands on Robin's first solo record Robin's Reign is in for a treat as well - what an extraordinary artefact - interesting use of drum machine, too, which I don't think you got much of in the very early 70s. If you're talking bargain bin treats, those 60s and 70s Bee Gees records are everywhere, and always great. Oh, well, I suppose Cucumber Castle is pretty woeful but it's just the exception that proves the rule. I am just venturing into the world of the Hollies and I find it most enjoyable so far. | ||
| Padraig Collins |
The only Bee Gees album I have is a best of from the early mid-90s and I really like most of it, 60s stuff, 70s disco classics and even some of the later stuff. The only track I can't bear is Don't Forget To Remember, which was ruined for me through hearing a cover version of it by abominable Irish crooner Daniel O'Donnell before I heard the Bee Gees original. You just could not avoid O'Donnell's version on Irish radio for months on end at the time. I can't imagine I will ever buy another Bee Gees album, but I love digging out that best of once a year or so. | ||
| david nichols |
You should definitely get Odessa, Trafalgar, To Whom it May Concern... Idea is also a great (earlier) record. Best-ofs (presumably, greatest hits comps) don't necessarily give you a clue of the depth of strangeness/diversity/variety in their work. Of course, that might not be what you want... | ||
| Pete Azzopardi |
What's "More Than a Woman" off? I assume it surfaces from somewhere in the mid-70s when, is it Barry's, falsetto began to dominate. I don't have any Bee-Gees, but I heard that song a couple of weeks ago on the radio and loved it. I have failed to find it on any record I've come across in op-shops or bargain bins though. By the way, David, I laughed heartily at your stream-of-conscience Origami review in Beat today. Great band. I saw them support the Breeders last year and they simply rocked. | ||
| Padraig Collins |
Depth of strangeness/diversity is probably not really what I want in the Bee Gees. Just give some 60s folk and 70s dance-around-yer-handbags hits! | ||
| Randy Adams |
Dance around yer handbags? Then get "Idea" for "Kitty Can." | ||
| david nichols |
The title track is also remarkable. Is 'Birdy Told Me' on Idea? (I seem to have misplaced my copy of this great album). Anyway, that is also a treat. | ||
| Randy Adams |
"Birdie Told Me" is on "Horizontal." Btw, if you are exploring the Hollies quickly get away from the hits collections. They seldom did their own songs on the single a-sides but nearly always on the b-sides and albums. A very good starting place is the 30th Anniversary set. All of the old songs are remixed--trust me, it's done well--and most of the b-sides are included as well as some genuinely great songs that sat in the can. It focuses primarily on the Graham Nash years (through 1968). It's the single best antho I've ever encountered of their music. The huge 6 CD box set from 2003 is not nearly as good (although it does have some interesting later things for the hardcore fans including an honestly great version of Nils Lofgren's "Shine Silently" and the interesting curiosity of a new song with Carl Wayne (from the Move)in the lead vocal spot) If you go for individual albums, it depends a bit on what era of music you like: british beat, freakbeat/psychedelia, bubblegum, or AOR. | ||
| david nichols |
Horizontal is another great album. I only have a Hollies greatest hits record - you just never see the other albums around second hand or anything, which is weird, they must have sold millions... I bought the greatest hits in Sydney last year, and was walking through the street when some Jehovah's witnesses tried to get me into a conversation about it. I wonder if they had an ulterior motive. | ||
| Randy Adams |
They always have an ulterior motive. The best Hollies albums are "The Hollies" (from 1965, released in the states as "Hear Here"), "For Certain Because," "Butterfly," "Confessions of the Mind" and probably "Distant Light." I personally have a weak spot for "Hollies Sing Dylan" because it is such an assertive re-working of Dylan's songs. I don't think their albums sold millions at all; they were never regarded seriously. Incidentally, they did a mighty fine version of "Boulder to Birmingham" in 1976. | ||
| david nichols |
Right, so only the singles sold millions - the albums were too good to sell? Makes sense... Bizarrely, I just picked up a reissue, as double LP, of the Horizontal and Idea LPs for $2 (that's 2c American) in my local Brotherhood Bazarre. No Hollies though. | ||
| Randy Adams |
In the late 60s/early 70s, the put-down was that they were a "hit machine." If you were a "hit machine," nobody took anything else that you did seriously. I can't quite make out why the Stones and the Beatles were not viewed as "hit machines." Consider how smoothed-out "Bachelor Kisses" is compared to the balance of SHF. The Hollies' singles were just as buffed up whereas the albums (and also b-sides) were where they worked out their own songwriting ideas and took their risks. The singles have much to recommend them but the best moments on their career are found elsewhere. |