| Author | Message | ||
     Wilson Davey Member Username: Wilson Post Number: 55 Registered: 05-2005 |
I just wonder if there is any correlation with peoples preferred GB's LP's;whether you purchased them retrospectively e.g. newer fans getting a back catalogue or if you got them sequentially as they came out ? Sometimes anticipation and expectation can lead to frustration, will it be as good as I need it to be ? will they let me down ? Someone discovering 16LL for the first time now will hear it fresh and may like it for it's 20 year old "charms" ? Most of the GB's cannon is too familiar for me to actually hear it sometimes....when this happens we "part company" for a while, the longest separation I have managed is about 2 months..like a moth to flame. | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 168 Registered: 04-2005 |
I have to admit that I'm a latecomer who got into them during the "Friends of Rachel Worth" hype, which was the biggest publicity push they've had in the States. I remember a bit of a buzz around the release of "16LL" and I knew "Streets of Your Town," but that's all I'd heard of the group in the '80s--and it wasn't enough to get me into them at the time. Which is too bad, because I'm sure they would have been my favorite group back then as well. Anyway, I wasn't blown away by "FORW" but was intrigued enough to start exploring the back catalogue, initially in the cowardly manner of a compilation: "Bellavista Terrace." THAT was when the GoBs clicked for me--I couldn't believe how much richer and more compelling it was than "FORW." And I was shocked to hear Forster singing--let's face it; he pretty much talks his way through "FORW," which is one of the things I didn't like about it. Nearly every song on the compilation made my head spin, and that's when the addiction started. Soon after, I had the pleasure of discovering the wonderful back catalog in this peculiar order: BH, SHF, T, 16LL, LBATBDE, and SMAL. Since I was a relatively new fan by the time "BYBO" came out, I may have heard it differently than longtime fans of the group. I don't find it nearly as tepid as many do, and despite a rather weak set of songs from Grant (Robert's are almost all aces--and he's singing again!), I think it's unfairly underrated. But it's no match for any of the '80s albums. I just wish I'd had a clue about the group back when those albums came out. | ||
| kuba a Member Username: Kuba Post Number: 40 Registered: 05-2005 |
The order I got into them was: 16LL -> BYBO -> BH -> SHF & LB&TBDE -> Tallulah -> FORW -> SMAL -> OA There's not much correlation between that and my fave Go-Bees records, apart from 16LL being my number one. And I'll probably never understand why Liberty Belle is a stand-out album for so many of you. | ||
| Geoff Holmes Member Username: Geoff Post Number: 73 Registered: 05-2005 |
I was at Uni in about 1984 when I heard Before Hollywood. There had been a lot of hype in the Australian press about the Go Betweens and how great they were but, funnily enough, apart from Cattle and Cane (With Grant in an Acubra hat), they never appeared on Countdown! Then I met this guy who introduced me to the Go Betweens and The Triffids at the same time. I'm forever in his debt!! I kept playing it, knowing it was supposed to be cool but still sceptical..until I couldn't stop playing it. I got everything as it came out since then. Like all things, I guess where you were and what you were doing effects how you appreciate the music. Liberty Belle for me, Kuba, is a great driving album. Try it on long drives when its cold and raining and it will sneak up on you. | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 166 Registered: 05-2005 |
Great thread Wilson. I bought Send me a Lullaby on the day it was released (or certainly in the first week), and this has been the case with every GO-Bs album since (apart from Tallulah, which I was lucky enough to have weeks before release because a local Grangemouth(my home town) band, Lowlife, were touring with the GO-Bs at this time). This maybe explains why I think B4H'wood, SHF and Liberty B are the best albums - I always think its best to experience bands at their peak(both live and on record), and for these 3-4 yrs they undoubtedly were flying | ||
| David Matheson Member Username: David_matheson Post Number: 61 Registered: 12-2004 |
I heard Bachelor Kisses played on Triple J (which was then a Sydney only radio station) when it was released and bought Spring Hill Fair soon afterwards. I had just left school and started a full-time job, so I had money in my pocket. It was a significant time in my life as I was discovering many new things in the world, and music, especially The Go-Betweens, was part of that. I often associate Spring Hill Fair with these memories, but it is not my favourite album. First saw them live around the time Liberty Belle was released, and the gig (including Robert in a dress for the encore) plus the album took my love of the band to a new level. For various reasons I didn't actually buy 16LL for quite a while after it was released, but it is my fabourite Go-Bs album. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 222 Registered: 03-2005 |
As I think I've recounted before, I bought the single-disc U.S. version of "1978 - 1990" out of a bargain bin when it was pretty new, in 1990 or maybe 1991. I listened to it a fair bit because I liked it but for no reason I can fathom I didn't explore the albums. I was pretty deeply into the Fall at the time and I was always digging around for 60s obscurities so I guess that's where my energies went. I rediscovered the group simply by pulling out "1978 - 1990" after many years on the shelf in about 2000 or 2001. I loved it. And then I got started. I don't really remember what order I bought the old releases in except that SHF was the last because I couldn't find it until the reissue. | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 173 Registered: 05-2005 |
i wouldnt mind betting that the supporters of 16LL got into the band retrospectively, and perhaps got into the band due to this album. that then puts a whole new light on why these people love that album, and all things considered fair play to them. Cant help thinking though that this is a similar scenario to all the people who, wrongly imo, think automatic for the people is REMs masterpiece when it is obviously Murmer, Reckoning or Lifes Rich Pageant. Automatic... is REMs 16LL, but thats another thread altogether. | ||
| kuba a Member Username: Kuba Post Number: 41 Registered: 05-2005 |
Kevin, no, *you* are wrong. Murmur is my favourite R.E.M. record, 16LL is my favourite Go-Bs record. It's not about getting into the band retrospectively or not or anything else, it's just about pure quality of music. Don't create theories why I love it so much, because they're all wrong and after all it's way too personal to explain. | ||
| Alex Bolton Member Username: Alexb Post Number: 26 Registered: 01-2006 |
A fascinating thread. Kevin's insight is interesting. I discovered the GB's through 16LL and it may well account for my love for that album and lesser attachment to the earlier stuff though of course I own all the albums. The initial albums seemed raw and difficult, though I've come to appreciate them now. I still think SHF is a disappointing record. At the time I bought 16LL Grant was getting a big push for his solo career and therefore I was drawn into his songs, both group and as GW McLennan. Only recently have I focused on Robert's work which I think has been very strong since reformation. I actually think the three latter albums are underrated on this board and we romanticise the "early" stuff because we're fans and because it's our secret. | ||
| Andrewnz Member Username: Andrewnz Post Number: 7 Registered: 08-2005 |
I got there through Grant's first album "Watershed" (which fell out of the prize cupboard at the BFM (Auckland student radio) office when I called in to pick up another (now forgotten prize)). Grant then played a gig at the pub down the road (Esplanade in Devonport) from me a month or two later (with Dave Dobbyn as his backing band) and I was hooked - from there it was into Grant's albums as they came out, then the latest lot of GB albums (but starting with BYBO - FRW acquired shortly thereafter) in order since up to date. Of the older stuff I picked up 1978-1990 mid-90s and have yet to undertake purchasing the albums proper (but will get there dammit!). Only have one of Roberts - "Country Phone" - which I picked up when it came out in London - was then and still is today a marvellous album! | ||
| jerry hann Member Username: Jerry_h Post Number: 80 Registered: 07-2005 |
I first got in to the GBs when Liberty was released and then got each album as they came out, In fact I have a signed copy of Tallulah by all then members and remember having a chat with Grant etc in HMV in London at the signing. But 16 LL is great as well and I really like the song-writing.I know with Liberty some of the songs have had a bashing particularly Headful of Steam and In a core of a flame but I love those songs melodic,with just the right musical tension. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 227 Registered: 03-2005 |
Kevin, I cannot fathom your logic about folks who got into the group retrospectively being more likely to favor 16LL. I'm thinking you have a theory that folks who catch something late favor MOR but I don't think it holds up. Consider another possibility: there are a decent number of us out there who have discovered different artists late because the artists were below the radar and the folks who discovered them late are always hunting around for something that is genuinely interesting. We skip the radio for obvious reasons and we find few, if any, music reviewers to trust. Examples of my late discoveries: Magazine (bargain bin, right after they split), Moodists (thanks to this board), the (real) Saints (bargain bin, right after they split) and all the post-Saints Ed Kuepper (didn't realize he'd gone off to make his own records until he was already done with "Smile Pacific"), Duffy Power (curiosity about an old pre-Merseybeat British pop puppet backed by sidemen like John McLaughlin, Danny Thompson and Ginger Baker), Vic Chesnutt (thanks to somebody in a chatroom), Betty LaVette (bargain bin), Felt (this board again, specifically Jeff). You get the idea. And I doubt that I'm all that rare among the retrospective discoverers. | ||
| Hardin Smith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 45 Registered: 03-2006 |
Back in the day, you simply couldn't find GBs albums that easily in the States...at least in my little burg, and back before you could readily order stuff online, it was pretty catch as catch can...My first GBs purchase was actually Metal & Shells from a bargain bin...I believe it was 99 cents...I had read, though memory may have twisted this, that their lyric writing acumen rivalled Elvis Costello's (of who I was, and remain, a staunch admirer) and also, a buddy recommended them... I was fairly knocked sideways (would you Brits say "gobsmacked"?) by what I heard...I then acquired in pretty quick succession vinyl copies of Tallulah and Liberty Belle...SMAL and Spring Hill were not, to the best of my knowledge, available in the US (not until the fairly recent spate of reissues). 16 LL I bought (on CD, thank you Jesus) as soon as it came out...I have to admit, it took awhile to grown on me, but when it finally took hold, it emerged as my all time fave by them and that remains the case to this day... | ||
| Hardin Smith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 46 Registered: 03-2006 |
I think the theory some on this board are trying to purvey is that really tired fanboy logic of, if you got into this band later, you're somehow not as cool, not as morally upright, as those who were in on the ground floor..."We got here first. All you johnny-come-latelys, get the hell out!" No matter what revered artist you're talking about, there's going to be some dweeb who thinks none of their current work measures up to their early stuff, when they still had the spark...Whether it's Bob Dylan ("he really lost me after "Another Side...") Talking Heads ("they didn't make a good record after "Songs about Bldgs. and Food") And that really is some tired BS...it is ENTIRELY subjective opinion, no person's opinion is morally superior to another's in this realm...It's literally like trying to say "I like chocolate ice cream, and everybody who likes vanilla is stupid and naff" (love that word, by the way)... Things like "too lush", "too slick" are simply value judgements - they have no basis in objective reality. | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 178 Registered: 05-2005 |
aaah, i got it now. its only those "soft" yanks who favour the lush (read mor) 16LL over the early records. and its only trainspotter limey dweebs like me who see it the opposite way. guess thats just a symptom of the difference between an adolescence spent listening to those challenging, boundary pushing sounds on FM radio in the States (Foreigner, Rush etc), and Peel or pirate radio DJs. As MES sung "I'll take both of you on" (although in this case its 3!!). I'll get my coat..  | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 208 Registered: 10-2004 |
i got into the go-betweens late. 1995, to be exact, back when i was in college. (being 30 years old, i'm at the younger end of the go-betweens demographic). however, i was familiar with them, aware of them, since 1988, when 'streets of your town' and 'love goes on' got a lot of airplay on the local college radio and "modern rock" stations. i even remember seeing 'streets of your town' on mtv's 120 minutes. but i just wasn't ready for them, i guess, until later. i also had the misfortune of getting into them before *any* of the reissues, and before i (or most people, for that matter) had internet access, so all their stuff was pretty hard to come by. i read about them in the trouser press record guide and the reviews sounded very promising, so i made a mental note to grab anything i came across in the record shops. the first thing i found was the rough trade cd of before hollywood. the first time i listened to it i thought it was just okay, but kept coming back for more, and by the 3rd or 4th listen, i was hooked on the interesting, rich guitar textures, the inventive and engaging hooks, and their unique approach to the pop form. a few weeks later, i found the LP for liberty belle, and pretty much immediately fell in love with it. it was full-blown, tastefully executed pop, and i was struck by how well the arrangements (strings, vibes, organ, according, etc...) really fleshed out the songs, melodically. that album really got me thinking i might have found my new favorite band. it perfectly fit something i was looking for in music at the time. over the next 6 months, into 1996, i managed to track down all their albums and some of their singles/eps, with spring hill fair being the last and most difficult one to find. i remember being disappointed with tallulah, but gradually warming up to it more over the years. i also remember initial disappointment in 16LL, but again, it grew on me. in fact, i think all their 80s albums grew on me to some extent, which made them all the more fascinating. initially there'd be something offputting, but i always found myself coming back for more, and each time coming away with an increased fondness for their music. | ||
| Guy Ewald Member Username: Guy_ewald Post Number: 114 Registered: 02-2005 |
This is a good thread platform, not just for The Go-Betweens but for music in general. When it comes to rock and pop music, I discovered most of the music I love "in its time" - not "after the fact." I think of music and artists that I discovered years later quite differently than the ones I followed as the albums were coming out... there's always a whiff of archeology to the enterprise. That's not to say that the music doesn't have an impact, it does, but it's a different experience. I bought Before Hollywood when it came out. A friend of mine tipped me to it after reading good reviews and buying it himself. Next up, the Man o' Sand, Girl o' Sea single and then picking up Send Me a Lullaby (baffled me a bit). Following The Go-Betweens in the 1980's as they leapt from strength to strength was one of the most satisfying musical fanships I've ever experienced. | ||
| Hardin Smith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 51 Registered: 03-2006 |
Yup, we Yanks didn't have the benefit of listening to all those cool, badass boundary pushing bands like Human League and Thompson Twins and Kajagoogoo and Flock of Seagulls, with their oh so cool intricate haircuts (ooohh scary)...who'm I leaving out...oh yeah, Wham! Now there was some challenging, demanding listening... No, instead we had all those boring, non-innovative, MOR bands that actually learned how to play instruments (instead of pushing buttons on synths), like REM, Pixies, Yo La Tengo, NY Dolls, Replacements, Ramones, Sonic Youth....Old-fashioned, I know... You Brits don't know how lucky you have it. | ||
| Guy Ewald Member Username: Guy_ewald Post Number: 116 Registered: 02-2005 |
Hey, the Brits are positively NATIONALISTIC about their pop stars... they know which UK bands made it big in the US and which ones didn't, it's real important to them. Don't let him get under your skin. | ||
| Cichli Suite Member Username: Cichli_suite Post Number: 91 Registered: 08-2004 |
Hey Kevin, I bought Send me a Lullaby when it first came out too. I thought it was great. Still do, in fact, though part of that is associated with my memories of being a teenager. I was disappointed with 16LL when it came out as I had been with Talullah when it came out. At that point, nothing seemed to measure up to Liberty Belle, which is still my favourite GBs album. Over the years, 16LL has gone up considerably in my opinion and I would say now that it is the one I play most often, even though it contains one my least liked songs - 'was there anything I could do'. I associate the release of 16LL with my early 20s and my first proper relationship. The songs on 16LL seem to inhabit an older emotional universe and I've think I've grown to understand them as I've got older. I never bought another REM album after Green. I've never heard Automatic for the people, but the I don't think your analogy holds. I believe 'Automatic' sold loads for REM - they were playing large arenas at that point, whereas the GBs were barely surviving and broke up shortly afterwards. We're not going to have a 'Brits' vs. 'Yanks' slanging match, are we? That would be just too boring | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 182 Registered: 05-2005 |
interesting point hardin. the brit bands you mention are not my taste, the yank bands you mention are. in saying that, its very easy to list rubbish bands and compare them to great bands, when I know that you know Britain has produced boundary pushing bands just as the States has produced boring, non-innovative bands. ps Guy - I am one of the least Nationalistic British guys you could ever meet - something to do with my Irish roots - but thats for another forum. | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 245 Registered: 05-2005 |
Hardin, Not very interesting fact: Josef K supported the Thomson Twins once, one European fictional charatcter supports two European fictional characters, wahey!!!!!!?? | ||
| Jerry Clark Member Username: Jerry Post Number: 197 Registered: 08-2004 |
Hardin listed shit Brit bands & "cool" US bands. What is prevalent, is the fact that British auiences have always been first to appreciate innovative US music on a relatively large scale. These acts are generally over-looked in their own country until MTV & radio start to filter what's "hot" in Europe. | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 183 Registered: 05-2005 |
welcome to the bunker Jerry! | ||
| Hardin Smith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 56 Registered: 03-2006 |
Interesting factoid, that is not really diminished by my not having a clue about who Josef K is (was?)...Guess it didn't make it to the states, or at least get wide distribution...Did he (they) have a scary haircut too? Did they duet with the TTs on "Lies"?...did they get at least get a crack at bangin' on that silly cow bell? I hope I haven't misrepresented myself as being some kind of super duper punk or post-punk expert...even my interests (and wallet) have limits... Although I do have certain pockets of interest, things I dare say I know a lot about... | ||
| Cichli Suite Member Username: Cichli_suite Post Number: 92 Registered: 08-2004 |
The Human League shouldn't be lumped in with the miracles of modern hardressing: Thompson Twins, Kajagoogoo, Flock of Seagulls and Wham. Dare! is a classic pop album, and their first 2 albums were were more Kraftwerk than bubble gum pop. | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 184 Registered: 05-2005 |
Just had a thought Hardin. Am I correct in saying you are from the Southern part of the USA? If so, is being called a Yank derogatory? If so, I apologise, not sure of the current internal politics in the USA. | ||
| Jerry Clark Member Username: Jerry Post Number: 198 Registered: 08-2004 |
Are you saying Phil Oakey & the girls hair was somehow lacking? | ||
| Cichli Suite Member Username: Cichli_suite Post Number: 93 Registered: 08-2004 |
Hey, compared to Limahl and the guy from the Flock of Seagulls, everyone's hair was lacking (at least 10 tins of hair spray per Top of the Pops appearance). I trace all 80's British hair cut artists back to Bowie. Most of the British synth pop stars worshipped Bowie. And Ziggy may have played guitar but he also lathered on the hair spray. | ||
| Hardin Smith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 57 Registered: 03-2006 |
No worries, kev...if Yanks is derogatory, it's lost on me...Not really interested in comparing the relative merits of Yanks and Brits - there's plenty to be embarrassed about and proud of on both sides of the Pond... No idea either about who appreciated who first or why that matters, jerry, or how you'd even measure it. I do know that I was at a lot of their gigs back in the day (not the Ramones unfortunately) and they were far from sparsely attended...Many, like REM, were largely grass roots phenoms that played college town circuits and built up followings that way...I will say this about you Brits, your music mags are clearly superior...I occassionally pick up Mojo or Uncut or NME, particularly if there's a free disc, and I'm always pleased by the level of dedication, scholarship and sense that music really matters...this, I'll freely admit, is largely lacking in similar US mags, where it's more about style and the flavor of the moment...For instance, an issue of Uncut (unless I'm mixing it up with Mojo) recently featured and excellent, long scholarly article on the Kinks... | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 185 Registered: 05-2005 |
Hardin, The Kinks article was in Mojo. Sorry if I was being unclear about the Yank term, but I actually meant that only people from the southern states of the USA might object to being called Yanks, as opposed to people from the northern states. maybe this dates back to the civil war and hasnt been relevant for ages. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 209 Registered: 10-2004 |
kevin, i think the types of US southerners who would be offended at your labeling them a yank are more likely to turn up at a klan meeting than a go-betweens show. | ||
| Hardin Smith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 58 Registered: 03-2006 |
Sadly, not to give added heft to any stereotypes people may have, although there are many enlightened and decent people in the deep South, where I lived, there are also Cro-Magnon men walking around there who probably would take umbrage at the term "Yankee"...there is still, lamentably, a lot of racism (it's not uncommon to see the Southern Cross brandished on trucks, etc.)..I hope you're not shocked when I tell you I am not one of those guys, kev... I'm curious - is Limey a particularly offensive term for Brits? It doesn't apply to Scots though, does it? I'm deeply grateful to have escaped the red state I lived in and to have landed in the Golden State (CA) which also happens to be a blue state...The people, not to mention the climate, are much more to my liking... Like you, I'm not a nationalist either and that's yet another thread for another discussion group... That was an excellent article on the Kinks. I read it, even if the name of the mag escaped me...Ray Davies, to me, is one of the great songwriters, in any genre or time period... | ||
| Steve Ganis Member Username: Newtogobetweens Post Number: 2 Registered: 06-2005 |
Good thread. I'm in my mid Fifties (chronologically, at least), and yet my first GB exposure is OA! I've had to "think for myself" on how to approach the treasure trove of back catalog here...and go slow. There were 3 strategies: 1) do I begin at the beginning, and get a sense of the continuum of the band to the present...or, 2) do I jump in and get down with some well-reviewed albums, such as Tallulah, and then move around?....or, 3) do I just want to start with the albums featuring the present lineup representing the band as it is now, rather as it was then...the 21st century reformed, reconfigured GB(OK, slipping in Rachel Worth into this category, altho it's a Sleater back up as well). Turns out I've done a mix of 2 and 3. I dove into T and 16LL, and one Grant solo (HS), and then got the new one, and FRW. Next on dock is BYBO. I'll get to the other 80s GB in due course, it's like sipping some fine vintage wine. I have consulted the website of Village Voice critic Robert Christgau for some guidance on back catalog. In his opinion, the order, after T, should be SHF ("produced, yet rough"); then BH ("austere, yet gorgeous"); 16LL ('poppest"); LBBDE ("talkiest"); and finally SMAL ("punkest"). Perhaps I'll follow that advice, but I must tell you all that it's so cool knowing that there are superb GB albums out there that I haven't heard yet, just waiting for me when I'm ready! | ||
| Hardin Smith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 59 Registered: 03-2006 |
Christgau is an often infuriating, but incisive critic...I highly recommend him, though he WILL piss you off, by inevitably dissing something you think is great. He has some great things to say about the GBs, though I don't necessarily agree with all of them... One thing he did say that I liked in his review of OA (and I paraphrase massively) was that RF and GB would keep producing great stuff as long as they were physically able to pick up guitars and strum them. | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 187 Registered: 05-2005 |
Jeff, that made me laugh, dont suppose you would find many skinheads at a GO-Bs show! Hardin, no idea if Brits find the term limey offensive, guess its aimed more at our English cousins anyway | ||
| Hardin Smith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 60 Registered: 03-2006 |
Steve, if I read your post correctly and you haven't picked up "Liberty Belle" yet, I might recommend trying that one next...it might be "talky" but it's still a superb record...it also contains, imho, one of the all time best RF songs, "Spring Rain".... | ||
| Guy Ewald Member Username: Guy_ewald Post Number: 117 Registered: 02-2005 |
I wonder, for people who've discovered the band in recent years, does the evolution of the albums make sense? As they were coming out each album seemed to build on the achievements of the last; not as if it was all part of a Master Plan, but clearly, they were growing. To the relative newcomers, does it all seem to be one body of work? How would you rate the consistency? | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 228 Registered: 05-2005 |
This Poms vs Yanks stuff is boring lads. As an Irishman and (since last Sunday) also an Australian, I'm above it all! Don't diss Human League's Dare album though. It's a classic, as is it's remixed version The League Unlimited Orchestra. | ||
| Hardin Smith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 65 Registered: 03-2006 |
A thousand pardons, Padraig...thought I was above getting in pissing matches, too...I could care less about Brit vs. Yank stuff and realize I'm hopelessly out of my depth cuz you guys start throwing around words like "Poms" and "Scouses" and whatnot and I become completely befuddled... I promise to turn over a new leaf tomorrow...As St. Augustine said, Lord, let me be chaste, just not yet... And, I confess, HL were an easy target because of their image... | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 229 Registered: 05-2005 |
Pom is what Australians call the English. Just like you call them Limey. | ||
| Mark Tuffield Member Username: Mark_t Post Number: 24 Registered: 05-2005 |
Historically, I think the term could be applied to anyone originating in a country that formed part of the “British Empire and its Dominions”, thus Australians, Canadians, Indians, New Zealanders and South Africans might all have been called “limeys” by Americans, especially during WW2. Its modern day usage and restriction to people from England appears to be something of a “Hollywoodism”, and I don’t ever recall actually hearing the word used outside of a movie. Very funny thread BTW, can we blame the hole in the ozone layer on '80s British Pop Stars?!! | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 231 Registered: 03-2005 |
Guy, to answer your question: for the most part, yes, the progression of the Go-Bees' albums makes sense. It is really obvious that they were learning all aspects of their craft as they went along. The outlier for me is SMAL because the material Robert had written previously (home tapes on Lost Album) is so straightforward and pop and, if you ask me, more consistent with the musical vision RF has worked from since albeit simpler. I perceive SMAL to reflect a moment when the band were enthralled by the artier people surrounding them. Dare I say it sounds like they were listening to Robert Smith? Congrats on your new citizenship Padraig. It's too bad I'm too old and have no useful skill to tempt the Oz immigration folks with. The thought of all that space is very tempting to this Californian, literally the Wide Open Road. But all I'd want to do is drink in the afternoons in an old Queenslander and work on my self-indulgent music. Not too helpful for the Oz economy. | ||
| Hardin Smith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 70 Registered: 03-2006 |
At certain snooty bars here they have martinis made w/ pomegranate juice called "Pom-tinis"... | ||
| jerry hann Member Username: Jerry_h Post Number: 83 Registered: 07-2005 |
Hey Randy the grass is always greener.I quite fancy the USA: San Francisco or New York two fine cities or the wilds of Montana ( Whitefish specifically). Australia would be good as well. I've always fancied Perth but is that too isolated, any one fancy a job swap? | ||
| Jerry Clark Member Username: Jerry Post Number: 199 Registered: 08-2004 |
Randy, sorry to bring up the past again. But I believe that David Nichols suggested a link with The Cure a few years back. It was a thread on the subject of how the Go-B's songs changed between The Lost Album & SMAL. He suggested at the time that their sound changed from Jonathan Richman quaint/quirkyness, to a more claustrophobic sound, like The Cure. It makes sense if you compare them. SMAL is a lot less fun than TLA. | ||
| Hardin Smith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 76 Registered: 03-2006 |
Amusingly enough, the "Flockers" are playing in my area soon...http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/sections/entertainment/music/ Maybe I'll go.... If you click on this link, note the extremely strange pic of UB40 (this isn't Brit-bashing at all - I used to like them)...Where are they? It looks like the Singles bar from hell.... | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 234 Registered: 03-2005 |
Thanks, Jerry. Either I forgot about David's earlier comments or they predated my visits here. The one permanent thing that seems to date from SMAL is RF's taste for exotic chord changes. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 231 Registered: 05-2005 |
Thanks for the congrats Randy. It does feel good to have taken up citizenship. Maybe we should all meet in the Spring Hill suburb of Brisbane (at fair time) and dress as our favourite Go-Between? | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 180 Registered: 04-2005 |
To pick up on what Padraig said: Someday, I want scrape up the money to visit Australia--I've never been, but it's long been a fantasy holiday for me. Would I be wasting my time to include a trip to Brisbane in the itinerary? I feel like it's important to my understanding of the Go-Betweens (just as visiting Athens, GA in the mid-'80s was as a then R.E.M. fanatic), but would I just be disappointed? If so, what would the Australians on this board recommend as the best one-week holiday destination to Oz for a music lover? | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 235 Registered: 05-2005 |
You have to go to Brisbane Kurt! I went there on a pilgrimage in 1999 just like I went to Athens, GA in 1989. I was disappointed at first in Brisbane as no-one there seemed to have heard of The Go-Betweens (I was going into vaguely indie-looking record shops hoping to find a 12" of Karen or something). At that point I could not see what about the city had inspired the band and actually felt down about it. But, on my last full day there, I went to the river (because looking at flowing water always cheers me up) and got the River Cat ferry back to where I was staying (New Farm). On this trip the city revealed its magic to me as the river is in a valley so you are looking up at the city and can see the beautiful, modern skyline which, when in the middle of the city, you cannot appreciate at all. Oh, when I arrived at the airport the first thing I saw was a sign advertising something in Spring Hill. I was thrilled because I had not known it actually existed. Go to the rain forest in Cape Tribulation (far north Queensland, maybe 1500 kilometres from Brisbane), and Uluru too (in Northern Territory, but geographically pretty much the red, dead centre of the continent). Cape Trib and Uluru are two of the most amazing places I have ever been to. Oh you'll need a lot more than a week! | ||
| David Matheson Member Username: David_matheson Post Number: 67 Registered: 12-2004 |
Definitely need much longer than a week Kurt. Sydney and Melbourne are the obvious places to go to catch music. Brisbane is a pleasant city and worth the visit to understand something of the cultural milieu from which the Go-Betweens emerged. But it has changed a great deal from what it was in the 70s and 80s. I've spent years travelling to various part of Australia and never tire of it. | ||
| Mark Tuffield Member Username: Mark_t Post Number: 25 Registered: 05-2005 |
Yes do go ! On my first trip back in ’97 (after some 30+years) we flew into Brisbane as dawn was breaking over the city and it really is an amazing sight. Also take the opportunity to drive, say north to south from Brisbane to Melbourne, the change in scenery, climate zones and thus flora and fauna has to be seen to be believed, and don’t just stick to the coast/main highways. I’ve driven Route 66 in the USA and done the Alaska/Yukon Territory/British Columbia gold rush in reverse and whilst both have their moments (Alaska/Canada especially and the Grand Canyon/Four Corners wasn't bad!) nothing quite compares to Australia, though I am admittedly biased. But if you do not like heat and humidity go in the Australian spring or autumn, especially in QLD. | ||
| Todd Slater Member Username: Todd_slater Post Number: 41 Registered: 01-2005 |
Kurt you'll be fine and I'm sure you'll have a blast. Just remember to keep saying "Where the bloody hell are we !" | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 182 Registered: 04-2005 |
Thanks for the tips, everyone. It sounds great. Now if I can just find the time and get the money together... | ||
| M. Mark Burgess Member Username: Fortysomething Post Number: 80 Registered: 05-2005 |
I actually went at it backwards as I was born and raised in Southern California but now live in Oklahoma. I wouldn't object to being called anything, only names after all. I think it all has to do with your state of mind, which being in my late 40's I can definitely say changes over time. I've said this somewhere else on here but I think as you get older and experience new and different things you come at music from a different perspective and I don't think it always goes mellower. For instance, I hated most punk in the late 70's but have really come to dig it in the last ten years. I bought all of the Go-Betweens albums when they came out and my favorite was probably 16LL. If I was hearing them all for the first time now I don't think that would be the case. More than likely it would be BH, the one I just didn't "get" at the time. In fact all of my initial impressions of just about everything I've ever heard have changed as I get older. | ||
| Elizabeth Robinson Member Username: Liz_the_new_listener Post Number: 1 Registered: 10-2006 |
Hello - I am a new poster who discovered the Go-Betweens about a month ago when our local alternative-rock NPR station played a song from "Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express" and then I just had to buy the album. (Thank God for online ordering.) I wrote a review on a website I contribute to regularly; here it is. So now you get to hear here what it is like for someone to discover the group for the first time. I may have a lot to learn yet; please don't hesitate to say so. But I promise the first thing I'll do about that (now that I have gotten "Oceans Apart") is to get myself a copy of "16 Lovers Lane" Indulge me - you know how - just put on either of the two CD's from 'Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express' by the Go-Betweens. (Jetset TWA70CD) Originally released in 1986, this ear candy is as fresh to me as it was once a staple in Brisbane, Australia, where the group had its roots in a lively local hotbed of pop music. The Go-Betweens specialized in catchy tunes and romantic ballads chock full of sounds reminiscent of the first wave of the 'British Invasion' (1960 rather than 1980), and in lyrics full of the sort of youthful self-indulgence anyone that has ever come of age or been in love can easily excuse. Outside their home territory and England, however, they seem to have made hardly a blip on the radar screen in their early days. How could such unaffected simplicity compete with 'Karma Chameleon', 'The Reflex' and 'You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)' As their star rose in Australia, it were eclipsed here in the States by those of Men at Work and INXS. Ironically, it is after the untimely death of lead guitarist Grant McLennan that I have come across the music of the Go-Betweens, played on our local alternative rock station. Oh, Lord, here's pop music's answer to any neglected song composer of the early 20th century, too exquisite to be overlooked. A little research on the group confirmed my suspicions that they were out of step with 80's New Wave, put their own fresh take on 60's influences, and ended up influencing such groups as REM, Belle and Sebastian and U2 - not to mention receiving critical acclaim from the few critics that had ever heard of them. 'Australia's finest - the Go-Betweens.' More like 'The Go-Betweens - Genius and Irony'. Their story (to entice a web search here beginning at www.go-betweens.net ) reads like Mahler's, Gurney's, Jan and Dean's... fill in the blank with the name of any artist that did not receive their due during their lifetime. Back to the subject at hand - Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express. It's brought back for me what was a childhood pleasure in the mid to late 60's - the sound of a lightweight pop song with interesting harmonies (throw in a modulation to iii-vi and there's that tangy angst I never seemed to get enough of), driven lead and rhythm guitars in the foreground, and drums. Only this is not bubblegum in the least. These straightforward, clever lyrics could not have been written any earlier than in the 80's. Delicious anachronism indeed. The extended version of the original 1985 release has two CD's in the case. The second contains alternate versions of four songs on the original release (including three of the best) but could certainly stand on its own. A certain sheen on some of the songs might have destined them for radio airplay if only more room had been made between Depeche Mode and Bruce Springsteen. The problem might have been where to find a place for their not-quite-derivative, fresh throwback sound in top-40 radio formats - which were already prefabricated by then. But surely any of McLennan's ballads (especially 'The Wrong Road' and the heartbreakingly beautiful love song 'Apology Accepted') would not have been out of place on an adult contemporary station, even if Robert Forster's fizzy but enjoyable artistic dissonance seemed to be the result of a cross-pollination between Bryan Ferry and the Beach Boys. (Which, of course, wasn't bad!) Perhaps the weakest song found here is 'Don't Let Him Come Back', and the most disturbing cut is 'Reunion Dinner', spoken word at its most pessimistically surreal. The Go-Betweens' version of a 'wall of sound' is best epitomized in the extremely catchy 'Head Full of Steam', the second single taken from 'Liberty Belle' back in 1985-86. 'Twin Layers of Lightning' makes a far more palatable 'slice of life' than the shock value found in the aforementioned recital. It is said that by 1985, after their first few albums, McLennan's influence had mellowed Forster's then-edgy style, making the overall sound more accessible. IMHO at least two, if not three songs might have made good material for a single besides 'Spring Rain' and '...Steam' (such a good tune that the group chose to play it in their concerts when they got back together in the late 1990s after a hiatus of over ten years.) Did it take what led to the original Liberty Belle... to solidify their sound and make them the darling of the few critics that knew of them? Maybe... but certainly this is the stuff of nostalgia for the man that wrote the sleeve notes ten years later and the music made by a favorite band of some people's favorite bands. Duran Duran once wanted to be 'the band to listen to when the bomb drops'. But it is the Go-Betweens that might deserve to be. This re-release is a keeper. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 631 Registered: 03-2005 |
What a great review! I especially love your description of the GoBees' "not-quite-derivative, fresh throwback sound." Welcome aboard Elizabeth. And thanks for reviving this thread. Re-reading some of the old posts gave me a great laugh. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 632 Registered: 03-2005 |
I also note who was the last person to post on here before Elizabeth. | ||
| Duncan Hurwood Member Username: Duncan_h Post Number: 61 Registered: 05-2005 |
I got into the band via 16LL, and yes: it's my favourite of their albums. I got in at the end of 1990. Though I really fell in love with the group via the solo albums of the 1990s. It took many years for me to go into the back catalogue: I didn't get Before Hollywood for at least 6 years after 16LL. So you could say that I went through the same process as those who followed the band from the start, but in reverse. | ||
| John B. Member Username: John_b Post Number: 6 Registered: 10-2006 |
I read a review of Before Hollywood and bought the album at the time. I remember liking only A Bad Debt Follows You, I have only recently started to fully appreciate the album. The other ones until the split I bought on release date as well, but I only found out about the reunion two years later. It has been said here that it doesn't really matter when you discover a band if you like them - even though it's obviously great to know them from scratch. We all have an ego, don't we, and like to brag about "this great new band I have discovered"? But I appreciate the 1980s albums more than the others because I then simply had more time to listen to music. I can link people and events to certain songs and albums. That obviously goes beyond the GoBees and has nothing to do with a record being a new release or 10 years old. I obviously still buy CDs (new releases, rereleases, whatever), listen to them, like or dislike them. But its not the same feeling as in the past. I have less time for music, the family is more important, there is a job, the whole lifestyle has changed, etc. That's why John Peel probably has the famous Undertones line "Teenage dreams, so hard to beat" on his gravestone. | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 2 Registered: 10-2006 |
Everything fresh at the source… I have just received a plump & healthy pack from the GoBs store containing SMAL, BH, SHF & London Live… none of which I have ever heard before, ha ha! So, an early Christmas this year for this old/new admirer, who was always “aware” of the group – Peel shows, singles, the extraordinary “When people are dead” on a home-made tape – but never really deeply acquainted, until BYBO appeared as if by magic in my tiny one-CD shop Italian town and songs like Caroline & I and Too Much Of One Thing just took my head off. Then along came the DVD (karma at work obviously) and for the first time I heard stuff like Draining the pool, Dive for your memory, Finding you, Part company, German farmhouse… the acoustic version of Too much, which I ended up playing several times a day for its sheer lyrical and performative brilliance…all that richness, all at once, was an overwhelming experience. Then sitting down to Google the back catalogue, the first thing I discovered was that Grant had just died. It was a very odd sensation, casting a strange light back over the last part of the DVD where, when the subject of the Future comes up, the usually garrulous Forster immediately hands the theme over to Grant, who, in a way that on first viewing struck me as rather remarkable for a musician (but now seems part and parcel of the man as he was) doesn’t start talking about the next recording, or tour, or reissue, but says (something like): “the world of the Gobetweens is full of gentleness…” Since I had never heard the major part of the back catalogue, working my way through it has been an infinitely rewarding journey, with a cornucopia of deeply involving songs that has become the soundtrack to my life for the last few months, and has also led me to send off to all my friends as many copies as I can afford of Oceans Apart (an immense culmination of their art, I think). I have also investigated the solo material, and Warm Nights, for instance, strikes me as a wonderful piece of work, as good as the GoBs at their best (the way Forster sings “People high on grass” really is, pace Andrew Stafford, pure genius.) It feels strange to discover such a vital body of work at its moment of conclusion, so to speak, but I suspect that often happens. And sometimes the right music just comes along at the right time. I hope that the songs Grant was stockpiling for the next record will not be lost. I hope I’ll hear “Ashes on the lawn” one day. I hope (well, I’m sure) that Robert Forster will go on to produce work as great, perhaps even greater, than the things he has already done. And, well, meanwhile, I have 4 new CDs to listen to… | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 1054 Registered: 05-2005 |
nice post Stuart | ||
| Charles Coy Member Username: Coy Post Number: 5 Registered: 10-2006 |
...Liz, the new listener, you are a stunning wordsmith,you captured the essence of the band...Oh wait till you get to 16LL..'Quiet Heart'....will tear and repair your innerself...the journey may have just begun...you may unwind with 'Clouds' and sob a little with Roberts wonderful 'Dive for Your Memory', written whilst watching the ocean in Bondi,Sydney. 'Spring Hill Fair'...bliss...'Tallulah' they all by pass 'the gatekeeper to your soul' ..the lyrics, the musical art, the licks weave into your life reminding you of when, how and why..!..Grant's solo's...'its an open invitation to my world' he sings...I'm happy to be a guest. Thank-you Liz, it was wonderful, enlightening, refreshing and honest...it seems with Grant's passing so many are catching up..! Charles...'down by the water'Mentone, Aust. | ||
| Elizabeth Robinson Member Username: Liz_the_new_listener Post Number: 22 Registered: 10-2006 |
Dear Charles: Thank you for your kind words. They mean a great deal coming from you, as I gather from your posts that you have been warm and steadfast in your support of the Go-Betweens for quite some time. I have gotten 16 Lover's Lane - and indeed find it worth steeping in. It is music bound to permeate the heart, the sensibilities and the intellect even as it pleases and intrigues the ear. Tallulah and the live album will be my next orders online... Best wishes! Elizabeth 'by the Mississippi where Dylan cut his teeth' Mpls, MN | ||
| Charles Coy Member Username: Coy Post Number: 6 Registered: 10-2006 |
Cheers Liz, I did picked up from other topics that you had been travelling through the catalogue...bit embarrassed now...however Live In London..its a stroll through the most tantilising selection of the best of the best....'Bye Bye Pride'and 'People are Dead'...stirring, emotive and essential. ...life is enhanced when we look forward to things... ...perhaps share thoughts at another time.. Charles... | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 1063 Registered: 05-2005 |
Randys right, this thread is a hoot when you read from the top. lots of verbal sparring and jibes aplenty when none of us really knew each other that well. | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 806 Registered: 04-2005 |
You're right, Kevin--I'd forgotten how contentious things sometimes got earlier in this thread (and some others). Now it's all pretty much peace, love, and understanding on the board. Good thing that argumentative Hardin Smith dude left...wonder whatever happened to him? | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 1031 Registered: 03-2006 |
He switched to de-caf. Lucky you have me, LK, cuddly teddy bear that I am, in his place! | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 41 Registered: 08-2006 |
I guess I got here at the right time. I think that pre-bodysnatching, overcaffeinated Hardin would've made me cry. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 1033 Registered: 03-2006 |
Hardin asks me to convey that, "he's not an asshole, he just plays one on TV". Seriously, he's a nice guy. He's got a smile for every one he meets, long as they don't try dragging his bay or dropping a bomb on his street. | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 808 Registered: 04-2005 |
Yeah, and I think Kev switched to decaf too. It's just a big ol' lovefest here these days! | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 1066 Registered: 05-2005 |
I think we were all just testing the water, jockeying for position so to speak. pretty soon we all found out that apart from a universal love for the GO-Bs, we were all big music lovers in general. We might not all like the same stuff(LK and I still joust periodically) but I think we all realise that each persons passion for their own favourites are all genuine and heartfelt. Oh bugger it. lets have a fight | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 1067 Registered: 05-2005 |
ps - I visit several forums daily, some about music and some about Celtic. However I've got to say that, even though The GoBetweens are not my favourite band (but I do love them ) I probably look forward to visiting this forum more than any other, because unlike the other forums I think there is a genuine camaraderie here. We really are spread out all over the globe,and it may be pie in the sky but I have a feeling that one day there might be some kind of Go-Bs convention and the regular contributors of this board will all meet up. Might take another few years but who knows, strax nger things have happened. Padraig and I have already made tentative arrangements to meet when my family holiday to Australia happens (hopefully in the next year- 18 months), and I note LK was urging his US buddies to make a pilgrimage, so who knows it could all merge together in a shambolic plan. | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 884 Registered: 05-2005 |
Oh no the Yanks are coming over again?!!!!!! Only joking. Kev, you are dead right. i was thinking exact same! It would be great to get a GB's fest. We shold wear eacchother's faces as masks and line up ala Usual Suspects and we all gotta guess who eachother is by reading out a characteristic msg sample! e.g. you'd all know it was me if LK read me out loud as I'd obvioulsy haro=p on about my own f*in group and go on a lot about nothin, oh and josef k! See, there I go again! | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 1038 Registered: 03-2006 |
One if by land, two if by sea! The way I see it, I have at least three reasons to go to Australia, so I'd be cheating myself not to do it eventually. They are, in no particular order: 1) To see Australia - something I've wanted to do since before becoming aware of the GBs. 2) To walk in Brother Grant's steps a bit. Go to that bar where he held court and drink a Long Island Iced Tea, etc., which is a great tribute when you consider I don't even like 'em (to me, they're more of a teenybopper drink). And, lest I seem like a groupie fanboy, mind I wouldn't do this for any other musical artist. I wouldn't even remotely come close. 3) To meet other board members, who seem like a loverly group of people, even Kevin | ||
| andreas Member Username: Andreas Post Number: 284 Registered: 04-2006 |
the yanks and the brits. funny that. didn't noticed this thread, which puts a smile on my face, until today. thanks to elizabeth for bringing it back on the map (and also for their fine review). and stuarts above posting is nice, too. i have to lament that i am not able to put my thoughts into eloquent english (even if hardin always says that my english is good. thanks a lot for that, hardin. but it isn't really. and that have nothing to do with fishing for compliments or similar that's just the remorseless truth and makes me a bit sad...) and kevin, you find the right words about the board and us. nothing to need to add. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 686 Registered: 03-2005 |
Andreas, I just came back from a fine opportunity to despair over my lack of French and Italian. I'm slightly better with German than I am with French or Italian, but only slightly. Your English is so much better than my French, Italian or German AND your willingness to keep struggling with it just makes me take off my hat to you. You challenge yourself by continuing to do something that does not come easy to you. I admire that intensely. And I very much enjoy your perspective on this board. | ||
| andreas Member Username: Andreas Post Number: 288 Registered: 04-2006 |
thank you very much, randy. i appreciate your nice words. what is always most dissapointing to me is, that i could not really participate on all your discussions, because sometimes it is so stressful to find the correct wording. and i like to spin tales or juggling with words. in english i am too limited to do that. what a pity! | ||
| Eelco de Jong Member Username: Eeloc Post Number: 1 Registered: 10-2006 |
There are some beautiful things said here, some of you really have a way with words. Very nice to read. I have been reading this board for a while. Here's my contribution to this thread,. The Go-Betweens & I started in 1986, when there was a little store in my town where one could rent LPs. I read a review somewhere about Liberty Bell, rented the album and taped it. In the review (this is from my memory) they spoke about 'beautiful, but timid, pure guitar pop songs which no one would buy' I was interested, listened and fell for the Go-Betweens. This album is still my number one. In those years (mid 80s) I made a personal album top 10 every year and in '86 LB came on no 2. No 1 was Prince's Parade. I still haven't got that one on cd. Didn't Robert Forster mention on the dvd he was going through his Prince period? What a coincidence, I think it's the other way around, Prince was going through his Go-Betweens period. I also taped Metal and shells, but only the A side, so I never got around listening to 'cattle and cane'. A year later, 87, I taped Tallulah, in '88 I got my CD player and one of the first CDs was 16LL. The years passed and there were years without the GB's, as there was so much other interesting music, and they split up. Late 90s I got LB on cd, and also Tallulah, couple of years later Bellavista Terrace to finally hear 'cattle and cane'. The plans of buying one of the new cd's was lurking in my head, but never actually did it. Only about a month ago I read about the death of Grant, and since then I have been visiting this site and message board, and bought Oceans Apart and the DVD. Still waiting for Bright yellow bright orange. In the rebound I must say that LB is still my number one, with 16LL as second. However on Oceans Apart I find some stunning new songs. Songs of the Go Betweens have marked some of the important issues in my life and I am very grateful. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 782 Registered: 05-2005 |
Welcome to the board Eelco. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 697 Registered: 03-2005 |
You have a wonderful story, Eelco. Welcome aboard. Where is your town? | ||
| joe Member Username: Dogmansuede Post Number: 5 Registered: 07-2006 |
i love parade too. don't you think the shirt (remnants of?) that robert wears in the head full of steam video is not unlike the one the little man adorns on cover of said album? one of my favourite sleeves ever! | ||
| Jerry Clark Member Username: Jerry Post Number: 473 Registered: 08-2004 |
I like Parade, Purple Rain, Lovesexy & Sign O' The Times. I also like the idea of renting LP's, they're bound to end up in a mess. Bright Yellow Bright Orange is a real slow-burner. I prefer it to Oceans Apart. | ||
| joe Member Username: Dogmansuede Post Number: 8 Registered: 07-2006 |
dirty mind might narrowly be my fave. i like oceans apart, but haven't listened to it much. even worse, i'm still too hesistant to even go near BYBO. | ||
| Eelco de Jong Member Username: Eeloc Post Number: 4 Registered: 10-2006 |
Thank you for the replies, it's nice to be on this board. My town is Groningen, The Netherlands. I just compared the video of Head full of steam with the famous one of Kiss, and I wonder which one was first?! Or did they use the same shirt because the video's were shot after eachother in the same room? Probably not, though only half a shirt, an S and an XL size would be in order I guess. On Youtube is also a remarkable live version of Cattle and Cane, very moving. Does anybody know which year this was? | ||
| Jerry Clark Member Username: Jerry Post Number: 474 Registered: 08-2004 |
Is that the one where Grant walks through the audience? If so that's circa '87. |