Most boring Go-Betweens tracks Log Out | Topics | Search
Moderators | Register | Edit Profile

The Go-Betweens Message Board » Archived Posts » 2006: July - September » Go-Betweens chat » Most boring Go-Betweens tracks « Previous Next »

Author Message
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Kurt Stephan
Member
Username: Slothbert

Post Number: 466
Registered: 04-2005
Posted on Sunday, August 27, 2006 - 02:27 am:   

I'm sorry, I know this sounds mean-spirited. But the truth is I find hardly anything they've done truly boring, and their usual trademark brevity means that even the less-than-great songs don't drag that much. But which tracks most feel like a chore to sit through?

Mine (excluding the lost album and obviously experimental outtakes like "Reunion Dinner"):

Cut It Out
In Her Diary
The Wrong Road (funny thing--it has great lyrics, but it feels like it goes on forever)
Lavender
Crooked Lines
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Little Keith
Member
Username: Manosludge

Post Number: 600
Registered: 03-2006
Posted on Sunday, August 27, 2006 - 07:29 pm:   

Something for Myself

in the words of our esteemed Prez, though, "I disagree strongly" about The Wrong Road...I guess I just love the music, lyrics and instrumental touches in it so much, that it almost works the other way for me and I find it too short...diff'rent strokes, eh?
Agree pretty much about the rest...


The Lost Album is, to me, a slog to get through..


Maybe it's a byproduct of them having so little material out there and the amount of time they spent honing it, but they have a remarkable music batting average and, really, precious few absolute clunkers, don't they?
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

spence
Member
Username: Spence

Post Number: 626
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Sunday, August 27, 2006 - 08:05 pm:   

Cut it out.
I find every other song they ever did interesting, well nearly all.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Kurt Stephan
Member
Username: Slothbert

Post Number: 467
Registered: 04-2005
Posted on Monday, August 28, 2006 - 12:13 am:   

Yeah, you guys are right. I think they have the highest (forgive the "Yankism") batting average of great tracks of any artist I can think of. Part of the point of my post was to mention how few tracks they've done that are even close to clunkers. Because of the songs I listed, the only one that I'd actually call "bad" is "Cut it Out," and even it isn't all that bad. Now the solo albums are another story...
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Pádraig Collins
Member
Username: Pádraig_collins

Post Number: 505
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Monday, August 28, 2006 - 12:32 am:   

Cut It Out is awful.

I love Lavender.

And The Wrong Road.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

spence
Member
Username: Spence

Post Number: 632
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Monday, August 28, 2006 - 11:29 am:   

Cut it out, does it really suffer from 80's production values rather than exist as a bad song?
If it was done ala Oceans Apart line up/with Ruffy at the helm it might've taken on a new charm.
Just a thought.
Re Kurt ref the solo aobums, I think the thing we need to remember is that really solo albums exist by solo artists, who started out as solo artists. Robert and Grant didn';t start out as solo artists. So I don't feel we can really criticise their combined solo offerings like we would, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan et al et al.
I also think that they were alwyas kind of solo artists without being solo within the GB's to a certain extent, each song being written by either R or G and hardly ever together, at least that's what it suggests on all the sleeve notes. However, I realise a few myths were put to bed during the Striped DVD interview, where we saw how Robert would pinch Grant's Too much of one thing and call it his very own for example.
I suppose all I am trying to say is that their individual efforts exist because of the GB's and really in a way I have learnt not to distinguish it like a solo offering, merely accept these indidual offerings, which are written in their usual style of songs with a few different musicians...
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Kurt Stephan
Member
Username: Slothbert

Post Number: 471
Registered: 04-2005
Posted on Monday, August 28, 2006 - 04:40 pm:   

Good points, Spence. Just to clarify, I didn't mean the solo albums were boring...just a little more clunker-prone, witness "Jug of Wine" and "Putting the Wheels Back On." And though it's a great song, I'm sure Robert would have encouraged Grant to snip at least three minutes off of "What Went Wrong."

I think there's a half decent song there somewhere in "Cut It Out"--I've heard more than one person say that they eventually had that working pretty well live. But yeah, the studio version is just bad overproduced late-'80s pseudo-funk. I blame the producer. The band's own dabblings with funk like "Sweet Tasting Hours" were a million times better.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Michael Bachman
Member
Username: Michael_bachman

Post Number: 160
Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Monday, August 28, 2006 - 04:53 pm:   

I have a 1987 concert boot, and "Cut It Out" is vastly improved over the studio version.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Svein Inge Saether
Member
Username: Springrain

Post Number: 5
Registered: 08-2006
Posted on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - 01:47 pm:   

River of Money! Only boring song I can think of...
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

C Gull
Member
Username: C_gull

Post Number: 35
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - 10:25 pm:   

Surfing Magazines - used to love it now skip it.

Also (heresy to say it I know) Mrs Morgan and Crooked Lines.

Cut it Out may be crap but I could n't call it boring.

Add Your Message Here
Posting is currently disabled in this topic. Contact your discussion moderator for more information.