| Author | Message | ||
     Padraig Collins |
Jeff, in the re-release discussions dissed Don't Call Me Gone. It's a great song Jeff! Though not as great a country song as the truly awesome A Girl Lying On A Beach (b-side on Australian single from the last album for those of you that may not have heard it. I guess that's unlikely though, see as we are all Go-Betweens geeks here!). Robert kind of sounds like he had a slight head cold when recording it. Does anyone know if this is the case? | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker |
Padraig, in *your* opinion, and in the opinion of many others to be sure, it's a great song. For me, it just sounds like a bad joke. (I think my underhanded 'dis was basically that I wouldn't complain if it was overlooked for the 10 disc Go-Betweens box set that would never happen in a million years). Not that I have anything against country, I just prefer my country with a bit more subtlety or sophistication (and authenticity), like Townes van Zandt. I do happen to like Girl Lying on a Beach, however. Nice song, though I've only listened to it a handful of times. As for Robert having a head cold on that one, I'm not sure. I do recall reading an article where Robert caught a cold during the Liberty Belle sessions and wasn't able to sing any of vocal parts as a result until the tail end of the sessions, when he had to do them all in a single day or something like that. I always thought his vocals had a slight but appropriate roughness on Liberty Belle, and if he had to lay them down in such a hurried manner, that could possibly explain it. | ||
| Padraig Collins |
Jeff, yes, it's my opinion that it's a great song. I seem to recall that in the sleevenotes for 1978-1990 Grant said it was a serious song - but I could be completely misremembering here and no doubt someone will correct me later (I haven't looked at the sleevenotes in quite a while). I asked Robert about country music once, he likes Townes van Zandt also, as well as Merle Haggard and, I think, George Jones. I asked him in the context of the country feel of the Warm Nights album rather than Don't Call Me Gone. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker |
In the liner notes to 1978 - 1990, Grant says of Don't Call Me Gone, "I've always liked country music. This is a typical mix of pathos and sentimentality in the tradition of George Jones and Tammy Wynette. It comes close to pastiche but the Go-Betweens seldom genre hop so this is what it is." In my ever so humble opinion, this song comes much closer to "pastiche" than I think Grant lets on, and I do think this qualifies as a rare example of the Go-Betweens engaging in a little genre-hopping. Harmless fun, sure, but I'm just glad it didn't turn up on one of their records. Don't Call Me Gone is not my thing, personally, but if other people like it, more power to 'em. While we're on the subject of these b-sides, anyone else besides me like "Time in the Desert"? I think it's a great song with some uncharacteristically weak singing by Robert. The verses are just oozing Philly soul (something I'm more passionate about than country), while the verses have a subtle country lilt. But, I think that Robert's tentative sounding delivery leaves the song a bit limp. | ||
| Padraig Collins |
Time in the Desert is one of the Go-Betweens songs I have never heard, and now I desperately want to! | ||
| pups |
I love Time In A Desert. I think it is strong enough for it to have been on a album. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker |
I love it too. I just think Robert's vocals on that could've been a little more "on" if that makes sense. Musically, it's definitely better than some of the songs that wound up on Tallulah. The guitar parts are incredibly brilliant. Lot's of cool hooks. Shit, I gotta go listen to Girl Lying on a Beach so I can look like I have more to say about it! While we're on this, any other b-sides people love or hate? | ||
| Gareth |
My favourite b-side is 'Wait until June'. As good as anything they put out on an lp. Probably my favourite GB's track. Must have been one of the last things they recorded for release? I also love the live version of 'Clouds' from 'Surfing Magazines'. The definitive version of a great song. | ||
| Padraig Collins |
Rock 'n' Roll Friend is possibly the greatest b-side ever. Of course I still have not heard Time In A Desert. Anybody want to copy it for me? Is it kosher to ask that on the MB? If not, sorry. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker |
I love way too many of their b-sides to narrow it down to one or two. I guess the first few that come to mind are definitely Rare Breed, This Girl Black Girl, Life at Hand, Just a King in Mirrors, Stop Before you Say It, Rock 'n Roll Friend, etc... I've always had this bizarre fascination with b-sides (provided they're good or interesting, of course), which I think started with my demented obsession with the Cure back when I was an adolescent/teenager. Many of their singles back in the 70s and 80s had these b-sides that were either flat-out amazing, or bizarrely interesting, and the fact that these were usually so hard to come by made hunting for these hidden gems kind of fun. Other bands, like the Smiths had brilliant b-sides as well. The Smiths would even have b-sides that were perfectly strong enough to be a-sides. B-sides can lend an intriguing insight into a band's creativity, as sometimes the b-sides are a bit more experimental, or more of a departure from their usual sound. I think most of the Go-Betweens b-sides range from bizarre to wonderful, with a few throwaways here and there. But sometimes you get a song that is so good, you wonder why it wasn't included on the record that the single was culled from. I remember Robert saying something to the effect of "When People Are Dead" (another good b-side, IMHO) would've been included on Tallulah had that album not already been completed. And surely Rock 'n Roll Friend would've fit right in with the rest of 16LL, as would Just a King in Mirrors with Spring Hill Fair. I'm always curious to know why some b-sides weren't deemed good enough to make the record, despite how good they might be. Padraig, I don't want to build up Time in the Desert too much because I've met a fair number of folks who don't care for that song. Do you ever download stuff from Soulseek? If not, it's a totally free file-sharing network where you can download mp3s, and I bet you could find Time in the Desert there, as I've certainly noticed much rarer Go-Betweens things there. I'm sure it'll be included on the Tallulah reissue bonus disc, provided that ever happens. | ||
| Robert Vickers |
I think the funniest thing about Don't Call Me Gone is the way Amanda sings the word 'horse'. | ||
| Padraig Collins |
I was obsessive about b-sides when I was a teenager too, but my obsession was based around The Jam, several of whose b-sides were as good as their a-sides. | ||
| John |
Girl Lying On A Beach is a great song. When the Go-Betweens MkII call it a day, and the future version of 1978-1990 is compiled (1998-2010?), Girl Lying On A Beach will be on it, and the song will be acclaimed throughout fandom as "an overlooked gem". I think that the solo acoustic performance suits it. I don't hear anything "country" about it though. RF's voice sounds normal to me, so I have never thought that he might have had a cold. However, the way that he pronounces "photo" irritates me. Just one of my irrational obsessions I guess. | ||
| Robert Vickers |
On a more serious note Don't Call Me Gone was an important song. It was the first instance of Amanda doing a proper duet with Grant and singing some lead. Prior to that all the duets were R&G. I have a soft spot for it because they sound so happy on it. You like to hear friends happy. Following it with You Won't Find It Again on 1978-1990 is little sad. The lyric itself I always thought might have been about Grant and his sister choosing to leave the country and live in the city. Time in the Desert was a good song that we didn't spend enough time on. Kind of messy session I really don't remember much about it. Robert did miss a full day of his vocals on LB. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker |
Regarding Girl Lying on a Beach - that is a good song, but I don't think Robert has a cold, it just sounds like he's singing into a cheap microphone. The whole thing sounds very one-take, like he just played and sang it simultaneously, all in one-take, with no reverb or effects or anything. It's a bit rough, in a very nice way. I'm not sure I see the country in it, but it's definitely folky. I listened to Time in the Desert again last night, and it really is a great song. Amanda's violin parts are thoroughly gorgeous, and the guitar melodies are hook-filled and catchy, displaying that knack Robert and Grant had for playing off one-another brilliantly. | ||
| Matt Tremmel |
Girl Lying on the Beach was a highlight of a mixed cd I made a friend of mine. I hear more of a Rock-a-billy sound to the track; a Buddy Holly-era type boogie. I constantly wonder if is Robert talking about his wife. Is it truly auto-biographical? The images seem to concrete not to be. Although, true or fiction, the man is gifted at storytelling. Should have been on the record. | ||
| Randy Adams |
I agree "Girl Lying on a Beach" is one of the high spots on the current album (if you got the version with the bonus disc). I assume it's just a demo and it works in that form perfectly--intimate, informal and effortless in the way that is appropriate for a gifted veteran like RF. On the subject of b-sides, being a 60s music guy I think of the Hollies. Much of the time their a-sides were written by others but they always put their own songs on the b-side, presumably to cop the royalty money. This is where Clark/Hicks/Nash worked out their identity as songwriters and indeed the b-sides taken together are a good deal more interesting than the a-sides or, oftentimes, the originals on their early albums. I also am a fan of b-sides, by quality artists anyway. Not a big fan of "Don't Call Me Gone." I agree with Jeff's view of that one. There were a few moments on "Horsebreaker Star" that suffered from the same pastiche problem, marring an otherwise magnificent creation. |