The Go-Betweens is an Australian band formed in Brisbane in 1977 by Robert Forster and Grant McLennan. Which will be joined over the years by Lindy Morrison, Robert Vickers and Amanda Brown for the most significant to have participated in the group...
Group whose name would be a reference to the book "The Go-Between" written by LP Hartley and which released a first single "Lee Remick" in 1978. Single which allows them to be noticed a little bit and especially to be signed by Beserkley Records.
New single "People say" in 1979, single which unlike its predecessor will unfortunately go completely under the radar.
Following this failure, the group decides to leave for Europe and we find them in Scotland from the year 1980. An exile which allows them to sign with the independent label Postcard, which will allow them to record their new single "I need two heads". Single that will not go unnoticed...
Return to Australia from the year 1981 and recording of their first album "Send me a lullaby". Album which will be classified in the Independent Charts but which will be unable to produce the least single of planetary class…
Return to England two years later and release of the album "Before Hollywood", album which will produce their highest ranked single to date namely "Cattle and cane".
Three new albums will be released in the years that will follow, namely "Spring hill fair" in 1984, "Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express" in 1986 as well as "Tallulah" in 1987. Three albums with mixed success and of which no single of span will be extracted.
They will have to wait until 1988 to finally see their efforts rewarded with the release of the album "16 lovers lane", an album which brings them their first notorious global success thanks in particular to the flagship single "Streets of your town".
Paradoxically, this success will hardly benefit them because the group will separate some time later. Before returning in a totally unexpected way at the beginning of the 2000s. A return which will still allow them to obtain the biggest success of all their discography on the album side with "Oceans apart", an album which will be released in 2005...
To discover or rediscover.
Discography (among others…) :
Lee Remick 1978
People say 1979
I need two heads 1980
Your turn, my turn 1981
Hammer the hammer 1982
Cattle and cane 1983
Man O’Sand to girl O’Sea 1983
Part company 1984
Bachelor kisses 1984
Spring rain 1986
Head full of steam 1986
Right here 1987
Cut it out 1987
I just get caught out 1987
Bye bye pride 1987
Streets of your town 1988
Was there anything I could do ? 1988
Love goes on 1989
Going blind 2000
Surfing magazines 2001
Caroline and I 2003
Here comes a city 2005
Finding you 2005
Clips :
1978...first title and first success. The group is immediately noticed in the Independent Charts and starts its career in an ideal way...
1979... they can't confirm all the good that we could think of them. It will therefore be necessary to react and quickly otherwise their career risks stopping very prematurely...
1980...this title will know a slightly more favorable fate but it is clear that the group will have to raise its level of play if he wants to exist at the highest level...
1981...so far, no major improvement in sight. The group remains on an average level that he does not manage to increase in power. Pity...
1982... the years go by but not much new in terms of style and sound. The group remains steadfast on its fundamentals while the musical world evolves in depth. Attention danger...
1983...a year 1983 which finally sees notorious changes taking place. The group has become aware of the efforts to be made and it is starting to pay off in the Charts...
1983...certainly, once again the success is limited to the Independent Charts but the group is at least back a little bit in the race. The worst has therefore been avoided...
1984... the group relapses directly behind. Definitely, he can't stabilize for good and spends his time yo-yoing in the Charts. A kick in, a kick out...
1984... frankly too bad because they make real efforts to offer titles of certain quality. But the adventure is not over yet, everything is still possible. So let's be patient...
1986...we lose sight of them during the year 1985 and here they are again in a certain form in this year 1986. Sufficient in any case to come back to the surface once again...
1986...and as always, a title that works is followed by a title that doesn't work, at least in the Charts. There is nothing to do, when it does not want, it does not want...
1987...their first real title classified across the Channel. Admittedly at the back of the pack but it's still better than nothing as they say...
1987...the year 1987 got off to a good start, but as always there is always a little grain of sand that jams the machine. And yet they are far from being ridiculous...
1987...a plethoric year 1987 in terms of titles but on this one it will not allow them to be more visible than that. Nice try but unfortunately failed...
1987...while you might think it's time for the group to stop the costs, this one absolutely does not intend to stop there. Because we know, in the musical field, everything is always possible...
1988...and their efforts will finally be rewarded ! After years of hard work, they will finally achieve the biggest success of their entire career here and de facto win a direct ticket to posterity. We are not talking about a planetary mega hit but all the same, the hard part is now done !
1988...the year 1988 will undoubtedly remain as their best vintage, that's for sure. The group has reached full maturity and it shows, especially it can be heard !
1989...after reaching the top of the mountain, you have to come back down at some point. For the group, it will be the following year. So much so that the adventure won't go any further, at least that's what everyone assumes...
2000...when we thought the case was definitely over, here they are reborn from their ashes at the beginning of the 2000s. So, a winning comeback or a blow in the water...?
2001...for the moment it looks more like a sword in the water than anything else. What the group now offers is not devoid of interest, of course, but the general public has gone elsewhere, that's clear...
2003...not easy to reinvent yourself nearly 15 years after disappearing from the international music scene. They put an obvious good will into it but nothing is helping for the moment in terms of a return to success in the Charts...
2005 ... and yet they will succeed in extremis to rise to the surface. They will obtain in this year 2005 what will remain as their biggest success on the album side, a success that no one expected anymore...
2005...they will end in style with this title and show all those who no longer believed in them that nothing is ever over. Will we find them one day or another, only the future is able to answer this question...
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Greatest Hits :
Discography :