1978 – 1990 ON VINYL (Part 1)

Later this month Domino Records will be releasing a tremendous artefact called G Stands For Go-Betweens – Volume One. Containing four vinyl albums, four CDs and a 112-page book complete with liner notes and guest essays, it captures the band’s output from 1978 through to 1984. The vinyl consists of the first three studio LPs plus a specially compiled record entitled The First Five Singles while the CDs contain rare, hard-to-find and unreleased demos, recordings, radio sessions and a live gig. There’s also a few other things thrown in such as prints, posters and a reproduction of a 1978 press release while the first 600 folk to order through the record label will receive a randomly selected book from the late Grant McLennan‘s personal collection with a bookmark signed by Robert Forster (from now on referred to in this post as GM and RF)

It really is an enticing package but it comes with a hefty price of £120…and no doubt the same again for Volumes 2 and 3 for the later stages of the band’s career. And so with a heavy heart, I’ve passed on the chance to purchase. I’ll regret it in times to come but other than the majority of tracks on the CDs there would be nothing I don’t already own and I’d be shelling out for what would quickly become a lovely ornament.

I’m sure also that I will own some of the tracks coming onto the CDs thanks to my purchase some 25 years ago of 1978 – 1990, a compilation which looked back at the band just after they had initially broken up. Here in the UK, it came out on a single CD with 22 tracks and a double album with 28 tracks. It’s the latter which sits in my collection and which I’ve dug out for a bumper posting over the next four days.

It’s a really neatly packaged record. Sides 1 and 2 are more or less a ‘Greatest Near Hits’ comprising flop singles and some of the best-loved album tracks. Sides 3 and 4 contain some rarities, radio sessions and what had been previously unreleased tracks….and there were liner notes from the band’s two front men. In essence, it was an affordable prototype of the Domino Records release….

Side 1

1. Karen

Nineteen Years old, depressed, nervous and probably distrustful. I wrote this, Lee Remick and 8 Pictures in what seemed like a month, after making the decision not to write about Universal Themes but about my feelings in the bedroom, Brisbane, driving my car and anything from overheard conversations – RF

(Recorded in May 1978 in Brisbane. Originally released as a single that month on the Able Label in Australia. The sleevenotes add ‘apologies for crackles on this track as it had to be dubbed from a disc)

2. Hammer the Hammer

Too many late nights in St Kilda, Melbourne. An incomplete meditation on loneliness and violence, sometimes mistakenly thought to be about drugs. Recorded during a lull in The Birthday Party’s “Junkyard” session. This was the last song we cut in Australia before moving to England – GM

(Recorded in January 1982 in Melbourne. Originally released as a single in July 1982 on Rough Trade)

3. Cattle and Cane

Written in summer on a borrowed guitar in a Paddington bedroom, London. The other rooms were occupied by unconscious friends. The rhythm struck me as strange, the mood as beautiful and sad. The song came easily, was recorded quickly and still haunts me – GM

(Recorded in October 1982 in Eastbourne, England. This version was released as a single in February 1983 on Rough Trade with the LP version, with a slightly extended intro, appearing on Before Hollywood, released in May 1983)

4. Man O’ Sand To Girl O’ Sea

In rock’n’ roll terms The Go-Betweens always take the checkered flag. This road running slice of beauty and mayhem – I can distinctly remember turning to the band and saying “let’s burn this land”. And by Jesus we did – RF

(Recorded in August 1983 in Sussex. This version was released a single in November 1983 on Rough Trade with the completely different LP version appearing on Spring Hill Fair, released in September 1984)

5. Bachelor Kisses

We came back from Christmas in New York having lost our record company somewhere along the way. I wrote this in Immigration having been refused entry to the United Kingdom. The first person who heard it was my sister. She said that Marianne Faithful should sing it – GM

(Recorded in July 1984 in London. Originally appeared on Spring Hill Fair but released as a single later on in November 1984)

6. Draining The Pool For You

I wrote this melody in ten minutes in a London Hotel while waiting for Lindy Morrison to put on her lipstick. The lyric takes place in either Sydney or L.A. – a big mansion, an idiot movie star, luxury parties and the only intelligent, talented person there being me and I’m the hired help cleaning this guy’s pool – RF

(Recorded in May 1984 at Studio Mirival, France. Originally appeared on Spring Hill Fair)

7.  Spring Rain

London, summer 1985. This seems a rough description of me around the time I started writing songs. There’s some Creedence Clearwater Revival in here – RF

(Recorded in November 1985 in London. Originally released a single in February 1986 on Beggars Banquet and included on the LP Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express one month later)

Oh….you just need to click on the song titles to get the mp3s.

Enjoy – more to follow the rest of this week