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The Go-Betweens recorded six albums that are among the finest work of the 1980s, earning them a reputation as the ultimate cult band and the lasting esteem of their peers, from R.E.M. to Sleater-Kinney. In 2000 they returned to making records--and received the best reviews of their career. David Nichols relates their story with wit and verve, and since the Go-Betweens had personalities as well as talent, their biography is compelling reading, not just for committed fans but for anyone interested in the current music scene. I loved this book, raved Jonathan Lethem. How elegant that the dark-horse band lavished with obsessive and loving attention by David Nichols should be the one whose weird and lovely depths can truly sustain and reward it the life-altering Go-Betweens.
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Verse Chorus Press; 2 Rev Upd edition (February 15, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1891241168
ISBN-13: 978-1891241161
Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 0.6 x 9.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #577,959 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #96 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Musical Genres > Ethnic & International > International #317 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Biographies > Pop #960 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Musical Genres > Popular
Reading their background, it's easy to see why those GoBs boys turned out the way they did...becoming artists was really the only route for them. Their saga as a band, as has been noted before (particularly with the comparisons of 16 Lovers Lane to Rumours) is much like that of Fleetwood Mac's, given that virtually everybody in the band slept with everybody else. The only difference is the GoBs saga is interesting...How did they ever, given their artsy, elitist and androgynous ways, avoid a pummelin' at the hands of some of those brutish, thuggy, beer soaked hooligan types you know all those towns in Australia had to be crawling with? Bully for them that they did.Kudos to the author, for his erudite scholarship. If not for him, the world would have no way of knowin' this stuff...though, I don't agree with some of his critical assessments. For instance, "Horsebreaker Star" is pretty much GM's best solo work and stands with anything the GoBs did. Not so, according to the author - he deems it a failure. He also doesn't, apparently, rate 16 Lovers Lane as high as I do. Reading between the lines, it seems to me that he's dissing it for being a commercial move. I think it's simply the best thing they've ever done and one of the few truly perfect rock/pop albums in existence.No matter though - if you're a GoBs fan, this book is a compelling experience that'll have you combing through your record collection to re-experience all the thrills the author describes....
... but maybe only for diehard fans like me. A million anecdotes make it interesting to read. And at the end you think: What a shame that Grant McLennan had to die so early.
Fantastic book and a must read for all Go-Between fans, especially the updated version.
The Go-Betweens
