16 Lovers Lane

It's a bit like listening to the Smiths but without having to think about what a piece of shit Morrissey is! I dig it.

I know this record was at one point acclaimed but it just sounds like a less good version of other great things that came out in this style to me.

Pleasant enough pop music, but ultimately relatively boring. There were a couple hints at interesting vocal lines early on. At least I've learned that string arrangements can't save any music for my ears.

If you Google "meh" it starts to play this album.

This album was the perfect accompaniment to walking to work in the April sun. There's something so summery about this album. I think the simplicity and acoustic textures highlight the strength of the songwriting on this record. It just hit so well for me today. I'm going to go ahead and round up that 4.5 this time. Favourite song: The Devil's Eye

Fuck yeah BRISBANE. Very tempted to give it a 5 based on that alone but I shall remain impartial. I initially thought it started a bit slow but it actually paces nicely up to a big crescendo from Streets of Your Town onward. Clouds and Was There Anything I Could Do are both very very strong songs. Can hear heeaaapps of Rolling Blackouts coming out of this. I've always loved listening to Streets and imagining it was written only with Brisbane in mind (which I doubt it was, but still nice to think about). Anyway FIVE STARS.

16 Lovers Lane is actually a crack den I used to frequent. Shit and blood up the walls and junkies everywhere. I was out of my mind for 2 years. Evil, evil stuff. Very few made it out alive.

I had a great time listening to this album! Very chill but engaging at the same time. I had never heard of the Go-Betweens and did not recognize any of the songs on here, but after giving this one a go, I feel they are a very strong indie pop-rock band. There has been a couple times already going through this list where this genre and decade did not mesh well and caused the record to feel dated; however, I REALLY enjoyed the production on this album as every single instrument and vocal line was crystal clear. This was well needed given the band's acoustic elements they incorporated in every song. It really made me appreciate the finer details that the band put into their tracks and was probably the strongest part of the album overall. Love Goes On! is a great opener and probably my favorite song throughout the short track listing. I did like every track on this one, but they did start to blend together a bit towards the end (this issue might improve or worsen upon further listens). Besides that, I thought this was a great album and would throw this one on again. 3.5/5 (but close to a 4!).

Really surprised me. Was expecting cheesy 80s pop, but has a sort of smiths like quality.

Never heard of this before. Intrigued after reading the Wikipedia entry. Ok only

Wet Wet Wet, but wetter. struggled to keep awake for this prosaic dirge.

The singles "Love Goes On" and "Streets of Your Town" were fantastic, I really enjoyed this, sort of like a proto-Australian The Cure.

The songwriting duo of Forster and McLennan is at its best on this record. Half the tracks are upbeat, romantic and optimistic, and the other are sad and heartbreaking. The driving melodies and guitar work is some of the best I've heard, rivalling some of my favourite Smiths records. Fav Tracks: Love Goes On, Was There Anything I Could Do and Dive For Your Memory

This album is sooo strong. The Go-Betweens mase such gorgeous music. Tasteful, tuneful, bright. Music you just want to sing along with. The best album from a band that released nothing but great albums. An easy 5 🌟 rating

They sounded alot like The Smiths

Muy the smiths. Está ok

Quite pleasant for work background music.

"We have The Smiths at home"

This was really good. I love Aussie rock.

Don't really have a lot to say about this one. It's very alright I guess.

‘Streets of Your Town’ is such a great song, so the rest of the record is disappointing by comparison. Quite dull overall.

The Go-Betweens are high on my list of most underrated artists. To me there are two types of Go-Between discs - very good and great. This is the later. Lyrical, lush, literate pop music. There are very few bands post 1980 that were able to do this and this is one of the best. How is it possible that Streets of Your Town and Quiet Heart were not hits in the US?

Went into 16 Lovers Lane with absolutely no idea what was in store. I assumed it was going to be quite poppy but was pleasantly surprised to discover it was a jangle pop album, I always got time for good jangle pop and this was really good. There are moments where they sound a bit like U2 and there were other times that had me thinking they sounded like a more lively Smiths. A really enjoyable, easy and wonderful surprise this album was, beautifully crafted and excellent layers of music with smart tight songwriting. Great stuff 4 stars

Very easy listening and I would totally listen to this again. Super fun listening to it while I deliver groceries around my home town. I could see myself falling in love with this album given another couple listens through

Quite generic. But hey, it's indie rock. And it's not as synth-infected as other '80s albums. So plus points for that.

They even sound like the go-betweens of 80s to early 90s music

Did not hate this, but found it quite unremarkable.

A little bit sappy, but I like it.

Its like the smiths if they were boring

Just OK

Not great

was listening along and wondering who this band is that I never heard of. I'm thinking I don't know too many Aussie bands and they're at least as good as Men At Work. Not sure this is enough to float north of a 2 rating. Then Streets of Your Town comes on and it's like: " Hey! I know this song!" Not sure I like it but I know it. "Was There Anything I Could Do?" is quite enjoyable. The violin on that tune is a nice touch. It's pretty cool to have acoustic music where the violin player is playing the violin rather than the fiddle. Unfortunately, the cool violin playing starts and stops here. For the rest of the songs, the violin is relegated to the background and really doesn't need to be there. It's like OK we have a violin player in the studio so I suppose she can play something as long as it's not too interruptive. So if I were a betting man, and I am, I'd bet $2 that the singer / songwriter met a cute, very good violin player and asked her to join (or they formed?) the band, planning to figure out how to work the violin in the music in due course. They figured it out on Was There Anything . . . but did not on the rest of the album.

Found this largely underwhelming.

Inoffensive. Not sure why it is 1001 best albums. Ok but MOR background music for me

Boring

Yaaaaawwwwn. NEXT

One of my most cherished albums. The bittersweet emotions you feel when you're going through a nasty breakup are perfectly balanced on this album, linking it to Dylan's Blood on the Tracks in some ways. The Go-Betweens were one of the greatest jangle pop bands to come out of Australia, and people like Courtney Barnett clearly owes to them. I'm glad this album was included in this book because it's a perfect case of a somewhat less known album that actually deserves attention.

Brutal.

I loved this album! It was like The Smith’s, but without Morrissey, who just ruins everything he touches!

Never heard of this band before but this hit right in the sweet spot of music I love. It hits my indie rock soul hard and I can't wait to listen to more albums from them.

Already knew a couple of songs - Streets of Your Town and Was There Anything I Could Do (both brilliant songs) and have always meant to check the album out. They sound a bit like a more acoustic Smiths with Tom Verlaine from Television on vocals. The album is fantastic - not a skippable track on first listen and I think I'll only come to like each one more on future listens. Highly recommended.

This album has particular resonance for me - both from it being a part of my youth, but also because it captures something about being Australian.

Ok

PNW, driving a motorcycle, diners, first love,

Fun songs. Cool vibe.

I like this juicy sound very much! Perfect album! 'Love Goes On!' is a masterpiece.

Rock, alternative rock, indie rock

great Aussie indie music

From no opinion to no skips: I loved this album on my first listen and fall harder with each return.

4 1/2

loved it then love it now, so lucky to see F&M perform most of this live. Just excellent, so many good memories soundtracked by this

What an great album

Sweet but not saccharin, jangly but not too jangly. A little pretentious, but not too wanky. *Very* Antipodean, whatever that means. Sunny and glum in equal measures. Quite a lovely album, I'm grateful to be hearing it for the first time. Hearing the Chills, Don McGlashan etc in this.

Loved this, just my cup of tea

Good to be back listening to music, and this was a great re-entrance! It sounded like a lot of stuff I’ve heard already from this list, but upbeat. “I’m All Right” was the standout track for me, but I plan to keep this on my phone.

Nice. I really enjoyed this album. 5/5

I love this band, I love this album

I never really got the go betweens. I know they are an iconic Queensland band but they were always just off my ‘taste’ radar. They’re really good. Great playing and strong songs and they deserved their success but I missed the appeal. 5 because I know too many people who’d give this at least 4.

9/10 - fire

Fantastic album. Along the lines of REM, but in their own way. A strong rhythmic acoustic with electric licks over it, topped with perfect male and female vocals, produced well with each song providing something different.

I relate to some of these songs I would deffo rate this 5/5 or 4.5/5 Indie rock is lit

Hadn't listened before and I loved it!

"16 Lovers Lane" is the sixth album and the final release from the original version of Australian indie band the Go-Betweens. The album is nicknamed their "Rumours" since their guitarist and vocalist Robert Forster had just broken up with drummer Lindy Morrison, lead singer Grant McLennan had started a relationship with violinist and vocalist Amanda Brown and bassist Robert Vickers left the band to be replaced with John Willsteed. The band had also just moved back to Syndey after five years in London. All these events affected and are part of the lyrics. Commercially, the album hit #81 in the UK and had wide-spread critical acclaim. The album kicks off with "Love Goes On." Acoustic guitar and catchy vocals. Strings and a Spanish-sounding guitar comes in. The song keep building musically. It's about the transitory nature of love. "Quiet Heart" is slower with a clicking beat. McLennan whispering vocals are more emotional. An electric guitar and harmonica are added at the end. I'm really liking the layering of the music here. The pace picks up in the first single "Streets of Your Town." A pop drum beat and some more catchy lyrics in the chorus. Very easy listening and I believe about the town of Brisbane. The culmination of this album just might be "Was There Anyhthing I Could Do?" It begins with a faster strumming guitar similar to the Smiths' "Big Mouth Strikes Again." There's an edge and urgency to McLennan voice. There's a rolling violin and eventually layered guitars. Tremendous. The album ends appropriately with the melancholic "Dive for Your Memory." A love that couldn't be. The lyrics, vocals and music fit perfectly together. There is a lot to like about this album; it well-orchestrated and constructed pop music. Dramatic. Cathartic. Changes pace. The music is expertly layered with the strings, guitars and harmonica. At times, it reminded of a cross between the Smiths and Crowded House. It doesn't sound dated at all and well worth going back to.

This was a real positive surprise, great runtime, couple of standout songs that I saved and overall just a very happy, go lucky mood in the songs

Awesome and Nic loved it too

One of my fav bands, but not my fav record of theirs

Hard to say but this might be my favourite Go-Betweens album (only know their first six albums). It has no Cattle and Cane, but lots of other really strong songs. I can also strongly recommend Robert Foster's book Grant and I (from 2018 or so).

Amazing pop record. The 80s sound might sound outdated to some people, but the 80s sound adds so much to me. Everything is so addicting here, the vocals especially. This was a very pleasent suprise! Very cool.

Great 80s album

I actually didn't have the time to get to this again, but this is just such a great album to me. It seems to be the phase where they took the post-punk (in very loose terms) thing they had going and put more of a singer-songwriter spin on it. Grant McLennan seemed to write (what should have been) hit after hit with infectious melodies and Robert Forster wrote these slower (but not meandering) songs just so rich with atmosphere. Maybe not my fav of theirs but I love it a lot.

One of the major 1001 surprises: I love everything about it.

Really enjoyable

Perfectly pleasant. Has it changed me as a person? No. But this album is a beautiful example of pretty, likable 80's music.

Je sais pas pourquoi j'aime bien mais j'aime bien

Haven't heard this before, rather enjoyed it. Felt quite a bit ahead of its time. I heard some 90s, some 00s, some 2010s. Fun album.

Aussie pop! This was interesting. Fit the mold but definitely unique.

Pretty enjoyable music, album was all good

80 90lar londrasina donebilsem keske artik havasindan midir suyundan midir nasi bi memleketsin

I had never heard of this band or album before, but this was quite nice! Twee indie rock that's quite a bit ahead of its time. Good stuff.

Nice record to listen too. Truly reflects its era.

Oké albums, geen hoogvlieger maar wel van genoten op de achtergrond

very relaxing. nice and catchy

The accompaniment is actually good and the vocals are ok. "Streets of your Town", "I'm alright" are my favourites

I thought it was pretty good. Sounded like something from a 1990 movie or something. Soft/acoustic/alternative rock with a lot of grand love ballads. I enjoyed it, but can't really see myself coming back to it over and over again.

Really nice sounding album throughout not a single dull moment and it has a vibe that I definitely enjoy it's nothing too incredibly special though

I was not aware of this album in 1988, but I really would have liked it then. I really enjoyed its sound, especially the first two songs.

Fun album! Very “Fleetwood Mac” if Fleetwood Mac were a bit later on. Some good tunes though

Prijetna glasba. Spominja me malo na The Cardigans.

À discovery for me, and a very pleasant one at that! A style of music that I relate to easily, done with freshness and style. Surprised I had not heard of them before. Perhaps they weren’t big in Canada…

Vibing with this one for sure

Nice one, Ill definitively will listen again. Love the vibe

Couple good songs, better than I expected

cool

Very solid music. Nothing really distinctive but well crafted.

Production sounds dated but still some really catchy tunes and some fine storytelling..

Lyrics are brilliant Love, Regret, melancholia, not an ounce of fat on them... musically a combo of velvet underground & love. Great album. Will be listening again

This was good

I like “Love Goes On” and “Was There Anything I Could Do?”. The rest is pretty solid as well.

typical of the alt style i've always loved - acoustic guitars, jingle-jangle clear guitar, melodic leads.

Quite a nice surprise, I’ve been hating all the 80’s records so far. Good one