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16 Lovers Lane
The Go-Betweens
1988
Wikipedia
Reviews
Like a review? Give it a thumb up to help us display relevant reviews!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.
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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.
The singles "Love Goes On" and "Streets of Your Town" were fantastic, I really enjoyed this, sort of like a proto-Australian The Cure.
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.
I relate to some of these songs I would deffo rate this 5/5 or 4.5/5 Indie rock is lit
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
Really surprised me. Was expecting cheesy 80s pop, but has a sort of smiths like quality.
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.
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
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.
Fun album! Very “Fleetwood Mac” if Fleetwood Mac were a bit later on. Some good tunes though
Pues un disco agradable. No estoy seguro de por quĂ© serĂa un GRAN disco, pero me puso contento. Lo que sĂ es que suena a lo que luego muchos dirĂan que suena "indie". Quizá por eso me gusta. Mis favs "Streets of Your Town" y "Was There Anything I Could Do?". 7.5/10
7/10. I quite like this, just a super chill, straightforward brand of rock, the lyrics are hit or miss and the singing is decent. Honestly, my main complaint is that they really like to delay rhymes from when you expect to hear them, which always irritates me
I enjoyed this album. Pretty folksy. Streets of your town is the standout track. Gave me nostalgia because it was used for an ad about a decade ago for my home town.
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
typical of the alt style i've always loved - acoustic guitars, jingle-jangle clear guitar, melodic leads.
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.
80 90lar londrasina donebilsem keske artik havasindan midir suyundan midir nasi bi memleketsin
Such a beautiful album...probably my favourite Go-Betweens album. Lush and subtle with poignant lyrics. Close to 5 stars, but ultimately 4 for me because it's not a style that I turn to often
Contains one of my favourite songs of all time - 'Streets of Your Town'. Unfortunately the rest of the album doesn't quite match up.
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!).
I am a fan of such albums, 10 songs, not too long, weak tracks are out, no bullshit, just good music. My note would be 4 stars with a minus, nice vocals and guitars, clean remaster, but nothing actually special
This is good - really good. Well-crafted songs delivered with some unashamed pop confidence. The late 80's production doesn't surrender to the trends of the time. It brings out the best in the song writing. How Streets of Your Town wasn't a massive hit I don't know.
I really enjoyed this... was made in '88, but felt like a mid 90s indy-pop band. Definitely ahead of its time.
Need to revisit this asap. Pop sensibility steering well wide of sentimentality, spacious production values. Late 80s sophistopop minus the pretentiousness.
Heard streets of your town before (it's a popular advertisement tune here) but I'd honestly never thought about where it came from, and the rest is totally new. I thought I'd at least heard of pretty much every popular Aussie rock band at this point, but I guess not. This isn't a bad album, but it doesn't do anything super exciting. Nice 12 string acoustics, everything is in tune and nothing really out of place. The first song and "was there anything I could do?" were standouts. Overall I can't fault it, but there are no hard edges or legit oomph. Yet at the same time, even if this is just bog-standard indie rock from the 80s, give it to me ANY day over its 2021 equivalent. 3/5.
Hear a lot of the 90s in this, was surprised to hear recognize so many of the songs on here
Lyrically, there's enough angst and intra-band romance/breakup going on that led to this album being known as the "Indie Rumours," but sonically, they back away when they start approaching something interesting. Wasted potential, imo. Best track: Dive For Your Memory
Helt ok album men köper inte riktigt att det är ett album jag behövde höra innan jag dör.
Softest of soft contemporary adult rock. Not my _thing_ but it's alright background music.
This is one of the albums I’ve heard, with some of the songs I’ve ever listened to. 5
I still have a 2CD anthology of The Go Betweens in my collection. I bought it back in the 90s based on hearing (and liking) “Is there anything I could do” and “Streets of Your Town”. I didn’t listen to it much because, while the other tracks were nice enough, they were a bit bland.
Pues sorrry, pero pos meh... No sé ni siquiera cuál canción me gustó más, todas pasaron casi desapercibidas. O sea suena bien, pero no veo por qué es único y detergente.
Pleasant background music but there’s really not a lot to it, it sounds pretty generic, the lyrics are weak, and I don’t think it’s aged very well. 6/10
This I believe was one of those "popular in Europe but not the US" type albums that didn't really land for me. Not bad, but nothing really stood out for me either.
It was OK, but not much more than that. Basically not bad, but pretty much just a much less exciting clone of bands like The Cure.
not bad, sounded like 90s rock/pop, lots of acoustic guitar. some darker sounds to it.
-"Love Goes On!" has a cool bit where it alternates between just the singer and the acoustic guitar to the whole band, in a kind of call and response kind of way. There's probably a name for what I'm talking about but I don't know what it is. -I like the end of "Can't Say No Forever." Got a cool synth (?) And guitar jam going -I liked the more upbeatness of "Was There Anything I Could Do?"
It wasn't awful; I generally like this sound. It's a little bit bland, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I liked each individual instrument and the voices. Favorite Track: Streets of Your Town
I want t like this more than I did. I like Indie; I like Australia. The vocals, honestly, seem a bit weak. the music, overproduced. It’s very decent.Not so sure it belongs on the 1001 list.
It was different and there were some really fun tracks on it - but ultimately I found a good bit of it slightly unsatisfying, too. I respect the attempt to do something different from the perspective of still trying to make radio friendly music, and when they pull it off I'm loving it. But it's tricky
Saved Prior: Love Goes On!, Streets of Your Town, Was There Anything I Could Do? Off Rip: Clouds Cutting Edge: I'm All Right Overall Notes: Shoutout Matt for putting me on to this album a couple years ago. That being said, the three singles are the only songs of note. Not quite sure why this album is on here, can think of a dozen 80's albums that would've been better inclusions.
I gotta admit I had no clue about this album, or even this band, and that, at first, when the very first track was playing, I was a bit hesitant about letting it even finish. However, I resisted the urge and found myself enjoying the album. Not great but not boring, either.
Solid album. Nothing in particular stood out. Feels like the bridge between 80s new wave and 90s adult contemporary like REM/Live/Spin Doctors. We know this is a British list because Brit Pop features so heavily on it.
I'm not sure if I listened to an album from a band or an album from a soundtrack of some generic romantic comedy. These songs are so recognizable like if I listened to them every day, but at the same time, they are new for me. Well, a pretty fine romantic album, but nothing exactly special.
I liked this one too, and got some Cure vibes from it on occasion. Favorite songs were Love Goes On, The Devil's Eye, and Streets of Your Town.
I was not familiar with this album. It was not memorable in any way, but I didn't hate it.
Jak to mozliwe, ze australia ma tak slaba reprezentacje na liscie, jesli mnie pamiec nie myli bedzie to dopiero trzeci piczek z kolonii karnej, przynajmniej nie nick cave kolejny raz, 16 Lovers Lane to szosty album w dyskografii rokowopopowej bandy The Go-Betweens, w ktorej sklad w trakcie nagrywania tej plyty wchodzilo pieciu czlonkow, a instrumentalnie przewija sie o wiele wiecej egzotycznych narzedzi do wydawania dzwieku, bo znajda sie smyczki, oboje, harmonijki, organy, do tego dochodzi wokalny miks glosow, sa dwa meskie wokale i jeden zenski, ktory robi robote na drugiej czesci plyty tworzac pseudoharmonie jak na trakach streets of your town, lirycznie jest to dosc oklepany album, bo przewazaja lowe songi, ktore maja byc proste zeby latwo sie dalo sluchac takiej muzyki, raczej same pozytywne viby, ale jednak nie cukierowe, ciekawe jest takze polaczenie gitarek jakie mozna uslychac lekka radosna elektrykowa gra w polaczeniu z mocniej poprowadzonym akustykiem daje ciekawy efekt, instrumentalnie na kazdym traku duzo sie dzieje, ale nadal jest to przyjemne do osluchania, bo poprowadzone jest na zasadnie sekwencji, co najlepiej slychac na otwierajacym kawalku love goes on, ktory jest moja ulubiona pozycja z plyty, wiec leci na plejke razem z streets of your town, ktorego wydaje mi sie, ze skads znam, ale jednak nie jestem w stanie przypiac go do zrodla wspomnienia, albumik z 88 a brzmi jak cos o wiele swiezszego, no i jest to pierwszy piczek z australii ktorego da sie osluchac i wiedziec o czym jest spiewany bez tekstu przed oczyma, album prosty, odpowiednio krotki i z pozytywnymi tekstami, wiec dobra muzyka popularno rokowa
A pleasant surprise! I love the moody, brooding lyrics contrasting the perky pop-ish guitar.
This is a nice album by an artist I’m unfamiliar with. I enjoy the instrumentation- the guitar work, bass, and drums are all in the pocket.
I listened to this album. I liked parts of it. Then I went on with my day and didn't think about it at all. Faint praise, I know. And I don't think I can muster that much passion to go through this album's okayness. There are striking moments; Streets of Your Town has one line that really startles. But this is essentially your standard gangly indie guitar with some clever lyrics, and you yearn for more instances of lyrical sharpness. You'll have no regrets listening to this, but you'll find little that'll make you fight for the Go-Betweens. Mind, if you pin your colours to the Go-Betweens' mast, I doubt you'd carry much weight in a fight anyway.
3.4 - If this album were a beer, it'd be a Carlsberg or something similarly inoffensive. Straightforward love songs expressing regret and longing, strummed on acoustic guitar with mostly 1-5-7-4 chord structures (from what I can tell), sung in a clear baritone, with minimal studio magic. The songs are written thoughtfully and recorded crisply.
Upon first listen there was no mistaking the era - this is 80s pop through and through. And not unpleasant, either. It's just that I feel like I've heard all these songs before from other bands. There's a bit of Psychedelic Furs, some Billy Bragg, and a little Echo and the Bunnymen in here, but all the apparent influences leave me wondering who the Go-Betweens are. And again, perfectly pleasant 80s pop - it's just not particularly original. And in that it also doesn't particularly move me in really any way. And it's not that derivative works are necessarily 'less good' than their inspiration, it's just that these particular derivative works don't add much nuance or value to the original experience.
I like the laid back vibe of this album. Streets of Your Town is a highlight as it just sounds so pleasant. I like the songs when Amanda Brown’s violin contributes. The lead singers’ voices are fine for the most part, but it’s a bit off on Love Is a Sign.
Comença de forma formidable amb 'Love Goes On!', pop lluminós i radiant, que té una bona continuació al llarg del disc amb tonades amb menys punch però que fan una escolta somiadora i agradable
nice alt rock album, imo the best song is Streets of your town, I really liked the vocals, especially female one
WTF? Sometimes I just don't understand this list. This album pales in comparison to many of the recent gems. It was a perfectly average, bland piece of music. Fine to listen to, but nothing remarkable. Lyrics were ok, musical arrangements not bad (a bit of synth though?). More violin and harmonica than normally heard in a pop rock band perhaps. So what? I just don't hear anything that shows unique ability or style.
Honestly, nothing on this album stood out for me. Reviews called it melancholy, I just found it dreary. Even the big "hit" I had never heard of. It was just all "meh."
I always associate top-tier lyricists like Forster and McLennan with simple yet indelible melody, which, in my mind, is more akin to great prose than rhythm, which is more akin to, um, plot? I don't know, this is the first time I've really thought about it. Anyway, I first discovered the Go-Betweens on Friends of Rachel Worth and fell deeply in love. That album is exhibit A in the case of simple melodies vs my ears (this doesn't really work--why would I bring a case against melodies I love?--but whatever), and even though I knew their earlier work through the 90's best of (why are early GB's album so hard to find in CD?), I still wasn't prepared for the strength of the rhythms here. That's all I've got to say, really: I already knew they were great melodists and wrote 300 pages deep, but now I'm clearer on their rhythmic prowess. Oh, and they have those classic great writer voices. You know the kind. Kind of wobbly, strained, only a couple degrees from just talking. But you wouldn't want to hear the material sung in any other way.
It started off strong but by the middle had started to blend into itself. It’s fairly standard new wave folky stuff with an interesting guitar sound that is almost flamenco like at times. The lyrics felt a bit forced at times as well.
Never heard of these guys. It has a very easy to like sound. I definitely enjoyed it and want to hear more of it.
Quite enjoyed this. Passed part of a Spring morning rather pleasantly. A name I know without being able to name any of their songs (although I recognised the hit single when I heard it). Jolly and well-crafted, but not sure I would play it again out of choice. Not enough variation to grab my attention throughout. May dig into some of their earlier work, however.
This album is fine but I’m confident I’ll forget about the entire thing in 24 hours.
A post-punkulent sound gives these songs a unique effect. I especially like ”Clouds” and how it uses the oboe for added escalation. This is an album you shouldn’t underestimate
It's not bad, but it's nothing super special so far. Mellow 80s jamz with some harmonica, and is that a mandolin?
Streets of your town is very well written and pleasant, the rest of the album was meh. Nothing offensive here, but nothing inspiring either.
80's alternative. Not bad, the drum machines must have sounded really cool at the time.
Singles from 16 Lovers Lane "Streets of Your Town" Released: July 1988 "Was There Anything I Could Do?" Released: October 1988 "Love Goes On" Released: 1989
Like a cheap charcuterie board. Cheesy, a little bland in some cases, some meat, but overall a pleasant enough experience.
I bet that fucking shack loves this shite like taking a baby lamb from its mother. I hate it but I like Andi (Shack) McCormick from the IOM so it gets a 2
This album was just boring to me. I didn't get anything out of it. Neither the sound or the lyrics made this an album I could be interested in.
Tired of indie britpop tbh and this just wasn't special. Felt like a chore to listen to
Never heard of this band. It's late 1980s indie. If you really like The Wedding Present and other bands of that era/scene, and you are looking for something similar, you could do a lot worse than this. It seems to be quite critically celebrated. Maybe I'm not in the mood for this today, but it sounded dreary and dated, and I already can't remember anything about it. For me, The Smiths discography is already more than enough of this kind of sound - and The Go-Betweens don't seem to have a particularly striking take on it. 2.5
It's fine. I feel like it's a waste of space on a list of 1001 albums you must hear, but some of the first half has got some Joy Division-esque tracks which is nice. Overall lackluster. Highlights: 1, 2, and 6.
Äußerst gefällig und leider darin genauso langweilig, dass sich trotz eines tollen Unterschied-Songs („Streets of your Town“ könnte von Prefab Sprout sein) die 37 Minuten völlig unverständlich in die Länge ziehen. Auch ne Kunst, aber … Stretched 1.8
Slow jams, just seems like some very basic alt rock from the late 80s / early 90s. Kind of a bummer. Not sure why this is an album I "Have to hear" but I guess I have heard it now and will never remember a thing about it in the future.
A listening exercise in adjusting from opening surprise to a slow-building disappointing finish. Damn that clunky final song just by itself knocked a couple stars off this tree. Expectations are a killer. I had none going in. First track lifted up the prospect of a happy/sad 80s jangle gem. It was like getting a decent payout on the first pull of a slot machine, and then losing all your winnings nickel by nickel. But some people just like sitting at the slots with a vague feeling of potential. C
The sixth and final album from the original Go-Betweens released in 1988 after some choppy water during the production. The rock album's sound was boosted by the band's return to summery Australia, but personal relationships inside the band were causing headaches. The album released to raving reviews and some even said it was their best one. It's a shame they broke up afterwards, but it is what it is.
21st October 2021 Actually listened on the Friday morning as I had a very lazy day on Thursday being hungover after going out for beers with Harry. I liked the drone of it, it's quintisentially outsider alternative pop. Not sure it's that memorable though,felt a bit lightweight.
Fine for a bar band, but for this list? Nah. Some of the most basic lyrics I've ever heard. One or two songs prevent this from being a total one star. I did like the violin flourishes though. Favorite tracks: "Was There Anything I Could Do?" "I'm All Right"
UGH. Nope. Not for me. This music is for douchy faux rugby players and /or unemployed recent college grads who hang out at coffee bars and recite Noam Chomsky.
16 Lovers Lane by The Go-Betweens (1988) For American listeners, this Australian light pop album is likely unfamiliar, but engaging enough if you’re in the mood for something fresh. Reverb provides a smoothness to the sound on each track, with a sameness, however, that becomes tiresome by the end (Reverb fails as a substitute for vocal blend.) The singer/songwriter duo McLennan/Forster put together this relatively random acoustic-heavy collection of songs that are not too deep lyrically, and not too elaborate melodically but adorned with an appropriate variety of instrumental touches, especially by multi-instrumentalist Amanda Brown. The album could easily be pushed into the background if the listener needs to occasionally concentrate on something else. The big weakness on this record is in the lead vocals, whether by McLennan or Forster. They become easy to tune out, which is okay, because their lyrics and melodies are not strong anyway. Amanda Brown can make an oboe sound like bagpipes in a bathroom stall, which is not a good thing, as in the dud of a closing track “Dive for Your Memory”. Worth a listen, but not overly impressive from down under. 2/5
Listening to this album twice and losing interest both times does not bode well for it. Perhaps if the mood during those attempts were a bit more subdued, one could appreciate the safe sounds of this album, the smooth talk of love and easy vocals, the near fantastical place where these things come from. That is the experience one could have, but not the experience reflected here. It is one of the more questionable selections for 1001, but for the aforementioned. Maybe, just maybe that desire for safe, serene, perhaps even vestigial emotions that the album provokes is what makes it special, because the whole thing feels unattainable as though we are listening to someone's romantically inspired lucid dream. If that is the case, then 'mission accomplished'. Not a bad listen, but so very middle of the road.
Certainly has that mid-to-late-80s indie rock sound I heard all through high school and especially college. My hunch is that's why I was not very interested. Nothing wrong with it, just sounded too similar to what was playing constantly for a few years too loudly on big speakers in people's dorm rooms and apartments.
Thought this would be an easy 2 stars after a slow start, but I actually quite enjoyed it by the end. Not revolutionary, but some good tunes. It bridges the gap in time between The Smiths and 90s indie (like James maybe?). Kept expecting them to break into Breakfast at Tiffany's though... Very aware that I've just given a Marvin Gaye album 3 stars and this seems a lot further from greatness than that, so... a strong 2.5.
Overproduced garbage that sounds vaguely like the smiths or television at times. Boring as hell
Not liking this so far. Dont really like the sound, dont like the lyrics (dislike them aesthetically and the overall message), dont like the dudes voice. Its like U2 but even worse. sorry if they precede them im sure theres good reason theyre in the list but i cant get into this it sounds generic, maybe it wasnt at the time of release but i actively dont care about this. was very annoyed while listening and it was difficult to get through.
The vocals in several of the songs were just atrocious (especially Love is a Sign). Even the songs that weren't grating to the ears were mediocre at best.
This just did not wow me. In any sense of the word. Maybe I wasn’t in the mood? Maybe it did suck? Not sure. Might revisit, but I doubt it. Too many other things to focus on.