16 Lovers Lane

As soon as I started listening, I realized I've listened to this album before. Sure enough, it's in my library on Apple Music. But I only could vaguely recall it. I can't even remember why it's in my library. It's a shame I've been ignoring it. It's a fun album full of catchy hooks and effective production. My favorite track is "Streets of Your Town"—Amanda Brown's vocals really hit here. Perhaps not the most inventive album of all time, but I liked it a lot.

Jangly beauties. As my wife said on walking in, sounds like a Dunedin band...

I ended up listening to this legitimately 8 times through, largely for no good reason, but reason enough that I just wanted to listen to Streets of Your Town again (all time great song). The rest of the album was just fine, with a special shout out to Love Goes On! I would give Streets of Your Town 5 stars but this is really a 3-star album and so it shall be

An Australian classic! I loved listening to this and loved experiencing the more fleshed out world of these songs beyond Streets Of Your Town. And it actually turned out I was familiar with the majority of the album. I find it such a pleasant surprise every time we get a local release on the list, and hope that the international participants of the 1001 Albums list are getting some good homegrown representation. Love Goes On! and Was There Anything I Could Do? were also both favourites, and they really evoked the sense of nostalgia for me

The guy from the go between seems like he thinks too much of himself but he could write a decent song

The songs insinuate rather than hook, paying off the persistent listener. At times like the Velvet Underground with jangle and sigh rather than venom and distortion, though the words still bite, The Go-Betweens are the fey-indie wing of ‘80’s bloke rock, a paradox perhaps only possible because they were from Australia, a country where being a bloke has been adopted as a desirable national archetype. My indifference dissolved over three playthroughs.

Loved it then, love it now; so lucky to see F&M perform most of this live at the Jazz Cafe a long time ago (and also, each solo beforehand). Just excellent, so many good memories soundtracked by this album since I was a teen. [EDIT - so many cloth-eared listeners on this site. It's pretty obvious there are two vocalists here, each with quite different styles exemplified nicely by each one's opening line: McLennan for the traditionally romantic - "There's a cat in my alleyway, dreaming of birds that are blue.." Forster for the angular take - "I'm ten feet underwater, standing in a sunken canoe.." Each fabulous, the Antipodean Lennon/McCartney (or vice-versa), also eponymously the evil military conglomerate in 24 season 4 in tribute (fun fact) I would probably credit The Go-Betweens with the invention of our key genre of "fey". Melding The Saints with Nick Drake via the Velvet Underground, not afraid of the school band instrument closet, singles early doors on both Postcard and Rough Trade - makes a lot of sense. I think you probably know this one, Mark - if you want more go to "Liberty Belle & the Black Diamond Express", my choice for a bonus 1001 entry if there were no Go-Betweens on here already. There's plenty more if you want a playlist!]

Listened before?: nope Love Goes On! - 5/5 Quiet Heart - 3/5 Love Is a Sign - 4/5 You Can't Say No Forever - 3/5 The Devil's Eye - 3/5 Streets of Your Town - 5/5 Clouds - 4/5 Was There Anything I Could Do? - 5/5 I'm All Right - 4/5 Dive for Your Memory - 3/5 Average score: 3.9/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ as someone who is a jangle pop fan, this was alright. I think it didn't really pick up much steam for me til the last half of the album though

nah man, not really here for this Will I listen to again: 0%

7/10

Musicalmente mediocre, se non pessimo. Ne ho ascoltate 4 e non sono riuscito ad andare avanti. In Quiet Heart ci sono degli assoli pietosi sia di armonica che di chitarra. La copertina è terribile, e anche il nome del disco, e anche il nome della band.

I wasn’t expecting much from this album but it won me over pretty quickly. It reminds me of some of REM’s later stuff and the Smiths as well. Overall pretty delightful

This is a pleasant enough album but quite ordinary. It’s a high 3 but being generous here.

Is it the worst 80s pop/rock album on this list? No. Is it good? Still no.

Æ trodde dem hadde kvinnelig vokal, gudan vet koffor, men sånn ellers hørtes det akkurat ut som forventa.

The Go-Betweens — STA Pre-listening: No clue on these guys. But an Aussie indie band from the 80s??? Should be interesting. Best Song: Was There Anything I Can Do? Runner-Up: Streets of Your Town Third: You Can’t Say No Forever Post-listening: I can see if this was YOUR band that that YOU discovered that this would be a great album. However, as someone who was given an assignment to check them out, there just isn’t as much there. It’s good. They have a great sound. They show great musicianship. It’s just nothing that you hear and think, “HOW HAVE I NEVER HEARD OF THIS GROUP BEFORE?” I’m sure they inspired 90s/00s indie bands I love, but nothing here worth revisiting for me. Rating: 6/10 Stars: 3/5

Decent enough - enjoyable standard indie stuff - enjoyed but nothing remarkable

The Smiths comp is mostly justified. Maybe I’m thinking too comparatively, but I also hear a little Waterboys in there. Unless you’re song 2 on here, “Quiet Heart”. Then you’d be a blatant attempt to copy the recent success of U2’s “With Or Without You”. Or unless you’re song 6 on here, “Streets Of Your Town”. Then you’d be a sound that was already perfected by Prefab Sprout on the front half of their Steve McQueen record. I know this is a well-written Aus cult classic, but its packaging doesn’t stand out at all. The sonic direction (or lack thereof) is so bland and predictable. 2/5

9/10

It’s a good product. Just a sweet little album of decent love songs. I do not feel strongly about it. If someone put this on I would say “okay.”

S'okay.

Очень даже ничем не примечательный брит-поп-нью-вейв. Не бесит, есть пара прикольных интересных треков, но в общем и целом звучит как пародия на смитс без Морриси (может это плюс?). Но что оно делает в этом списке я не понимаю

平庸

Super ligegyldigt. Det gør intet rigtigt, men sætter samtidig ikke en fod forkert.

Damn det er middle of the road. Det gør ikke ondt at høre. Men det gør mig heller ikke noget godt. Så ensformigt at jeg ikke opdagede at albummet startede forfra.

Бритишей так много в этом списке, что я уже банально забыл кто это нахуй

Maybe the most exact middle of the road album I've listened to here thus far but trending more on the lower half of the scale for me. The most bland and inoffensive jangle pop focus tested on the most milquetoast group of suburban soccer moms. This album is like a bottle of Dr Thunder, not bad but I'd rather spend the extra on Dr Pepper (The Smiths).

Brilliant sophisticated often morose adult rock from the criminally under-heard Aussie band. Other albums are as good if not better than this, but it’s a winner

This group is Australian, and their music is indie rock. The album is from the 1980s, although based on the style it could be from any period from the 1970s forward. There a couple of very good tracks, and most of the others are decent. Overall I give it 3.5 stars, not quite four.

Never heard of this group. I bet that's not even their real address. Apparently they had a bit of a Fleetwood Mac situation, and this was their last album. One of their members is a 60s Amanda, which is pretty rare. Good for her. Some out of pocket harmonica going on. All the tracks were pleasant, but nothing super stood out to me. A moderately good 3.

I thought this was the most route one sounding 90s pop rock album but to be fair it was released in 1988, so it was a pioneer of this sound Doesn't make it any less dull to experience now though. Felt like the music and lyrics were so generic they could have largely been made up on the spot by anyone. At the time that might have been pushing boundaries and took a lot of work I suppose. So for the time maybe okay but I did not enjoy it.

Love Goes On! is excellent; nicely written, twangy guitars, interesting refrain. I also liked Was There Anything I Could Do? But the rest was a little twee and boring. Proto-indie, which is fair.

This reminded me of the auters or the replacements, but not as good as either. Wasn't bad though, but done much better by others I would say. 2.5 but 2 would feel harsh so 3

More enjoyable than I thought it’d be. Overall solid

274. nice

Yikes. How did this get in here?

Кайф, даже 4,5

Реально мой кор. Вспомнила зато, как 10 лет назад любила песню Quite Hart. И теперь знаю откуда сэмпл песни Milky.

Хидден гем получается, очень понравилось, одно из главных открытий в рамках челленджа

Приятное

что-то между хорошо и плохо - 3

This wasn’t half bad. Had some potential. The problem was that their lead never really demonstrated any range. Just way too monotone. Which is a shame, as the sound was decent.

It's ok, bit boring

bas mi je ono setam do konzuma prepodne, lepo vreme i slusam ovo

2.0

Boring

Pretty nice. Kinda reminds me of the Smiths. Decent 80s indie

Pleasant knock-off Smiths!

First time listener, not including Streets Of Your Town. This is generally nice acoustic guitar forward pop, which I didn't mind so much. Overall it was a hit and and miss album for me. Liked Songs Added: Quiet Heart Streets Of Your Town

An older final year student I was friendly with in my first year seemed to have this on any time you were in her room. I vaguely remember thinking this proved you inevitably got square in your early 20s with your finals looming. Haha, what a dork. I'm surprised so many people hear The Smiths in the reviews. Also very surprised there are no Go-Betweens officianados saying "well actually Tallulah is the far superior album". I've no idea if that's true. It is just something I seemed to hear every time anyone mentions this album. I do know I like their earlier single Cattle and Cane and maybe I'll finally listen to more of that stuff. Anyway I think this takes a few listens to reveal itself. Maybe that gloopy late 80s over polish needs to be worked through.

It picked up towards the end

I do not care about this at all. One of the most redundant entries on this list in a long time.

this was just okay. seems like another album that's on this list because one of the songs became a one hit wonder for the band

Feels like this whole album was added for the 1 song. Not bad just meh 3/5

I found this a boring detriment to my work day.

"I love you so much I could bust" most relatable line i've ever heard

I liked this a lot. 3-4 really good songs on this one.

Totally boring. Unclear why it's on this list but here we are....

Dug some, but a lot of same sounding songs.

Very good. Kinda like U2 at their best

My favourite was Love Goes On! Cool variety in instrumentation. I also liked the violin on Was There Anything I Could Do?

Pretty alright stuff.

I was pleasantly surprised by this record. It is a good collection of jangle-pop songs. They're fairly predictable acoustic-jangle love songs, which should be obvious by the title. I enjoyed it just fine. It isn't anything that would make my regular rotation, but it's a pretty good record.

Surprised to see 2 songs on here on RYM’s top 10,000 songs. Streets of your town is great though

Liked this a little bit more than my rating lets on I think. Great jangly pop, feels very light and has a mix of influences that make it sonically interesting, especially in the early songs. Had somehow missed this band entirely during my college jangle pop phase and am sure to visit their stuff now.

Nice simple sound. I like it.

Another very underrated Australian band, the Go-Betweens toiled in the same jangle pop territory as R.E.M. and The Smiths and influential in the twee indie pop bands who came after like the Sundays, Teenage Fanclub and Belle & Sebastian. 16 Lovers Lane was their last album with the original lineup and widely considered their best, but unfortunately, not the commercial breakthrough they were hoping it to be. The album is pleasant nothing quite as good as Cattle & Cane, an early favorite. 3.5

There are a couple good songs on this album, but nothing groundbreaking for me. A lot of this album is songs that do not catch my interest or are just slow and plodding, all while saying nothing about anything.

“Good music to listen to listen to on a long drive if you’re not paying attention - 3.5 stars” - guest reviewer Henry Knutson

This whole album flirts with ear-worm status and sometimes clinches the deal. Love goes on and streets of this town are stand-out tracks.

Goes on for too long

Pretty forgettable indie rock

God that was dull

The band has a sound reminiscent of typical 80s indie British bands. In my opinion, "Was There Anything I Could Do?" is the best track. "Streets of Your Town" gave me a bit of an early Cranberries vibe, but I don't think it offers anything distinctive enough to be the most listened-to track on the album or by the band.

honestly i liked it

Had fun with this one

1 - 7/10 2 - 3/10 3 - 3/10 4 - 6/10 5 - 4/10 6 - 4/10 7 - 5/10 8 - 7/10 9 - 3/10 10 - 3/10

not for me

Pleasant enough but kind of bland

I feel like I’d really enjoy listening to any of these songs individually, but listening to them altogether in an album ultimately made them all worse. Something about them not being distinct enough has that effect.

Late 80s Australian rock. A very "middle of the pack" kind of album. Wouldn't say it's anything amazing, but it's got a nice enough sound.

pleasant

?australia? anyway this is some really decent smiths type music and theres some really great hooks although it is not that coherent. 4/5

Another band I hadn’t heard of, but now have context for the big single “Streets of your Town.”

Didn’t sound bad but also didn’t do much for me 2.5/5

Some of it was ok. 2.5

Very, very close to being a great album. has an issue with its sameness and its songwriting. I think a lot of this depends on the strength of the vocalist the music reminds me a lot of stuff by the Smiths, R.E.M., squeeze and/or echo and the Bunnymen. this guy unfortunately, isn’t really as good as any of those vocalists are, which is honestly a shame because I think a lot of the songs are pretty good.

Not particularly distinctive, rather dull.

Doesn’t sound like it’s from 2020, but still a great album

Album was... fine? Certainly nothing special, didn't like it much. maybe 2.5? It wasn't bad, but it wasn't enjoyable really either.

This album sounded like diet Morrissey to me. Not bad at all, very pleasant-yet-unremarkable.

I worked backwards to get to The Go-Betweens. I purchased 1990s Australian power pop from Ben Lee, and even Go-Betweens co-frontman Grant McClennan. I enjoyed two albums from Paul Kelly and the Messengers, but The Go-Betweens slipped away from me. I am not pounding my head in disbelief, “How could I have missed these guys?” Similar to the other acts the band filled 16 Lovers Lane with well-crafted songs that are unique in how they never set their foot fully down into any camp. Most songs open with acoustic guitar strums and forthright singing tinged with a confessional bent. While clearly not thrilled with their existence, McClennan and Robert Forster maintain a qualified reserve about their state of mind. They also provide terrific melodies along with deft drumming from Lindy Morrison to turn out songs that have touches of understated Nick Lowe and The Beatles. This quality appears best on “Was There Anything I Could Do?” and the mini-hit “Streets of Your Town.” With all this high praise, why not rank this record higher? The record never whacks me over the head with a memorable hook song or has me drowning in emotions. The singers have flat, reedy voices that I usually find pleasant, but not distinctive. Marking albums down for bombast and then the next one for being small is fickle. Art often needs to reach for an extreme in order to reach greater heights. Trimming the excesses remains essential. 16 Lovers Lane could have used some of those trimmings to raise itself up higher.

La la la music

Notable Textzeile: The people next door got their problems They got things they can't name And I know a thing about lovers Lovers don't feel any shame Schönes Album zum Wiedereinstieg. Musikalisch sehr entspannt und eingängig, manchmal etwas sehr poppig produziert, ober weder bekloppte Synths noch ganz schlimme Drumsounds - wer hätte gedacht dass das in den 80er geht? Texte sind stimmig zur Musik. Flasht mich jetzt auch nicht mega weg, aber gefällt einfach. 3,5

Ich erinnere mich ein Go Betweens Album in nem Plattenladen in Sydney gehört zu haben und zu denken, dass man älter sein muss um solche Musik gut zu finden. Stimmt offenbar. Schöne Entdeckung. Viele Wahrheiten, lakonisch dahin gesungen

Neuentdeckung mit Wiederhörfaktor.

I like it. Was There Anything I Could Do? is probably the most Marr-sounding guitar on here, sounding like it's almost lifted straight from Still Ill. I totally get the Smiths comparisons, but I don't think it's quite so overt. It's jangly and Marr-ish, but not like a total rip off (save maybor for the aforementioned). You Can't Say No Forever is good.

another aussie band! streets of our town always reminds me of summer and it’s one of my favourite songs ever. everything about this album is tight and it sounds great

No standouts

This is a pretty cool album. Every other song is a total banger, so of course the group disbands after releasing this and waiting 12 years for another

This band never got airtime in the US as far as I know. I’ve never heard of them. I’m sure they would’ve been successful if they had been released here.

The poor man's Cure? Comparing the songwriters to Lennon-McCartney is a choice. Coming back to Australia after years in drab England causing an explosion of creativity is hillarious, and awesome; I'm happy for them. A little Smiths? Nothing I would ever revisit as there are other bands that do this sort of thing much better. Maybe paying more attention to the lyrics would bump this, but I'm not enamoured with the vocal stylings.

Album #152: The Go-Betweens – 16 Lovers Lane ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I remember trying to listen to this album a few years back and not really getting into it. So it was good to give it another go today because it’s actually really, really good. This is exactly the kind of thing I’d normally be into. If I’m honest, though, I think I’m becoming a little bit jaded with this whole 1001 Albums project. Trying to absorb an album every single day means I’m probably not giving some of them a fair shake. This actually felt like a three-star album while I was listening to it, but I’m giving it a four because I genuinely think I’d grow to love it if I had more time with it. The songwriting is really strong. They’re mostly simple love songs, but they’re well written, with good lyrics, a few dark turns, a great pop sensibility, and some really interesting chord progressions. I loved the little sustained chords that occasionally go against the grain, and the lovely acoustic guitar breaks between verses. The vocals aren’t the most immediately engaging, but again, I think that’s something that would probably grow on me too. It never really hit me as a huge “wow” experience while I was listening, but it’s such a solidly made album. It has a lot of charm, a lot of personality, and several genuinely excellent songs. You Can’t Say No Forever is probably my favourite, although Streets of Your Town is brilliant as well. It’s also got that unmistakable Australian sound. Australian indie music really does have its own identity. It reminded me at times of The Triffids and Roland S. Howard, especially in its more serious moments. There’s this bright, reverberant, un-muddy acoustic sound that a lot of Australian indie records from this era seem to have, and this is a great example of it.

3.3

It's honestly probably a 3, but I'm not in the best mood and this was so unremarkable Favorite Songs: Die For Your Memory, Streets of Your Town

it was ok, but only ok tbh

REM cover band? Apparently they are the Australian REM. This reminds me of something else I can't place yet. I bet Death Cab for Cutie loves this album. This sounds like Australian Morrissey. This sucks. If this is early indie rock, it is beyond me how indie rock got so popular. Dive for Your Memory is the best song. I'd bet they were listening to the Velvet Underground when they wrote it, the music has a Pale Blue Eyes vibe.

#1008. I'm sure there's some context where this could be good, but it is a touch boring though. 3/5: fine

5/10

Don’t know why I’d never heard of these guys. Oh yes. They’re Australian. But their acoustic strummy songs would have been quite to my taste.

Not garbage. Not good. 2/5

Never heard of them before this. Ticks all my boxes. Reviewers keep saying the Smiths but I can't hear that. Reminds more of the Only Ones.

I listened to this album twice. Once last night, watching the rain through my window, and again today on a sunny Sunday afternoon. It fit both vibes. The Go-Betweens might be the first band to really spark my interest this year. Thanks, 1001albunsgenerator.

I like the melancholy vibes however most songs never really had any direction (for lack of a better word) which turned them into a background noise. 2.5/5

Some good quality 80s indie-pop here. Smiths meets Aztec Camera.

Klinkt lekker

Another I'll need to sit with

Yesterday, I feel like I was hit with an album of generic feel good music - today, I feel like I got another album of that. I feel like if I got this recommended on a different day, then I may have not been so annoyed when listening to it. I was definitely counting down the minutes for this one. I'd give it 2.5 if possible.

This was a really good album. It was fun, uplifting, smooth, lush, jangly, and melodic. I’m a sucker for music like this.

The overall vibe of this album is jangly but comfortable. Can imagine lots of the twee 90's pop bands being way into this.

Better than Coldplay

Optional album review? This is one of those days where I really should just take the option to not throw my two cents in the ring. This album feels like a sponsored natural gas booth at a comic expo. You didn't mean to stop, but you feel bad for the person sitting there, so you pretend to study their trifold for a minute and politely humour their greeting with a nod and a chuckle. Maybe you ask if they've been busy. They tell you, "it's been steady" as you start to formulate an exit strategy. Now you don't want to scurry away too fast so as to tip your hand (your hand being, I couldn't care less about this) but also, don't linger to the point that they start their pitch for gas and electricity 2 year bundle. It's not the most offensive sponsored booth at the expo (Why are they selling Chevrolets over there?) but you have to stay focused on your mission. You are here exclusively to meet the voice actors behind English dubs of third-rate anime series', and to pay $90.00 per interaction. 2 HIGHLIGHTS: Oh my god, is that Al B. Tross, the voice behind Glorbo the garbage imp from Octopi mist travellers 2077 Redux????

Music is super pretty and the melodies are amazing but Robert sounds like a bad karaoke version of Morrissey

This album was ok. Decent, but forgettable. Did I need to hear this album? No, but it was pleasant enough. Pretty mellow. There was something familiar about "Love Is A Sign", I may have heard it before but I'm not sure.

Never heard of this group. Kept listening to this on repeat. Loved it.

Действительно смитс какие-то Проще, легче, даже позитивнее Не мощный альбом Есть хит Переслушивать вряд ли буду, но хит мб 3.1

want to like them more than i do. great singles band.

Late 80s indie rock. Not bad, although not particularly memorable.

It's fine. Kind of boring though. I don't think I'd listen to this again.

BEFORE: I know nothing about these guys except that they're Australian. Should be fun. I'm just going to listen to the original 10 tracks - not all this bonus stuff. AFTER: Interesting album. Reminds me a bit of Hunters and Collectors, Waterboys and The Cure's more upbeat stuff (this is a compliment). Emotional without being overwrought. HIGHLIGHTS: The strings - always adding something but never excessive. The Robert Smith-y lead guitar work. Favourite tracks were Love Goes On!, You Can't Say No Forever, The Streets of Your Town, Was There Anything I Could Do, LOWLIGHTS: The arrangements and production can feel a little too similar at times and I can't help but feel that a few different elements (like the outro to You Can't Say No Forever or the drums on Clouds) would have brought some of these tracks to life, but given the quality of the songwriting that is a very minor quibble. Also maybe that's just me - most of my favourite stuff is a bit more weird and cross-genre. I had kind of run out of interest by the last 2 tracks, and there are only 10. I could also have done without the oboe. Sometimes it works OK. Not here. VERDICT: 4 stars. Immaculate songwriting even if this style of jangly indie pop isn't generally for me. A huge breath of fresh air after Mott the Hoople, apart from the oboe.

Non-offensive and forgettable.

schnulziger pop ende der 80er, gefällig.

Naja, nichts bleibendes

fine

SHIT

Bon, j'avoue, j'ai vu la pochette, le titre de l'album et le nom du groupe et j'étais un peu sceptique, je m'attendais vraiment à un album de pop rock extrêmement osef et sans intérêt. J'avais donc tort. Alors oui, c'est du rock assez accessible, très centré sur la guitare sèche, mais du genre vraiment qui a de la personnalité, contrairement à ce à quoi je m'attendais. Donc je suis plutôt content de ce que je viens d'entendre. Par contre, je m'en souviens pas assez pour le décrire mieux que ça (j'étais pas mal préoccupé aujourd'hui). Mais comme la chanson Clouds a fini dans ma liste de souhaits... Je pense que c'était quand même sympa !

Haven't heard this in a long time, nice to revisit

cute, but also uneventful

Just sounds like a shitty version of The Smiths.

This was my 16th reason why. Absolute garbage, really makes me wonder who the hell decided to add some of these albums onto this list.

And I thought the Smiths were bland and mediocre, this is a definite downgrade from them. Like how was this album picked for this list? It's so mid, bland, and empty, with an off tune singer and incredibly bland melodies, I find it hard to believe this album could command enough respect from anyone to be selected for a list like this. Like what's the point of listening to the Diet Smiths? Meh.

"I want you so much I could bust" is not a lyric that aged well. I enjoyed the use of oboe in some songs on this album, but overall found the music to be incredibly bland and boring. Much of the percussion was recorded using drum machines, creating gaps in the arrangements that leave the songs sounding hollow and uninteresting. I'm not sure why this album is included in this list as it fails to represent any significance in culture or musical history.

Another middle of the road album on this list.

Regrettable

It's fine. Not bad just fine, vocals kinda drop off about halfway through. Not terrible, just fine.

It was fine. Not very memorable either way So once again-why is another middle of the road album on this list

Unimpressive mushy pop rock. Kinda almost B52's - REM adjacent.

Pretty good! More pop than alt-rock but catchy, need to give it another spin.

No thank you.

Really nice. Bisexual? 3.5

yaaa totally fine... no notes

Normal, no me voló la cabeza, pero hubo un tema en el que me gustaron los coros. Tenía algo de U2, algo de Roger Taylor, no sé.

Such an 80s album. I listened to a lot of this stuff back then but missed these guys. I would have liked it then. So rating it as my 16 year old self.

Some cool parts in the beginning, but a lot blended together Standout songs: Love goes on! Quiet Heart

Um? I have no patience for this today. I see. It’s late century Aussie Indie that should be left in the crate. I’ve been hitting such a streak of such offerings. 2 I’ll try it again sometime and see if I feel better about it, because today it’s: Boolean: false

They sound a lot like The Smiths, hopefully their singer is less of a Twat. A nice little album for a nice little band. This falls into the bands where I don't think they will ever make it into my collection but not where I would turn off the music if I heard them.

Sedate rock with beautiful voices, but no stakes, no drama.

The only good thing about this is the woman's legs on the cover, yeah contrapposto!!

I'm torn. I enjoyed the music, but the lyrics reminded me of the honestly terrible poetry I used to scrawl in notebooks in high school in the early 90s.

First impressions was has to be 80s and has to be from UK. Sounds like the generic pop from that time, I assume. Because I don’t see this being like anyone’s favorite album unless they’re were like 12 around the 80’s or super really niche “like you just don’t get it”

A Brisbane band that started out post-punk in '79? Yes, please! Though almost 10 years into their career here, they sound a lot like James and at times the Smiths, and I love both. Great production. Will be digging into them more.

not good. dont really know why this is an important album

5/10

I had heard the single before but never anything else from this band. I liked this alright. Some vocals sounded like Echo and the Bunnymen, and I enjoyed the Smiths influences that a lot of people mentioned. Mellow, decent lyrics, pretty poppy. Not bad. Truly terrible album cover though. Don’t cancel me, but I think Australians suck at graphic design. Don’t @ me Kangaroo Jack.

Type of music you here playing in Walgreens

3.5

Baffled by the number of reviews that compared this to The Smiths. Maybe my thoughts are influenced by having a pretty good run of albums recently, but I thought this was pretty middling 80s indie rock. Didn't really have anything either musically or lyrically that really stood out to me. It's pleasant enough but I feel like there were quite a few bands out there doing this better at the time.

Okay

Pretty middle of the road on this one. Can’t see how this is here, to be honest.

I listened to this album during my walk, feeling proud as I continued to acclimate myself to a new routine of daily cardio. When I pressed play on this album, I was certainly not expecting to here what sounded like an early indie pop rock sound mixed with some light Spanish guitar flourishes. 16 Lovers Lane is one of the most surprising albums I've seen earn a spot on this list, simply because of how unassuming it is. I definitely enjoyed the album, but I'm surprised it left enough cultural impact to stick around. With its gentle soft rock and light strings, this feels like the kind of overly sincere heartfelt album that would get clowned on by music critics and the popular audience, but I've always been partial to those kinds of albums anyways. However, even with my proclivity towards this gentler sound, I still sometimes found some parts of this album to be a little overly saccharine, without the creative lyricism to back it up. The Go-Betweens crafted a perfectly pleasant and easy album which I enjoyed my time with, but not much of it lingers too long beyond that initial experience. Highlights: Love Goes On!, Quiet Heart, Streets of Your Town, Was There Anything I Could Do?

liked it! favs are "streets of your town" and "was there anything i could do" :-)

Very enjoyable. I loved Your Quiet Heart until the harmonica took ot down a notch. Bleg. I like the comparison to The Smith's minus the douchery. 4/5

This slightly soporific, mostly mid-tempo Eighties alt-rock collection arrives compliments of Grant McLennan and Robert Forster, two songwriters who don't quite add up to one. Which isn't to say anything here is bad per se; occasionally it's quite good, especially on the back half where the energy picks up a bit thanks to the hit "Streets of Your Town" and the Smiths-esque "Was There Anything I Could Do?" But even on those tracks I was unable to shake the sense that these guys can't see themselves accurately - mooning over the idea of women, full of half-baked love metaphors, and utterly incompetent with regard to the messy reality of actual relationships. Forster is just self-aware enough to change "die" to "dive" on the closer "Dive for Your Memory," lest he freak out his object of affection, but not self-aware enough to quite realize the degree to which he's bullshitting himself about (presumably) that same girl's disinterest in him on "I'm All Right." Figures that many of the most fascinating lines on this album are cracks in the Nice Guy veneer: "I don't wanna let you out of my sight." "Late at night when I want you I lock you in my room." "What did I say that made you cry?" "You can't say no forever." "I have to see straight and that will make me unkind." "This town is full of battered wives," McLennan sings on "Streets of Your Town," and I guess maybe he'd know. No wonder the subject of "Was There Anything I Could Do?" is pursuing liberation with such gusto - she's finally out of the orbit of guys like these.

Never heard of them, but they fit in with the 80s sounds. Some great tracks on here.

It’s like a blander The Smiths, or Arcade Fire. Perfectly ok sort of shimmery pop. Don’t confuse them with the Go-Gos - I found myself trying to rub one out over a bunch of Australians while trying to work out which one was Belinda Carlisle.

Pretty bland and unmemorable stuff honestly. Didn't hate it, but I can't remember a single melody or hook immediately after finishing the album.

80s jangle pop from Australia. Kind of enjoyed it. Didn't recognise any of the songs.

It's rare that I listen to an album two times, just to immediately forget what the whole album sounded like. It will certainly disappear into the sands of time, and is an absolutely unessential listen during one's lifetime. 1/5

Fun listen.

This is pleasant listening.

Utterly forgettable. Even by British new wave standards…

Perfectly pleasant and entirely unremarkable folksy jangle-pop. Baffled by the comparisons with the Smiths. It's what the Smiths might sound like if Marr played unremarkable acoustic strumming, and Moz wrote unremarkable love song lyrics. As in, nothing like the Smiths at all.

Formative indie sound.

I'm now on a two hour Go-Betweens binge of discovery. Good stuff. Feels like hearing a Cure album for the first time in 1987.

Not terrible but kinda buh

Solid fun, if a bit underwhelming since I already knew the best song, streets of your town

I enjoyed this. It’s nice to listen to an album of love songs once in a while. I added “… Love Goes On!” to my playlist.

Music for people who think bell peppers are too spicy.

Some cool ideas, neat ambiance at the beginning of a lot of these tracks, but the execution is uneven.

Sometimes the vocals reminded me of Lou Reed, sometimes of Tom Verlaine. Sometimes the songs reminded me of The Cure, sometimes of Death Cab. But I don't think I liked this as much as any of the above. It was kinda sluggish, like that Wilco album.

# Album Name: 16 Lovers Lane # Artist: The Go-Betweens # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: Very average album. Couple of songs added to the playlist though. # Top Tunes: love goes on / streets of your town # Would I listen to it again? Just the singles

Some good songs but mostly forgettable

Not bad but nothing exceptional. Enjoyed it, very easy to listen to.

Bueno

Moody song writer vibes

Alright but not too memorable

3.5

If you want that dreamy 80s sound…

Not bad but also could've been better. I really liked the acoustic sound with added sprinkles of electric guitar, very memorable sound. Too melancholic at moments which ruined it for me. I'm just not sad enough to understand these sort of bands. Favourite tracks: You Can't Say No Forever, Was There Anything I Could Do? 3/5

I enjoyed listening to this album, it's very atmospheric and all the songs are good in their own way, and there are no filler songs.

Favorite track(s): Love Goes On!, Streets of Your Town, Was There Anything I Could Do?

1001 albums to hear before you go between life 113# its a nice record. 'Streets of your town' was on my rotation for a lot of time and i never thought that this band had anything more to offer. It reminded me of U2 on 'quiet heart' but people is talking much about the smiths and i see the similarities too. It only faults on the voice and crazy catchy guitar licks and choruses.

I was surprisingly into this!

La verdad que no conocia el album, pero muy bueno.Me gustó

I liked this. Very REM vibe, I'll deep dive into this band and will definitely give a few more listens

Who said I had to listen to this before I died? Reminds me of lost causes like Aztec Camera, the Dream Academy, etc…interesting moment as the new wave came crashing down. The romance was already over.

Reminded me in places of The Water Boys. Not unpleasant but not inspiring

Solid indie rock 3/5

- This whole album is giving the type of song to be featured in a late 90s, early 2000s sitcom when the leads who have been on and off again for the past 6 seasons are currently off again

What a lukewarm glass of milk

a decent listen. I recognize the 'hit' and could really enjoy the rest of the album with more listening time. 3/5

Not bad, nice chill music,.

the smiths da shopee.

Within 4 bars of "Streets Of Your Town" starting I could tell it was the single; same for "Was There Anything I Could Do?". They're clearly better than anything else on the album, most of which is a bit run of the mill.

Ok

Landed on a high 3. A great sound, but the songs are just not memorable

Production is fine but the songs do not cut through.

The pretty jangle pop aesthetic is breezy and likeable but the songwriting is extremely faint with easily forgotten songs making little to no impact. The lyrics sound odd and awkward against slow moving strumming that goes on forever in search of a melody.

Today’s album is in a style i love, its big music via jangle pop. But the songs aren’t always landing for me. Love the arrangements throughout but i think his voice isn’t engaging me. Ended up a high 3.

Very middle of the road. Nothing overly exciting about it, nothing terrible.

Very nice.

1. love - 2 2. heart - 2 3. zign - 1 4. zay - 1 5. eye - 1 6. touun - 0 7. cloudz - 2 8. there - 1 9. alright - 1 10. memory - 1

It’s British it’s jangly, it must be the 90s!

Kivan kuuloista alt rokkia. Vähän sellaista kantri folk vibaa ja joka kappaleessa onkin akustista kitaraa. Oikeesti kivoja kappaleita, aussi aksentti ei vaan ihan toimi laulussa. Parhaat: Was There Anything I Could Do?, Clouds, Love Goes On!, Streets of Your Town

This was good. Never heard of them. 80s pop sound that I’m not familiar with, I like their take. Gave me some Velvet Underground vibes at times. Might listen further, might not. Enjoyed the album.

I thought it was a good 80s album. There was some good music to go along with some good singing

Kind of like Crowded House. Good acoustic guitar

A noticeably intense depiction of love

How is this here? I'd be happy if I got so into this genre I found this kind of underground 80s band, but as a top 1000 album?

This was really good. Lyrically and instrumentally. A really good love/breakup album.

75/100. The Go-Betweens create a sound that feels hazy and hypnotic, pulling you into its emotional world without ever becoming overly dramatic. This is a really strong jangle pop record. Lyrically, the record centers on people drifting apart and relationships slowly fading away. There is a quiet sadness running throughout, but it is handled with subtlety rather than heaviness, which makes the emotional tone feel natural and reflective. The combination of melancholy songwriting and shimmering instrumentation gives the album a charm that is easy to get lost in.

Nice tunes nothing too shout about…some interesting love lyrics.

Very mediocre

Fuck, this could have been good but is ruined by YET ANOTHER man who cannot sing and insists on being the singer in the band. Just admit it! You can't sing!

Standard love-themed indie. Missing some punch. Won't return

Very enjoyable 1980s indie that I had never heard of. I can hear The Smiths, REM and others in the melodies.

7/10

not bad not bad bit of me somewhat 7/10

meh

Great record

really lovely highlights: love goes on!

*1988. Australian pop. *Very 80s alt pop ala INXS, Midnight Oil, etc. *Not life changing music, but I enjoy this genre. RATING - 7/10

Glad to discover this!

Streets of Your Town sounds like a current age indie song. Definitely ahead of their time.

Strašno loše. Neslušljivo. 1/5, 1/10

Favorite Song: The Streets of Your Town

One of the most mid late 80s alternative folk entries I've heard. It's fine and if you discovered this then, and saw them live, I'm sure this is part of your soul. For me, I can listen to a half dozen other random albums from this era that I think are better, but that probably aren't.

This is not bad! I really enjoyed some of the songs but there are not enough hits here to be a good record. So it’s just average.

That was OK. Unsure as to why it's on this list.

really not a fan of this one . some songs seemed fine at the beginning but i just didnt like them at all later . didnt finish this one .

Lowkey tender.

bit of a u2 vibe I guess

It's just...the most uninteresting 80s soft alt rock.

Meh, really went over my head

I love how many people compared them to the smiths, because I don't really care about either

Started out strong, but then it got really British really fast

Nice surprise

me fascinó, no conocía la banda

This was ok, I quite enjoyed listening to it. I definitely won't remember anything about it though. No songs, not the band name, nothing. But it was ok. That's the main thing.

A suprisingly good album, there's not much here to take offence to and plenty to enjoy. I often think people get so focused on expecting every album on this list to be life-changing that they overlook the enjoyability of an easy to listen to album.

Sounds quite a bit like all of the other bands in this genre from the time frame. Absolutely nothing here is remarkable. This is the definition of 2.5 stars. I will go 3 because its not bad, it just exists.

I might like this a lot. I’m going to listen to it at least two times through

Pretty good

Not bad but nothing outstanding.

Fun and easy listen

Loved this!!

The first two songs are really great but the album takes a little bit of a dip after that. Was initially considering giving 5 stars

This is lovely

I really like "streets of your town".

People who say this is like the Smiths really must not like the Smiths

Reminds me a lot of the Flying Nun bands of the same era.

Are they called that because they go between sounding like U2 and fellow Australians, The Church (who had released the vastly superior "Starfish" just a few months earlier)? In fact, Australia at the time was ripe with outstanding acts who deserve a spot on this list more than this.

Oh god. Just perfect pop songwriters. If someone told you that the Go-Betweens invented love you might just believe them.

Excellent jangle pop album. I can imagine an alternative reality in which I was 23 when this was launched and listened to it till the vinyl melted on the turntable.

Really going between the lines of meh and good

What a pleasant album! The Go-Betweens remind me of The Smiths, and a little bit of U2 at times. The guitars have a nice, glossy sparkle on them in addition to some jangly strumming. I enjoyed this, though my mind wandered a bit while driving and listening. This isn’t music that demands your attention. But it’s very nice accompaniment to whatever you’re doing. Overall, a very good album that I wouldn’t have put on the 1001 albums list -- but that I wasn’t mad about hearing at all.

This one really surprised me and I liked it more than I thought I would after judging it by the album cover. Clean poppy tunes that are really crisp and fun when they want to be. "Streets Of Your Town" is great and I could see it being a solid modern indie pop tune that would have people really bopping in a festival crowd. Sometimes after hearing a record on this list I'll go back and listen to the standout tracks again and this time I went and listened to "Streets Of Your Town" on repeat and it like four times. It's a great song.

Okay, but I think there are Australian albums that came out in the 1980s that happen to be more essential and should probably instantly replace this album: Men at Work BUSINESS AS USUAL Big Pig BONK I am perplexed by anyone who thinks this sound like The Smiths. This doesn't sound anything like The Smiths to me. I actually prefer this to The Smiths (not for knee jerk reasons against Morissey; I genuinely prefer this), so you could replace one of their albums, (they and Morissey have plenty on here) with this if you really think it sounds like The Smiths. Man, I wish we could get some more straight up 80s pop that was actually impactful on the culture and music development in the years after. Dimery seems to avoid the best stuff for ridiculous reasons.

A few nice songs... slightly melancholic; U2 like..

Not memorable

I was not previously familiar with the artist or album. This is a pop/rock album with relatively stripped down instrumentation and nice vocals. This was a pleasant listen, albeit unremarkable. I wouldn't mind hearing this again but I doubt I would seek it out.

A pleasant little acoustic pop rock record. Nothing unique or interesting here.

Ab und zu findet sich doch eine Perle im Dreck. Locker, leicht, melodisch, optimistisch, gut!

A pretty weak album in my opinion. 2 stars or D.

Nice Aussie tunes

Inoffensive bubbly pop songs. From the Trans-Tasman rivalry perspective, not up there with the New Zealand contemporaries.

For me this tailed off in the second half. At the start, I was taken by the simplicity and catchiness. It then got just a bit….. boring… Perhaps a harsh 2*

Very pleasant jangle pop. Not a lot to like or dislike musically. But maybe the lyrics *just* elevate it to a 3*.

pleasant background music, not much more

Boring, nothing really stood out. Since I'm not informed, let's just say "worse REM" Favorite song: Streets of your Town

meh

pretty decent

Bland, flavorless, formulaic, insipid, uninspired, soulless. Best: Quiet Heart. Worst: You Can't Say No Forever, The Devil's Eye, Was There Anything I Could Do?, Dive for Your Memory.

Very 80s - 90s! Quite catchy.

Day830 - i was getting pale blue eyes by velvet underground vibes. it’s really a pleasant album to listen to

It’s nice and forgettable for the most part

this was really nice

One of the better summery Aussie-rock albums. Apart from "Streets of Your Town", the rest of the album, while slightly bloated, is actually pretty good. Melodic, and relatively simple, it's strength perhaps lies in its accessibility.

Not heard before, very deacon sprout.

Favorite Track: Streets of Your Town