16 Lovers Lane

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.

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

Strumtastic. Nothing special

Bleh. Don’t get why this is on this list. Its so generic.

Quite pleasant for work background music.

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.

Ok.

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.

Found it pretty forgettable

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.

Reminds me of an indie romcom soundtrack

Love-rock

Pop elegante y con buen estilo. Ritmo y estilo tranquilo. Cierto parecido en alguna canción con U2. Me ha sorprendido para bien, aunque no me ha terminado de enganchar.

fine but just forgettable

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Lots of The Smiths & Ferris Bueller vibe

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.

Satisfying fun indie rock but doesn't really do much notable or special for me.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Jingle jangle stuff. Mildy entertaining. Some nifty riffs.

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.

Liked this a good bit, just not enough to spring from a 3.5 to a 4. Reminds me of The Smiths a little bit, which I like. Also appreciate the 2020 remaster - songs sound GOOD Liked: Quiet Heart, Was There Anything I Could Do?*

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.

Really pretty dull, not much stood out. Expected it to be better

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

Solid pop music. 6/10

boring pop. why is this on the 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

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.

Its an album

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

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

Good, relaxed, nice vocals

Radio-vibes Little bit catchy 2.5/5

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

// Favs: – Score: Strong 2 to Light 3

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.

Meh, MOR

-"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?"

not bad, sounded like 90s rock/pop, lots of acoustic guitar. some darker sounds to it.

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.

Awesome and Nic loved it too

Hadn't listened before and I loved it!

this is pretty boring. reminds me of a less interesting U2. 3 stars.

nice

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.

Overproduced garbage that sounds vaguely like the smiths or television at times. Boring as hell

poppy, little cliche? Not sure

Inoffensive

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

Eigentlich ganz witzig

I dig this a lot!

uhhhh.... where has this lil gem been??!!

I like it

Nice, eighty

Ok

4 1/2

Some tracks reminds me of Velvet Underground

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

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 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

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.

Just meh. Not bad, but not for me.

Muy the smiths. Está ok

Erinnert mich an Savage Garden. Interessante Instrumente im Hintergrund.

War ok

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

Quite forgettable

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.

An unromantic romantic album.

Bland

Inoffensive but nothing very exciting.

Boring

Dull and bland

Worst one yet

Tired of indie britpop tbh and this just wasn't special. Felt like a chore to listen to

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

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.

i liked "Streets of Your Town" the rest is just a bit dull for me.

Brutal.

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.

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.

Dogshit. Better then Bono though.

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

Eh. 0RS

Watered down version of the cure. Didn't hate it but nothing to wrote home about

Ligero y edulcorado pero Pop de calidad

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 was really good. I love Aussie rock.

Very nice, reminiscent of Lloyd Cole

4/5

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

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.

Very beige album. Couple of decent tunes though. Enjoyed You Can't Say No Forever

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.

Like a cheap charcuterie board. Cheesy, a little bland in some cases, some meat, but overall a pleasant enough experience.

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

Indie rock. Ni fu ni fa

This is one of the albums I’ve heard, with some of the songs I’ve ever listened to. 5

80's alternative. Not bad, the drum machines must have sounded really cool at the time.

Streets of your town is very well written and pleasant, the rest of the album was meh. Nothing offensive here, but nothing inspiring either.

What if Crowded House wasn't good?

Chill and folksy. The kind of thing to listen to driving in Ireland

Pues un disco agradable. No estoy seguro de por qué sería un GRAN disco, pero me puso contento. Lo que sí es que suena a lo que luego muchos dirían que suena "indie". Quizá por eso me gusta. Mis favs "Streets of Your Town" y "Was There Anything I Could Do?". 7.5/10

Pop. Suave. Melódico. Más bien alegré.

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

This was pretty vanilla.

Enjoyed it but didn't think it was spectacular. Standard 3.

Softest of soft contemporary adult rock. Not my _thing_ but it's alright background music.

Entirely forgettable, but fine.

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

Eh. I’m bored.

Found this largely underwhelming.

Its' fine, its just a cooing lovey album

It's not bad, but it's nothing super special so far. Mellow 80s jamz with some harmonica, and is that a mandolin?

Not great

Just OK

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

Not bad. Kind of slightly different pop-rock. Not a ton of feelings but it's nice.

Easy listening, Streets of Your Town is a classic.

Not bad, though I don’t remember much of it

eh

They sounded alot like The Smiths

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

Not the best

Liked it good tracks though nothing mind blowing

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

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.

Nothing too standout for me. A bit too indie, but I can see why people like it.

Starts off reminding me of REM.

Just ok Bit syrupy

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.

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

det här albumet har något alltså. riktigt gött häng

Boring

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

Ganska tråkigt

Helt ok album men köper inte riktigt att det är ett album jag behövde höra innan jag dör.

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

very relaxing. nice and catchy

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

Yaaaaawwwwn. NEXT

Hear a lot of the 90s in this, was surprised to hear recognize so many of the songs on here

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 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.

Above Average indie rock album with one of the worst covers of all time

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

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.