16 Lovers Lane

Jangly pop that's by turns sweet and sad. Right up my street, thank you. First time I heard the go-betweens was on an Australian commercial for petrol. I kept thinking it was a great tune, but never sought it out. Mystery solved. This is going in the regular rotation.

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!]

Average. Did get better the more I listened

Definitely was surprised and better than I thought it would be!

No he terminado de conectar pero suena bien perro

Listenable but boring

I feel like this is an album I’d like more than I did. It’s inoffensive and kinda just goes by. Nothing was bad but nothing really stuck out either. Maybe with more listens these songs will stick. Couple tracks better than others but everything was on par with each other Giving this a 3/5 (close to a 3.5)

1/5 Boring shit.

L-A-M-E. I swear this is the 2nd time I've been force-fed this drivel. It just goes nowhere in a very average way, it's not 80's and it's not 90's, and it's not enjoyable. Why is this a Must-Hear album?! It's so generic, it has no hooks, no hits, no impact, no legacy and breaks no ground. Weak call on including it. 2 stars, it was 3 but I was so bored at the end I forgot to click that last star. More like the Go-Aways...

The sound of a sunny Saturday morning; driving through neighborhoods, lawns being mowed on every street, running an errand with my dad. I'm not sure why this album has such a specific feel to me- maybe the late 80s production, crisp acoustic guitars, non-descript vocalist? Is that all it takes? There is some Pretenders DNA here..... particularly on "Streets of Your Town." I see reviewers here mentioning U2 and I just don't see any comparison. The Smiths, sure. Overall I like this. Ya know what, I think it's earned - FOUR STARS

Milquetoast Pop rock between U2 and REM. Nobody needs to hear this.

Fine. I think I remember reading good things about this band long ago. Or maybe bands I like saying these folks are great? On my initial listen this did not grab me.

I was anticipating not liking this, unlike NZ, the 80s and 90s Australian alternative bands I’ve heard were not great. But this was catchy, very enjoyable. Maybe more of a 3 and 3/4, but I’ll give it a 4.

There were parts of this I really enjoyed. But, bear the end, I was all like “There’s still more?” and wishing it were over. So, it’s a 3 instead of a 4.

hey gemini make me an 80s album

I really liked this. The singers voice sounds incredibly similar to Tom Verlaine's from Television, and I was so surprised to hear that this wasn't one of his other projects! Big fan nonetheless. Favourites: Love Goes On! Love Is A Sign You Can't Say No Forever

Seems to be in lots of greatest Aussie album of all time lists. I fail to believe this is all they have to offer. 2.5/5. Raising to 3.

I thought I would enjoy this more but it really did nothing at all for me. The vocals are a bit off-key and lazy in places, and it just doesn't have the drive and interest of bands like The Smiths or REM or their other contemporaries in the genre.

Nice

Couldn’t even tell you what went down in this album

5/10 - Felt like they really wanted to be U2 when U2 was on top.

There are a couple of songs that are worth coming back to but it's a middle of the road album outside those. 5/10

3,5 stars

This is the most boring album I've listened to so far but I suspect it wont be the last one. It sounds like pop rock and stops short before trying to make catchy melody. Was there anything I could do was the only memorable song, but even that wasnt interesting enough to make me want to listen to it again.

Have to admit that I have never heard of the Go-Betweens even though I was around in 1988 (17). For the most part it was quite a good listen and a nice addition to my morning walk. It hasn’t made me seek out any of their other stuff but I will listen to this again.

There was nothing inherently wrong with this album, but equally nothing stood out to me to capture my attention. A little bit the vibe of U2 if they coincided with The Pretenders, but it just didn't work for me.

Like sitting in a bar listening to a friend eloquently and honestly describe his life

2005 indie coffee shop music. I speak from experience (RIP Thunderbird Cafe).

Like a less annoying Smiths, but still annoying.

A bit The Smiths light and poppy. Some solid tracks.

Pleasant enough listen but it doesn't quite make it to a 4-star.

Actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would, but I see no reason to go back to it

The Smiths with no Morrissey, sure, but also no Andy Rourke. And they're Australian. I guess that's not really The Smiths anymore, is it? This was pretty nice to listen to! Very breezy overall. Standouts: You Can't Say No Forever • Streets of Your Town • Clouds • Dive for Your Memory

This is a very pleasant album that lives in an odd space for me. Individually, there are a ton of songs here that I enjoyed or would happily add to a playlist. As an album, though, there isn't really enough variety to make me want to listen to it as a unit or put the entire thing on, which is a shame.

Song 1 was great. Song 2 less 3 was lovely. Absolutely. 4 less my thing. 5 isn't aswell. 6 is a charming alt rock banger. Great song. 7 is kind of darker version of the previous. Another very good one. 8 I liked less 9 was nice. 10 is a good fitting closer. A very nice simple album. Lots of positives. Some meh songs aswell. A good classic 3.5

Quite a fun poprock album.

Painfully boring.

Boring & uninteresting

I need to relisten, and this is the first time I've heard of the band or album but first thoughts- perfect pop record, no notes.

a great time! really enjoyed this. sick

There's parts of this album that's really close to something I'd enjoy. It hits the right beats, has the right tone, but there's something off about it. Something boring. I wasn't enjoying it, I was rolling my eyes.

What if The Smiths were more annoying by being less annoying.

The cover made me think it was going to be tacky shit - it was mostly alright. 2.5 stars?

Not all 3s are created equally. This was more than serviceable and became a download

no thanks

idk and idc

Ehh, it was fine. Unobjectionable. There are a lot of albums in this project that I'm like, why is this here. Maybe it's more culturally significant in other countries or to other age groups.

Decent, if a bit boring. I like the song that The Way You Are later sampled.

solid, bohemian indie pop

I wouldn't remind if someone put it on but it's fine, pretty generic

Interesting band, I can tell they paved the way for many bands that came after them

Never heard this band before so pleasantly surprised

Just a beautiful wonderful record this is

Bland and soul-less.

勝手にもっとエレクトロニカ寄りだと思っていました。 完全にオルタナでした。明るい系の あと、ジャケ写がとても良いと思う。個人的には好き 曲については、音が綺麗なポップで、浮遊感も少し感じます。まあ好きな人は好きなんじゃない？

I'm a jangle pop fan, generally. There's some interesting little ditties here. I think if I'd discovered it at the time I'd have easily been into it, but it comes across as a bit wet now.

Great to see an Aussie band on here. The music is good, but too many slow ballady songs.

Not bad in the background. ★★★

Singer uses the word ‘blue’ a lot in these songs. The music and the choruses are enticing throughout the album. surprised how many songs I liked. Aussie 1988

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

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.