Can't recall ever having heard of (or heard) The Go-Betweens, but "Streets of Your Town" sounded vaguely familiar. Whether I had heard it before or not, it dawned on me that they (or, at least, this song) sound very much like fellow Brits, the mid-'80s Prefab Sprout...at least to me!
I realize few, if any, have ever heard (much less heard OF) PS (and they were on domestic CBS Records, yet!), including Ed Biggs of TheStudentPlaylist, who breathed not a word of them, while listing a bevy of others he deemed influenced by (or sounding like), and, of course, the requisite Fleetwood Mac, the band I guess everyone is contractually bound and obligated to mention when confronted with another band with a couple guys, a couple gals, and a generally pleasing , classic rock vibe.
Maybe I'm daft in my comparison, but I wonder what Ed would think upon hearing some Sprout! I intend on listening to more G-Bs. Ed, 4 1/2 years hence, are you game for some Sprout? Thanks, Kevin, for shining a light on one I missed back in that day!
Their best on-ramp album, IMO, is 1985's "Steve McQueen" (known at the time as "Two Wheels Good" in the states, because......Steve McQueen and lawyers) on Columbia Records, their second. It's got "Faron Young," and it's the first and "best" album that, at least, got me hooked on the band upon release. Here 'tis: https://open.spotify.com/album/07CZepJZT17AllXPFRvogL?si=1c609bf4381349c6
Their '92 "A Life of Surprises: The Best of PS" is worth a listen, as well. I remember I got that on either cassette or CD at the time!
Still looking for the basement tapes of Faron Young's recording of "Prefab Sprout". I'll keep looking....not to mention Steve McQueen's "Prefab Sprout" movie!
In the early '80s I was more than a little obsessed with the 'Australian invasion' of bands into the UK -The Saints, The Birthday Party (yet to morph into The Bad Seeds), The Triffids, and yes, The Go-Betweens.
I knew I could remember them in London, supporting Aztec Camera, but it took Google to tell me that this was on 22nd October 2022, at the King's College SU on The Strand (which is, I think, the only time we went to that venue). I don't remember a huge amount (it was 40 years ago!), but I think my summary was something like, "good, but not The Triffids', but then this was at the start of my David McComb fixation! Roddy Frame/Aztec Camera were more memorable.
On the rare chance this might have been one of those gigs randomly captured I gave YouTube a whirl, but no such joy, although it did yield this John Peel session from 3 months earlier, so these were prob some of the songs they played. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok9uuY-pbw8
My attention had slipped from the Antipodes by the late '80s, so I'll have to go back and give '16 Lovers Lane' a try!
I've been looking for awhile now, with zero luck.
Agreed the BSD documentary is worth a look, but then I would say that!!
Just listened to a snippet and like it!
Can't recall ever having heard of (or heard) The Go-Betweens, but "Streets of Your Town" sounded vaguely familiar. Whether I had heard it before or not, it dawned on me that they (or, at least, this song) sound very much like fellow Brits, the mid-'80s Prefab Sprout...at least to me!
I realize few, if any, have ever heard (much less heard OF) PS (and they were on domestic CBS Records, yet!), including Ed Biggs of TheStudentPlaylist, who breathed not a word of them, while listing a bevy of others he deemed influenced by (or sounding like), and, of course, the requisite Fleetwood Mac, the band I guess everyone is contractually bound and obligated to mention when confronted with another band with a couple guys, a couple gals, and a generally pleasing , classic rock vibe.
Maybe I'm daft in my comparison, but I wonder what Ed would think upon hearing some Sprout! I intend on listening to more G-Bs. Ed, 4 1/2 years hence, are you game for some Sprout? Thanks, Kevin, for shining a light on one I missed back in that day!
I love "Faron Young!" by PS. I'm definitely game.
Their best on-ramp album, IMO, is 1985's "Steve McQueen" (known at the time as "Two Wheels Good" in the states, because......Steve McQueen and lawyers) on Columbia Records, their second. It's got "Faron Young," and it's the first and "best" album that, at least, got me hooked on the band upon release. Here 'tis: https://open.spotify.com/album/07CZepJZT17AllXPFRvogL?si=1c609bf4381349c6
Their '92 "A Life of Surprises: The Best of PS" is worth a listen, as well. I remember I got that on either cassette or CD at the time!
Still looking for the basement tapes of Faron Young's recording of "Prefab Sprout". I'll keep looking....not to mention Steve McQueen's "Prefab Sprout" movie!
In the early '80s I was more than a little obsessed with the 'Australian invasion' of bands into the UK -The Saints, The Birthday Party (yet to morph into The Bad Seeds), The Triffids, and yes, The Go-Betweens.
I knew I could remember them in London, supporting Aztec Camera, but it took Google to tell me that this was on 22nd October 2022, at the King's College SU on The Strand (which is, I think, the only time we went to that venue). I don't remember a huge amount (it was 40 years ago!), but I think my summary was something like, "good, but not The Triffids', but then this was at the start of my David McComb fixation! Roddy Frame/Aztec Camera were more memorable.
On the rare chance this might have been one of those gigs randomly captured I gave YouTube a whirl, but no such joy, although it did yield this John Peel session from 3 months earlier, so these were prob some of the songs they played. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok9uuY-pbw8
My attention had slipped from the Antipodes by the late '80s, so I'll have to go back and give '16 Lovers Lane' a try!