The Go-Betweens

The Go-Betweens embodied the ultimate cult act of the 1980s. Emerging from Brisbane, Australia, the group relocated to London in hopes of building a sustainable music career, issuing a steady stream of records that seemed radio-ready even as they largely bypassed prevailing Top 40 conventions. Critical acclaim followed, along with a modest yet intensely loyal following that stretched across several countries. After vanishing for the entire 1990s, the band resurfaced in the new millennium; in the intervening years its two principal songwriters each pursued credible solo paths that, while seldom matching the heights of their joint work, preserved the group’s distinctive legacy.

Robert Forster and Grant McLennan first collaborated as teenagers drawn to the grounded rock of Dylan, CCR, and the Velvet Underground, and further motivated by the Saints’ Australian punk. Their initial pair of singles, later gathered on The Able Label Singles, displayed a taste for scrappy pop-rock tinged with British Invasion and new-wave elements. With Lindy Morrison installed as permanent drummer, they cut their debut album, headed to England, and secured a brief contract with Rough Trade. Embracing a rich, melodic approach dense with atypical rock instruments, they produced five additional strong LPs. Although their earlier releases remained elusive in the United States before Beggars Banquet’s involvement, the label reissued all six albums on CD in 1996.

The trio reconvened in 2000 for The Friends of Rachel Worth, an album that also included every member of Sleater-Kinney. Subsequent releases followed in 2003 with Bright Yellow Bright Orange and in 2005 with Oceans Apart. Capturing a hometown show from that same year, the DVD/CD set That Striped Sunlight Sound appeared in early 2006, only months prior to McLennan’s death in May.