Customer Reviews

Bellavista Terrace: Best of the Go-Betweens

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Both those reviews that conclude "mediocre" and those who gush "transcendent" are right on the mark. I bought their old singles CD (alas, no longer printed), listened to it a couple of times, and put it at the top of my pile of CD's to sell immediately. I reconsidered at the music shop, listened to it again at home, and within two months it had become one of my five favorite albums ever, by anyone, bar none. The songs are sweet, sparse, don't really go much of anywhere. As such they do very little to reward the excited anticipation most of us feel when listening to a new disc. Thing is, their vision of the world -- ultimately pretty bleak, but at least full of little curiousities that are half-redeeming -- is, well, right. Listen to it enough, brow furrowed, head cocked, wondering what exactly they thought they were doing making such a record, and eventually this becomes clear. It's a little eerie, frankly, but get there and you'll absolutely adore them for it. I give it only four stars because it's tough sledding the first couple of listens and because this collection leaves out "Two Step, Step Down," which is easy to warm to and enduringly super, as well as some choice gems from the earlier singles collection, including "Dusty in Here" and a few others I all-too dimly remember. [Darn] ex-girlfriend, she wouldn't part with it.

Whilst dedicated Go-Between fans will know all these tracks, this collection is a great introduction to those who claim, "I know this one" when "Streets of your Town" is played on the radio. The Go-Betweens are certainly deserving of further exploration. "Bachelor Kisses", "Bye Bye Pride", "Right Here", "Cattle and Cane" and "Was There Anything I Could Do" still sound wonderful today and should all have been commercial successes at the time. The addition of hidden track "Lee Remick" is a nice touch for those who have the remainder of this "best of" on other albumns. Lets hope that this is the start of a Go-Betweens rennaissance and that positive albumn sales might convince Rob and Grant to get back together. The Australian music scene surely hasn't been the same since their premature parting.

While I love the Go-Betweens, this collection is a bit of a mess. It seems that these tracks were selected by Grant McLennan and Robert Forster, but the sequencing is uneven (and by that I don't mean to indicate that it should be chronological) and some of the songs are subpar for a "Best of" ("Draining the Pool for You", "Part Company" and "Dive for Your Memory" -- while decent -- are not what I would consider the cream of the crop). I won't even begin to mention how many great songs are missing. If you can find the limited edition of "Bellavista Terrace" with the bonus CD of KCRW sessions from the late 80's, grab it...this one makes it worth the while. I would have given this one 4 stars.

Sorry to see that this collection turned off the previous reviewer. My advice to him is buy "16 Lovers Lane" -- this album is miles better than this compilation...you have my word on it as a true music lover. I'm not even a francophile!

over the years the go-betweens are the one band I've always come back to again and again, and this is a good summary of their music (though not as good as the 78-90 compilation.) tracks like bye-bye pride, cattle and cane or bachelor kisses can never be heard enough and the timeless beauty of these songs deserves as wide an audience as possible. the bonus live cd is a killer with stunning new versions of old familiars. if there is a heaven i'd like to think it was a warm, sunny beach, blue sky and sea, a bar serving endless g&t's and the gobetweens would be playing forever...

Robert Forster is the greatest songwriter of the 20th century, followed distantly by Cole Porter and Bob Dylan. He has every right to be bitter about his lack of commercial success. If Americans read half as often as they watched braindead t.v., the Go-Betweens would have been big in the states.

Okay, it's not the best of complilation I would've made, but nobody asked me. Fans will have most of this anyway, but since it's all great stuff, why not slip it to someone who's never had the pleasure? I'm sure you'll be paid back over & over. Also, it gets a thumbs up for keeping a nifty Go-Betweens tradition: Each of their lp titles had the letter 'L' in it twice.

imagine the pixies' "here comes your man" softened a tad, with endless variations.

imagine the smiths and the cure hooking up and getting pregnant out of wedlock, then getting married, then honeymooning in australia, where they have their baby--which they name the go-betweens--and leave it stranded on the cove-front deck of the sydney opera house to fend for itself.

down-under pop brilliance. probably the most accessible and delightful band that never made it big (note: there is NO valid reason these guys were never commercially successful...and if the humorously venomous liner notes are any indication, the band members are still quite bitter).

I just discovered the Go-Betweens last year with "Oceans Apart" and quickly purchased two additional discs. I was saddened by the untimely death of Grant McLennan, but the band's legacy lives on through its music. If you're unfamiliar with the band, this is a great introduction. If you're already a fan, it's nice having some of your favorites on one album.

I actually heard more about the group than actually heard their music. With all the rave reviews, I figured they were worth hunting down. After listening to this compilation, I'm intrigued by some of their other albums. The Go Betweens have a great, breezy, intelligent pop-rock sound, a bit like the Church in fact. My favorites here are 'Streets of Your Town', 'Dive For Your Memory' and 'Draining the Pool For You'; the rest of the CD is great as well. As for people upset with the artist's 'egotistical' liner notes; it looks to me the artist was simply proud of the music and was justifiably upset being passed over by lesser lights. Nothing wrong with that attitude; maybe if other groups had it, the dreck would disappear. This CD is highly recommended for those who want to escape 80's mush. It gets quite a bit of attention when I play it. Now if only the powers that be would reissue '16 Lovers Lane' in the U.S. ...

Every single song on this cd is worth listening to. The problem is that the Go-Betweens also have many other great songs that did not make it. Whether you have heard of the Go-Betweens or not this is a good place to begin your obsession. Although many fans and critics consider the Go-Betweens a pop band, their influences are clearly Dylan, The Velvet Underground, Jonathan Richman, Television and The Only Ones. Well if you can imagine those groups with the pop sensibility of the Monkees maybe you have magic and imagination of the Go-Betweens.