Oceans Apart

The Go-Betweens | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 3, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Yep Roc Records
• ASIN: B0007XBMC0
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,346 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #37 in Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Chamber Pop
  • #71 in Music > World Music > Australia & New Zealand

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Here Comes A City

2. Finding You

3. Born To A Family

4. No Reason To Cry

5. Boundary Rider

6. Darlinghurst Nights

7. Lavender

8. The Statue

9. This Night's For You

10. The Mountains Near Dellray

Disc: 2

1. People Say

2. He Lives My Life

3. The Wrong Road

4. Bye Bye Pride

5. When People Are Dead

6. Streets Of Your Town

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

"Why do people who read Dostoyevsky look like Dostoyevsky?" The Go-Betweens return in good form on Oceans Apart, their third post-reunion disc. Relatively modest next to towering achievements such as Tallulah and 16 Lovers Lane, the disc is a grower, impressive and moving in its glimpses of truly human moments. The sturdy, rootsy backing here allows wry Robert Forster and unaffected Grant McLennan to range across familiar territory while finding new, small delights there. A handful of songs rise to the top, sure to make their places on fans' mix tapes; among them are McLennan's "Boundary Rider" and Forster's "Born to a Family" and "Here Comes a City." Early copies of Oceans Apart contain a bonus disc with live versions of a half dozen Go-Betweens classics. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh . . . My . . . God!, May 3, 2005

By 

M.R. (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oceans Apart (Audio CD)

I have been a huge fan of the Go-Betweens' '80s stuff since, well, the late '80s. But I drifted away from Forster and McLennan during the '90s, not paying too much attention to their uneven solo careers, and when the first reunion album came along, I didn't even check it out, though I did go see them live.

But I recently picked up the second reunion album, since I'd heard so many raves about it. It was good, but still not up there with their very best. And so now this new album. I must admit, the hype (MOJO rated it a "MOJO Instant Classic") lured me in, and I made sure I got a copy the day it came out. Listened to it three times in a row, and boy am I hooked. Forster is in rare form, and while the jury is still sort of out on McLennan (where is that melodic genius that displayed in the '80s and lost in the '90s?), as a whole the album is up there with their best. I need to give it a bit more time so that the McLennan songs sink in better, but I'm thrilled to have a record this challenging and engaging at this point in their career.

And I haven't even gotten to the bonus live disc yet!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Here Comes a Classic (Sort Of), May 5, 2005

By 

J. Rothfield (Danville, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Oceans Apart (Audio CD)

The arrival of a new Go-Betweens album is always a hugely exciting event. For what its worth, I agree that this album fits best in the catalog of the Go-Betweens the first time around, more so than the latest two efforts. I'm one of a few, though, who regards Friends of Rachel Worth as one the better albums of the past few year, by anybody. As usual its best to first parse the record into Robert Forster's and Grant McLennan's numbers. RF contributes tracks # 1, 3, 6, 7 and 10. GM chimes in with # 2, 4, 5, 8 and 9. The balance between Forster's edgy and challenging songs and the jangling soft melodies of McLennan are still evident and it works well. RF's eclecticism is evident by a recent interview in which he named Pride and Prejudice, On the Road and Confederacy of Dunces as among his favorite books. Few albums have ever started off with the excitement of the first notes of Here Comes A City, and it manages to extend the headlong rush most of its 3:25. It deserves to become a major single and live show favorite, and has already been heard here in the US on satellite radio channels. It sounds like a train rushing headlong in the night through the outskirts of a city, which is what it purports to describe, prettied up with a killer, unforgettable guitar riff. The only downers in the song are that it could be longer and that it fades out with a whimper rather than a bang. I hope at some point we see an extended version of what is an instant classic and right up there with the best GB songs of all time. Another RF beauty is Darlinghurst Nights, which evokes all the pain and joy of the memory of leaving home and going to a strange new town. "And always the traffic, always the lights, climbing that hill star studded nights" evoke dead on memories of Sydney Eastern suburb nights. The Mountains Near Delray is a dirge and is my least favorite while Born to a Family evokes too many memories of other similar Forster melodies. But Lavender is another strong combo of melody and lyric, showing off Robert's great sense of humor. Grants songs are a mixed bag but Boundary Rider (the only song recorded in Brisbane, not London) is great (also too bloody short!) and could also be a great single. This Night's For You - while not exactly as kick ass as Neil Young's This Notes For You - is riveting when played loud. So this album was well worth the wait and like greeting an old friend, even if it hasn't pushed the boundaries too much. The huge and deserved buzz for Here Comes a City should guarantee some airplay for the album in Oz and abroad. The extra disc with six live songs is a nice but not essential bonus from a band who doesn't have much published live material (prior to the re-release of the older albums anyway ....).

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Back and Better than Ever, June 26, 2005

By 

R. Hughes (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Oceans Apart (Audio CD)

A great record, one of the Go-Betweens' best. Melodic, heartfelt, urgent, with fantastic harmonies and compelling hooks. The opening track, Here Comes a City, is like a marvelous Talking Heads song rediscovered, the grand Darlinghurst Nights a sweeping paean to a lost time, every song on the record unique and wonderful. It's hard not to want to listen to this superb recording over and over. First-rate.