16 Lovers Lane [ENHANCED] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

The Go-Betweens

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 9, 2004)
• Original Release Date: November 9, 2004
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Enhanced, Original recording remastered
• Label: Jet Set Records
• ASIN: B00067Z24G
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #200,652 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
UK reissue of 1988 album includes a bonus disc with 13 tracks, 'Love Goes On!' (Single Version), 'Wait Until June', 'Mexican Postcard', 'Rock And Roll Friend', 'Casanova's Last Words', 'You Won't Find It Again', 'Running The Risk Of Losing You', 'Apples In Bed', 'Head Over Heels', 'You're A Big Girl Now', 'Was There Anything I Could Do?' (Video), 'Streets Of Your Town' (Video #1) & 'Streets Of Your Town' (Video #2). Lo-Max. 2004. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Album of All Time, December 13, 2005

By	Travis Dubya McGee Bickle "elitist duffer" (Texas Quail Hunting Camp) - See all my reviews

This would be my desert island disc, if I could only choose one. Sheer bloody magnificence is contained in these 10 perfect songs. I can't even choose favorites - my favorite is whatever one I'm listening to at the moment - but highpoints include: the fragile, but optimistic "Love Goes On!", the deceptively sunny, but dark "Streets of Your Town" (it's "full of battered wives") and "Quiet Heart", a tender love song that contains the somewhat depressing, but nonetheless true, wisdom "No matter how far you've gone, you've always got further to go".

"Dive For Your Memory", too, is sublime, Zen perfection. Very forlorn, but deeply poetic lyrics, set to a gorgeous, simple folk melody, accompanied by rich and tasteful acoustic guitar fills...

And, let me not leave out the romantically tortured narrative of "I'm Alright"...the protagonist of this song has been beaten down, but is, somewhat shakily, ready for a comeback.

Every Go-Betweens disc is worth picking up, but this is the most masterful and perfect distillation of their gifts so far.

(I'm a huge fan of them all, but if I had to narrow it down, I'd say the ones to get are: "Tallulah", "Liberty Belle", "Spring Hill Fair", "Oceans Apart" and, of course, this.)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional songs, January 7, 2006

By	O. J. Dean (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have never been a Go-Betweens fan but this cd is exceptional. When I purchased it the salesperson told me it was well worth the money. She couldn't have been more right. As far as I'm concerned there isn't one bad song in the lot. I would recommend this album to anyone who asked for my opinion.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect swan-song for the Go-Betweens 80s-era, August 28, 2007

By	Lypo Suck (Hades, United States) - See all my reviews

Following the mixed bag of "Tallulah," "16 Lovers Lane" offers a more cohesive collection of the Go-Betweens' unique, ultra-melodic brand of pop. This is their most polished album to date, though the studio-sterile sheen does not detract from the depth we've come to expect from the Go-Betweens. In fact, the mellifluous, airy feel of the album suits the songs well; crystal-clear (often acoustic) guitars weave intricate, lovely textures which, when combined with Amanda Brown's oboe and violin, form a mesmerizing sonic tapestry.

All this shimmer and atmosphere might just meander aimlessly were it not for sharp, solid songwriting, and the conviction that emotive singer/songwriters Forster and McLennan bring to their insightful, adult tales of love and loss. "Streets of Your Town" is one of the most beautiful, infectious tunes they've ever done, while its line "watch the butcher shine his knives/and this town is full of battered wives" makes for some brilliant, stinging irony. Likewise, Forster's hook-filled, moving, Smiths-esque "You Can't Say No Forever" features another thorn beneath the rose with "Yes my world's tumbling down/stone by stone to the ground/please take out the garbage". Brilliant.

What also makes this album different from its predecessors is the ease with which it all seems to come together. On the surface, the songs all seem simple and effortless, but repeated listens expose the complexity and sophistication lurking not far beneath the soothing sounds. That they can take simple elements like acoustic guitars and major chords and weave them into something so rich, demonstrates the brilliance and resourcefulness of this criminally under-appreciated band. This may not be their best album ("Liberty Belle" holds that title, in my humble opinion), but it's nonetheless a fine example of their now legendary, timeless approach to pop.