- Audio CD (Feb 18 2008)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Jet Set Records
- ASIN: B00004XSRY
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #149,533 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Track Listings
| 1. Magic Is Here |
| 2. Spirit |
| 3. Clock |
| 4. German Farmhouse |
| 5. He Lives My Life |
| 6. Heart And Home |
| 7. Surfing Magazines |
| 8. Orpheus Beach |
| 9. Going Blind |
| 10. When She Sang About Angels |
Product Description
From Amazon.com
The Friends of Rachel Worth, the Go-Betweens' seventh album, arrives 12 years after the sixth. Though the interceding solo careers of songwriters Robert Forster and Grant McLennan have had their moments, all great partnerships are more than the sum of their parts, and it is to be hoped that this album encourages them to put their reunion on a permanent footing. The Friends of Rachel Worth was recorded by Forster and McLennan in Portland, Oregon, with Sleater-Kinney falling in as a backing band. All the virtues that characterized the Go-Betweens at their finest are still present: five songs each by Forster and McLennan, each one a small El Dorado of hearts and flowers. As ever, their styles are contradictory but complementary: McLennan's peerless knack for the understated, insidious melody anchors Forster's heroically overwrought posturings. In terms of the Go-Betweens' awesome back catalog, this contains the exuberant pop sense of 16 Lovers Lane, the spare and evocative arrangements of Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express, and the lyrical accomplishment of Tallulah. Ultimately, the best that can be said of The Friends of Rachel Worth is that it is worthy of being called a Go-Betweens album, and those in the know will know that praise can come no higher. --Andrew Mueller
Product Description
Though the presiding geniuses of the long-overlooked Aussie band the Go-Betweens have spent the last decade pursuing solo careers, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan came back together with nary a hitch for The Friends of Rachel Worth. The reunion is enhanced by their ace backing band--Sleater-Kinney and Sam Coomes (Quasi). Despite their punk rock cred, their contributions are subtle and understated, letting the Go-Betweens take center stage, where they so obviously belong. --Tod Nelson
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
They never really went away.
May 13 2004
Format:Audio CD
Let's be completely honest here everyone. Go-Betweens fans are musical snobs. I'm one myself. We don't want them to be popular. It's more satisfying to belong to that secret society referred to here as The Friends of Rachel Worth. Someone who is not aware of The Go-Betweens might see the album title and wonder who this person is and be disappointed to find out that she's fictional. I wouldn't have it any other way. I know who she is and I will be her friend for life.
A Welcome Return
Dec 21 2003
Format:Audio CD
What can you be disappointed in when one of the best bands ever comes back together again. This is like John Lennon and George Harrison coming back from the dead and Paul McCartney and Ringo joining them after many years. Happy Days, and they still can put out the gems!
This album does not have as many gems as the previous one - 1988's 16 Lover's Lane or the one after it - 2002's Bright Yellow Bright Orange, but it is still good to hear!
People Move On
Jun 24 2003
Format:Audio CD
The problem with some of the other reviews of this album (particularly Thoutah) is that they don't acknowledge that artists who write particularly personal songs are constantly changing their personal situations and perspectives on the world, which ultimately will change the type of songs they write and albums they produce.
With regard to the Friends of Rachel Worth, I would advise anyone not to obssesively compare this album to what the Go-Betweens released in the 80s. Yes, "Streets of Your Town" deserved the NMEs rating of the best single released in the 1980s, but that honor doesn't obligate the Go-Betweens to continue to write this song over and over again. Instead, view this album as Robert Forster and Grant McLennan bringing their individual life experiences in the 90s back into the collective enterprise that is the Go-Betweens. As the circumstances of Robert's life change (wife, children etc..) he like any person is apt to reflect upon his life, what it means that a generation after him now exists, and to contrast his current life to his past. For instance, "Surfing Magazines" is a brilliant take on Robert's view of himself as an outsider to the prevailing "surfie" culture that existed in the 70s when he was growing up in Brisbane. The song both simultaneously mocks this lifestyle and the fact that he once yearned for it. If that doesn't show progress in his writing, I'm not sure what does.
Similarly, Grant is showcasing his songs in a low-fi setting-somehat similar to the production values of Robert's solo efforts. So, even though his songs might not necessarily sound as "shimmery" and upbeat as his usual output, I think they are indicative of a maturing talent who is adjusting his expecations of the world and is thankful for what it provides him.
This whole notion of preserving a fixed viewpoint of a group and the individuals that make up the group is something that is common amongst people who never got to see a group perform in their original incarnation, and therefore can't relate to them as an organic group who will change as time and circumstances dictate, but instead regard them as a painting or some other artifact that can be displayed as demonstration of their own good taste.
Ignore the reviews, buy the album and enjoy the fact these two masters are working together again!
Want to see more reviews on this item?
Most recent customer reviews
A Friend of the Go-Betweens
Not so much a dramatic 'comeback' as never been away! I love this album, it grows with every listen. Read more
Published on July 31 2002 by "paul_mids"
The Kind of Album I Want to Listen To
Perhaps I'm not well-qualified to comment on this release. My exposure to the Go-Betweens has been limited to years of ownership (and enjoyment) of an excellent now-deleted... Read more
Published on Mar 28 2002 by Randall E. Adams
What Now--The Three "R"s?
Good 'un--the songs about hanging out in Bavaria, checking out the latest glossy American surfing magazine, are quite evocative. Read more
Published on Dec 7 2001 by Henry Zeno
A Highly Anticipated Come-Back
It is perhaps unfair to compare/contrast this album with the Go-Betweens rich, past body of work. Over 10 years elapsed since they recorded their last album, '16 Lovers Lane', and... Read more
Published on Oct 10 2001 by Lypo Suck
Good to see these guys back together!
At long last, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan (the veritable Lennon/McCartney songsmiths from Down Under) are reunited as The Go-Betweens after more than 10 years. Read more
Published on Feb 24 2001 by Michael Paulsen
I Love It With a Single L
This is a very even-handed album, and, to tell the truth, I like it about as much as "Tallulah. Read more
Published on Jan 13 2001
The Go-Betweens surprise with one of the best cd's of 2000
Imagine the band Luna joining forces with early 80's R.E.M... The Friends of Rachel Worth is something that might result from a such a union. Read more
Published on Jan 9 2001
Welcome back
While Robert and Grant have both had their moments during their respective solo careers, this album demonstrates that the Go-Betweens were always greater than the sum of their... Read more
Published on Jan 7 2001 by FunkeeMonkey
welcome back
there aren't many bands that can come back after 10 years or more of wayward solo careers with such a warm, astute, pure and joyous album as this, but the go-betweens are no... Read more
Published on Oct 30 2000
Riches Await You
Twelve years in the waiting, ten songs with an ace pick-up band (Sleater-Kinney!), a title both literary and ambiguous, oh, thank God, The Go-Betweens are back. Read more
Published on Oct 23 2000 by WrtnWrd
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
