Seminal Go-Betweens biography back in print with new epilogue
When Robert Forster and Grant McLennan formed the Go-Betweens in Brisbane in 1977, they were determined to be different. They were angular, spare and poetic when crashing directness was the prevailing style. Their heroes were Dylan, Creedence and Television when it was more fashionable to cite the Stooges and the New York Dolls. Their attitude was as punk as anyones, but their lyrical guitar pop stood in sharp contrast to the trends of the day.
With cornerstone drummer Lindy Morrison (and, later, additional members Robert Vickers and Amanda Brown), the Go-Betweens recorded six albums in the 1980s that are among the finest work of the decade, and earned them a reputation as the ultimate cult band. They never had hits, but their music was greatly admired by numerous other bands, from R.E.M. to Sleater-Kinney, and over time their influence continued to grow. When Forster and McLennan returned to making records under the Go-Betweens name in 2000, they received the best reviews of their career. What is more, as one reviewer of the original 1997 edition of this book noted: Unlike most rock groups, the Go-Betweens had personalities as well as talent which makes this a rock biography that stands apart from the pack.
David Nichols relates the Go-Betweens story with wit and verve, and for this edition, which includes many more photographs than the original, he revised and completely updated the book, adding new chapters on the members solo careers in the 1990s, the reuniting of Forster and McLennan under the Go-Betweens name, and the bands flourishing second life in the new millennium.
When this edition was originally published in 2003, the Go-Betweens were riding high on a wave of new acclaim, but sadly the bands new life came to a sudden end with the tragic death of Grant McLennan in 2006. This reprint includes a new epilogue by the author covering those final years.
