Oft-referred to as "
Australia's
Velvet Underground", this
Brisbane pop band existed from 1977 until their semi-acrimonious split in 1988, subsequent to the release of their 6th album "16 Lovers Lane".
Formed around the core of songwriters Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, they also included (at various times) drummer Lindy Morrison, bassist Robert Vickers and multi-instrumentalist Amanda Brown. Less well-known members include their original drummer Tim (Temucin) Mustafa and Robert Vickers' replacement on 16 Lovers Lane John Willsteed.
Grant and Robert reunited to record a new album under the Go Betweens moniker, helped out by members of Sleater-Kinney and Quasi.
Albums: Send Me A Lullaby (1982), Before Hollywood (1983), Spring Hill Fair (1984), Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express (1986), Tallulah (1987), 16 Lovers Lane (1988), The Friends Of Rachel Worth (2000)
It's difficult to choose an album to start with, because the later, slicker albums are starkly different to the angularity of parts of the early records, which however reward with persistence. I would personally recommend buying 16 Lovers Lane and Before Hollywood at the same time and playing them in a multi-CD deck on random.