VIA PRESS RELEASE | 4 LP + 7 CD collection documents the band’s reformation and includes extensive rare and archival material and liner notes from Robert Forster. First 421 orders worldwide get a book from Grant McLennan’s personal library and a signed bookmark from Robert Forster.
Domino is honored to announce the upcoming release of the third and final installment of the anthology series documenting The Go-Betweens, one of the most beloved and influential Australian groups of all-time. G Stands For Go-Betweens Volume 3, out December 13, it extensively documents the band’s twenty-first century output in an ambitious box containing four vinyl albums, seven compact discs and an extensive 112-page book, featuring a trove of archival photos and extensive historical liner notes from founding member Robert Forster, along with additional pieces from guest essayists, fans and contemporaries.
The box set includes the first vinyl re-pressings of the last three studio albums, The Friends Of Rachel Worth, Bright Yellow Bright Orange & Oceans Apart, the latter remixed for this release by original producer Mark Wallis. G Stands For Go-Betweens Volume 3 also includes a new LP comprised of a lively acoustic radio session Forster and McLennan recorded for Bayern 2 Radio in Munich while on tour promoting the Bellavista Terrace compilation. Additionally, the set comes with seven compact discs of their B-sides, radio sessions and rare, hard-to-find and unreleased demos, including a collection of fourteen unreleased songs the duo recorded together in 1991.
We will begin taking pre-orders for this very special limited-edition release today. While a very small overrun may be made available to a few select retail outlets at a later date, this is a deluxe limited package, and we will only be pressing this very special collection once. The only way to guarantee your own copy is to order from Domino Mart HERE. The stock will be delivered to customers at the beginning of December, in time for the holidays.
The first 421 orders will get a randomly selected book from the late Grant McLennan’s personal literary collection along with a specially-printed bookmark signed by Robert Forster, certifying their veracity. These books were collected by Grant through his lifetime and some were signed and dated by him on purchase (though no guarantee that every book will have said inscription…it will be the luck of the draw).
The Go-Betweens were formed by Robert Forster and Grant McLennan in Brisbane, Australia in 1978 while studying at the University of Queensland. Augmented by various drummers and guests, they recorded a series of acclaimed singles and eventually were joined by drummer Lindy Morrison. After making a pair of seminal albums for Rough Trade (Send Me A Lullaby and Before Hollywood), the trio became a quartet, adding Robert Vickers on bass.
After a brief dalliance with Sire Records on Spring Hill Fair, the band regrouped and secured a new deal with Beggars Banquet in the UK. Liberty Belle And The Black Diamond Express displays the band rising to challenge with a renewed swagger and Forster and McLennan penning some of their finest tunes. Wanting to capitalize on the new momentum, the group stretched out literally and figuratively with the timely Tallulah, which saw them add multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Amanda Brown.
Returning home to Australia, The Go-Betweens made what was to be the swansong for the first phase of the group, the graceful and gorgeous 16 Lovers Lane. Surely ours is the only parallel universe where “Streets Of Your Town,” the lead single from the album, wasn’t a worldwide smash. Regardless, the success of the album did see the band making the greatest commercial in-roads, including in America, where the album saw its release through Capitol Records. The campaign saw the band undertake a relentless touring schedule in support of the album, including multiple tours with R.E.M. The band, exhausted and fractured, parted ways at the end of 1989.
Forster and McLennan went on to extensive solo careers before reuniting in 2000. Joined by Adele Pickvance and Glenn Thompson, The Go-Betweens made three more albums, which are the centerpiece of G Stands For Go-Betweens Volume Three, including the ARIA winning finalé, Oceans Apart. Sadly, the reunion came to a sudden end when Grant McLennan passed away on May 6th, 2006 from a heart attack and The Go-Betweens disbanded for good.
Robert Forster wrote Grant & I, a moving memoir that explores both their musical partnership and their lasting friendship. The Weekend Australia said of the book “[A] beautifully documented account . . . The heart of Forster’s story is deeper and more poetically drawn than simple band autobiography, however. It’s the unveiling of a friendship, a partnership, even a love affair, of sorts, that ended in tragic circumstances,” and both Mojo and Uncut magazines honored Grant & I as their book of the year. In addition, 2017 saw the cinematic release of Right Here, filmmaker Kriv Stenders’ documentary about the group, which The Guardian gave four stars, opining that “Stenders has made an emotional, rolling thunder of a film, one this extraordinary band deserves.”
It would be hard to overstate the shadows cast across the musical landscape of the last four decades by the Go-Betweens’ self-ascribed “striped sunlight sound.” The duo of McLennan and Forster ranks alongside the best of the best songwriting partnerships, influencing younger musicians both expected (such as Belle & Sebastian who reference the group on “Shoot The Sexual Athlete”) and unexpected (as with the late, great Jay Reatard’s fiery cover of “Don’t Let Him Come Back” and Courtney Barnett). This anthology is sure to provide inspiration to a new generation of musicians while providing a very special personal experience for the existing fans.
