Album: 16 Lovers Lane
Band: The Go-Betweens
Year: 1988
Background: Something of an obscure critical favorite in the 80's, the Australian band the Go-Betweens deserve strong consideration for currently being one of the most under-appreciated bands of all time. Principle songwriters Robert Forster and Grant McLennan met in college and started playing music together in 1978, eventually adding several other members and releasing a string of solid New Wave-inspired and increasingly poppy albums throughout the 80's. 16 Lovers Lane is the band's sixth album, the last one with their original lineup, and it is without a doubt their masterpiece.
What's so special about this album: Do you like traditional melodious guitar-based pop music? Of course you do; everyone does. As such, you really owe it to yourself to check this album out.
I wasn't the first to note it, but this album really is the 80's equivalent of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours; there are so many parallels. It has the same relentless focus on pop perfection, the same subject matter of the thrill of a new relationship and the heartbreak experienced once one falls apart, and the same melodious accessibility masking complex lyrics that are both more melancholic and bittersweet than one would originally expect. Heck, McLennan was even dating multi-instrumentalist Amanda Brown at this point as well, so like Rumours it has that same dynamic where the lead singer is occasionally singing songs about another member of the band.
Like the best pop albums, 16 Lovers Lane is the type where all the songs go down easy yet have staying power: once the album is finished, you can't wait to start it over again. Make no mistake, this isn't a niche album, like some things I recommend: this is an album for everyone that should have sold 5 million copies. It will always be always be both baffling and a shame that it did not.
Selections
Love Goes On!
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