There was a time where Australian bands felt that the only way they were going to get noticed was to leave the country and head to London. Sometimes, this would translate to great popularity ...and sometimes, it meant bands would live under difficult financial circumstances while their music was not in danger of bothering the top 40.

Welcome to episode 163 of Love That Album.

I'm joined by previous guest Doug (aka Fnord) Buissuant and first timer, Darrin Irvine to talk about The Go Betweens and their 1988 album 16 Lovers Lane. Of course, we talk about the journey the band took from their origins in Brisbane through to living in London, and finally relocating to Sydney before calling it a day (well...sorta). The music evolved from clever indie pop in the early 80s to lush, beautifully arranged pop in the late 80s. We talk about how we saw the music evolve, being a Brisbane band under the police state of Joh Bjelke-Petersen, the friendship of Grant Mclennan and Robert Forster (and what that supposedly made the rest of the band feel)....and unlike some other discussions about the Go Betweens, we DON'T talk about Fleetwood Mac. 16 Lovers Lane can be divisive among fans – some prefer the earlier albums that were more angular sounding, and others love the beauty of their final album in their original incarnation. Where do we stand? Tune in.

I am hugely grateful to the gents for taking the time to bring me their expertise and conversation about one of Australia's great bands that deserved more recognition from the wider public than they received. Also, thanks go to my friend, Pat Monaghan for the loan of his box set G Is For Go Betweens and for his conversations with me about the band (and about a ton of other music).

Check out the music on Doug's record label, Ape Sanctuary at https://apesanctuary.bandcamp.com/music

Download this episode of LTA from your podcast app of choice. The wider back catalogue of episodes can also be found at http://lovethatalbumpodcast.blogspot.com

Love That Album is proudly part of the Pantheon Podcast network. Go to http://pantheonpodcasts.com to check out all their great shows.

You can send me feedback at [email protected] (written or mp3 voicemail) or join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/lovethatalbum.

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