Friends of Rachel Worth [Import]

1. Magic In Here

2. Spirit

3. The Clock

4. German Farmhouse

5. He Lives My Life

6. Heart And Home

7. Surfing Magazines

8. Orpheus Beach

9. Going Blind

10. Whan She Sang About Angels

11. Woman Across The Way (Bonus Track)

12. The Locust Girls (Bonus Track)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Japanese edition of their first new album in 12 years includes the bonus tracks, 'Woman Across The Way' & 'The Locust Girls' that were previously issued on the US single. Featuresthe singles, 'Surfing Magazines', 'German Farmhouse' & 'Going Blind'. 12 tracks in all. Standard jewel case. 2000 release.

Tracks:

Magic in Here
Spirit
Clock
German Farmhouse
He Lives My Life
Heart and Home
Surfing Magazines
Orpheus Beach
Going Blind
When She Sang About Angels

Amazon.com's Best of 2000

Though the presiding geniuses of the long-overlooked Aussie band the Go-Betweens have spent the last decade pursuing solo careers, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan came back together with nary a hitch for The Friends of Rachel Worth. The reunion is enhanced by their ace backing band--Sleater-Kinney and Sam Coomes (Quasi). Despite their punk rock cred, their contributions are subtle and understated, letting the Go-Betweens take center stage, where they so obviously belong. --Tod Nelson

Amazon.com

The Friends of Rachel Worth, the Go-Betweens' seventh album, arrives 12 years after the sixth. Though the interceding solo careers of songwriters Robert Forster and Grant McLennan have had their moments, all great partnerships are more than the sum of their parts, and it is to be hoped that this album encourages them to put their reunion on a permanent footing. The Friends of Rachel Worth was recorded by Forster and McLennan in Portland, Oregon, with Sleater-Kinney falling in as a backing band. All the virtues that characterized the Go-Betweens at their finest are still present: five songs each by Forster and McLennan, each one a small El Dorado of hearts and flowers. As ever, their styles are contradictory but complementary: McLennan's peerless knack for the understated, insidious melody anchors Forster's heroically overwrought posturings. In terms of the Go-Betweens' awesome back catalog, this contains the exuberant pop sense of 16 Lovers Lane, the spare and evocative arrangements of Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express, and the lyrical accomplishment of Tallulah. Ultimately, the best that can be said of The Friends of Rachel Worth is that it is worthy of being called a Go-Betweens album, and those in the know will know that praise can come no higher. --Andrew Mueller

Customer Reviews:

On the most articulate of 'tweeners', the reunited Go-Betweens.......2006-12-17

Being almost of an age with Robert Forster and the now late, great Grant McLennan, I find the transformation of the Go-Betweens from the wry, literate indie 80's band nobody ever heard of to a mellower version of themselves (best described as a sensitive, articulate adult-contemporary duo-combo nobody seems to have heard of yet) to be entirely logical. RF could not possibly have maintained the high energy level in 'Rare Breed' and 'To Reach Me' - nor would he have wanted to, because by 2000 less is more in 'Spirit' and 'He Lives My Life', sung by a wiser man. The angular side of him becomes more subtle and mischievous in 'German Farmhouse' and the delightful 'Surfing Magazines'. Methinks his old friend GM has rubbed off on him... And as for McLennan, he is more tuneful than ever, his songs now refreshingly outside of time. His voice, no longer so reedy, could still belt out 'Bachelor Kisses' and 'The Wrong Road' if he wished, (as in fact he chose to), but bear in mind what a pleasure it is to hear each and every contribution he makes to this album. 'Orpheus Beach' takes one's breath away, and 'Going Blind' is pure fun that takes me back to my childhood days while still sounding entirely fresh. (After all, we are almost of an age, the Go-Betweens and I.....)

A lovable keeper, an innocent pleasure from start to finish.

Comeback Glory.......2005-06-21

One of the rare bands that bowed out in an unquestionable high(in what's arguably their masterpiece-1988's "16 Lovers Lane")the Go Betweens nonetheless decided to reconvene 12 years later for "Friends of Rachel Worth" which immediately made clear just how much the world was nmissing with their absence.

Nobody has the flair for guitar with the degree of charm that Robert Forster and Grant McLennan so easily display in all their compositions.

So,another handful of classics from the already exceedingly fruitful minds behind one of the most underrated bands in music.

Top cuts-"The Clock","Magic in Here","German Farmhouse","Surfing Magazines"and "Going Blind".

A Welcome Return.......2003-12-21

What can you be disappointed in when one of the best bands ever comes back together again. This is like John Lennon and George Harrison coming back from the dead and Paul McCartney and Ringo joining them after many years. Happy Days, and they still can put out the gems!

This album does not have as many gems as the previous one - 1988's 16 Lover's Lane or the one after it - 2002's Bright Yellow Bright Orange, but it is still good to hear!

People Move On.......2003-06-24

The problem with some of the other reviews of this album (particularly Thoutah) is that they don't acknowledge that artists who write particularly personal songs are constantly changing their personal situations and perspectives on the world, which ultimately will change the type of songs they write and albums they produce.

With regard to the Friends of Rachel Worth, I would advise anyone not to obssesively compare this album to what the Go-Betweens released in the 80s. Yes, "Streets of Your Town" deserved the NMEs rating of the best single released in the 1980s, but that honor doesn't obligate the Go-Betweens to continue to write this song over and over again. Instead, view this album as Robert Forster and Grant McLennan bringing their individual life experiences in the 90s back into the collective enterprise that is the Go-Betweens. As the circumstances of Robert's life change (wife, children etc..) he like any person is apt to reflect upon his life, what it means that a generation after him now exists, and to contrast his current life to his past. For instance, "Surfing Magazines" is a brilliant take on Robert's view of himself as an outsider to the prevailing "surfie" culture that existed in the 70s when he was growing up in Brisbane. The song both simultaneously mocks this lifestyle and the fact that he once yearned for it. If that doesn't show progress in his writing, I'm not sure what does.

Similarly, Grant is showcasing his songs in a low-fi setting-somehat similar to the production values of Robert's solo efforts. So, even though his songs might not necessarily sound as "shimmery" and upbeat as his usual output, I think they are indicative of a maturing talent who is adjusting his expecations of the world and is thankful for what it provides him.

This whole notion of preserving a fixed viewpoint of a group and the individuals that make up the group is something that is common amongst people who never got to see a group perform in their original incarnation, and therefore can't relate to them as an organic group who will change as time and circumstances dictate, but instead regard them as a painting or some other artifact that can be displayed as demonstration of their own good taste.

Ignore the reviews, buy the album and enjoy the fact these two masters are working together again!

A Friend of the Go-Betweens.......2002-08-01

Not so much a dramatic 'comeback' as never been away! I love this album, it grows with every listen. I first got into the GBs around the time of 'Liberty Belle' and saw them live here in England during the 'Tallulah' tour, now 15 years ago.

These songs are mature, sometimes gentle, evocative and warm. The lyrics to 'German Farmhouse' are implanted in my brain. How can Forster and McLennan be such good songwriters and SO under-rated?

Tracks:

Magic In Here
Spirit
The Clock
German Farmhouse
He Lives My Life
Heart And Home
Surfing Magazines
Orpheus Beach
Going Blind
Whan She Sang About Angels
Woman Across The Way (Bonus Track)
The Locust Girls (Bonus Track)

Album Description

Japanese edition of their first new album in 12 years includes the bonus tracks, 'Woman Across The Way' & 'The Locust Girls' that were previously issued on the US single. Featuresthe singles, 'Surfing Magazines', 'German Farmhouse' & 'Going Blind'. 12 tracks in all. Standard jewel case. 2000 release.

Average customer rating:

Friends of Rachel Worth

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00005HXYR
Release Date: 2001-04-24

Album Description

Average customer rating:

Friends of Rachel Worth
Go-Betweens
Manufacturer: Phantom Sound & Vision
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Chamber Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000BRI4AA
Release Date: 2001-12-06

Average customer rating:

The Friends of Rachel Worth
The Go-Betweens
Manufacturer: Emi
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Australia & New Zealand | International | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00005V8CK
Release Date: 2000-09-04

Tracks:

Magic In Here
Spirit
The Clock
German Farmhouse
He Lives My Life
Heart And Home
Surfing Magazines
Orpheus Beach
Going Blind
When She Sang About Angels

Album Details

Featuring the Band's Two Founders and Songwriters Robert Forster and Grant Mclennan, the Album features a String of Guest Musicians, Most Notably Elliott Smith and Steve Malkmus (Ex-pavement).

Rock Music:

Rock Music