On September 25, Beggars Banquet Records will reissue three studio albums and one live recording by the Australian band The Go-Betweens, originally released in the second half of the 1980s. Liberty Belle And The Black Diamond Express (1986), Tallulah (1987), and the masterpiece 16 Lovers Lane (1988) will be available individually on vinyl and CD.
These albums were created during the period known as the “London years,” when the group lived and worked in the English capital. In addition to the trio of studio albums, the reissue series includes the live album Fountains of Youth (Live at the Town and Country Club), recorded in 1987 and previously available only in the box set G Stands for Go-Betweens Volume 2 (2019).
Considered the standout among these reissues and often dubbed “the indie Rumours”—a reference to the Fleetwood Mac classic—16 Lovers Lane reflects a turbulent period of intense emotional upheaval for the group. Its melancholic and captivating love songs were written in London before the band returned to Sydney to record the album. The album’s first single was the upbeat “Streets Of Your Town.”
The album’s atmosphere directly captured the dynamics of the group’s internal relationships: guitarist and vocalist Robert Forster had just broken up with drummer Lindy Morrison, while the band’s other leader, Grant McLennan, was beginning a relationship with violinist and vocalist Amanda Brown.
