The Go-Betweens

Tallulah, the Go-Betweens fifth album, was supposed to be the band's breakthrough recording in America. That said, its sound is nearly a full-on break with the edginess that began to fade on 1986's Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express. More lush, rounded, polished, it sounds like a record made in the mid-'80s thanks in large part to Lindy Morrison's use of drum programs in addition to her trap kit. Add to this the contributions of new member Amanda Brown on violin, oboe, and backing vocals and one has a revamped band. Fans didn't take to the new sound with kindness initially, but the songwriting of Forster and McLennan was so much more focused and taut, it more than compensates for production errors. This 2004 reissue by Bernard MacMahon's Lo-Max label in London (and Jet Set in the U.S.) is the definitive presentation of this underrated recording. Along with Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express and 16 Lovers Lane, Tallulah makes up the trilogy that defines the Go-Betweens massive if under-recognized contribution to pop. The slipcase packaging contains two gloriously remastered CDs (by Bill Inglot and Dave Schultz), loads of photos, lyrics, complete session notes, and liners by no less than Robert Christgau and Carola Bibbell. Disc one contains the original album presented in all its sheeny glory and is accompanied at its end by videos for "Right Here" and "Bye Bye Pride." Disc two is loaded with ten bonus cuts. There are early versions of "I Just Get Caught Out," "Right Here," and "The Clarke Sisters," as well as live radio performances of "If I Was a Rich Man/The House That Jack Kerouac Built," and "Bye Bye Pride." In addition to these alternates are songs that didn't make the final cut for the album. There's the stuttering white-boy R&B of "Time in the Desert," the country hoe-down stomp of "Don't Call Me Gone" -- that sounds more like the Mekons than the Go-Betweens -- the odd dirge "When People Are Dead," the angular pop of "A Little Romance," and the utterly charming throwaway, "Doo Wop in "A" (Bam Boom)." Presented in this way, Tallulah deserves a major reappraisal by fans for its wit as well as its wonder. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide