Go-Betweens, The-16 Lovers Lane (Great Australian Albums 2) (2008)

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General		Extras
Category	Documentary	Interviews-Cast-Amanda Brown (21.15) Interviews-Cast-Robert Forster (37.52) Interviews-Cast-Lindy Morrison (8.09)
Rating
Year Of Production	2008
Running Time	52:00
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	None Given
Studio Distributor	Madman Entertainment	Starring	None Given
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	?	Music	None Given

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    The Go-Betweens were arguably Australia's finest rock/pop band - a band that never really had mainstream success. Their heyday was in the 80's and, line-up changes included, they have released some 9 albums. This part of the Great Australian Albums series focuses on their 1987 album 16 Lovers Lane. It was an important release for many reasons. It was the album that finally promised to lead them into the big-time with the pop confection that was Streets of Your Town. That never happened and the band toured then crashed and burned soon after, not releasing another record for 12 years.

If there is any abiding impression left by the Great Albums series it is that making records is hard. Band members fight, producers struggle to capture the right sound and the bands question their resolve to make music. 16 Lovers Lane was no exception. Golden Era bass player Robert Vickers had left the band after Tallulah and was replaced by rough diamond John Willsteed who apparently had a negative influence on the band allegedly through regular intoxication and a lack of belief in the skills of other band members. Songsmith Robert Forster and drummer and co-founder Lindy Morrison were going through a break-up and she was enduring a family crisis which left her very little time to spend in the studio.

About the only ones who were having fun were co-writer Grant McLennan and multi-instrumentalist Amanda Brown who were still in love. Only a year after the record came out the band broke up for reasons that remain sketchy. There's a reason Morrison and Brown don't appear in the same room as Forster (McLennan having died of a heart attack in 2006) as they still can't forgive the boys for the manner of the disbanding.

Crises can often produce great art and 16 Lovers Lane benefitted from a blend of the boundless joy of love and the quiet despair at the loss of it.

Lovers of The Go-Betweens may well baulk at the choice of album to celebrate. Some, like me, found Springhill Fair and Tallulah to be the highest points of the band and yet others see Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express to be their masterpiece. In truth, every Go-Betweens album is a masterpiece of sorts - however, it is perhaps the case that none meant quite so much for the history of the band as 16 Lovers Lane.

This is a fine documentary for lovers of the band and will no doubt send fans scouring YouTube for other songs and concert footage of the band. The great songs from the album like Love Goes On, Dive for your Memory, The Devil's Eye and others are given full treatment even if Robert Forster's descriptions of the basis of the songs make less sense than the lyrics themselves!

Video

   This iteration of the Great Australian Albums series is transferred to DVD using the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio.

It comprises new interview material and older interviews featuring Grant McLennan. Additionally there are excerpts from a number of video clips dating back to the Countdown video of Cattle & Cane from 1982.

The video quality varies according to the quality of the source. There are minor imperfections throughout though the recent video material is as good as might be expected.

The historical excerpts contain some aliasing, compression issues and some minor damage. Truth be told fans are more likely to be horrified at the 80's videos including the wacked out Was There Anything I Could Do? video than the visual quality of the material.

There are no subtitles.

Video Ratings Summary

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Audio

  The sound for the show is Dolby Digital 2.0 running at 224 Kb/s.

This has always, on paper, seemed horrifying for a show about music. However, the music use is generally limited to snippets of each song. The idea is that after the show you will grab out the CD and reflect in the glory of it.

The interview footage is all clear and easy to understand. There are no technical problems with the sound and the musical interludes sound accurate and engaging if not fully sonically satisfying.

Audio sync is fine.

Audio Ratings Summary

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Interviews-Amanda Brown, Lindy Morrison and Robert Forster

The DVD case mentions no extras. It was a pleasant surprise to notice that there are extended interview sequences featuring Amanda Brown, Robert Forster and Lindy Morrison. Although not indispensible these extended interviews give us a deeper insight into the character of these artists.

    This DVD is only available in Region 4.

  The Go-Betweens had many great albums. 16 Lovers Lane was amongst them and represented in some ways a high water mark of the bands' themes and also the death knell for their creative union.

This DVD helps understand what went on and why it came to an end. As Molly would say "do yourself a favour" and buy their back catalogue!

Video
Audio
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