The Go-Betweens - Early Years

Early Years

Robert Forster and Grant McLennan met at the University of Queensland where both were taking a theatre arts course. Forster on vocals, song writing, and guitar, and McLennan on vocals, song writing and bass guitar formed The Go-Betweens in December 1977 in Brisbane, Australia. The name of the band reflects L.P. Hartley's classic novel, The Go-Between. The band made its first public appearance as the support for The Numbers at Baroona Hall in Brisbane, in early April 1978.

We performed two songs, and as soon as we got off stage, Mark Callaghan, Robert Vickers - we met them all, in five minutes ... They immediately asked us to play a second show. —Robert Forster

The band however were still minus a drummer, having borrowed Gerard Lee for their first show. They had a succession of drummers starting with Bruce Anthon (ex-The Survivors). With a guest drummer, Dennis Cantwell (The Riptides), they recorded their debut single, "Lee Remick", in May 1978. The song, an ode to the US actress, was released on the independent Able label in September 1978. The B-side to the single, "Karen", was a love song to a librarian. The sleeve depicts Forster and McLennan alongside portraits of Bob Dylan, Che Guevara and Lee Remick. The band sent copies to record labels around the world, with interest shown by the UK arm of America's Beserkley Records. The group's first real drummer was Temucin 'Tim' Mustafa, recruited after the recording of "Lee Remick", although he appears on the picture sleeve of the single. The band further expanded with the addition of guitarist, Peter Milton Walsh. Beserkley offered the band a contract, that proposed the re-issue of "Lee Remick" and "Karen" as two singles, followed by an eight album deal. The band recorded two more songs for Beserkley in November 1978 (including "The Sound of Rain") however when Beserkley went bust weeks later Walsh left to form The Apartments.

The band's second single, "People Say", which was recorded in May 1979, was produced by The Go-Betweens with Mustapha on drums and Malcolm Kelly on piano and organ. The B-side, "Don't Let Him Come Back", is a farewell to Walsh, who remained friends with Forster and McLennan. From May 1978 to May 1979, the group recorded some tracks live in Forster's bedroom using McLennan's two-track tape deck—they were not released until 1999 as 78 'Til 79: The Lost Album, which also includes both sides of the first two singles. These songs were simple pop tunes with a rough New Wave edge, an obvious blend of pure pop influences such as The Monkees with the gritty simplicity of The Velvet Underground.

In November 1979, the duo left Australia, with a plan to shop their songs from record company to record company simply by visiting their offices and playing them. In Glasgow, Scotland, on 28 April 1980, for independent label Postcard, they recorded their next single, "I Need Two Heads", with Steven Daly of Scottish band, Orange Juice, guesting on drums and Alex Fergusson producing. Forster returned to Australia in June 1980, whilst McLennan continued to New York. They followed Australian contemporaries The Birthday Party to the busier music scene in London. "I Need Two Heads" peaked at No. 6 on the UK independent charts. Upon return to Brisbane they were joined by Belinda "Lindy" Morrison (ex-Xero) on drums in 1980. In November 1980 the band played their first Sydney show at the Palais Theatre, supporting The Birthday Party and the Laughing Clowns. The band impressed Missing Link Records label boss, Keith Glass, which had re-issued "I Need Two Heads" for the Australian market, and offered to release the band's next single. Their fourth single, the first with Morrison, "Your Turn My Turn", was recorded in Sydney with Tony Cohen (The Birthday Party) in April 1981. The single was released in September. They recorded ten tracks as demos in Brisbane during 1981, which were released as Very Quick on the Eye by Man Made Records in 1982, the tracks showed that Morrison's "drum abilities, always a deeply underrated part of the band's appeal, fit hand in glove with the arrangements". By this time, Forster and Morrison were lovers and Morrison was living in Spring Hill.

The band's first official album, Send Me a Lullaby, produced by The Go-Betweens and Tony Cohen, on Missing Link in Australia, was released as an eight-track mini-album in November 1981. Missing Link's UK distributors, Rough Trade, released the album in the UK, three months later, with four tracks added. Morrison provided the album title, in preference to Two Wimps and a Witch, from a Zelda Fitzgerald novel Save Me the Waltz. The group had developed a subtler sound consisting of dry semi-spoken vocals, complex lyrics and melodic but fractious guitar pop influenced by contemporary bands such as Television, Wire and Talking Heads. Australian rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, described the album as "tentative and clumsy its brittle, rough-hewn sound". Forster and McLennan wrote all the tracks, they alternated lead vocal duties, except "People Know" which had Morrison on vocals and James Freud (Models) guesting on saxophone. Enticed by Rough Trade, the band relocated to London. The band's next single, "Hammer the Hammer", was released by Rough Trade, in July 1982. In 2002, UK label Circus released a 2× CD version of Send Me a Lullaby which included "After the Fireworks" recorded as a collaboration with The Birthday Party's Nick Cave on vocals, Mick Harvey on piano and Rowland S. Howard on guitar. It had been released as a single under the band name, Tuff Monks in 1982 on Au Go Go Records.