Time and alcohol draw a veil over many things: specific dates, exactly who was there, precisely what was played. Still, I watched a documentary on the making of The Go-Betweens extraordinary final album, 16 Lovers Lane, and was motivated to send a shout out from the blog to my friend, Russell B. Farr.
Sometime during my semi-social years, back before I was married and actually lived on Coode Street, Russell B. Farr bought some tickets to go see Robert Forster and Grant W. McLennan play in a fleabitten pit underneath His Majesty’s Theatre on Hay Street in downtown Perth.
The building is wedding cake affair, lovely and perfect. The venue was basically a subterranean bar into which several hundred soon-to-be-sweaty folk could be pressed. Farr told me I was going. I aquiesced – as I recall – out of good manners. Karen might have come along, but I don’t recall right now. I knew of The Go-Betweens, but had paid no attention to them when they were a live band (they were outside my Countdown centred world). I only really knew of McLennan from his solo material (an album the title of which now escapes me ).
Anyhow, I was dragged into this fleapit and was given a revelation. From “Cattle and Cain” to “Streets of our Town” to “Lee Remick”. It was marvelous, transcendant – one of the great music experiences of my life. So, my thanks to Russell for a gift I cannot repay. And, one more spin down lovers lane.
damn, missed it.
Amen, brother.
There was a firm called “Maclennan-Forster” in the fourth series of 24, by the way.
Head the Jack Frost albums?
hey meika: it’ll come round again, and will certainly be on dvd. it’s the first in the new series of ‘great australia albums’ on sbs.
al: i’ve not watched 24, but interesting. i have heard the jack frost albums – they actually had a couple hit singles here at the time. in fact, steve kilbey was on a music quiz show just before the 16 lovers lane documentary, and performed a live duet version of ‘streets of our town’. small world.