view from baxter

May 13, 2006

G.W. McLennan

Grant McLennan died unexpectedly last weekend. One of the two main guys in the Go-Betweens, he wrote songs with gorgeous melodies and cryptic lyrics, the kind of songs that sound minor at first but grow with every listen. They deserve to be listened to twice, and they've always deserved a wider audience then they had. Whether the music world knows it or not, they've lost someone huge. Rest in peace Grant.

It's probably a litle weird to seperate Grant's songs from his bandmate Robert Forester's, they complimented each other so well. however, here's an itunes link to an imix i made that should be a decent starting point for Grant's songs. If you're looking for a good place to start getting to know the Go-Betweens, I'd recomend Tallulah from the mid-80s, or perhaps their last live album that striped sunlight sound.

[update] sad obit can be found here, written by robert christgau, one of mclennan's american champions. (whether or not you knew mclennan, the first paragraph might make you cry.)

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