Album Review: The Go-Betweens - Quiet Heart: The Best Of The Go-Betweens

There have been a couple of prior compilations honouring the work of The Go-Betweens, but Quiet Heart is the first since they completed that wonderful second career phase, which added three albums to their canon and which was of course cut short by the tragic passing of founding member Grant McLennan in 2006. As such this becomes the definitive summary of this iconic Brisbane band, and it's thrilling to hear classic tunes from their early years such as Bachelor Kisses, Right Here and Dive For Your Memory rubbing shoulders with more recent fare such as The Clock and Here Comes A City, a progression on display despite the clear shared heritage and craftsmanship which binds them all together.

The way that the distinct writing styles and delivery of McLennan and his friend and co-creator Robert Forster complement each other never fails to delight (and even sometimes confound), and that symbiotic relationship is perfectly captured here with deft song selection and sequencing. Throw in illuminating liner notes and a robust remastering regime and this is a brilliant career-spanning collection.

But wait, that's not all. Quiet Heart is accompanied by bonus disc Live In Vienna, which captures them onstage in the titular city in 1987 and allows them to add such staples as The House That Jack Kerouac Built, Man O'Sand To Girl O'Sea and Apology Accepted into the already heady mix, and showcase a different, slightly wilder side of this great band. The Go-Betweens are as much a national treasure as a Queensland one, and possession of this fantastic overview should be mandatory for discerning music lovers rather than merely recommended.