Part Company
"Part Company" | ||||
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Single by The Go-Betweens | ||||
from the album Spring Hill Fair | ||||
A-side | Part Company | |||
B-side | Just a King in Mirrors | |||
Released |
0 August 1984 (see release history) | |||
Format |
7" vinyl 12" vinyl | |||
Recorded |
November 1983 Pathway Studios, London | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:53 | |||
Label | Sire | |||
Writer(s) | Grant McLennan, Robert Forster[1] | |||
Producer(s) | John Brand | |||
The Go-Betweens singles chronology | ||||
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"Part Company" is the first single taken from The Go-Betweens third album, Spring Hill Fair. It was released in August 1984 by Sire Records with "Just a King in Mirrors" as the B-side.[2] In the UK a 12" single was also released on Sire.[3] The single failed to make an impact on the charts.
In November 1983 the band recorded a number of demos commissioned by Rough Trade for their third album, at Pathway Studios, with producer John Brand.[4] "Newton Told Me" was re-recorded after originally being considered as a B-side for "Man O'Sand to Girl O'Sea" and recorded by the band in May 1983.[4] "Part Company" was also re-recorded in May 1984 for its subsequent inclusion in Spring Hill Fair.
Forster later indicated in an interview that McLennan had told him that "Just a King in Mirrors" was about Nick Cave, who he was close too at the time.[5]
Critical reception
In his review of Spring Hill Fair, at Allmusic, Ned Raggett describes the song as having "an almost-Smiths-like all-around performance on the verses spiked with an at once inspirational and regret-laden chorus."[6] In a more detailed review of the song, Raggett states that it "demonstrates so many of the Go-Betweens' core strengths it's practically a role model for anyone seeking inspiration -- a literate but not obnoxiously so lyric, a fine lead performance from Forster, an arrangement that throws in some subtle tweaks (and a suddenly all the more intense chorus) to the straightforward electric/acoustic combination. The keyboards throwing sound like a nervous, uncomfortable wail, Lindy Morrison's drums are among her strongest, and the whole song seems to capture an uneasy combination of diffidence and sudden yearning down to its fadeout."[7]
Pitchfork's Doulas Wolk comments that "Part Company" is "Bob Dylan's 'Blood on the Tracks' refracted through Australian rehearsal room windows.[8]
Steve Bell (TheMusic.com.au) advises that "the song features strong lyrics and some serious six-string interplay (the combination of Forster and McLennan’s guitars that would later become so important basically started here) but never really managed to gather much traction."[9]
Track listing
All songs written and composed by G. McLennan, R. Forster[1].
7" vinyl release | ||
---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length |
1. | "Part Company" | 4:53 |
2. | "Just a King in Mirrors" | 2:58 |
Total length: |
7:51 |
All songs written and composed by G. McLennan, R. Forster, except where noted..
12" vinyl release | ||
---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length |
1. | "Part Company" | 4:53 |
2. | "Just a King in Mirrors" | 2:58 |
3. | "Newton Told Me" | 2:33 |
Total length: |
10:24 |
Release history
Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue |
---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | August 1984 | Sire | 7" vinyl | W 9211 |
12" vinyl | W 9211-T | |||
Credits
- The Go-Betweens
- Grant McLennan — guitar
- Lindy Morrison — drums
- Robert Forster — vocals, guitar
- Robert Vickers — bass
- Production
- Producer, Engineer – John Brand
- Photographer — Bleddyn Butcher
References
- 1 2 "'Part Company' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 3 August 2015. Note: User may have to click on 'Search again' and provide details at 'Enter a title:', e.g. Part Company; or at 'Performer:' The Go-Betweens.
- ↑ "The Go-Betweens: Part Company". Go-Betweens.org.uk. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
- ↑ "Go-Betweens, The - Part Company". Discogs. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
- 1 2 David, Nichols (2003). The Go-Betweens. Portland, OR: Verse Chorus Press. ISBN 1-891241-16-8. Note: [online] version has limited functionality.
- ↑ Jelbert, Steve. "The Ten Rules of Rock 'n' Roll". The Quietus. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
- ↑ Raggett, Ned. "Spring Hill Fair - The Go-Betweens". Allmusic. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
- ↑ Raggett, Ned. "Part Company - The Go-Betweens". Allmusic. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
- ↑ Wolk, Douglas (22 January 2015). "The Go-Betweens - G Stands for Go-Betweens: Volume 1, 1978-1984". Pitchfork. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
- ↑ Bell, Steve (26 September 2014). "A Look Back At The Go-Betweens' 1984 Classic 'Spring Hill Fair'". TheMusic.com.au. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
External links
- "Part Company" @ AllMusic
- "Part Company" @ MusicBrainz
- "Part Company" @ Discogs
- Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
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