Going Blind (The Go-Betweens song)

"Going Blind" is a song by the Australian indie rock band The Go-Betweens that was released as the lead single from their seventh album The Friends of Rachel Worth. It was released as a CD single by W. Minc Records (the label of their former manager, Steve Miller) in Australia, on the Circus Records label in the United Kingdom and Jetset Records (for whom former band member, Robert Vickers, was the label's publicist) in the United States in September 2000.[2] "Going Blind" was The Go-Betweens' first single since "Love Goes On" in 1989.

"Going Blind"
Single by The Go-Betweens
from the album The Friends of Rachel Worth
A-side"Going Blind"
ReleasedSeptember 2000
Recorded9–22 February 2000
Jackpot Recording Studios
Portland, Oregon
Genre
Length2:55
LabelTrifekta
Songwriter(s)Robert Forster, Grant McLennan[1]
Producer(s)The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens singles chronology
"Streets of Your Town"
(1989)		 "Going Blind"
(2000)		 "Surfing Magazines"
(2001)

Recording

The song was recorded during the recording sessions for The Friends of Rachel Worth at the Jackpot Recording Studios in Portland, Oregon. As the band's previous drummer, Glen Thompson, was unavailable they took up an offer from Sleater-Kinney's drummer, Janet Weiss, to fill in.[3] Weiss' partner Sam Coomes (Quasi) was included on keyboards, together with the other members of Sleater-Kinney, Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker.[4]

Brownstein commenting "I played guitar on 'Going Blind' and Corin sang on that song. I really had a good time but I was there so briefly that it was all work, I just went in and did it and left. My part on the records, which they loved - "Oh, that's perfect!" - that was so funny because basically what I did was listen to all my Go-Betweens records, and just write a Go-Betweens part. And they were like, "it's great!" I said "well thank, but that's because it's exactly what you do on your records.""[3]

After recording the album, Forster and McLennan took the master tapes to Germany to mix them with Mario Thaler at Uphon Tonstudios in Wellheim. The album's sound engineer, Larry Crane, stating "I still don't enjoy the mixes for 'German Farmhouse' or 'Going Blind'; I think the vocals are too loud."[3]

Reception

Allmusic's Ned Raggett commented that "It would have been extremely amusing had this been a cover of the similarly titled Kiss song, if only for the image of Grant McLennan wailing like a banshee while Robert Forster spat blood. Such a pleasure was denied, but it was all for the good; this Friends of Rachel Worth selection has its own brief (under three minutes) and gently active energy, reminiscent of solo songs like "Lighting Fires" as much as his band efforts. Janet Weiss's drumming shows why she was a fine choice to stand in for Lindy Morrison, adding both power and subtle grace in equal measure to the song, while her gentle backing vocals back McLennan's portrait of emotional bemusement just so. It doesn't stand forth and scream its genius, but then when did that ever describe the Go-Betweens anyway? Its low-key quality is all there for the enjoying."[5]

Richard A. Martin in CMJ New Music Monthly stated, "the assertive, kind of jaunty single, 'Going Blind' ranks with 'Cattle and Cane' and other early favourites, an amazing feat for a band that skipped a decade."[6]

Spin was not so complimentary, stating "in Thomas Pynchon's 1963 novel V. there's a character named Gouveneur 'Roony' Winsome, owner of Outlandish Records. If there ever was one single song designed to be released by that label, it would be this outlandishly winsome little pop tune from an 80's band that's as out of place as it is out of time. But then, if life was as excellent as Pynchon novels, sweet little nothing Go-Betweens would be stars."[7]

Track listing

All tracks are written by R. Forster, G. McLennan[1]

No.TitleLength
1."Going Blind"2:55
2."Woman Across the Way"2:55
3."The Locust Girls"3:25
Total length:9:15

Release history
Date Region Label Format Catalogue
2000 Australia W. Minc CD single 8894282[8]
United Kingdom Circus CIRCUS CDS002 [9]
Europe Clearspot CS 042 [10]
United States Jetset TWA32CD

Personnel
Go-Betweens
Additional musicians
Production
  • Artwork, Photography - Martin Schori
  • Engineer – Larry Crane
  • Mixing - Mario Thaler
  • Producer - The Go-Betweens

References
  1. "'Going Blind' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2015. Note: User may have to click on 'Search again' and provide details at 'Enter a title:', e.g. Going Blind; or at 'Performer:' The Go-Betweens.
  2. "The Go-Betweens - Going Blind". Go-Betweens.org.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  3. David, Nichols (2003). The Go-Betweens. Portland, OR: Verse Chorus Press. ISBN 1-891241-16-8. Note: [online] version has limited functionality.
  4. Ware, Gareth (18 February 2015). "The Go-Betweens // Feature". London in Stereo. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  5. Raggett, Ned. "Going Blind - The Go-Betweens". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  6. "CMJ New Music Monthly" (87). CMJ Media. November 2000: 62. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. "Spin". 17. Spin Media. March 2001: 149. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. "Go-Betweens - Going Blind". Discogs. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  9. "Go-Betweens - Going Blind". Discogs. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  10. "Go-Betweens - Going Blind". Discogs. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
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