h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've just been listening to one of my all-time favourite songs and shedding a few tears. The song is 'The Wrong Road', by The Go-Betweens. It appears on a truly magnificent album called 'Liberty Belle And The Black Diamond Express' that should be owned by everyone with an appreciation of the very best alternative rock music and a glimmer of romance in their soul. It is sung by Grant McLennan, who, I have just found out, died peacefully in his sleep at the weekend: see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4984002.stm for the background. 'The Wrong Road' is an achingly lovely song about regret and yearning, and some of its words now seen terribly poignant: 'Bouquets of flowers/Lesson's over...'

The chances are that you have no idea who and what I'm talking about, because The Go-Betweens were arguably the definitive cult band. Though they wrote ravishingly beautiful melodies, they didn't become mainstream stars because they didn't dumb down. They kept releasing albums full of songs that somehow took the regular subject matter of pop music - love, thrills, loss - and made it all seem new and magical again. To hear them was to know that someone else found life simultaneously sad and scary and bewildering and marvellous. Grant and his songwriting partner Robert Forster never resorted to comforting cliches, which was why their records always got rapturous reviews, but is also why Take That's reunion and Britney's pregnancy are bigger news than Grant's passing.

The Go-Betweens split in 1989, shortly after releasing what I consider to be one of the loveliest records on this earth: '16 Lovers Lane'. McLennan and Forster pursued solo careers for a decade, and then reconvened in 2000, going on to give us three more great Go-Betweens albums that won them yet more rapturous reviews. Last year's 'Oceans Apart' was one of their finest creations; it's hideously sad to realise that I will never now see how they would have followed that, or see one of their wonderfully warm and friendly live shows again.

According to 6Music's news story ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/news/20060507_mclennan.shtml ) Grant was in love, delighted at the acclaim for 'Oceans Apart', and generally the happiest he'd been for ages at the time of his sudden death. The words of 'The Wrong Road' resonate again: 'Lucky in love/That's how life ends'. We should all be so lucky; but as the tributes piling up on the band's official website attest, 48 years still seems far too short for a life that touched so many others in the best of ways.

When I was at my most troubled, Grant McLennan's songs spoke for me and made me feel less alone. I'm deeply grateful, and I know I'll be listening to him for as long as I'm able to appreciate great music.

You're right, Ormy. I've never heard of Grant McLennan or the Go-Betweens. I'll try to find their albums. Must listen now that you have called my attention to them.

It's always sad when a talented person dies. And he was much too young.

died peacefully in his sleep age 48? Some brilliant people never make 50, I feel like a fraud

Thanks for the spare picks Ormy
I picked one of the Mahler ones, I hope you approve

for your busy times, and for DNA's 5th anniversary of his passing

Is it really five years already? I can remember that day so clearly!

There only one good thing about these brilliant guys dying when they're only slightly older than me: it makes me determined to make the most of my life, just in case what's left is shorter than I think. So I'm not going to let this busy time get me down.

The choice you've made with my pick sounds great, Annie. And by the way, I don't think you're a fraud at all.

Thank you

That was horribly indiscreet of me (above) wasn't it? Not supposed to chat about Scouty-type stuff here



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<> I'm so pleased to hear that, I wish we lived closer