''Calling from a Country Phone'' is the second album by former

Go-Between An intermediary (or go-between) is a third party that offers intermediation services between two parties, which involves conveying messages between principals in a dispute, preventing direct contact and potential escalation of the issue. In law ...

Robert Forster Robert Wallace Forster Jr. (July 13, 1941 – October 11, 2019) was an American actor, known for his roles as John Cassellis in ''Medium Cool'' (1969), Captain Dan Holland in ''The Black Hole'' (1979), Abdul Rafai in ''The Delta Force'' (1986), ...

, and his first self-produced disc. Drummer Glenn Thompson would later join Forster and

Grant McLennan Grant William McLennan (12 February 19586 May 2006) was an Australian alternative rock singer-songwriter-guitarist. He co-founded the Go-Betweens with Robert Forster in Brisbane in 1977. In addition to his work with the Go-Betweens (1977–89, ...

in a reformed Go-Betweens years later. The album also features

Custard Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on sweetened milk, cheese, or cream cooked with egg or egg yolk to thicken it, and sometimes also flour, corn starch, or gelatin. Depending on the recipe, custard may vary in consistency fro ...

frontman

David McCormack David Liam McCormack (born 25 October 1968) is an Australian musician and singer-songwriter. He is best known as frontman of Brisbane-based rock group Custard,McFarlan'Custard'entry. Retrieved 23 February 2010.Spencer et al, (2007McCormack, D ...

on lead guitar.

Details

Forster had recently returned to Australia from Germany. "I came back with an agenda, because I had an album written. I wanted to come back and find some musicians in Brisbane, and I wanted to record it probably at Sunshine. There wasn't a better studio in town." Forster was unsure where to find local musicians. He said, "So I went to the one place in Brisbane where, if you’re a little bit disoriented, you’re looking for information, you’re looking for people – there’s only one place you can go. So I walked into Rockinghorse Records, and I said to Warwick Vere – who’s run the shop since 1975 – 'I need a band. I need some young musicians around town.' He told me to go to the Queens Arms on a Sunday night, down there on James Street. I walked in and there was a band on stage called COW. " COW (Country or Western) were a Bob Moore band that featured Dave McCormack from

and future member of the Go-Betweens and Custard, Glenn Thompson. As Forster's backing band, they toured under the name the Silver Backwash.

Reception

Lisa Kearns, writing in the Melbourne ''Age'' of Forster’s ‘idiosyncratic brilliance’, praised the album as a ‘softly glowing, moody, and many-faceted concoction that gathers memories from the years Forster spent travelling the globe, from Los Angeles to Berlin.’Lisa Kearns, ‘Robert Forster: Calling from a Country Phone’ Melbourne Age 11 June 1993 p. 31

Track listing

All songs written by Robert Forster. #"Atlanta Lie Low" – 3:13 #"121" – 3:28 #"The Circle" – 3:45 #"Falling Star" – 4:05 #"I Want to Be Quiet" – 3:34 #

"Cat's Life" – 3:52 #"Girl to a World" – 4:18 #"Drop" – 4:08 #"Beyond Their Law" – 5:03 #"Forever & Time" – 2:48

Personnel

– guitar, vocals *John Bone – violin, piano, organ *David McCormack – guitar *Robert Moore – bass *Dallas Southam – pedal steel, acoustic guitar *Glenn Thompson – drums

References

{{Authority control 1993 albums Robert Forster (musician) albums Beggars Banquet Records albums