STARS is currently one of Canada's most acclaimed groups, with a history of two nominations for Canada's top music awards, the Juno Awards. We were honored to receive word that Stars had expressed interest in participating in our tribute to Grant. This came at a time when we'd just announced Rare Victory's contest for the title track (and final track submission) to Love Goes On! A Tribute to Grant McLennan. And the entries that were coming in were superb, each worthy of entry onto our album….and yet there we were, with the dangling offer: "Stars is interested in recording 'Love Goes On' for the tribute." What a bind!
And then, we thought… maybe they'd agree to do "Cattle and Cane," instead. (We could squeeze in another track, right?). Up until then, all of our collaborating bands had pretty much chosen their own songs. Our ideal tribute clearly needed to include "Love Goes On," but we felt something was missing without the inclusion of "Cattle and Cane," Grant's wistful memoir of his childhood landscape, off the spectacular Before Hollywood LP. We were hesitant to recommend the song to Stars; it's quite a daunting challenge, asking someone to cover a piece that is almost synonymous to the artist who gave it life. But, having heard Stars' work, we realized that this young band had the enthusiasm, artistry, and confidence to take on this challenge….and they met it with flair. We came across one reviewer who put to words why we thought Stars could "pull it off," as it were: "They do a wonderful job of harkening to the great lovesick bands of the past while still sounding fresh and original…." And that's exactly what we were hoping for—and exactly what we got.
Personally, this song resonates with me on a deeper level. I was fortunate to sneak backstage after a Go-Betweens concert at the Roxy back in 1987. I had snuck a tape recorder into the show with me for posterity, and of course had it with me backstage. As usual, Grant was affable, and when I asked him about "Cattle and Cane" he expanded on how he came up with the distinctive rhythm of the song, how he shaped the words around this inconsistent beat that was in his head after hearing the sound of typewriter keys coming from the apartment next door to his, in Brisbane. (Or it might have been in London; in fact I think it was, back when Grant was living with Nick Cave.) Unfortunately, I was so sussed with the personal one-on-one that I never realized that the entire time we had been discussing his inspiration for my favorite Go-Betweens songs, my recorder was actually stuck on the pause button! Never had I felt such remorse & chagrin when I woke up the next morning to the realization that I had a lot of empty tape. Grant being Grant, he agreed to another interview the next day after their daytime performance at Cal State Long Beach, of all places. Hearing Stars' blissful rendition of this song reminds me of that backstage meeting with Grant, and the poolside interview that next day. I can't thank Stars (and all our contributors, really) enough for taking me back there.
Stars' fourth studio album, In Our Bedroom After War, is due to be released September 25th, and they've been busy touring, currently in Europe and with dates in North America beginning in October. Enjoy!
Cheers,
David James
Rare Victory!