The Go-Betweens - Freakchild

The Go-Betweens had planned a follow-up to 16 Lovers Lane, to be called either Freakchild or Perfumed, Poisoned and Dangerous. In October 89, they demoed 21 songs - almost all acoustic - known by fans as the unreleased ‘last’ Go-Betweens album, Botany, as they were recorded in Grant's Botany Street home.

No tracklisting for Freakchild (the preferred title) is known. An ersatz Freakchild was created by their British record label in 2002, consisting of live recordings from their last ever gig in Sydney, 1989, and Botany demos.

I was there the day the label made the CDRs. I ventured the idea that the sound recording was poor, that it was a terrible cash-in, and it was unlikely that Robert and Grant would go for it.

I don’t know if the idea was ever presented to Robert and Grant. Nothing came of this proposed Freakchild. Here’s a Grant McLennan gem, Nowhere By Any Other Name, from Freakchild: