Well, the night apparently went so well at the art space, that the group decided to do more than the one-off that was planned. They decided to do further collaboration and call themselves "F.O.C" which according to Grant could stand for "Far Out Corporation," "Fear of Commitment," "Face of Concern," etc. (Like Robert's Tag Five, Grant prefers to be a bit vague about it all.) Grant describes the music as "melodic, groovy pop music" and says F.O.C is a "dense band."

They are going to release an album, which was recorded in Brisbane and Sydney, in July on Polydor in the UK. Grant says the record company plans to do a few videos.

There will also be a floating fifth member, who may be Tim Whitten, who produced the record. Grant hopes to do extensive work with the group on the web, play at art fairs, etc, since the group's genesis was somewhat "experimental" and "conceptual" in nature.This record seems to be a good move for Grant, and he was very excited about the group. It seems like this new way of writing will mix things up a bit for him, and challenge him in a new way. "

- In Your Bright Ray
- Cave In
- One Plus One
- Sea Breeze
- Malibu '69
- Who Said Love
- Room For Skin
- All Them Pretty Angels
- Comet Scar
- Down Here
- Lamp By Lamp
- Can You See The Lights?
- Parade of Shadows

The recent Go-Betweens concerts having reminded us - just in case we had forgotten - that he is one of the finest songwriters that straddled this wonderous planet of pop, Grant McLennan's current opus was always going to have a lot to live up to.
Which is not to say that his previous, post Go-Betweens work is not up to scratch (show me someone who is unmoved by 'Fingers' - from 1993's Fireboy - and I'll show you a corpse; while many a Revenants set-list has been embellished by 'Haven't I Been A Fool' from McLennan's first solo album, Watershed, and 1995's double album, Horsebreaker Star, had it's own country flavoured charm).
As it transpires, McLennan no longer hovers around the dark side of town, as illustrated by the song titles - 'In Your Bright Ray', 'Lamp By Lamp', 'Do You See The Lights?'. He's woken up, thrown back the curtains and declared that, yes, the sun does look good today and has generally stopped himself from thinking too much about the battered wives down the street. Now he sees "pretty angels.. on fire with light".
'One Plus One' is a fine acoustic-led strum through a delirious summer of sun and sex, 'Who Said Love Was Dead' is an equally engaging meditation on life, love, death and whatever you're having yourself and boasts loose, Velvets-style drumming which Mo Tucker herself would approve of.
The highlight, though, is probably 'Comet Scar'. Lyrically, it's a nephew to The Only Ones' 'Another Girl, Another Planet'...but musically, it's a homage to Robert Forster's Go-Betweens classic, 'Rock 'n' Roll Friend' (the opening bars are an exact replica). It's a beautiful song.
But if there's no real 'Wrong Road' or 'Bachelor Kisses' here, maybe we should just accept that he's moved on and is painting the world as he now sees it. It's still an impressive view, all the same. In Your Bright Ray is the sound of a man who is at peace with himself and the world. - Nick Kelly - Hot Press

"It was clear at the clutch of recent Robert Forster/Grant McLennan Go-Betweens reunion gigs that the two songwriters utterly loved every minute of reliving their past. But, despite a previous career as one of the brightest pop bands to ever take up guitars, they are both still making great work on their own. McLennan believes this to be quite possibly his best solo work to date. From the bursting energy of the opening title track, through the chiming melodies of track upon track of gentle nostalgia, and even when things rock out just a little more (the cascading 'Malibu 69' for example), 'In Your Bright Ray' is an album from someone who always gives such pleasure even when he pleases himself." - Laura Lee Davies - Time Out

"Respect, suffice to say, is due. Alongside the similarly fawned-over Robert Forster, Grant McLennan was part of the mighty Go-Betweens : antipodean purveyors of the finest guitar-pop the early '80's ever beheld. A million years on and, inevitably, McLennan still remains desperately in love with The Song. The method may have changed slightly over the years but as 'In Your Bright Ray' saunters genially from stereo to brain, The Song remains unmistakably the same : jangling of refrain and unequivocally pop of trousers. And (of course) it's classy, classic, classical stuff. Bizzaro tales of octopus- threatened women (the lovely 'Sea Breeze') and burning cherubs ('All Them Pretty Angels') are given country and psychedelic backgrounds respectively while campfires are kept burning by the homespun melancholy of 'The Parade of Shadows'. 'In Your Bright Ray' is perfect for a saunter down memory lane and living proof that The Song still burns brightly for McLennan." - Mike Goldsmith - NME

HORSEBREAKER STAR-------0----

DISC 1

- Simone and Perry

- Ice in Heaven

- What Went Wrong

- Race Day Rag

- Don't You Cry for Me No More

- Put You Down

- Late Afternoon in Early August

- Coming Up for Air

- Ballad of Easy Rider

- Open Invitation

- Open My Eyes

- From My Lips

DISC 2

- Dropping You

- Hot Water

- Keep My Word

- Do Your Own Thing

- That's That

- If I Was a Girl

- Head Over Heels

- Girl In a Beret

- All Her Songs

- No Peace in the Palace

- I'll Call You Wild
- Horsebreaker Star

- Lighting Fires

- Surround Me

- One Million Miles From Here

- The Dark Side Of Town

- Things Will Change

- The Pawnbroker

- Whose Side Are You On?

- Fingers

- Signs Of Life

- The Day My Eyes Come Back

- Bathe (In The Water)

- When I Close My Eyes

- Riddle In The Rain

- When Word Gets Around

- Haven't I Been a Fool

- Haunted House

- Stones for You

- Easy Come Easy Go

- Black Mule

- Putting the Wheels Back On

- You Can't Have Everything

- Sally's Revolution

- Broadway Bride

- Just Get That Straight

- Dream About Tomorrow

12"/ CD: When Word gets Around / Black Mule / She's So Strange / The Man Who Died In Rapture (Beggars Banquet - BEG 247 CD , 1991)

12"/ CD: Easy Come Easy Go / Making It Right For Her / Stones For You (Beggars Banquet - BEG 254 CD, 1991)

CD: Haven't I been a Fool / Easy Come Easy Go / Making it Right for Her / Stones For You (Beggars Banquet - BEG 257 CD, 1991)

CD: Fingers / Whose Side Are You On ? / What Went Wrong (Beggars Banquet, 1993)

CD: Lighting Fires / The Dark Side Of Town / If I Should Fall Behind (Beggars Banquet, 1993

CD: Songs From The Double Album Horsebreaker Star (Beggars Banquet BBQ 35 CD, 1994) [6 track promo]
Don't You Cry / Coming Up For Air / Girl In A Beret / That's That / Put You Down / No Peace In The Palace

CD: Simone And Perry / Don't You Cry For Me No More / Ballad Of Easy Rider / What Goes On (original version) (Beggars Banquet, 1995)

CD: Past and Present (1983-1995) (US promo) [tracks from solo & Go-Betweens albums]
Simone & Perry / Lighting Fires / Open Invitation / Surround Me / Haven't I Been A Fool / Streets Of Your Town / Bye Bye Pride / The Wrong Road / Bachelor Kisses / Cattle And Cane / Late Afternoon In Early August

Interview featuring Grant McLennan and Robert Forster.

A fine Grant McLennan site