Beauty And The Beat - The Go-Go's

[lbworshiper]

The Go-Go’s exploded onto the New Wave pop music scene in 1981 with Beauty and the Beat, their debut record, and its classic hit singles “We Got The Beat” and “Our Lips Are Sealed”. The album was followed by only a precious two more albums (unless you count their 2001 comeback album, God Bless The Go-Go’s) and several more big hits (“Vacation”, “Head Over Heels”) until 1985 when the band had sadly combusted from the same volcanic energy that propelled them to pop greatness in the first place. Historically, they were the first fully autonomous all-female rock band to conquer the music scene – effectively blazing the trail for myriad girl-power rock groups that followed. (They were also influencing young women’s fashions and hairstyles a good two years before anyone knew who Madonna was!) Although their third and final 80’s album, Talk Show, was their slickest in artistic terms, Beauty and the Beat is easily their most fun and irresistible – still every bit as engaging today as it was when it rocketed to #1 in '82 and probably even more so today for its quaint early 80’s veneer.

All 11 tracks burst and bubble with energy, buoyed by walloping hooks, cheerleader choruses, charging percussion by Gina Schock and last but certainly not least the ingratiating bubble-gum vocals by probably the cutest frontwoman in rock history – future red-headed siren Belinda Carlisle. The production is appealingly garagey (if sugar-polished) and awash with twangy guitars and tinny 80’s keyboards. Care was taken to sweeten out most traces of the group’s hardcore punk roots, which they’d shrewdly scoured at the eleventh-hour to help land a record deal. The producers also slowed their hyperkinetic tempos a bit to clarify the hooks and voila!

But while the almost sophomorically simple, anthemic signature tune “We Got The Beat”, the infectiously quirky “Our Lips Are Sealed” and the twangy, surfer-pop gem “How Much More” were appropriately perky, the bandmembers’ hard-edged lifestyles remain in evidence in darker, more metallic tracks such as the feisty, militant (but oh, so catchy) “Tonite”, the grim, robotic “Automatic” and the charging rocker “Lust To Love”. “This Town” is especially hard-core, with machine-gun percussion, growling guitars and gritty lyrics. And “Skidmarks On My Heart” takes the riffs and theme of the vintage pop classic “Leader Of The Pack” and turns it on its ear with a decidedly more modern take on the subject matter.

But the magic of the album comes from how the band always manages to shore their every outing up in waves of rollicking hooks and ferocious energy. It’s girl-power rock at its best – streetwise and feisty yet buoyed by an innocent sense of fun. The farcical jacket photos of the girls primping in bubble baths, mud-masks and towels establishes the tone perfectly for (and pardon me while I don a more feminine persona for a moment) it’s absolutely the perfect record to play while dolling oneself up for a night on the town.

Did I say that Belinda was cute?[:p]

[ben_at_work]

very insightful worshiper, i always liked the short pixieish brunette one she was HOT!

[xtc-1957]

Very well said, Worshiper!

[SwampThing]

I had the pleasure of seeing them in concert. I remember a japanese rockabilly band opened for them, I think they called themselves "The Black Cats". It was a fun show with lots of hotties in the crowd, I think they appealed to mostly girls at the time,

[schwenko]

[quote][i]Originally posted by ben_at_work[/i]
<br>very insightful worshiper, i always liked the short pixieish brunette one she was HOT!

[tiger_mn]

[quote][i]Originally posted by schwenko[/i]
Jane Weidlin.
Wasn't she just on one of those un-reality shows?
<hr height="1" noshade id="qu

[2Nu]

Another very well stated missive about those NW pixies.
Very tactful of you to skirt the tale of the infamous 'Video'[}:)]


BTW, I can only imagine the reams of dedicated prose you must have in honor of your personal icon L.B.![;)]

[Borneojimy]

I caught the Go Gos on the "Beauty & the Beat" tour, they played an outdoor concert on Harrisburg's City Island with A Flock of Seagulls & (MTV basement tape contest winners) the Sharks. Sounded pretty damned good to my 16 year old ears.

[Sean]

Beauty & The Beat is still one of the greatest & most nostalgic albums ever. Everytime I hear songs off of that album, I am reminded of my Junior High days. My favourite songs were the non-hits like:

Fading Fast
This Time
Lust For Love

My love w

[andrewkstone]

I remember playing Our Lips Our Sealed, We Got The Beat and How Much More in my high school band. What great tunes! Now, when my current band jammed through "Lips" but our singer (a good 12 years younger than I -- a mere 28) only knew the Hillary Duff ve

[medication881]

I love Jane Weidlin. Her first solo album was great, and Blue Kiss is one of my all time favorite pop songs. As far as the Go-Go's, I remember how smitten I was with them at the time. (I was 14) Cute California chicks + guitars = new wave nirvana! I still

[manekineko]

Well said and well written, lbworshipper. Nice to see the Go-Go's get some attention here on the board. Welcome. [:)]

[WolverineSyr]

Great review ibworshiper - I'm looking forward to reading more.

My favorite Go-Go was Kathy Valentine - always looked like a very stoned (and younger) Shirley McClaine.

[dead_irony@yahoo.com]

I STILL wish I were a Go-Go. Or Exene Cervenka.

[lbworshiper]

Thank you all for your kinds words. By the way, I forgot to tell that I'm mighty glad to be part of this board, I'm gonna keep on writing reviews of classic 80s/NW albums from time to time. It seems that some of you did like them. [:D]

Such a shame tha