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The Go-Go's
LIST OF GO-GO'S REVIEWS: Beauty and the Beat (1981)
Leave your thoughts about The Go-Go's here.
Beauty and the Beat (1981)Album Score: 11These ladies are so easy to write-off that I'll come right out and admit that I've been guilty of that in a bad way. I look at this band, and I see a cutesy pop group that relies on bubble-gum melodies and their gimmick of being an all-girl group. But what's so bad about any of that? Absolutely nothing as long as the music is tasteful and enjoyable. And that's exactly where the Go-Go's succeed with flying colors. Right off the bat, they deliver what's probably considered their signature tune, "Our Lips Are Sealed." What's so striking about that song is not just the hopelessly infectious melody, but it's the way they play it. It's organic! There aren't any drum machines anywhere! ... Hey, it even sounds more organic and homely than The Cars and with a heck of a lot more personality. Yes, The Go-Go's are your garden variety new wave band. This album was released in 1981, which was just about when new wave became the norm. And, well, it hit the #1 spot on the pop charts and ended up going double platinum. This wouldn't be much of a review if I didn't also mention that Beauty and the Beat was a major milestone for women in rock --- it's the first album to hit the #1 spot from a girl group who wrote and performed their own songs. Cool. What's important is not the commercial success and historical notoriety, but it's the music! YES!! THE MUSIC!!! Well, the music sounds extremely fresh and exuberant, and it's completely unspoiled by the sounds of heavy synthesizers and the drum machines. They're not exactly originals, though. 1981 was already four years after the new wave explosion of 1977, and they take mighty hints from Blondie, The Cars and Adam Ant before them. In fact, they even seem retro if you look at what Blondie was doing at the time who had long abandon this sort of fast-paced surf rock. I'd think about criticizing them for not being "true artists" whatever that means, but...... .......well, if you really need proof, just take a look at "Automatic." That's not a great song by any means, but it's definitely unusual. A lesser band would have made an ugly and awkward mess out of it, but everything they do seems to work. The robotic feeling of it is strange, but the flawless and inspired way they structure that song is, well, excellent. Read the track review for more details!! Likewise, search inside and out, you're just not going to find a poorly done moment anywhere here. I even like the singing. Lead singer Brenda Carlisle is no Tina Turner, but she has the exact perfect, youthful and carefree tone that's required of this music. Also, it's nice to listen to someone who sounds like a real human being in this world that's currently oversaturated with awful singers such as Hilary Duff and Britney Spear. I'm going to end this review with a quote about Carlisle from Wikipedia that's making me giggle: "Carlisle's first venture into music was a brief stint as drummer for the punk band The Germs under the name Dottie Danger, although illness prevented her from ever performing with them live." Read the track reviews and reader comments:
Vacation (1982)Album Score: 10Wow, they didn't change what-so-ever. This could legitimately be titled Beauty and the Beat, Part II. Naturally, the good news is if you liked the previous album, then it's a pretty safe bet that you'll like this one as well. Luckily, they proved that they were still capable of writing quality new wave music. Sure, it's not quite as good, but that shouldn't be a big shocker. This continues to be fun music and without any severe lapses of taste. I'd go as far to say that this album is more fun than drugs. .........Um not that I would know what drugs are like unless we're talking about Tylenol or ... allergy meds. Well, it's funner than that. If you read my review of their debut, then you won't need me to describe the music. ... OK, maybe I'll just sum it up to save you the trouble of mouse clicks. This is happy-go-lucky new wave music fully equipped with good beats and good times! Unfortunately, with that comes the inevitable point that these guys had NO diversity. The saminess is a weakness. However, there are enough interesting compositions to keep the material generally sounding fresh. In particular, "He's So Strange," utilizes a minor chord sequence, and "Girl of 100 Lists" reminds me of a pirate shanty. On a more negative note, there's the confused "It's Everything But Partytime." But "Worlds Away," one of the few mid-tempo tunes, serves as a nice conclusion. The biggest disappointment with Vacation is of the more subtle variety. The creativity levels have dropped off a little too noticeably. Whereas almost every composition in Beauty in the Beat had me brimming with glee, there were plenty of times in Vacation in which I merely shrugged my shoulders. Likewise, there's not anything nearly as interesting as "Automatic." They really lost me with their cover of "Cool Jerk," where their youthful exuberance that I hailed so much was reduced to cheekiness. Well, at least it's fun. So, just consider this the weaker sibling of the debut. Oh, and the Go-Go's had another hit in this album. It's called "Vacation." I'm sure you've heard it before; it's everywhere! It hit #8 on the charts!!! Yay!!!!! Read the track reviews and reader comments:
Talk Show (1984)Album Score: 9Geez, the Go-Go's were short-lived! This is their third and final album. They would have a reunion in 2001, but that doesn't really count. I guess they were really experiencing tension within the group thus igniting a seemingly premature break-up. These guys also were never exactly major *artists*, anyway, so they probably didn't have much calling to go on together. That is, they weren't exactly ones who wanted to challenge themselves or others with their music. Their only goal in music was just to make happy-go-lucky compositions. They did change their sound a bit for this release. This continues to be similar to Beauty and the Beat, but not quite to the point where I can legitimately title it Beauty and the Beat III. The most striking difference it's much more guitar heavy. They're no longer penning so many bubble-gum surf-rock tunes. Obviously, I like that they altered their sound! Plus, they seem to have taken this opportunity to prove to the world that they were capable of rocking out if they wanted to. They just didn't want to until now! Despite the frustratingly half-hearted electric guitar solos that pop up every once in awhile, I really like hearing some of their crunches. All of that should have made an immensely enjoyable album, but unfortunately their songwriting just wasn't so up to snuff. Where are the memorable melodies? What they have is usually fine, but this constitutes another considerable step down for them. The biggest problem of them all, however, has yet to be discussed! And if you read my previous two Go-Go's reviews, I bet you were able to predict it. I reported that The Go-Go's lost some of their spark in Vacation compared to their unstoppable, carefree debut. Well, Talk Show continues down that path, and they're even dimmer stars than they ever were before. This is to the point where I can't say I'd recommend this release to anyone except particularly devoted fans of Vacation. The only A-level composition here is "Head Over Heels," which is rather joyous. It's more heavily produced than their previous hits, but there was nothing wrong with that as long as it's still fun. The melody is catchy and doesn't betray their happy-go-lucky writing style. Unfortunately, that's the only excellent song here. The rest is a mixture of tasteful though entirely middle-of-the-road material that are so unremarkable that they're not worth mentioning by name. Sure, they're fun to hear, but they're entirely forgettable, and I can't say listening to this album was such a valuable experience. What a pity. Read the track reviews and reader comments:
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All reviews are written by Michael Lawrence.
