The Go-Go’s Album Reviews

The Go-Go’s emerged from the late 1970s L.A. punk scene. They were originally named the Misfits, and featured core members Charlotte Caffey (lead guitar), Belinda Carlisle (vocals), and Jane Wiedlin (rhythm guitar). Drummer Gina Schock and bassist Kathy Valentine eventually formed the band’s enduring lineup, and they gradually moved from punk towards power pop.

They toured England with Madness and The Specials, and a demo version of ‘We Got The Beat’ became a minor hit. They signed with Miles Copeland’s IRS Records and toured with The Police. Their debut album topped the US charts – they were the first all-female, self-contained band to achieve this.

Beauty And The Beat blew the doors of my life off… it sounded like pure possibility.
Drew Barrymore, The Go-Go’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame Induction

It’s hard to dislike The Go-Go’s. They’re fun and energetic, and never pretentious, but there’s plenty of substance there as well.

The Go-Go’s split after 1984’s Talk Show, but have reformed periodically, releasing one further album in 2001.

The Go-Go’s Album Reviews

Beauty and the Beat

Vacation

Talk Show

Return to the Valley of the Go-Go’s

God Bless the Go-Go’s

10 Best Go-Go’s Songs

The Go-Go’s Album Reviews

Beauty and the Beat

1981, 9/10
This record ticks so many boxes. It was the first chart-topping LP from an all-female band writing their material and playing their instruments. It’s fresh and exciting, blending new wave with 1960s influences, such as girl-group harmonies and surf music. And it’s stood the test of time, dignified and efficient.

Richard Gottehrer produced Beauty and the Beat – his other credits include The Angels’ ‘My Boyfriend’s Back’ and Blondie’s debut album.

Charlotte Caffey and Jane Wiedlin wrote most of the songs. But Wiedlin wrote ‘Our Lips Are Sealed’ with Specials frontman Terry Hall, about their secret romance. ‘How Much More’ shines with a snappy update of the 1960s girl-group formula. ‘We Got The Beat’ is the most memorable tune—it was also crucial in the group’s transition from punk to pop.

Fun and feisty, Beauty and the Beat is a terrific debut.

Vacation

1982, 7.5/10
The Go-Go’s were fracturing by the time of their second album. Their struggles were for all the classic rock and roll reasons – creative differences, songwriting squabbles, and drug issues. Vacation is a solid album that only occasionally reaches the heights of its predecessor.

The opening title track successfully recreates the debut’s trick of updating 1960s sounds. Wiedlin’s ‘Girl of 100 Lists’ is another tuneful gem. Valentine is more involved in writing than before, and ‘I Think It’s Me’ is a gem. ‘Get Up And Go’ is a strong opening to side two, but ‘Worlds Away’ is a weak closer.

Vacation is solid, but it doesn’t quite escape the shadow of its predecessor.

Talk Show

1984, 8.5/10
The Go-Go worked with producer Martin Rushent on their third album. He furnished the band with a more mainstream sound. It works well – it provides a different spin on the Go-Go’s while retaining the band’s energy.

While it’s a strong record, the band was falling apart. Wiedlin wasn’t allowed to sing lead vocals on ‘Forget That Day’, a deeply personal song. She also took umbrage with the equal split of songwriting royalties, unfair when she contributed to most of the songs on Talk Show. Wiedlin wrote ‘Yes or No’ with Ron and Russell Mael – she also dated Russell in the early 1980s.

The opening ‘Head Over Heels’ features Caffey on piano, and it’s immediately catchy yet distinct from what came before. ‘Yes or No’ is another hooky pop song. Rushent’s more detailed treatment helps the mellower songs to shine, like ‘Forget That Day’ and ‘I’m With You’.

Talk Show is an excellent third album – it’s a shame that The Go-Go’s fractured shortly afterwards.

Return to the Valley of the Go-Go’s

1994
This compilation was released with single- and double-disc versions. The single-disc version features a few big hits (‘Our Lips are Sealed’, ‘Vacation’, ‘Head Over Heels’), but is mostly rarities. The compilation also features three new songs – ‘The Whole World Lost Its Head’ was the band’s first top 40 hit in the UK.

God Bless the Go-Go’s

2001, 7.5/10
The Go-Go’s reformed in 1990. Since then, they’ve often played, even after disbanding in 2022. But they’ve only released one new album in that period, 2001’s God Bless the Go-Go’s. While their earlier albums were largely self-contained, here they work with outside writers like Billie Joe Armstrong and Susannah Hoffs. But it successfully updates The Go-Go’s with a tougher, fuller sound for the 21st century.

It lacks knockout tracks like ‘Head Over Heels’ or ‘We Got the Beat’, but it’s solidly enjoyable. Opener ‘La La Land’ was written by Caffey and Valentine, and it’s immediately tuneful and memorable. Valentine also wrote ‘Apology’ and the closing ‘Daisy Chain’, two of the band’s prettiest songs. ‘Daisy Chain’ features Jellyfish‘s Roger Manning on mellotron. Schock and Wiedlin wrote ‘Automatic Rainy Day’, prickly and grungy.

It’s often a pain to wade through mediocre late-career albums, but it’s a shame the reformed Go-Go’s haven’t recorded more.