481. The Go-Go's - Beauty And The Beat (1981)

















Track Listing

1. Our Lips Are Sealed
2. How Much More
3. Tonight
4. Lust To Love
5. This Town
6. We Got The Beat
7. Fading Fast
8. Automatic
9. You Can't Walk In Your Sleep
10. Skidmarks On My Heart
11. Can't Stop The World

Review

How many times does the sentence "When Belinda Carlisle was good" cross your mind, lips or anyone else's? Not many I would imagine, but get this album and you might have to revise your opinions, or commit suicide whichever is less painful. This is a good album. actually it's one of the funnest albums on the list for a while now.

It isn't pretentious, it doesn't try to be anything other than what it is, surf music to dance to clearly coming out of a punk sensibility, and if you don't believe Belinda was punk check out the earlier stuff by the Go-Go's that was only published quite recently. Still this is really fun music with some great lyrics as well, nothing deep, but there is also no need, requirement or expectation to go under the surface.

So yes, I approve of this album, and just how influential is it? The most obvious followers would be girl bands of the 80's like Bananarama, but early No Doubt is also coming from here and for the less mainstream people out there: there is a lot of this in Throwing Muses for example. So definitely check it out.

Track Highlights

1. We Got The Beat
2. Automatic
3. Lust To Love
4. Our Lips Are Sealed

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

Formed in 1978, the group originally featured Belinda Carlisle (vocals), Jane Wiedlin (guitar, vocals), Charlotte Caffey (lead guitar, keyboards), Margot Oliveira (bass), and Elissa Bello (drums). They started out playing at seminal punk rock venues such as The Masque and the Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles. In 1979, Gina Schock replaced Bello on drums. During that year, the band recorded a demo and supported the British ska revival group Madness in both Los Angeles and England. Go-Go’s spent half of 1980 touring England, earning a sizable following and releasing "We Got the Beat" on Stiff Records.

We Got The Beat: