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

NUMBER ONE ALBUMS WEEK (MAY 5-11, 2014)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a cassette tape, later replaced by a CD. My cassette cover was blue, my CD cover is...well, I'm guessing that's supposed to be pink?

The Go-Go's epitomized Southern California for me. In 1981-82, I desperately wanted to move to L.A. and go see the girls nightly at the Whisky a Go Go on the Sunset Strip. Their "I don't care what you think about me" attitude made me want to follow them backstage where they would teach about the ways of the world, then discard me like a styrofoam Big Mac container. But I giddily digress.

Musically, this is 60's girl groups meets power pop meets surf rock meets New Wave and it was right in my wheelhouse from the very first listen. I've listened many times since - on tape (pre-recorded and dubbed), on LP, on CD, on mp3, and live. They'd never make an album this good again.

Update: In its 2020 list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, Rolling Stone ranked Beauty And The Beat at #400.

Press of the time:

• Musician: "Crisp harmonies, well-structured melodies and enough danceability to blow the lid off the American Bandstand rate-a-record chart."
• Smash Hits (5 out of 10): "harmless, melodic...and dull" 
• CashBox: "sounds as fine on the car radio as it does on the dance floor"
• Rolling Stone (★★★★): "solid, likable debut"
• Billboard: "spunky, fun brand of rock with a professional sheen."
• Robert Christgau (B+): "this one's got hooks"
• High Fidelity: "restrained rock classicism."
• Trouser Press: "No mere review can do justice to this snazzy platter"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #1
• Billboard Rock: #10
• CashBox: #1
• Rolling Stone: #1

Tracks:  The girls thrash through 11 tunes in under 33 minutes. The favorite tune from this album is Our Lips Are Sealed, but We Got The Beat isn't far behind. I also favor How Much More, Lust To Love, and the fantastic three songs that end the album: You Can't Walk In You Sleep (If You Can't Sleep), Skidmarks On My Heart, and Can't Stop the World.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Go-Go music really makes us dance. My friends and I listened to this practically non-stop during our sophomore year. It was the one album on which we could all agree. Whether I was in the car with Scott, playing a pick-up basketball game with Brett, or riding the bus with the one act play cast, this album wasn't far from hand.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Return To The Valley Of The Go-Go's (1994)
Vacation (1982)