The Go-Go's - Talk Show (1984)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a LP, later replaced by this CD.

It's not exactly on the level of Beauty And The Beat, but I feel this album is vastly underrated, contains the group's best song, is miles better than Vacation, and I played the crap out of the thing back in 1984. Moving past California surf-pop and New Wave, producer Martin Rushent and the band put out a real rock album. You can really tell how the band had improved its technical skills by this time, especially Gina Schock who seemingly destroys her kit on every track and Kathy Valentine who I hear playing licks she could only dream about 3-4 years earlier. I never felt Jane Wiedlin got the attention she deserved, which I'm told is why she quit the group and I can't say as I blame her. I love Belinda Carlisle, but she definitely has some pitch problems throughout that Rushent should have caught and corrected. But I'm just nitpicking as this album is 37 minutes of fun and pairs wonderfully with the aforementioned Beauty And The Beat.

Press of the time:

• Robert Christgau (A-): "having peeled away several layers of resistance, I find the record thrilling."
• Rolling Stone (★★★★): "a bold, unselfconscious LP of out-and-out rock & roll"
• Smash Hits (3 out of 10): "sometimes mildly diverting, sometimes profoundly boring."
• Billboard: "musical growth and a more rounded set of new songs"
• Record Mirror (★1⁄2): "The Go-Go's are strictly no no's this side of the Atlantic"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #18
• Billboard Rock: #26
• CashBox: #14
• Rolling Stone: #14

Tracks: The group's all-time best song is the first track and lead single, Head Over Heels (#11 pop, #33 rock, #49 dance). Other top cuts are Turn To You (which should have charted higher than #32), I'm The Only One (which should have been released as a single), Yes Or No, Capture The Light, and I'm With You (which sounds like it could have come directly from Beauty And The Beat). Beneath The Blue Sky is an example of the poppy tracks in the early '80s that bands would write about Cold War fears (similar tracks that come to mind are 99 Luftballons, It's A Mistake, Two Tribes, etc.). I'm usually done after 9 tracks as Mercenary doesn't do much for me, but I'll give them credit for trying to rock a waltz.

Some CD releases have a bonus track of Good For Gone, the b-side to the Head Over Heels 45 single. My copy does not, but I have that track on the 1994 compilation Return To The Valley Of The Go-Go's.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Talk Show is one of 5 or 6 albums that immediately take me back to the summer of 1984, my all-too-brief few months between high school and college. That summer started off with a trip to California with the high school band (below), followed by my 18th birthday, a college orientation weekend, and church camp. Aside from those activities, I worked the drive-thru at the local Burger King, briefly dated a co-worker, and watched a lot of Love Boat reruns, MTV & the summer Olympics.

Your humble blogger performing at Disneyland, June 1984

Other "Summer of '84" albums for me include Difford & Tilbrook, Purple Rain, Heartbeat City, Rebel Yell, and the Footloose soundtrack.

In 1984, a new strip mall had opened about a mile from my house and it housed the new (and only) dedicated record/cassette store in town. The place wasn't particularly well-stocked, but I bought my LP of Talk Show there and asked more than once if they were hiring. They weren't so I carried on at Burger King until it was time to leave town to begin my college experiences. Sadly, the record store didn't even stay in business for 12 months.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Return To The Valley Of The Go-Go's (1994)
Vacation (1982)
Beauty And The Beat (1981)

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 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)

The Go-Go's - Vacation (1982)

In 1982, I was so disappointed in the title track of this album that I almost broke up with The Go-Go's. I can't explain the disappointment, I just didn't like the song and refused to buy the album because I'm a stubborn S.O.B. The song has since grown on me, but it is far from being the best song on the album. The album isn't nearly as fun as its predecessor, Beauty And The Beat, but it's still got a few entertaining summer, surf-type songs from the girls. Overall, too many minor key songs on this one for my tastes, though. The high points of the group for me have always been the drumming of Gina Schock and wonderfully unique voice of Belinda Carlisle (♥ love ya, Belinda, call me!) and neither disappoints here. If you need mindless poolside music, this fits the bill perfectly, but I don't use it for much more than that. Fortunately, the girls would come back strong in 1984 with Talk Show so it turns out I didn't need to break up with them, after all.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★★★): "an amusing miracle"
• Smash Hits (6 out of 10): "poppy songs as modern as they're ancient."
• Robert Christgau (B-): "you can't build a wall of sound (much less an empire) out of tissue paper."
• Stereo Review: "something of a letdown"
• Record Mirror: "Who will save America from Joan Jett and the Go-Go's?"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #8
• Billboard Rock: #21
• CashBox: #5
• Rolling Stone: #3

Tracks: the top track is Get Up And Go, followed closely by the cover of The Capitols' Cool Jerk. I also enjoy Girl Of 100 Lists, I Think It's Me, and This Old Feeling. I usually skip Worlds Away and It's Everything But Party Time; Rolling Stone labeled the latter "the most dour song ever written about hedonism." Most songs aren't even 3 minutes long, so if you don't like a track, you don't have to wait too long for the next one.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

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

The Go-Go's - Return To The Valley Of The Go-Go's (1994)

A two disc, 36 track greatest hit compilation from the first all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts. If you can ignore the poor album cover, the rest of the 24 page liner note booklet is great. I loved Beauty And The Beat (which I owned on cassette), lost interest when Vacation came out, then the band released my favorite Go-Go's song: Head Over Heels. Then I lost interest again. And then I bought this CD in the mid-90's. I've never heard the group's 2001 album, God Bless The Go-Go's. It's a love-hate relationship.

Tracks: The first disc starts off with a lot of previously unreleased live tracks from rehearsals and early concerts. Too many of these in my opinion. I'm not a big enough fan to enjoy these early recordings. The only keepers from the unreleased tracks are a live version of Johnny Are You Queer? from a 1979 concert at The Mabuhay in San Fransisco and studio cover demo of The Capitols' Cool Jerk. Things don't really get cooking until track 12 when we get to tracks from the group's 1981 album Beauty And The Beat. Then we get all the tracks I can sing along with: Lust To Love, How Much More, Skidmarks On My Heart, This Town, and, of course, We Got The Beat and Our Lips Are Sealed (runner-up for fav Go'Go's tune). Another good BATB tune, Can't Stop The World, is available as a live tune on the second disc.

The second disc starts off with tunes from the Vacation era. Not my favs with the exception of Get Up And Go. Then we get to the Talk Show era (1984). Talk Show isn't as good as Beauty And The Beat, but it is miles better than Vacation. Good stuff from that time: the b-side Good For Gone, Head Over Heels, and Turn To You. I also like I'm The Only One which is included as a live version later in the disc. After 5 mostly mediocre live tracks (except for the acoustic version of Mercenary, which is horrible), the disc ends with 3 new 1994 recordings. Of those 3, only The Whole World Lost Its Head is decent.

Bottom line: 36 tracks, only 9 of which are ripped to my iTunes. Too many live tracks here (17 of 36). I should have looked at the track listing before buying. Maybe I should have just bought the Beauty And the Beat CD instead.

Track	Song	Hot 100	Rock	Dance
Disc 1: 18	Our Lips Are Sealed	20	15	10
Disc 1: 15	We Got The Beat	2	7	35
Disc 2: 2	Vacation	8	13	17
Disc 2: 4	Get Up And Go	50	46
Disc 2: 8	Head Over Heels	11	33
Disc 2: 9	Turn To You	32
Disc 2: 10	Yes Or No	84
Disc 2: 18	Has The Whole World Lost Its Head	108	21

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: My friend Scott absolutely loved this band and we both knew all the lyrics from Beauty And The Beat. We saw the group in 2000. Belinda was looking especially lovely. (Love ya, Belinda, call me!)