Hello, as we continue the females in the eighties todays band was seen as US's idea of new wave. From an European perpective looking at the pics in the Valley booklet Go Go's look like a bunch of soccer moms ( even though back then this term was unknown) having a bash. Punk it aint but then the US is a continent away with a totally different social make up, not forgetting the religious madness and the deeply engrained money rules belief. Creativity, altruism and knowledge are less valued. Well it's about the music here and the Go Go's did make a splash on the US music scene, most of which is here to
......N'Joy
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The Go-Go's were the most popular all-female band to emerge from the punk/new wave explosion of the late '70s and early '80s, becoming one of the first commercially successful female groups that wasn't controlled by male producers or managers. While their hit singles -- "We Got the Beat," "Our Lips Are Sealed," "Vacation," "Head Over Heels" -- were bright, energetic new wave pop, the group was an integral part of the Californian punk scene. And they did play punk rock, even if many of their rougher edges were ironed out by the time they recorded their first album, 1981's Beauty and the Beat. Even as they became America's darlings, The Go-Go's lived the wild life of rockers, swallowing as many pills and taking as much cocaine as possible, trashing hotel rooms, and just generally being bad. More importantly, their earliest music -- now collected on Return to the Valley of the Go-Go's -- was raw and rocking; it may not have directly inspired the female alternative rockers and riot grrrls of the '90s, but it certainly foreshadowed it.
Originally formed in 1978 as the Misfits, the group featured Belinda Carlisle (vocals), Jane Wiedlin (guitar, vocals), Charlotte Caffey (lead guitar, keyboards), Margot Olaverra (bass), and Elissa Bello (drums). The band soon changed its name to The Go-Go's and began playing local parties and small clubs in California. In 1979, Gina Schock became the group's drummer. During that year, the band recorded a demo and supported the British ska revival group Madness in both Los Angeles and England. The Go-Go's spent half of 1980 touring England, earning a sizable following and releasing "We Got the Beat" on Stiff Records. An import copy of "We Got the Beat" became an underground club hit in the U.S., which meant the band was popular enough to sell out concerts, yet they had a difficult time landing a record contract.
At the end of 1980, bassist Olaverra became ill and had to stop performing; she was replaced by Kathy Valentine, a guitarist who had never played bass before. Early in 1981, The Go-Go's signed with IRS Records. Released in the summer of 1981, their debut album, Beauty and the Beat, became one of the surprise hits of the year, staying at number one for six weeks and selling over two million copies; "Our Lips Are Sealed" hit number 20 and a re-recorded version of "We Got the Beat" spent three weeks at number two.
The following year, the group released Vacation. Although it sold well -- the album made the Top Ten and it went gold, spawning the Top Ten hit single "Vacation" -- it failed to keep the momentum of the first record. During the next year the band was unable to perform as Caffey recovered from a broken wrist. In 1984, The Go-Go's returned with Talk Show, their most musically ambitious album. While it had two Top 40 hits -- the number 11 "Head Over Heels" and "Turn to You" -- it failed to even go gold. By the end of the year, Wiedlin had left the band, and The Go-Go's broke up in May of 1985.
Belinda Carlisle became the most successful solo artist to emerge from the group, scoring a string of mainstream pop singles in the late '80s, including the number one single "Heaven Is a Place on Earth." For a while, Charlotte Caffey was in Carlisle's backing group; she eventually formed the Graces, who released Perfect View in 1990. Jane Wiedlin recorded two solo albums and acted in a few films. Wiedlin also organized the group's brief 1990 reunion, where they performed at a benefit for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals; they also recorded a version of "Cool Jerk" for their 1990 Greatest Hits album. The Go-Go's reunited once more in 1994, recording three new songs for the double-disc compilation Return of the Valley of the Go-Go's.
After recording new material, the group decided to continue as a full-time unit. In 2000, they appeared on VH1's Behind the Music series and released an accompanying best-of album, VH1 Behind the Music: Go-Go's Collection. God Bless the Go-Go's, the band's first studio album comprised entirely of new material, followed in 2001.
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It’s not quite right to say that the Go-Go’s' 1981 debut, Beauty and the Beat, is where new wave caught hold in the U.S., but it’s not quite wrong, either. Prior to this, there had certainly been new wave hits -- Blondie had been reaching the Top Ten for two years running -- but the Go-Go’s ushered in the era of big, bright stylish pop, spending six weeks at the top of the U.S. charts and generating two singles that defined the era: the cool groove of “Our Lips Are Sealed” and the exuberant “We Got the Beat.” So big were these two hits that they sometimes suggested that Beauty and the Beat was a hits-and-filler record, an impression escalated by the boost the Go-Go’s received from the just-launched MTV, yet that’s hardly the case. Beauty and the Beat is sharp, clever, and catchy, explicitly drawing from the well of pre-Beatles ‘60s pop -- girl group harmonies, to be sure, but surf-rock echoes throughout -- but filtering it through the nervy energy of punk. With the assistance of Rob Freeman, producer Richard Gottehrer -- a veteran of the Strangeloves (“I Want Candy”) who also wrote the girl group standard “My Boyfriend’s Back” -- sanded down the band’s rougher edges, keeping the emphasis on the hooks and harmonies but giving the Go-Go’s enough kick and jangle that at times the group resembles nothing less than early R.E.M., particularly on “How Much More” and “Tonite.” But this isn’t Murmur; there is nothing murky about Beauty and the Beat at all -- this is infectiously cheerful pop, so hooky it’s sometimes easy to overlook how well-written these tunes are, but it’s the sturdiness of the songs that makes Beauty and the Beat a new wave classic.
Go-Go's - Beauty and the Beat (flac 264mb)
01 Our Lips Are Sealed 2:45
02 How Much More 3:03
03 Tonite 3:33
04 Lust To Love 4:00
05 This Town 3:15
06 We Got The Beat 2:36
07 Fading Fast 3:32
08 Automatic 2:34
09 You Can't Walk In Your Sleep (If You Can't Sleep) 3:00
10 Skidmarks On My Heart 3:13
11 Can't Stop The World 3:22
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For their third album, the Go-Go's abandoned all pretense of being punk, or even new wave, and went for an unabashed mainstream pop masterpiece. They nearly achieved their goal with Talk Show, an album filled with great pop songs but undermined by its own ambition. Talk Show has a sharper sound than its predecessors, with bigger guitars and drums, which helps drive home the accomplished pop hooks of "Turn to You," "I'm the Only One," and "Yes or No." However, the record is cluttered with half-realized songs and an overly detailed production which occasionally prevents the songs from reaching their full potential. But when the production and song are teamed well, the results are incredible, such as the surging "Head Over Heels," another classic single. Unfortunately, those moments don't arrive frequently enough to make Talk Show the new wave classic that it wants to be.
Go-Go's - Talk Show (flac 276mb)
01 Head Over Heels 3:38
02 Turn To You 3:48
03 You Thought 4:12
04 Beneath The Blue Sky 3:00
05 Forget That Day 4:25
06 I'm The Only One 3:29
07 Yes Or No 4:04
08 Capture The Light 3:15
09 I'm With You 3:37
10 Mercenary 3:40
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Of all the various best-ofs and compilations that have come out over time that cover the Go-Go's career, this one is the clearest winner, by a long shot. Though by default it doesn't tell the full story, appearing as it did in 1994, in terms of containing both the famous hits and a slew of rarities and unreleased tracks, Return to the Valley of the Go-Go's is equally valuable for both neophytes and hardcore fans. The first 11 tracks alone make for an entertaining peek into the band's earliest days, with a slew of live cuts from both early rehearsals and gigs, including a number of songs taped at the legendary SF punk venue the Mabuhay Gardens. Everything's rough, energetic, and merry fun -- while it's no surprise why some compositions remained unheard in later years, it's still worth hearing how the group pureed everything from straight-up punk to spaghetti Western guitar and girl group right from the start. A real treat is a romp through "Johnny, Are You Queer?" which would later get a more famous (and much more sedate!) take by Josie Cotton. Plenty of rare B-sides from the group's commercially dominant days surface here and there, and as for the big hits, they're available a-plenty: "We Got the Beat," "Vacation," "Our Lips Are Sealed," "Head Over Heels," "Turn to You," and more. Choice album cuts include "Skidmarks on My Heart" and "This Town." Closing things out is an acoustic live take on "Mercenary" from the band's 1990 reunion and three wholly new songs from 1994, including the enjoyable "The Whole World Lost Its Head." Topping things off is a great booklet featuring a hilarious collection of photos and ephemera from early days on, with plenty of amusing comments from the bandmembers, along with an enjoyable history of the group and reflections from all five on their favorite songs.
Go-Go's - Return To the Valley of the Go-Go's (flac 345mb)
01 Living At The Canterbury/Party Pose 4:31
02 Screaming 2:10
03 Johnny Are You Queer? 2:07
04 Fun With Ropes 2:13
05 Fashion Seekers-Intro / Fashion Seekers 3:08
06 Blades 2:35
07 He's So Strange 4:12
08 London Boys 2:40
09 Let's Have A Party 1:32
10 Beatnik Beach 2:44
11 (Remember) Walking In The Sand 3:07
12 Lust To Love 3:28
13 How Much More 3:00
14 Cool Jerk 2:32
15 We Got The Beat (Single Mix) 2:43
16 Skidmarks On My Heart 3:06
17 This Town 3:18
18 Our Lips Are Sealed 2:46
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Go-Go's - Return To the Valley of the Go-Go's 2 (flac 387mb)
01 Surfing And Spying 1:57
02 Vacation 2:59
03 Speeding 2:08
04 Get Up And Go 3:17
05 It's Everything But Party Time 3:21
06 Beneath The Blue Sky 3:04
07 Good For Gone 2:56
08 Head Over Heels 3:37
09 Turn To You 3:51
10 Yes Or No (Single Mix) 3:36
11 I'm With You 3:37
12 We Don't Get Along 2:42
13 Can't Stop The World3:24
14 I'm The Only One 3:26
15 Mercenary (Acoustic) 4:34
16 Good Girl 3:37
17 Beautiful 4:00
18 The Whole World Lost Its Head 2:57
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......N'Joy
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
The Go-Go's were the most popular all-female band to emerge from the punk/new wave explosion of the late '70s and early '80s, becoming one of the first commercially successful female groups that wasn't controlled by male producers or managers. While their hit singles -- "We Got the Beat," "Our Lips Are Sealed," "Vacation," "Head Over Heels" -- were bright, energetic new wave pop, the group was an integral part of the Californian punk scene. And they did play punk rock, even if many of their rougher edges were ironed out by the time they recorded their first album, 1981's Beauty and the Beat. Even as they became America's darlings, The Go-Go's lived the wild life of rockers, swallowing as many pills and taking as much cocaine as possible, trashing hotel rooms, and just generally being bad. More importantly, their earliest music -- now collected on Return to the Valley of the Go-Go's -- was raw and rocking; it may not have directly inspired the female alternative rockers and riot grrrls of the '90s, but it certainly foreshadowed it.
Originally formed in 1978 as the Misfits, the group featured Belinda Carlisle (vocals), Jane Wiedlin (guitar, vocals), Charlotte Caffey (lead guitar, keyboards), Margot Olaverra (bass), and Elissa Bello (drums). The band soon changed its name to The Go-Go's and began playing local parties and small clubs in California. In 1979, Gina Schock became the group's drummer. During that year, the band recorded a demo and supported the British ska revival group Madness in both Los Angeles and England. The Go-Go's spent half of 1980 touring England, earning a sizable following and releasing "We Got the Beat" on Stiff Records. An import copy of "We Got the Beat" became an underground club hit in the U.S., which meant the band was popular enough to sell out concerts, yet they had a difficult time landing a record contract.
At the end of 1980, bassist Olaverra became ill and had to stop performing; she was replaced by Kathy Valentine, a guitarist who had never played bass before. Early in 1981, The Go-Go's signed with IRS Records. Released in the summer of 1981, their debut album, Beauty and the Beat, became one of the surprise hits of the year, staying at number one for six weeks and selling over two million copies; "Our Lips Are Sealed" hit number 20 and a re-recorded version of "We Got the Beat" spent three weeks at number two.
The following year, the group released Vacation. Although it sold well -- the album made the Top Ten and it went gold, spawning the Top Ten hit single "Vacation" -- it failed to keep the momentum of the first record. During the next year the band was unable to perform as Caffey recovered from a broken wrist. In 1984, The Go-Go's returned with Talk Show, their most musically ambitious album. While it had two Top 40 hits -- the number 11 "Head Over Heels" and "Turn to You" -- it failed to even go gold. By the end of the year, Wiedlin had left the band, and The Go-Go's broke up in May of 1985.
Belinda Carlisle became the most successful solo artist to emerge from the group, scoring a string of mainstream pop singles in the late '80s, including the number one single "Heaven Is a Place on Earth." For a while, Charlotte Caffey was in Carlisle's backing group; she eventually formed the Graces, who released Perfect View in 1990. Jane Wiedlin recorded two solo albums and acted in a few films. Wiedlin also organized the group's brief 1990 reunion, where they performed at a benefit for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals; they also recorded a version of "Cool Jerk" for their 1990 Greatest Hits album. The Go-Go's reunited once more in 1994, recording three new songs for the double-disc compilation Return of the Valley of the Go-Go's.
After recording new material, the group decided to continue as a full-time unit. In 2000, they appeared on VH1's Behind the Music series and released an accompanying best-of album, VH1 Behind the Music: Go-Go's Collection. God Bless the Go-Go's, the band's first studio album comprised entirely of new material, followed in 2001.
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
It’s not quite right to say that the Go-Go’s' 1981 debut, Beauty and the Beat, is where new wave caught hold in the U.S., but it’s not quite wrong, either. Prior to this, there had certainly been new wave hits -- Blondie had been reaching the Top Ten for two years running -- but the Go-Go’s ushered in the era of big, bright stylish pop, spending six weeks at the top of the U.S. charts and generating two singles that defined the era: the cool groove of “Our Lips Are Sealed” and the exuberant “We Got the Beat.” So big were these two hits that they sometimes suggested that Beauty and the Beat was a hits-and-filler record, an impression escalated by the boost the Go-Go’s received from the just-launched MTV, yet that’s hardly the case. Beauty and the Beat is sharp, clever, and catchy, explicitly drawing from the well of pre-Beatles ‘60s pop -- girl group harmonies, to be sure, but surf-rock echoes throughout -- but filtering it through the nervy energy of punk. With the assistance of Rob Freeman, producer Richard Gottehrer -- a veteran of the Strangeloves (“I Want Candy”) who also wrote the girl group standard “My Boyfriend’s Back” -- sanded down the band’s rougher edges, keeping the emphasis on the hooks and harmonies but giving the Go-Go’s enough kick and jangle that at times the group resembles nothing less than early R.E.M., particularly on “How Much More” and “Tonite.” But this isn’t Murmur; there is nothing murky about Beauty and the Beat at all -- this is infectiously cheerful pop, so hooky it’s sometimes easy to overlook how well-written these tunes are, but it’s the sturdiness of the songs that makes Beauty and the Beat a new wave classic.
Go-Go's - Beauty and the Beat (flac 264mb)
01 Our Lips Are Sealed 2:45
02 How Much More 3:03
03 Tonite 3:33
04 Lust To Love 4:00
05 This Town 3:15
06 We Got The Beat 2:36
07 Fading Fast 3:32
08 Automatic 2:34
09 You Can't Walk In Your Sleep (If You Can't Sleep) 3:00
10 Skidmarks On My Heart 3:13
11 Can't Stop The World 3:22
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
For their third album, the Go-Go's abandoned all pretense of being punk, or even new wave, and went for an unabashed mainstream pop masterpiece. They nearly achieved their goal with Talk Show, an album filled with great pop songs but undermined by its own ambition. Talk Show has a sharper sound than its predecessors, with bigger guitars and drums, which helps drive home the accomplished pop hooks of "Turn to You," "I'm the Only One," and "Yes or No." However, the record is cluttered with half-realized songs and an overly detailed production which occasionally prevents the songs from reaching their full potential. But when the production and song are teamed well, the results are incredible, such as the surging "Head Over Heels," another classic single. Unfortunately, those moments don't arrive frequently enough to make Talk Show the new wave classic that it wants to be.
Go-Go's - Talk Show (flac 276mb)
01 Head Over Heels 3:38
02 Turn To You 3:48
03 You Thought 4:12
04 Beneath The Blue Sky 3:00
05 Forget That Day 4:25
06 I'm The Only One 3:29
07 Yes Or No 4:04
08 Capture The Light 3:15
09 I'm With You 3:37
10 Mercenary 3:40
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Of all the various best-ofs and compilations that have come out over time that cover the Go-Go's career, this one is the clearest winner, by a long shot. Though by default it doesn't tell the full story, appearing as it did in 1994, in terms of containing both the famous hits and a slew of rarities and unreleased tracks, Return to the Valley of the Go-Go's is equally valuable for both neophytes and hardcore fans. The first 11 tracks alone make for an entertaining peek into the band's earliest days, with a slew of live cuts from both early rehearsals and gigs, including a number of songs taped at the legendary SF punk venue the Mabuhay Gardens. Everything's rough, energetic, and merry fun -- while it's no surprise why some compositions remained unheard in later years, it's still worth hearing how the group pureed everything from straight-up punk to spaghetti Western guitar and girl group right from the start. A real treat is a romp through "Johnny, Are You Queer?" which would later get a more famous (and much more sedate!) take by Josie Cotton. Plenty of rare B-sides from the group's commercially dominant days surface here and there, and as for the big hits, they're available a-plenty: "We Got the Beat," "Vacation," "Our Lips Are Sealed," "Head Over Heels," "Turn to You," and more. Choice album cuts include "Skidmarks on My Heart" and "This Town." Closing things out is an acoustic live take on "Mercenary" from the band's 1990 reunion and three wholly new songs from 1994, including the enjoyable "The Whole World Lost Its Head." Topping things off is a great booklet featuring a hilarious collection of photos and ephemera from early days on, with plenty of amusing comments from the bandmembers, along with an enjoyable history of the group and reflections from all five on their favorite songs.
Go-Go's - Return To the Valley of the Go-Go's (flac 345mb)
01 Living At The Canterbury/Party Pose 4:31
02 Screaming 2:10
03 Johnny Are You Queer? 2:07
04 Fun With Ropes 2:13
05 Fashion Seekers-Intro / Fashion Seekers 3:08
06 Blades 2:35
07 He's So Strange 4:12
08 London Boys 2:40
09 Let's Have A Party 1:32
10 Beatnik Beach 2:44
11 (Remember) Walking In The Sand 3:07
12 Lust To Love 3:28
13 How Much More 3:00
14 Cool Jerk 2:32
15 We Got The Beat (Single Mix) 2:43
16 Skidmarks On My Heart 3:06
17 This Town 3:18
18 Our Lips Are Sealed 2:46
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Go-Go's - Return To the Valley of the Go-Go's 2 (flac 387mb)
01 Surfing And Spying 1:57
02 Vacation 2:59
03 Speeding 2:08
04 Get Up And Go 3:17
05 It's Everything But Party Time 3:21
06 Beneath The Blue Sky 3:04
07 Good For Gone 2:56
08 Head Over Heels 3:37
09 Turn To You 3:51
10 Yes Or No (Single Mix) 3:36
11 I'm With You 3:37
12 We Don't Get Along 2:42
13 Can't Stop The World3:24
14 I'm The Only One 3:26
15 Mercenary (Acoustic) 4:34
16 Good Girl 3:37
17 Beautiful 4:00
18 The Whole World Lost Its Head 2:57
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6 comments:
The "Talk Show" (flac) link to Hotfile is dead--it seems Hotfile itself is gone(!) Any chance you could reup it with Netkups? Thanks for the tunes!
Hello Anon, yes Hotfile is no more, looks like that slipped thru when i re-uploaded the links a half year back. Well not anymore just re-upped. Njoy
Hi, could you repost disc 2 from this Go-Go's album "Go-Go's - Return To the Valley of the Go-Go's" - depositfiles is ok. Thanks.
please reup Go-Go's - Beauty and the Beat (flac 264mb)
Thank you!
Love to get 'Vacation' too!
please can you re-up Beauty and the Beat. Thanks
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