The Go-Go’s

The Go-Go’s – Vacation (1982/2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 36:04 minutes | 793 MB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © A&M

The surprise success of Beauty and the Beat meant that the Go-Go’s were expected to remain hitmakers, so perhaps it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that their second album, Vacation, is a considerably slicker affair than their debut. Sporting a glossy yet alluring finish, the album has an appealing, radio-ready sound, but it’s at the expense of the giddy sense of fun that made Beauty and the Beat such a vibrant record. However, Vacation is far from a washout. Although half the album is padded with filler, the very best moments are terrific pop songs, highlighted by the bouncy “This Old Feeling” and the classic title track.

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The Go-Go’s – Beauty And The Beat (30th Anniversary Edition) (1981/2011)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:28:46 minutes | 1,93 GB | Genre: Punk, New Wave
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © CAPITOL CATALOG MKT (C92)

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 who weren’t controlled by male producers or managers.

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The Go-Go’s – Beauty And The Beat (1981/2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 35:39 minutes | 768 MB | Genre: Pop Rock, New Wave
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © CAPITOL CATALOG MKT (C92)

When the 1970s punk scene was washed away by the undertow of ’80s new wave, few bands surfed the transition as well as the Go-Go’s. These Valley grrrls dressed up their punk heritage with a sense of glamour so that their music was at once ballsy and fanciful. The peppery singles “We Got the Beat” and “Our Lips Are Sealed” were their debut’s chart climbers and glossiest tracks. The rest of the album has a tougher crust. For example, the jittery “Can’t Stop the World” would make the Ramones proud. And take a look at the lyrical content of “This Town”: “Change the lines that were said before / We’re all dreamers–we’re all whores / Discarded stars / Like worn out cars / Litter the streets of this town.” Hole’s single “Celebrity Skin” is a ’90s rendition of the same theme: “When I wake up with my makeup / Have you ever felt so used up as this? / It’s all so sugarless / Hooker / Waitress / Model / Actress / Oh, just go nameless.” Just as Courtney Love has made a career out of publicly displaying her glam-trash lifestyle, the Go-Go’s song about the self-eroding lifestyles of Hollywood revealed that they, too, were more hard living than hard candy. –Beth Bessmer

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