Go-Go's
Beaty and the Beat

THE REVIEW

Los Angeles, late '70s. In the sunny California metropolis, a not-so-recommendable girl drifts through record shops by day and clubs by night. Belinda Carlisle is fascinated by everything unconventional, she's a rebellious girl indulging in alcohol, acid, and various drugs. The idea to start a punk band comes to her quickly because if London was angry, L.A. was no less so at that time.

The Go-Go's sound bad, really bad, in the best tradition of the genre. The sound is rough and edgy, the lyrics are suggestive, irreverent, and angry. The music industry smells a hit, an all-girl band writing their own songs, and moves them to New York to record. While Carlisle provides the voice and face, Charlotte Caffey (lead guitar) and Jane Wiedlin (rhythm guitar) contribute the lyrics and noise. A real drummer, Gina Shock, keeps the beat along with Kathy Valentine (bass). "Beauty and the Beat" is a fast-paced record, more polished and less raw than the band's steamy live performances. There are chart-toppers like "Our Lips are Sealed" and "Automatic", the stylish ballad too, "Fading Fast", and the rest is rock 'n' roll winking at the debut Blondie with a punk-stained surf.

The album sells brilliantly and will be the only number 1 in the history of the American discography for an all-female band writing their own pieces. After two more albums, more pop-rock oriented and polished, the band will disband due to the unbearable presence of a Carlisle increasingly enslaved by drugs and very liberal sexual habits. Cleaned up, slimmed down, and illuminated by a new faith, she will return as a solo artist with a series of notable albums and on "Real" (1993) she will reunite with Caffey for a good more rock-oriented album.