The Go-Go's
Talk Show

THE REVIEW

"Vacation" from 1982 was the follow-up to their debut album, with many tracks already featured in their live repertoire. Although it wasn't as groundbreaking and fresh as "Beauty and the Beat," it was a good party album of pop-punk. The Go-Go's have never been an easy band, with constant fights and substance abuse impacting their foundations since the late '70s, leading them to a tumultuous and inconsistent history up to today. Four songwriters, at various levels, were stepping on each other's toes and Belinda Carlisle's restless nature complicated everything. Despite a difficult period that included drummer Gina Schock undergoing heart surgery due to a life-threatening condition, the group managed to make a qualitative leap and produce their last album before their sporadic returns in the mid-'90s to early '00s. "Talk Show" was almost entirely recorded in England, the land that welcomed them initially before the explosion of their first album brought them rushing back to California. Compared to their earlier works, it is more refined in arrangements, an evolution of surf sounds towards a less raw form that would later partly characterize the collaborative pieces of the Carlisle-Caffey duo in the singer's solo work. Always anchored by the powerful and precise rhythm section of Valentine/Shock, with the latter minimizing the obsessive rolls alternated with sharp hits that enriched their previous albums, opting instead for embellishments without resorting to the electronic pads that were rampant in 1984. The LinnDrum makes an appearance in three pieces, but what immediately stands out is the frenetic piano intro of "Head over Heels", the opening track of "Talk Show" that makes it clear the album aims to entertain. Kathy Valentine carves out a more important role as a songwriter, and her bass contributions are always interesting, both in the riff distinguishing "Head over Heels" and in the final track "Mercenary", also featured in the new edition in a remarkable '90 acoustic live version where Carlisle unleashes the rawness of her voice singing about this suffered and betrayed love. The singing is always forceful and never too clean as in "I'm with You" and "Turn to You", with Jane Wiedlin's backing vocals slightly easing the tension. Frenetic guitars, some piano parts played by Charlotte Caffey, define the sound of the 10 tracks of "Talk Show," hinting at potential future developments. Shortly after the supporting tour, however, the band fell apart with Jane Wiedlin's departure and a failed attempt to continue. A handful of years lived dangerously and always to the fullest eventually took their toll.