Revisiting: Beauty and the Beat - Go-Go's (1981)

 

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Beauty and the Beat - Go-Go's
I.R.S. Records

 Produced by Richard Gottehrer and Rob Freeman
Released July 1981
US Chart #1
(6 consecutive weeks on the top spot)

Side 1

Side 2

Personnel
    Belinda Carlisle – lead vocals
    Charlotte Caffey – lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
    Gina Schock – drums, percussion
    Kathy Valentine – bass, backing vocals
    Jane Wiedlin – rhythm guitar, vocals

Click on the links below to listen/watch more from the Go-Go's

Singles on Beauty and The Beat

A-Side: We Got The Beat*

B-Side: How Much More

Stiff Records

Released 27th May 1980

Did Not Chart

* Different to the version that appeared on the album

A-Side: Our Lips Are Sealed

B-Side: Surfing and Spying

I.R.S. Records

Released 12th June 1981 (US)

14th August 1981 (UK)

US Chart #20

UK Chart #47

The Fun Boy Three would have a Top Ten Hit with the Our Lips Are Sealed in 1983 (#7).

A-Side: We Got The Beat

B-Side: Can't Stop The World**

I.R.S. Records

Released 16th January 1982

US Chart #2

 It spent three weeks at #2 behind Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' 'I Love Rock 'n' Roll'.

13th November 1981 (UK)

Did Not Chart

**UK B-Side was Skidmarks On My Heart 

 A-Side: Automatic

B-Side: Tonite

I.R.S. Records
UK Single
Released February 1982
Did Not Chart

Also released as a 7" Picture Disc

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A1     Skidmarks On My Heart    
A2     How Much More    
A3     Tonite    
A4     Fading Fast    
A5     London Boys    
A6     Cool Jerk    
A7     Automatic    
A8     Lust To Love    
A9     Can't Stop The World    
B1     This Town    
B2     Vacation    
B3     You Can't Walk In Your Sleep    
B4     Our Lips Are Sealed    
B5     Let's Have A Party    
B6     We Got The Beat    
B7     Surfin' And Spyin'    
B8     Beatnik Beach    
B9     The Way You Dance    
B10     Remember

 (Go-Go's 1979 - Photo by Louis Jacinto)

The Go-Go's Debut Album Beauty and The Beat was a huge step away from what the band were back in 1978 when they first began playing shows as part of the Los Angeles Punk scene (check out We're Here Now from a show at The Whisky, LA in April 1978)! The band consisted of Belinda Carlisle (vocals), Jane Wiedlin (guitar, vocals), Margot Olavarria (bass) and Elissa Bello (drums), and Charlotte Caffey (guitar, keyboards) was added to the band in late 1978.

Gradually they made the move away from Punk to a more New Wave/Power Pop sound and between 1979- 1980  Bello and Olavarria were replaced with Gina Schock (drums) and Kathy Valentine (bass). 

In 1979 they recorded a five-track demo that somehow fell into the hands of Stiff Records and in 1980 they released We Got The Beat as a single (BUY 78) and the band found themselves on tour supporting Madness. The band appeared on the Old Grey Whistle Test (the video is no longer available on You Tube due to Copyright issues) and also in the film Urgh! A Music War peforming We Got The Beat.

They signed to I.R.S. Records in April 1981 and three months later their Debut Album appeared and was a surprise hit as it steadily climbed the Billboard 200 Chart reaching the #1 spot which it held for six consecutive weeks.

Our Lips Are Sealed broke in the Top 20 in the US and the follow-up single, a re-recorded version of We Got The Beat was held off the #1 spot by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and stayed at #2 for three weeks.

I still love this album. It's fine bouncy pop music that always reminds me of hot summer days for some reason (so it's a nice soundtrack at the moment with such nice weather).

Note from S4L: Due to a recent change of account at Photobucket a lot of pictures from previous articles on the blog have been sadly lost. I cannot for the life of me understand why my previous account just seemed to have vanished a couple of months ago. As a result I am trying to update pictures and links etc on many older posts in order that enjoyment of those posts is not lost. Other posts I have decided to redo altogether as it seemed a lot easier to do. So if you see a post that like today's one with the title "Revisiting" then more often than not it will be for the above reasons.
Thanks for your continued patience in this matter and thank you for taking time to visit this blog. - Doug (8th July 2017)