Go-Go's - Greatest
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CD Details
Artist: Go-Go'sEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1990-10-05
Music Label: A&M
Soundtracks:
- Our Lips Are Sealed
- Cool Jerk
- We Got the Beat
- Head over Heels
- Get up and Go
- Vacation
- Beatnik Beach
- You Thought
- I'm the Only One
- This Town
- Lust to Love
- Mercenary
- How Much More?
- Turn to You
Music reviews of Greatest
Music Review: More Than Just the Synth-Pop Hits
Rating: 4 Stars
When I look back at the Go-Go's career in the 1980s, there are two interesting things that come to mind. The first is that the Go-Gos 80s career really only spanned a three year period from 1981 through 1984 in which they produced three albums ("Beauty and the Beat", "Vacation", and "Talk Show"). The second is that the Go-Gos were really much more than a "novelty" act. The Go-Gos got the reputation for being a novelty act probably because they were an all-female group that really appealed to the hey-dey of MTV's video days. But when you start to listen to much of the music made by the Go-Gos, you will really discover that this was a creative group that made some very good music. The collection "Go-Gos Greatest" includes 14 tracks from the three albums made by the Go-Gos in the 1980s and help to really give you a good feel for the music made by the group.
The Go-Gos were a quintet of five women - Charlotte Caffey, Belinda Carlisle, Gina Schock, Kathy Valentine, and Jane Wiedlin. Belinda is often the best known of the Go-Gos as she went on to have a very successful solo career in the late 80s. However, much of the creativity of the Go-Gos emulated from lead guitarist and keyboardist Charlotte Caffey. While all of the Go-Gos would contribute to songwriting at one point or another, Charlotte would emerge as the lead songwriter with Jane as the secondary one (she authored 11 of the 14 tracks included on this collection - Jane would contribute to 7 tracks). Caffey would also go on to do some songwriting for Belinda Carlisle after the split of the Go-Gos.
The Go-Gos career was smack in the middle of the synth-pop revolution. While many of their biggest hits fall into this category ("Our Lips are Sealed", "We Got the Beat", "Vacation", and "Head Over Heels"), this was not the boundaries that the Go-Gos would be confined to. As I listened to many of the lesser known songs, I began to discover that this group had much more of a guitar edge than I ever thought. This was probably due to the fact that three of the members (Charlotte, Kathy, and Jane) were guitar players. As a result, the sound on many of the tracks has a pretty good guitar dose. No this isn't going to be Jimmy Page or Eric Clapton, but it isn't bad guitar work. If you even listen to the four classic synth-pop songs mentioned above, you will hear a good guitar influence mixed in to a lesser extent. The guitar edge seemed to emerge starting with the second ("Vacation") album and continue into the third album. It's worth noting that "How Much More" from the "Beauty and the Beat" album did have a good guitar edge. Much of the sound of the Go-Gos reminds me of the early Bangles from their debut album "All Over the Place". You can hear this guitar edge sound on such tracks as "Get Up and Go", "Beatnik Beach", "I'm the Only One", "Mercenary", "Turn to You" and of course "How Much More".
It is worth mentioning the song "You Thought" was written by two of the "forgotten" members of the band - Gina and Kathy. This song has a good synth-pop sound and doesn't get the credit it deserves among some of the more classic synth-pop songs made by the Go-Gos. This song also has its moments of a solid guitar work. Another good synth-pop song is "This Town" - this song has some terrific harmonies and Belinda does great on the vocals while also having its guitar moments. Belinda's vocals shine on the songs "Mercenary" and "How Much More" - she has those trademark "dig deep down" voice that makes it so distinctive.
As for the 14 old songs, one thing that I am not happy with is the ordering. I find that the best "Greatest Hits" collections are ones that arrange the songs in chronological order. This allows me to see how the band progresses over time. "Go-Gos Greatest" shuffles the order up quite a bit for the sole purpose of "mixing up" the songs". There doesn't even seem to be any logic to how the songs were arranged. While I do understand these songs were taken from just three albums, I do find this disappointing.
An interesting point is that perhaps the Go-Gos were confined by the era they were in. Of the 14 tracks that are included on the collection, there are only two songs over 4 minutes long. There are four songs that are under 3 minues long - this includes three of the four classic synth-pop songs: "Our Lips Are Sealed", "We Got the Beat", and "Vacation"). The rest of the songs are all in the 3 to 4 minute range. These short songs made the Go-Gos a very attractive commodity to 1980s Top 40 radio and MTV, but I do find the short songs to be disappointing in that in many instances they leave you wanting for more music.
There are no lyrics included with the collection. The corresponding songwriting credits for each song are listed. Each song is footnoted with its copyright year, but there are no references to the actual names of the three albums included. Since this is a greatest hits collection, I would have liked to see a short writeup on the history and impact of the band - especially during the three year hey-dey period. These gripes about the liner notes are minor. This is still a pretty good collection to get - it has a nice cross section of the Go-Gos portfolio of music and goes well beyond the "hits". If you are a deep Go-Gos fan, you probably are going to have all of these songs. If you are new to the Go-Gos, this is going to be an excellent place to start.
Description of Greatest
Cute and perky, the Go-Go's bounced on the scene with "We Got the Beat" as if they were leading a new wave pep rally. As Greatest Hits documents, their energy was at its peak with their debut album, especially on its other hit, "Our Lips Are Sealed." Later hits like "Vacation" and "Head Over Heels" could still get 'em out on the dance floor, but also characterized a bit of a mood swing for the band. Troubled by their quick rise to fame, the Go-Go's couldn't sustain the pace because of pressures outside and within their band's structure (the subject of "Head Over Heels"). Regardless, Greatest Hits can manage to evoke more than just nostalgia with "This Town," "Lust to Love," and "Cool Jerk." --Steve GdulaAlternative Rock CDs
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