The Go-Go's

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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 not controlled by male producers or managers.

While the Go-Go's hit singles - "We Got the Beat," "Our Lips Are Sealed," "Vacation," "Head Over Heels" - were bright, energetic new wave pop, The Go-Go's were an integral part of the Californian punk scene. And the Go-Go's did play punk rock, even if many of their rougher edges were ironed out by the time they recorded their first album, 1981's Beauty and the Beat.

Even as they became America's darlings, the Go-Go's lived the wild life of rockers, swallowing as many pills and taking as much cocaine as possible, trashing hotel rooms, and just generally being bad. More importantly, the Go-Go's earliest music - now collected on Return to the Valley of the Go-Go's - was raw and rocking; The Go-Go's may not have directly inspired the female alternative rockers and riot grrrls of the '90s, but certainly foreshadowed it.

Originally formed in 1978 as the Misfits, the group featured Belinda Carlisle (vocals), Jane Wiedlin (guitar, vocals), Charlotte Caffey (lead guitar, keyboards), Margot Olaverra (bass), and Elissa Bello (drums); the group soon changed their name to the Go-Go's and began playing local parties and small clubs in California.

In 1979, Gina Schock became the group's drummer. During that year, the Go-Go's recorded a demo and supported the British ska revival group Madness in both Los Angeles and England. The Go-Go's spent half of 1980 touring England, earning a sizable following and releasing "We Got the Beat" on Stiff Records. An import copy of the Go-Go's "We Got the Beat" became an underground club hit in the U.S., which meant the Go-Go's were popular enough to sell out concerts, yet they had a difficult time landing a record contract.

At the end of 1980, the Go-Go's bassist Olaverra became ill and had to stop performing; she was replaced by Kathy Valentine, a guitarist who had never played bass before. Early in 1981, the Go-Go's signed with IRS Records. Released in the summer of 1981, the Go-Go's debut album, Beauty and the Beat, became one of the surprise hits of the year, staying at number one for six weeks and selling over two million copies; The Go-Go's "Our Lips Are Sealed" hit number 20 and a re-recorded version of "We Got the Beat" spent three weeks at number two.

The following year, the Go-Go's released Vacation. Although it sold well - the album made the Top Ten and it went gold, spawning the Top Ten hit single "Vacation" - it failed to keep the momentum of the first record. During the next year the Go-Go's were unable to perform, with Caffey recovering from a broken wrist. In 1984, the Go-Go's returned with Talk Show, their most musically ambitious album.

While Talk Show gave the Go-Go's two Top 40 hits - the number 11 "Head Over Heels" and "Turn to You" - it failed to even go gold. By the end of the year, Wiedlin had left the band; the Go-Go's broke up in May of 1985. The Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle became the most successful solo artist, scoring a string of mainstream pop singles in the late '80s, including the number one single "Heaven Is a Place on Earth."

For a while, Charlotte Caffey was in Carlisle's backing group; she eventually formed the Graces, who released Perfect View in 1990. Jane Wiedlin recorded two solo albums and acted in a few films. Wiedlin also organized the group's brief 1990 reunion, where they performed at a benefit for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals; they also recorded a version of "Cool Jerk" for their 1990 Greatest Hits album.

The Go-Go's reunited once more in 1994, recording three new songs for the double-disc compilation Return of the Valley of the Go-Go's; after recording the songs, the Go-Go's decided to continue as a full-time unit. In 2000, the Go-Go's appeared on VH1's Behind The Music series and released an accompanying best-of album, VH1 Behind The Music: Go-Go's Collection.

Some bands might be satisfied with racking up a collection of instantly recognizable hits, influencing a new generation of pop stars and stopping there. But for the Go-Go's, a stellar legacy just wasn't enough. So, singer Belinda Carlisle, bassist Kathy Valentine and guitarists Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffey and drummer Gina Schock, responsible for such classics as "Our Lips Are Sealed," "We Got The Beat," "Vacation," and "Head Over Heels" decided to make a whole new album.

"It's about time, don't you think?" says Schock, with a laugh.

God Bless the Go-Go's is truly a 21st Century Go-Go's LP. It reflects the exuberance the Go-Go's have maintained through time and experience, bursting with the energy of the earliest Go-Go's albums, 1981's unforgettable Beauty And The Beat, the perfect pop of 1982's Vacation and its1984 follow-up hit, Talk Show.

All the hallmarks of the Go-Go's sound are here: the '60s surf and girl-group influence, the buzzy, punk-pop guitar, the rich vocal harmonies and that instant girl-bonding spirit that made the Go-Go's so endearing. But this isn't a nostalgia trip. Sure, the Go-Go's colorful, sometimes turbulent history got the recent in-depth VH-1 Behind The Music treatment, but the Go-Go's never intended to rest on their laurels. Indeed, they started writing new songs as a way of traveling someplace else besides Memory Lane.

Since breaking up in 1985, the Go-Go's have re-united for several concert tours: in 1990 to support the hits collection, Greatest; in 1994 to promote the double-CD retrospective Return To The Valley Of The Go-Go's; and in 1999 for another series of acclaimed performances.

"There was always that unmistakable energy we have when we're together," says Carlisle. "Being back on stage together," Wiedlin adds, "made us realize that we still had music in us that hadn't come out yet." Writing new material was also a way of keeping things interesting. "We couldn't just trot out the same songs over and over, forever," Valentine says. Additionally, the Go-Go's were inspired by how many young girls and new fans came out to see their shows. So inspired that by the time the Go-Go's were ready to enter the studio, they had written over 50 brand new songs.

"To me, it seemed like the songs kind of fell out of the sky," says Caffey. "It was effortless, in a way."

Caffey continues, "We have a legacy of certain classic songs. We had to use that as a standard and also try to reflect where we are now." Helping with the process of nodding to the past and living in the present in this manner were Boston-based producer/engineers Paul Kolderie and Sean Slade, whose extensive and varied credits include work with Radiohead, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Hole and others. "We really made a good choice with those guys," says Carlisle. "They were able to bring a modern sound to the album.

It could've very easily sounded like 1982, and we didn't want that." Adds Schock, "This record is more how the band sounds live, which is what we've always tried to capture but couldn't."

The Go-Go's continue in 2006. The Go-Go's is touring to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Beauty and the Beat. The Go-Go's are planning a project with Disney called the Po-Go's, featuring child musicians performing new Go-Go's material. Charlotte Caffey and Kathy Valentine are also planning a reality show with Susanna Hoffs and Vicki Peterson of The Bangles , that will showcase female musicians and form a new all-female band.

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 not controlled by male producers or managers.

While the Go-Go's hit singles - "We Got the Beat," "Our Lips Are Sealed," "Vacation," "Head Over Heels" - were bright, energetic new wave pop, The Go-Go's were an integral part of the Californian punk scene. And the Go-Go's did play punk rock, even if many of their rougher edges were ironed out by the time they recorded their first album, 1981's Beauty and the Beat.

Even as they became America's darlings, the Go-Go's lived the wild life of rockers, swallowing as many pills and taking as much cocaine as possible, trashing hotel rooms, and just generally being bad. More importantly, the Go-Go's earliest music - now collected on Return to the Valley of the Go-Go's - was raw and rocking; The Go-Go's may not have directly inspired the female alternative rockers and riot grrrls of the '90s, but certainly foreshadowed it.

Originally formed in 1978 as the Misfits, the group featured Belinda Carlisle (vocals), Jane Wiedlin (guitar, vocals), Charlotte Caffey (lead guitar, keyboards), Margot Olaverra (bass), and Elissa Bello (drums); the group soon changed their name to the Go-Go's and began playing local parties and small clubs in California.

In 1979, Gina Schock became the group's drummer. During that year, the Go-Go's recorded a demo and supported the British ska revival group Madness in both Los Angeles and England. The Go-Go's spent half of 1980 touring England, earning a sizable following and releasing "We Got the Beat" on Stiff Records. An import copy of the Go-Go's "We Got the Beat" became an underground club hit in the U.S., which meant the Go-Go's were popular enough to sell out concerts, yet they had a difficult time landing a record contract.

At the end of 1980, the Go-Go's bassist Olaverra became ill and had to stop performing; she was replaced by Kathy Valentine, a guitarist who had never played bass before. Early in 1981, the Go-Go's signed with IRS Records. Released in the summer of 1981, the Go-Go's debut album, Beauty and the Beat, became one of the surprise hits of the year, staying at number one for six weeks and selling over two million copies; The Go-Go's "Our Lips Are Sealed" hit number 20 and a re-recorded version of "We Got the Beat" spent three weeks at number two.

The following year, the Go-Go's released Vacation. Although it sold well - the album made the Top Ten and it went gold, spawning the Top Ten hit single "Vacation" - it failed to keep the momentum of the first record. During the next year the Go-Go's were unable to perform, with Caffey recovering from a broken wrist. In 1984, the Go-Go's returned with Talk Show, their most musically ambitious album.

While Talk Show gave the Go-Go's two Top 40 hits - the number 11 "Head Over Heels" and "Turn to You" - it failed to even go gold. By the end of the year, Wiedlin had left the band; the Go-Go's broke up in May of 1985. The Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle became the most successful solo artist, scoring a string of mainstream pop singles in the late '80s, including the number one single "Heaven Is a Place on Earth."

For a while, Charlotte Caffey was in Carlisle's backing group; she eventually formed the Graces, who released Perfect View in 1990. Jane Wiedlin recorded two solo albums and acted in a few films. Wiedlin also organized the group's brief 1990 reunion, where they performed at a benefit for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals; they also recorded a version of "Cool Jerk" for their 1990 Greatest Hits album.

The Go-Go's reunited once more in 1994, recording three new songs for the double-disc compilation Return of the Valley of the Go-Go's; after recording the songs, the Go-Go's decided to continue as a full-time unit. In 2000, the Go-Go's appeared on VH1's Behind The Music series and released an accompanying best-of album, VH1 Behind The Music: Go-Go's Collection.

Some bands might be satisfied with racking up a collection of instantly recognizable hits, influencing a new generation of pop stars and stopping there. But for the Go-Go's, a stellar legacy just wasn't enough. So, singer Belinda Carlisle, bassist Kathy Valentine and guitarists Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffey and drummer Gina Schock, responsible for such classics as "Our Lips Are Sealed," "We Got The Beat," "Vacation," and "Head Over Heels" decided to make a whole new album.

"It's about time, don't you think?" says Schock, with a laugh.

God Bless the Go-Go's is truly a 21st Century Go-Go's LP. It reflects the exuberance the Go-Go's have maintained through time and experience, bursting with the energy of the earliest Go-Go's albums, 1981's unforgettable Beauty And The Beat, the perfect pop of 1982's Vacation and its1984 follow-up hit, Talk Show.

All the hallmarks of the Go-Go's sound are here: the '60s surf and girl-group influence, the buzzy, punk-pop guitar, the rich vocal harmonies and that instant girl-bonding spirit that made the Go-Go's so endearing. But this isn't a nostalgia trip. Sure, the Go-Go's colorful, sometimes turbulent history got the recent in-depth VH-1 Behind The Music treatment, but the Go-Go's never intended to rest on their laurels. Indeed, they started writing new songs as a way of traveling someplace else besides Memory Lane.

Since breaking up in 1985, the Go-Go's have re-united for several concert tours: in 1990 to support the hits collection, Greatest; in 1994 to promote the double-CD retrospective Return To The Valley Of The Go-Go's; and in 1999 for another series of acclaimed performances.

"There was always that unmistakable energy we have when we're together," says Carlisle. "Being back on stage together," Wiedlin adds, "made us realize that we still had music in us that hadn't come out yet." Writing new material was also a way of keeping things interesting. "We couldn't just trot out the same songs over and over, forever," Valentine says. Additionally, the Go-Go's were inspired by how many young girls and new fans came out to see their shows. So inspired that by the time the Go-Go's were ready to enter the studio, they had written over 50 brand new songs.

"To me, it seemed like the songs kind of fell out of the sky," says Caffey. "It was effortless, in a way."

Caffey continues, "We have a legacy of certain classic songs. We had to use that as a standard and also try to reflect where we are now." Helping with the process of nodding to the past and living in the present in this manner were Boston-based producer/engineers Paul Kolderie and Sean Slade, whose extensive and varied credits include work with Radiohead, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Hole and others. "We really made a good choice with those guys," says Carlisle. "They were able to bring a modern sound to the album.

It could've very easily sounded like 1982, and we didn't want that." Adds Schock, "This record is more how the band sounds live, which is what we've always tried to capture but couldn't."

The Go-Go's continue in 2006. The Go-Go's is touring to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Beauty and the Beat. The Go-Go's are planning a project with Disney called the Po-Go's, featuring child musicians performing new Go-Go's material. Charlotte Caffey and Kathy Valentine are also planning a reality show with Susanna Hoffs and Vicki Peterson of The Bangles , that will showcase female musicians and form a new all-female band.

Rock