Return to the Valley of [Extra tracks]

Editorial Reviews
Album Details
Japanese Re-release featuring Two Exclusive Bonus Tracks: Screaming and Turn to You.

Return to the Valley of the Go-Go's
Average customer rating:

Get this for the all time classic "Our lips are sealed"

The best buy for overall Go-Go's experience, w/ slight flaws...

I Love The Go-Go's, But

NICE COMPILATION

from begining to end and back again

Return to the Valley of the Go-Go's
The Go-Go's
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
New Wave | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
General | Pop | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
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Vacation

Beauty and the Beat

God Bless the Go-Go's

The Go-Go's - Live in Central Park

Belinda

ASIN: B000000QHA
Release Date: 1994-10-18

Tracks:

Living At The Canterbury/Party Pose
Screaming
Johnny Are You Queer?
Fun With Ropes
Fashion Seekers Intro/Fashion Seekers
Blades
He's So Strange
London Boys
Let's Have A Party
Beatnik Beaches
(Remember) Walking In The Sand
Lust To Love
How Much More
Cool Jerk
We Got The Beat (Single Mix)
Skidmarks On My Heart
This Town
Our Lips Are Sealed

Tracks:

Surfing And Spying
Vacation
Speeding
Get Up And Go
It's Everything But Party Time
Beneath The Blue Sky
Good For Gone
Head Over Heels
Turn To You
Yes or No
I'm With You
We Don't Get Along
Can't Stop The World
I'm The Only One
Mercenary (Acoustic)
Good Girl
Beautiful
The Whole World Lost Its Head

Album Details

Japanese Re-release featuring Two Exclusive Bonus Tracks: Screaming and Turn to You.

Customer Reviews:

Get this for the all time classic "Our lips are sealed".......2007-03-15

Around a couple of years ago [give or take] I went into a record store and asked if The Go Gos had a compilation. The answer was "no" and the assistant [a teen girl, I think] didn't even know who The Go Gos were! The penny dropped when I dropped its former lead singer's name, Belinda Carlisle. So, I'm showing my age by liking this band's songs, even if most teeny boppers would be hard pressed to remember Belinda, let alone her former band.

Anyway, I bought this schlocky looking single cd mainly for "Our lips are sealed", which I consider to be an American pop classic, right up there with Brit Pop classics like The Beatles' "Hey Jude", "What have I done to deserver this" by The Pet Shop Boys & Dusty Springfield and Coldplay's "Clocks" or Australian pop classics like Alex Lloyd's "Green", "Chemistry" by Mondo Rock or the more indie pop classic "Man overboard" by Do Re Mi. I'm calling the cd "schlocky" looking mainly because of the Russ Meyer movie poster style cover art.

First impressions: the first few songs are extremely raw, rough and punk/pop sounding [sort of in the vein of The Ramones or The B-52]. Not having bought an album by the band before, I can't say whether the opening tracks are as found in their first albums. They sort of sound like out-takes and demos...using a tape recorder. Really, I can't imagine why they were included in this form. You'd have to be a real hardcore fan to want to hear banter before and during the song. So, being unfamiliar with these songs, I think it would have been a good idea for the band to revisit them and re-do them professionally...especially for songs like "He's so strange", which show promise. Another possible gripe for fans of the band is that many songs are performed live...and generally when I really like songs I don't like them being live on compilations.

It's not until "We got the beat" that the band finds the girly-pop style which is where they hooked me with "Our lips are sealed". Nice, catchy chorus, good drums.

They reach the apex of their poppy style with "Our lips are sealed". The band gel better than they have in their early songs...each member contributes a hook or something cool to this honey flavoured, summer breeze like song. The song features a cool bass hook, a cool lead guitar, Belinda's cool, strained [at times] vocals and an energetic drum break. I especially love the calm before this strained vocal, drumming breakout and then the really cool, girly backing vocals afterwards. This song is ABBA good! Takes you to that happy place.

Some other songs on the album ring a bell, either because they were released as a single or featured on tv or something, e.g. "Vacation", "Head over heels" and "The whole world lost its head". These are obviously the more commercial sounding songs and since I like commercial songs, they stand out more. I remember really quite liking "Head over heels" years ago, but it doesn't grab me as much now though it is quite good...catchy singing, cool keyboard intro, cool drum machine effects and a nice bass hook going.

Other songs of interest: "Surfing and spying"-sounds like surf-music, beach-party music"; "Speeding" has a classic 1950's rock'n'roll style to it; "Can't stop the world" has a similar vibe to "Head over heels"-nice lead guitar work and a cool drum outro; "Beautiful" features a nice wind-chime effect on keyboard, I think; "The whole world lost its head"-features some whimsical lyrics; The song "Beatnik beach" had a guitar bit which reminded me of the theme from "Hawaii 5-0". Lastly, a few of the songs near the end of the cd are sort of girly themed songs that younger listeners might get something from or relate to.

There is one song on this album which was a pleasant surprise to me...an Easter Egg if you will. It's "Mercenary", a nice ballad which has a cool folk song guitar intro and nice keyboard work too.

The Go Gos are a good little band with a classic song and a few other good ones. It's a real pity that they didn't make more songs as good as "Our lips are sealed" or at least as good as "Head over heels" and "We got the beat". I think pop music nowadays could do with some good old fashioned pop like these girls made in their prime.

P.S. Other pop albums I've reviewed on this site are:

Alex Lloyd "Amazing-The Best of" [I mentioned him in my review above]
Roxette
Skyhooks
Midnight Oil. This band makes masterful pop/rock. Politics never sounded so good.
INXS

The best buy for overall Go-Go's experience, w/ slight flaws..........2005-11-09

Belinda, Kathy, Charlotte, Jane, & Gina emerged from a smarmy punk background, adding a bit of pop to help smooth out the wrinkles. From there we all know the story, the Go-Go's were one of the premiere girl group's of their time & helped put MTV on the map with their punky, kitchsy pop before personal problems caused the band to implode.

Three records: "Beauty & the Beat", "Vacation", & "Talk Show" are all represented here by their singles (big & minor) & selected b-sides, several new tracks, and a portion of live tracks spread over two discs. While clearly there was enough material to go around, it is the live recording's that leave a bit to be desired.

In a slight chronological order we get how the Go-Go's progressed from the rough punk to their new wave shimmer. While the live tracks are interesting, the sound quality is quite poor. Especially from the earlier live gigs. Possibly because the source tape is older & not as advanced, and I see why it would be appealing to have these live tracks here. But it definitely showed that they needed to be more than five angry punkettes to make it.

The rehearsal tracks ("He's So Strange", "Blades") help pick up the audio quality, & show that they knew they had a sense of pop melody. But not all is lost, the live tracks from their date at the Palos Verdes High School in Los Angeles, taped in December of 1981 really find the Go-Go's working their live muscles. While Belinda sometimes sounds assured, it shows that she isn't a vocal presence live; at least not in every instance. The band of course sounds tight and focused, and sugary background harmonies don't hurt either!

Besides that gripe, as stated the hits, b-sides (plentiful), and new tracks are quite abundant & fun. Also, a great booklet full of pictures from their inception to their reunion in 1990, other personal keepsakes photos, & commentary makes this a better buy than their "Greatest" set from 1990, or their "Behind the Music" set from 2000.

They "got the beat".

I Love The Go-Go's, But.......2005-06-21

This disc takes advantage of its fans. Since Beauty And The Beat was so loaded with thier best material it is impossible to compile a greatest hits collection without including almost the whole first album. Bands hate doing that because they can't admit to themselves when they make dribble so they fill greatest hits packages with less than worthy material. To add to the problem their two other studio releases containing awful material also contains stuff that can not be ignored and of course they choose the wron tracks to add to the compilation. So instead of doing what us fans would enjoy and saving our budget they unload a lot of crap(I hate live material so much. It never sounds good and as with this disc is many times unlistenable. If it is listenable it sounds just like the studio songs except with annoying clapping and extraneous noise) along with some worthwhile songs to fill an overpriced compilation. I guess I have to shell out for those crappy albums because this surely comes short in compiling all the worthwhile material as they couldn't even pick the right songs to steal off the bad CD's. I already wasted my money on this so I guess it is a no win situation. Record companies suck. Keep live material seperate from the good stuff please. I mean who likes live stuff. It is added everywhere.

NICE COMPILATION.......2004-09-16

This 2-cd set is strictly for fans only. The casual listener should stick with one of the two greatest hits albums available, or buy each of the bands 4 original albums. The first cd contains mostly live recordings and rehersal takes. Interesting from a history perspective, but not very good music. Once you get to the songs "He's So Strange", "Blades", and "Beatnik Beach" you get to hear the Go-Gos as we know them. The original version of "How Much More" is actually really nice, much more poppy sounding than the version on "BATB". The version of "(Remeber)Walking in the Sand" also is a nice touch.
The second cd is much better. The three new songs that close the disc are strong. "Good Girl" has jangly guitars reminiscent of early 90's bands like the Gin Blossoms. Twisted lyrics like "Good dog, good girl..better be a good girl" show the girls still have an edge. Also notable are the inclusion of b-sides and the "Fast Times at Ridgmont High" track "Speeding". Of course, the album "Talk Show" is represented here with seven songs. Two of which, are here in live versions. "Mercenary" has Belinda sounding quite hoarse, most likely from the trudgery of touring and, probably cocaine abuse. Still not a bad compilation and it comes with an eye opening booklet with nice liner notes. The bands 2001 release "God Bless the Go-Gos" is probably their best work and I recommend that highly.

from begining to end and back again.......2004-09-09

The early demos and live stuff that starts disc one are rough, admittedly, but gives a fascinating look into the evolution of this band. The Palos Verdes High School concert tracks sound good, the band is in peak form, but I wish there would have been more from it. The only thing missing from the early rare B-sides is the original Stiff Records version of "We Got the Beat" ( I've heard bits of it, it's a little faster than the version cut for IRS Records ) . Highlights from the first album close disc one. Disc two hits the highlights from Vacation, including a few more b-sides and rarities, and also the incredible Talk Show ( FINALLY issued on CD a year or so ago, it is their best all around studio recording ) and some live tracks from here there and yonder. The disc closes with three new songs that are much better than anyone would have thought, as these ladies had not recorded anything new in quite some time. All in all a GREAT buy. Highly recommended for fans of the band.

Xena: Warrior Princess, Volume Six : Original Television Soundtrack

Average customer rating:

Great, but no prize
Xena;Warrior Princess volume six
Great Collection
Exceptional
A MIX OF THE BEST, THE WORST AND THE MISSING

Xena: Warrior Princess, Volume Six : Original Television Soundtrack

Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Television Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
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Xena: Warrior Princess, Volume Four - Original Soundtrack
Xena: Warrior Princess - Original Television Soundtrack
Xena: Warrior Princess - Lyre, Lyre, Hearts on Fire: Original Television Soundtrack
Xena: Warrior Princess - Original Television Soundtrack, Volume Two
Xena: Warrior Princess - The Bitter Suite: A Musical Odyssey - Original Television Soundtrack

ASIN: B00005LMK2
Release Date: 2001-07-10

Tracks:

With the Angels
Battling Archangles
Go to Them
Body Snatch
Resistence
Gab's Trial
They're Coming
Back from the Dead
She'll Be Here
Callisto in Hell
Way of Pain
Kee Coming
End of Coming
Ring
Valhalla
On a Cow
Up the Rhein
Rhein Maidens
Out of Options
Kiss
Return of the Rheingold
Pas de Deux Femmes
You Will Dance

Tracks:

Sounds of War
To the Rising Sun
Sounds of Life and Death
Snow Falling on Cedars
Burning Higuchi
Die Demon
Reality of Dreams
Xena Vs. Yodishi
Return to Chin
Power of the Book
Secret of the Powder
Haulin' to the North
Mausoleum
It's Over
Love Is a Weapon
United in Love
Joxer the Mighty
Play's the Thing
Woman's a Natural Thing/Miss Known World
Day in the Life
Catching Fish
Up in the Trees
Things in Common
Down the Valley
Neighbor Lady
Smelling Mortality
Chasin' Chickens
Quill Is Mightier
Here Girl
Xena Main Title

Customer Reviews:

Great, but no prize.......2002-03-31

The selections from the Ring trilogy, Friends in need and Fallen Angel were excellent, however, some of the special request such as joxer the mighty, seemed a little bit rushed. Wasn't that song on Volume 2 already? Where was M'Lila's song from Destiny, or the music played During the first Kiss in "The Quest"
The cd has its good points, personally "It's Over" from "THAB" with its haunting melodies portraying the consequences of war.

Xena;Warrior Princess volume six.......2002-01-09

I am so happy that the last and final cd has come out, now my collection is complete. I am very sad for the show ending, but I am glad to still collect things.

Great Collection.......2001-12-25

Well, I have them all by now, but this last one is a great collection, with the added bonus of the music from A Friend In Need.
Just another fine addition to my Xena collection!

Exceptional.......2001-11-30

I am a fanatic and devoted Xenite.I have a huge problem:i can't stop listening to that cd,since the first time i listened to it,which means 1 month!That cd is really exceptional and i think that every true and genuine Xenite should buy it!It's really good!I was moved when i heard the Fallen Angel part.I was passioned when i heard the Ring Trilogy!I was astonishing when i heard the bonus cues that were included,especially the cue from The Quill Is Mightier(fishin part),oh,i was completely satisfied!
Though,there is a complain:i can't understand,why after 6 cd's,the producers don't do a cd including cues like:M'laila's song,the cues from the Bacchaen festival,music from Deja Vou All Over Again,where in the end,Gabrielle says to Xena those wonderful words,or even the scene of the kiss in The Quest!That,i can't understand it!
Last, i believe that whoever likes LoDuca's music style,should buy this cd.
Pay attention to the 22 cue:Pas De Deux Femmes.It is one of a something and whoever remembers what's the scene of this song,will agree with me!Mmmm!

A MIX OF THE BEST, THE WORST AND THE MISSING.......2001-11-29

To all truly Xena fans this CD is a must-have but have some lacks... Fun (comedy episodes music) scores destroy the the great combination of FALLEN ANGEL, THE RHEINGOLD TRILOGY AND I FRIEND IN NEED. In the first selections LoDuca creates spectacular high level music good enough to be played in a Symphony orchestra concert. The others selections have easy-to-fill-space western cowboy music instead of put M'Lilas song of DESTINY, Amazon's climbing trees of ADVENTURES IN THE SIN TRADE and NAJARA vs XENA music that would be gladly accepted by us. I doubt the company will launch a next CD but if they'll do this track and another valuable more must be there and the adittion of some famous characters quotes like "I have many skills" from Xena.

Average customer rating:

Premier Pops

Manufacturer: Denon Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Lounge | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Mancini Country
The Thorn Birds

ASIN: B000008I2M
Release Date: 1994-08-05

Tracks:

Overture To A 'Pops' Concert
The Thorn Birds: The Thorn Birds Theme
The Thorn Birds: Arrival At The Vatican
The Thorn Birds: Meggie's Theme
The Thorn Birds: It's Shearing Your Hearing
Movie Song Medley: Life In A Looking Glass
Movie Song Medley: Crazy World
Movie Song Medley: Song from '10'
Hong Kong Fireworks
Sunflower
The 'Inspector Clouseau' Theme
Charade
Glass Menagerie, Pt. 1 (Tom's Theme)
Glass Menagerie, Pt. 2 (Blue Roses/Laura's Theme)
Three TV Themes: Hotel
Three TV Themes: Newhart
Three TV Themes: Remington Steele
The Sons Of Italy
Ohio Riverboat
Main Title From 'The Great Mouse Detective'
Moon River

Average customer rating:

English Operetta, Beautifully Sung

Ivor Novello Songs

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Broadway & Vocalists | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
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We'll Gather Lilacs: The Songs of Ivor Novello
The Musicality of Novello
Gosford Park (2001 film)

ASIN: B0001CNRAW
Release Date: 2002-03-23

Tracks:

Some Day My Heart Will Awake [From King's Rhapsody]
Primrose [From the Dancing Years]
Love Is My Reason [From Perchance to Dream]
Dark Music [From Arc de Triomphe]
Little Damozel
When the Gypsy Played [From Glamorous Night]
On Such a Night as This [From Gay's the Word]
Fly Home, Little Heart [From King's Rhapsody]
Keep the Home Fires Burning ('Till the Boys Come Home)
Music in May [From "Careless Rapture"]
Violin Began to Play [From King's Rhapsody]
Spring of the Year
My Dearest Dear [From the Dancing Years]
Finder, Please Return [From Gay's the Word]
Look in My Heart [From "Valley of Song"]
When I Curtsied to the King [From Perchance to Dream]
We'll Gather Lilacs [From Perchance to Dream]
Fairy Laughter
Glamorous Night [From Glamorous Night]
Why Is There Ever Goodbye? [From Careless Rapture]

Customer Reviews:

English Operetta, Beautifully Sung.......2006-10-25

For those that love operetta, most think of Vienese operettas of Johann Strauss Sr and Jr, Lehar, etc and the American Operettas of Romberg and Victor Herbert, etc. Just a bit later there was an English exponent of the form, one Ivor Novello, who was a contemporary of Noel Coward, who wrote the most glorious Romantic songs. This CD, absolutely gloriously sung is a wonderful place to start an exploration of this remarkable composer who also performed in all his shows, in non singing roles. England has through the years produced a number of wonderful sopranos who have specialized in the light opera genre. June Bronhill dominated the 1960s and 70s. Marilyn Hill Smith is her heir aparant, blessed with the most ravishing soprano, full and rich across the range, with a radiant top that rivals Joan Sutherland. Her performance of Bernstein's Glitter and Be Gay on Jay records version of Candide is one of my favorites. This CD is my favorite Marilyn Hill Smith recording. I haul it out when I have been very good and deserving of a special treat. If you are not familiar with the glorious melodies of Ivor Novello, start here, you won't be sorry.

Anne Sofie von Otter - Wings in the Night (Swedish Songs)

Average customer rating:

I wish I was Swedish
A feeling of discovery

Anne Sofie von Otter - Wings in the Night (Swedish Songs)
Wilhelm Peterson-Berger , Sigurd von Koch , Wilhelm Stenhammar , Ture Rangstrom , Emil Sjogren , Anne Sofie von Otter , and Bengt Forsberg
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Otter, Anne Sophie von | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
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Anne Sofie von Otter - Grieg Songs
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Anne Sofie von Otter - Folksongs (Dvorak, Kodaly, Britten, Grainger, Larsson, Hahn)

ASIN: B000001GRT
Release Date: 1996-03-26

Tracks:

Nothing Is Like The Time Of Waiting
When I Walk By Myself
Like The Stars In The Sky
In The Month Of Tjaitra
Of Lotus Scent And Moonlight
The Wanderer
A Ship Is Sailing
Maiden Blond And Maiden Brunette
A Seaside Song
Wings In The Night
The Farewell
Pan
Come Little Buck To The Boy
The Sun Shines Prettily In The Evening
If You Love Me
Spring Night's Rain
Mankind's Lot
The Wild Swans
The Forest Is Asleep
I Kiss Your White Hand
In The Maple's Shade
Jutta Comes to the Volkungs
Old Swedish
Melody
Supplication to Night
Boljeby Waltz
Return
You Look At Me With Silent Questions
I Broke Off A Little Rose For You
I Should Like to Hover over Valley and Hill
Aspaker's Polka

Customer Reviews:

I wish I was Swedish.......2006-06-10

This is simply my favorite disc of song out there. As a recreational singer, it's wonderful to come across a disc like this and be given an entire new world of song that you can't even find music for. The songs by Sigurd von Koch, who spent some time in Asia, are beautiful enough to dissolve your brain! In The Month Of Tjaitra and Of Lotus Scent And Moonlight are so full of beautiful imagery and wonderful music I can't see why people sing anything else. And the folk-inspired Pertersen-Berger songs are loads of fun too, although of course not as moving.

A feeling of discovery.......2000-09-23

The songs on this wonderful Swedish anthology may not be familiar to most listeners but they occupy an idiom not so dissimilar to the world of Grieg. (Otter and Forsberg's Grieg recital from a few years earlier is also indispensible.). The nostalgia-tinged melancholy (or is it wistful joy?) of Wilhelm Peterson-Berger's folk-inspired songs, for example, convey a hint of Grieg's art yet are distinctively Swedish. There are nine selections by Peterson-Berger, out of 31 total, and they all exemplify this composer in full melodic flower. The other composers offer something closer to what we think of as art songs: somewhat rarefied, reserved, melodically rich and often evocative. The piano accompaniments are always first rate. This treasury provides a rich and varied 74-minute overview of Swedish song.

If the quality of the Swedish literature as a whole is half as good as what's presented here, let's hope that this is only an introduction from Otter and Forsberg, who would seem to have this repertoire to themselves although one could not hope for more understanding interpreters. After all, they are Swedish! All of imagination of their earlier Grieg interpretations is present here as well. There is all the necessary depth of characterization without affected artsiness.

Tracks:

Maritana: Brilliant Fantasia
To A Wild Rose, Op.51No. 1
Salut D'Amour, Op. 12
Le Jet D'Eau
La Serenata
Tarantelle Brillante
Humoresque, Op. 101 No. 8
Traumerei
The Bohemian Girl (Morceau De Salon, Op. 107 No. 2): Variations On 'Where Other Lips'
Lily Of Killarney: Eily Mavourneen
'Concerto'
Lily Oh The Valley
The Old Refrain
The Robins Return
Irish Confetti