Return to the Valley of the Go Go's
Editorial Reviews
Album Details
Japanese Re-release featuring Two Exclusive Bonus Tracks: Screaming and Turn to You. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
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
Similar Items:
- 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.
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
Similar Items:
- 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:
- 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
Go Go's
Manufacturer: Emi
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
New Wave
| New Wave & Post-Punk
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
Pop Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Alternative Rock
| Imports
| Stores
| Music
Similar Items:
- Vacation
- Beauty and the Beat
- God Bless the Go-Go's
- The Go-Go's - Live in Central Park
- Belinda
ASIN: B000024KB0
Release Date: 1996-05-01 |
Tracks:
- Living At The Canterbury/Party Pose
- Fashion Seekers (Live)
- He's So Strange
- London Boys (Live)
- Beatnik Beach (Live)
- Cool Jerk
- We Got The Beat (Single Mix)
- Our Lips Are Sealed - Go-Go's
- Surfing And Spying
- Vacation
- Speeding
- Good For Gone
- Head Over Heels
- Can't Stop The World (Live)
- Mercenary (Acoustic) (Live)
- Good Girl
- Beautiful
- The Whole World Lost Its Head - Go-Go's
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.
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
Go-Go's
Manufacturer: Msi/Emd
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
New Wave
| New Wave & Post-Punk
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
Pop Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Alternative Rock
| Imports
| Stores
| Music
Similar Items:
- Vacation
- Beauty and the Beat
- God Bless the Go-Go's
- The Go-Go's - Live in Central Park
- Belinda
ASIN: B000005RQ7
Release Date: 1997-09-09 |
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.
Music:
- Sacred Straight [Import]
- Secular Music
- Setting the Woods on Fire
- Seven [Import]
- Simply the Best
- Sky Is Too High [Import]
- Something Of My Own
- Submolecular [Explicit Lyrics]
- The Complete Mod Collection
- The Fire of Misery
Music
music
Music
Nevermore
Stravinsky: the Rite of Spring, the Firebird [Import]
Unknown Arias for Soprano & Obligato Instruments
You've Got a Way
War & Peace
Wagner: Die Walküre (Act One)
The Swingers! [Import] [Limited Edition]
Trio Viaggio - Proporcions to the Minim
The RCA Years
Thelonious Monk
This One's for the Ladies
Thomas Davis Memorial Pipe Band
Trance 03 [Import]
Early Marches and Waltzes
Ready for the Storm