Beauty And The Beat

This album is yet another example of why the 1001 journey is great. Because the album is great…and I never would have listened to it otherwise. The consistency of the tracks is remarkable. They are high energy, and there isn’t a bad one, nor even a mediocre on IMHO, in the whole lot. I wouldn’t say any individual track is amazing on its own, but 11 very, very good tracks on a row is elite. Belinda Carlisle’s, who I hadn’t known started out in The Go-Gos, vocals are wonderful as are the harmonies with the backup vocalists. The instrumentalists each stand out at various moments throughout the album. However, the bass guitar deserves the most recognition to me. It and the drums are the driving force behind this boot-sole-to-the-chest pop album. I can’t believe this is the first, and still only, all-female band debut album that topped the Billboard where the band wrote all the songs and played all the instruments. There are a couple qualifying categories there, but this fact is still insane to me. That alone has to make this one of the most important female albums of all time. 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

Well, this one took my by surprise. Everyone knows The Go-Go's big hit "We Got The Beat" of course. That's where my knowledge of them ended until today. This is considered a cornerstone Nu Wave band but damn if it doesn't sound like a poppy punk album to me. A freaking great one at that. I found myself absolutely cranking this one and loving it. No negatives. Haters be damned, this album is fire. Loved it.

Mano eu fui ouvir esse álbum louco pra cagar. Tive que ir no banco sentindo umas pontadas no cu. Fui no banco não consegui resolver nada tive que voltara pé pra casa sentindo as pontadas no cu. 1 hora andando sem poder fumar pra não cagar. Eu fumei. Foi horrível. Não deu pra apreciar.

The songs kind of sound like they’d be used in some Jimmy Neutron montage

A classic. Not just an 80's classic, not just a new wave classic. A classic. I could bump this all day

“Beauty and the Beat” by The Go-Go’s (1981) Not familiar with this album. I’ve heard of this group. This album is pop. Musically, very simple, reminds me of The Archies and every other commercial pop group of the late 1960s. Instrumentals are plain. Lead and backing vocals lack talent. Poor diction and pitch control. No power. No vibrato. Songs seem to be written specifically for singers with limited range. Good engineering and mixing. Well-produced. Actually these are the talents on display in this album. “Lust to Love” had the potential for a powerful, driving rock song, but the vocals and instrumentals weren’t up to it. Almost every song ends with a too definite slam on the tonic. I wanted to say “cha cha cha” after each one. Lyrics are sappy. Even when they strain to sound profound, the “pony” and the “watusi” are so desperately retro. Cringe. I can only think of one reason why any record label would have wanted to sign them. 1/5

Aw New Wave. You make my heart go Oingo Boingo.

Super fun and Joyous.

Very refreshing! A upbeat, feel good rock-pop album with many catchy songs. Individual songs could be a bit longer

Omg how did I not know these people? I knew half the songs already, classics!

This was a fun album! After listening to this, I can now hear the fingerprints of The Go Go's on many more modern bands, including one of my favorites, Harvey Danger. I assume this album made the list because it was one of the first albums with this sound, which, with a 1981 release date, would make sense to me based on my limited musical knowledge Also, great album title. My personal enjoyment: 3/5 Did it belong on this list: 4/5

Radio tracks are solid! They have aged quite well. The deeper tracks are not as robust.

Pretty standard stuff, couple of good hits, not much else.

I'd never heard of this band before, but this was excellent.

A few songs I recognized and new ones I'd listen to again. All around just sounding nice and happy.

Great pop rock album from beginning to end!

Classic 80s vibes!

Un album qui a particulièrement plu à mon compère roblumière, lui étant je le rapelle président du fan club des groupes de pétasses. 4 mois après les New York Dolls, c'était donc au tour des Go-Go danseuses de faire chavirer le coeur de notre ami, qui s'empressa de se munir de son vernis à ongle pour lancer cet album. Je dois bien lui reconnaitre que cette fois, cet album était excellent.

Big love for The Beauty And The Beat! The gorgeous and bad ass 80s new wave rockers stole my heart in high school and still give me a rise when I hear their music. Fun album!

New wave goodness. Wild that this was recorded nearly 40 years ago.

Recognizable bubble-gum sound. Good for them, not interesting for me.

It is certainly better than the hit singles would suggest, but it is still a bit monochromatic in that way 80s op albums often were.

Best Song: How Much More. I'm a huge fan of upbeat songs with bleak or melancholy lyrics, and this fits that theme perfectly. The use of repetition really amplifies the song here. Worst Song: We've Got The Beat. Despite being clearly the most popular song here, it really just comes off as overly bubblegum in a way that quickly becomes annoying. Overall: There are brief moments here where the music transcends the sterile, saccharine 80s trappings, but ultimately it ends up descending into that sugar pile. An album that is okay to listen to once, but you need to brush your teeth immediately after.

Meh, all pretty samey.

A crisp packet floating like gossamer in a gentle Spring breeze, but filmed with a faded neon filter and replayed at x3 speed. Yum.

A great album or the right album at the right time, that is the question. Nonetheless, the only album written and performed by an all female group to go to number one. Holds up well as tightly written, imminently catchy, well produced pop songs. While it frequently gets categorized as new wave (and often referred to as a cornerstone of the genre), it is more good old fashioned power pop. That is probably responsible for its enduring appeal.

The Go-Go's are one of the original all girl pop punk bands. What a joy to listen to this album in full. I was already across their two main hits in Our Lips Are Sealed and We Got the Beat, but the whole album was full of great songs that really makes you feel like you're a part of their girls club, in the best possible way. Best: Our Lips Are Sealed; We Got the Beat Worst: Skidmarks On My Heart

An album so great, they never even tried to top it. "Beauty and the Beat" sounds like 1981, yet somehow timeless at the same time. "Our Lips Are Sealed" is a classic opener, letting all 5 members shine and setting you up for everything. And the rest of the album is full of absolute bangers. I'm surprised this didn't have at least 4 more monster singles. The Go-Go's would throw out a few more albums, even have some more hit singles, but their long overdue Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame election is because of this album. Truth be told, there's an argument suggesting Belinda Carlisle had a more successful career than the Go-Go's. I don't necessarily agree with that; Carlisle had more hit singles (including a number 1 in "Heave On Earth"), but I couldn't come up with a title of one of her solo albums to save my life. But this album is still as close to a perfect blend of new-wave meets power-pop as you'll ever hear.

Not the biggest fan of the vocals, but a nice album overall. Light 4 stars

First thing I see on this album is the logo for the IRS label; you know, the group that introduced the world to R.E.M., Oingo Boingo, and . . . Fine Young Cannibals. Knowing a few Go-Go's songs, IRS seems to enjoy an eclectic roster of artists. Let's dig in . . . The light-punk-pop sound and surf-jangly guitars of "How Much More" reminds me of The Kids In The Hall theme song. The vocal harmonies gives me the impression that this is the natural progression of the Ronettes and the Supremes. This is the girl power of the day. "Lust To Love" is reminiscent of the early years of The Cure's no-distortian punk while "This Town" continues in the shagadelic post-disco stylings of the B-52's. "We Got The Beat" has a Toni Basil "Hey Mickey" cheering and breakdown I haven't noticed before. "Can't Stop The World" starts off feeling like lablemates R.E.M.'s "Radio Free Europe." The upbeat "You Can't Walk In Your Sleep (If You Can't Sleep)" makes you realize just how tight the band are; I had to look up if they played their instruments or if they were figureheads for a manufactured girl group. Not only do they play every note, they write all of their own songs. They are no gimmic, the Go-Go's are the real deal. They are hard to categorize. Punk, but not punk, pop but not bubblegum pop, familiar yet unique. A little surf in there too. Extra points for doing their own thing.

I was really looking forward to hearing “Cruel Summer” when I put this on, because let’s face it, it’s been a cruel summer so far with the wildfire smoke pollution back at it again here in the Northeast. I soon realized that “Cruel Summer” is by Banarama, however. Maybe I got them confused because of the Go-Go’s song “Vacation”. Whatever the reason, Beauty and the Beat is pretty great record, an unexpected surprise - less poppy and with more of a punk-ish edge than I figured. But it was on the I.R.S label, so I guess that tracks. The guitar is great, the vocals are great, the songs are great. Nothing to complain about here, really solid record.

Pretty good, consistently strong tracks. "Our lips are sealed" > "We got the beat". Revolutionary in 1981 I'm sure, though listening in the modern day it sounds a little samey.

Un excellent album de la part de ce groupe de gonzesses survoltées. Le titre How Much More a d'ailleurs été choisi comme générique de l'émission Petits plats en équilibre présenté par Laurent Mariotte et accompagne aujourd'hui à merveille les passages très télégéniques de cuisson au four.

This was a really fun album to listen to. There were some songs that I had heard before. The new wave sound took me back to playing grand theft auto vice city. This was praised as being one of the first new wave albums.

This debut from the 80s all-girl new wave group would have been quite good if all of the songs didn’t feel so plain and average. I know there were hits but there wasn’t anything that jumped out as quality or even being properly distinctive and memorable. Literally is just plain all-girl new wave-sound and no keeper songs. The Bangles afterwards would do a much grander job. 3 stars because technically not bad, just average.

The female Power Pop group The Go-Go's released this debut album in the heights of early 80's New Wave and definitely set a standard in terms of what modern Pop music can be. While this album isn't nearly as adventurous as for example the Talking Heads around that same time, this album still had some nice elements within. At least back then. I personally think that the album hasn't aged all that well. From my modern day perspective, it's pretty bland and samey although there is definitely something to be found here. It's just not really my thing. The opening track 'Our Lips Are Sealed' shows what the album is: a fun New Wave & Power Pop album with elements of Post-Punk similar to what B-52's or even the Talking Heads might do. The song is without a doubt fun and for those who are interested with this type of music, fine, I get how someone enjoys this but I am just a little annoyed. The vocals feel pushed and the instrumental parts feel like they don't really fit together. It's not a bad song and I actually "like" the song to a certain degree but not much more. It's an okay song that is very much a song of its times. The quite Jangle Pop sounding 'How Much More' definitely feels like a forerunner of the Smiths. The elements of Twee Pop are also pretty nice and cutesy and I think the song overall just fits together much better but not enough for me to love it. This is simply a fine song that doesn't hurt to listen to but it definitely does not get me excited for anything. The background guitars in 'Tonite' give it a touch of early Rock n' Roll and the obvious Dance elements together with the quite phenomenal chorus make this actually really enjoyable. My main problem are the instrumental bridges and the way the song is structured. It often feels broken up or like they weren't even finished with building tension. It all just releases way too early to be fully enjoyable. But all that aside, the chorus is incredible and this is one of my favourite songs on the album even if it's not more than a "good" song. The moment I heard 'Lust to Love' I felt like listening to Lose Yourself by Eminem but apparently he didn't sample/interpolate this song and its just an accident that they sound similar... Anyway, the song's okay. The riff definitely carries this one because both verses and chorus are pretty average. All of it feels very... off. And the couple nice moments sadly cannot outweigh the fact that the song is mainly very boring. It's just an average 80's pop song. The albums first half already ends with 'This Town' which is somewhat of a step-up as the music itself fits together much better and the song itself averages itself out into being very much average. The song has no moments that make it interesting at any point and the moments that do stick out, don't do it because they are good. The song is either annoying or boring which makes it a very obvious below average candidate. Side B starts with 'We Got the Beat' the track that probably gave the album its title. The album mainly tries to work with the chorus which is a bad idea because the chorus is basic and not really good. The bridges are boring and again, come way too early. I do not enjoy a single second of what this song brings onto the table. It's genuinely a bad song with even worse transitions between the parts that make up the song. The more psychedelic and Post Punk approach to 'Fading Fast' is definitely not a bad idea as the song is much better than most the album offered so far. The song works: the transitions between verse, chorus & bridge are good, the structure is good and even the chorus has something. This might actually be the best song so far. It's not anything remotely close to being incredible but it's definitely a great song. And if that wasn't enough, 'Automatic' now brings in some inspirations from the Goth Rock scene. It's much darker than everything here so far but it comes at a cost. The song sadly doesn't work all that well again. I really like the Post Punk guitar and the atmosphere but the songwriting is sometimes really awful and way too faltering to actually work. The song sadly turns out bland and boring as well as feeling a little annoying here and there which does make it slightly below of what I call average. 'You Can't Walk in Your Sleep (If You Can't Sleep)' goes Pop again and sadly not with much quality. The song is just annoying and nothing sounds interesting or good. The song isn't completely awful as the bridge is not terrible but the rest just makes this a pretty bad song overall. The lyrics and the chorus are also just really stupid. This right here, is easily the worst song on the album. The more openly Punk 'Skidmarks on My Heart' is a little better even if it's absolutely corny. It's not really interesting or pleasent to the ears but the album had bigger accidents on it. It's still a bad song but definitely not as bad as its predecessor. The albums closing track 'Can't Stop the World' definitely puts a sonic end to the album. It picks a lot of the Pop styles up again and puts them together in a song that's just very, very boring. It's not as bad as some other songs but it's far away from being good. favourites: Fading Fast, Tonite least favourites: You Can't Walk in Your Sleep (If You Can't Sleep), We Got the Beat, Skidmarks on My Heart Rating: light 5 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

I like this, but I feel God wants me to enjoy it more. I’ve listened to it three times today! It’s fun! But I can’t remember any songs a few hours later, just Carlisle’s voice cutting through as of from another room, and defiantly thin guitars!

our lips are sealed - 7/10 how much more - 7/10 tonite - 5/10 lust to love - 6/10 this town - 5/10 we got the beat - 4/10 fading fast - 4/10 automatic - 4/10 you can’t walk in your sleep - 6/10 skidmarks on my heart - 6/10 can’t stop the world - 6/10

80’s pop meh.

decently okay

It wasn’t absolutely horrible but it was not my cup of tea and I don’t need to listen to it again.

not for me, found the lead far to screechy

At least it was short

Really only kept afloat by the first song, which was actually written by Terry Hall of the Specials

Fun and spunky new wave pop songs. Can't justify more than 2* considering what I just gave Hendrix, and I prefer Fun Boy Three's take and Belinda's big solo hits

Good but not my cup o' tea

This is part of the reason I think 80s music sucks. It's just obnoxious. Shitty singing, bland repetitive music, it's not good.

Objectively imprecise, subjectively gimmicky, occasionally catchy.

Trash

What a load of old shit.

Quite dull.

Saccharine, blood-curdling album cover didn't help

Meh

80's girl coming of age songs. The whole album sounds the same except track 7. Not feeling any of it. 1.5 star

A very impressive slice of pop/ punk Will come back to this one

A really great new wave album, lots of hits and the lesser known songs didn't drop the level

Quiet now Still of night Inside fire burning bright Right moment Laying down Oh, still no sound It's all automatic No thought Automatic Golden hair Skin glisten Beating heart but don't listen Angles sharp Crash together Time and consciousness sever Mind in automatic Time stop Automatic I unironically love this album. Its got some of the strongest feel-good vibes of anything that the 80s ever produced, and its just simply great. 5/5

Great album! It has held up very well for an album that was released 40 over years ago. Not a bad song on the album. Too bad it was so short, I was really enjoying it. A classic. Vinyl worthy.

I can say that I had a great time listening to this album. It's rock. It's pop. It's a mix of both that resulted in a great album. And I'll say more: this is the first album I've heard from the band and I'm excited to continue learning more about the band's work.

Slayy

I really enjoyed it! I didn’t know Belinda Carlisle was part of an all-girl punk / new wave band, and it reminds me of the Ramones but with an all-female lineup.

Love it. I didn't know this album and that's why I love this journey

This is another hidden gem that I was looking for and for which I didn't know how to ask. Thank you!

Superb

Have never heard of The Go-Go's and this album is amazing, it's kinda punkish, it's got a bucket load of energy and lasts just long enough without overstaying. I think it's a other 5 which may make this my best week ever

Nice!

This was fun

I knew the Go-Gos singles from hearing them all the time as a kid, but never listened to a full album until much later in life. I was surprised at how cool and punky they were, and at least on this album, how great their deep cuts were. They have a similar aesthetic to the Ramones for me, where they take what's essentially the sound of the early 60s and give it a modern sheen. I really like the vocal interplay between Belinda Carlisle and Jane Wiedlin, and Charlotte Caffrey has some really cool surf-influenced guitar work. Probably my favorite album of 1981. 5 stars.

Exhilarating, succinct pop songs. One of my favorite albums of the 1980s. 5 stars

It's refreshing to finally have some female artists up in here! I think I was reading online that less than 10% of this list is female which is really disappointing, because TBH as a women I definitely resonate more with music written by other women. Perhaps this is a close minded way to view music and content, but we live in a society so dominated by men's taste that it's nice to have something on this list that feels unapologetically feminine.

eu gosto muito de new wave, num tem jeito. pop rock da melhor qualidade aqui, viu. particularmente, "Fading Fast" me pegou demais, achei muito gostosinho. album pra adolescente dançar trancado no quarto.

Un increíble álbum de New-Wave, lleno de energía e ideas innovadoras (para la época). Un trabajo claramente influyente que abrió las puertas para la llegada del "rock alternativo" y el "college rock", pudiendo trazarlo (junto a The Pretenders) como fuentes de inspiración para bandas más grandes dentro del imaginario "indie" como The Smiths y R.E.M. Hay que destacar que era una banda formada exclusivamente por mujeres, que tocaban sus instrumentos y escribían sus canciones, debido a la misoginia en la industria musical que persiste hasta el día de hoy. Sin embargo, aclarar que el trabajo es bueno, independiente del género de sus intérpretes y compositoras. Pistas favoritas: "Skidmarks On My Heart", "We Got The Beat", "Can't Stop The World". PD: Es muy muy bueno, escúchelo, por favor.

fun n lovely!

Really fun album. Saved it and will definitely listen again when in need of its dancey feel-good vibes!

A perfect indie pop record. Still sounds fresh.

This album hit a sweet spot for me. Little pieces of punk and surf fueling high energy music. The instruments and voices sound great and well mixed. A nice variety in the song writing. I only knew the singles going in, but I was so impressed by this album. I would absolutely listen to it again.

Fan of Tonite and Lust to Love

I’m a huge fan of this album, I love the shimmery summery vibes it creates, the fun pop essence. So yeah, weirdly I apparently like it more than Highway 61? I mean, it’s all subjective so probably more like they’re the same amount of like, but because of mood it gets a higher ranking. You’re welcome, Belinda Carlisle!

I did not expect this to be as good as it is. Like someone else said here, this is why we do this project, to find hidden gems we otherwise would’ve totally missed. I gave it 5 just to spite the guy why gave it 1 and is just too pretentious to have fun.

this album goes so hard. I can feel the influence hard in stuff today

Love this album. Great 80s vibe and much more punk sound than I expected. 4.5 rounded up to a 5. Great band!

I never heard of them, I'm glad to listen to this record. It's really entertaining quality pop punk/post-punk. Good riffs, a bit of surf on top of it, good vocals (in the genre), strong vocal harmonies/backing vocals. At first I was going to give it a 4 and it actually gets better, there are stronger tunes in the middle of the album and even some darker melodies at some point.

bop after bop after bop

Oooo wasn't aware of this. Love it

5/5 Catchy lyrics, easy-on-the-ears instrumentals and harmonious vocals make this an amazing album. The guitars and bass meld so well to make some real grooves, which with quality production forms a fantastic pop-rock experience. Our Lips Are Sealed 4.5/5 How Much More 5/5 Tonite 4/5 Lust To Love 5/5 This Town 5/5 We Got The Beat 5/5 Fading Fast 5/5 Automatic 5/5 (FAV) You Can't Walk In Your Sleep (If You Can't Sleep) 5/5 Skidmarks On My Heart 4/5 (LEAST FAV) Can't Stop The World 4.5/5

So this was a total shocker for me. I liked this album a lot more than I thought I would. I knew of The Go-Go's of course but never really gave them a shot, just kind of wrote them off as a bubblegum pop kind of thing probably just based on We Got The Beat which I've never really cared for. But damned if this album wasn't a lot more than I expected. It's almost like punk-lite, early new wave, 80s girl rock, sappy pop all blended together. The songs are not necessarily complicated but they are well structured and super catchy and well palyed. It's sad that they basically just fizzled out. I think the production on most of this album could have been a little better but maybe that's just a result of the time and them being an all female band. I can't imagine that they were working with super great producers and engineers. It's not bad but I wish it had a little better balance in some parts and the sound was a little fuller. It's mostly kind of tinny. But still, it's a great record and I'd absolutely pick this one up if I saw it in the record store. 4.5/5 rounded up because of how great the surprise was.

How many parents in 1981-82 bought this album for their daughters thinking it's bubblegum pop. Instead, they opened the kids' eyes to a tidal wave of punk rock agony and irony, all wrapped up in a nice bow of Belinda Carlisle and Jane Wiedlin. Honestly, I'd never listened to the *lyrics* of Go-Go's songs before this -- I mean, "We Got The Beat" is really "You're all conformist assholes, grow up." And it's so *lesbian* in an 80's coded way. The kids got to keep this a secret I was too young myself to understand at the time -- and really didn't for 40 years. Unexpected bangers: Lust to Love, This Town, Automatic, Skidmarks on my Heart.

'60s girl-group pop influences delivered to your ears through the filter of late '70s LA punk. I love everything going on here. Definitely a big help in moving new wave on to the mainstream in the early '80s. Everything here is just upbeat and catchy. Hard not to have a good time listening to this.

Day 23 of listening to 1001 albums, one album at a time. The Go-Go’s is one of the pop bands you had no clue you knew until you hear them. I genuinely never knew who made We Got The Beat, turns out it was them. They also made an entire album full of bops and hits. Every song on this album gives so much energy and really radiates that new wave sound. It’s hard not to love this album, the punk attitudes with great pop instrumentals. I’ve never been more happy to listen to pop album. The Go-Go’s are officially one of my favorite pop bands. I do want to mention the album is awesome. I thought it was a painting at first because of how it looked but turns out they took that photo and then returned those towels to Macy’s. Great album.

I have an episodic relationship with this album. I was 12 when this album came out. I heard the singles - everywhere. And what singles they are. Our lips are sealed is an all time debut album lead off track. The bridge still gives chills. And we got the beat - does that not take you to a place even if you've never been. But I was a kid just getting my musical legs and those adolescent legs were drifting in the direction of Def Leppard. Cut to college. One of my housemates was a bass player and he was obsessed with this album. Especially the bass playing. We listened often and he was spot on. Kathy Valentine really lays an axing foundation that provides energy to the great songwriting and harmonies. Really everything works on this album. And lest we forget - 1981. How Much More is two years before REM is murmuring. Tonite, This Town, You Can't Walk..., Skidmarks. Ultimately - this album feels like a centerpiece that extends back to 60s girls groups and (just a hint of) surf guitar and well into the future as new wave was just breaking. A genuine classic and sounds even better as summer is just breaking.

Perfection.

A Truly iconic and Wonderful Album from my Past!! Love ❤️ the Go-Go’s!!

A great debut album that holds up very well.

This is cracking good fun. And who, but who, could not love a track called "Skidmarks on my heart"?

Holy shit I love this. Who knew how mature bubblegum pop could be. There's great diversity, and keeps things simultaneously interesting and light hearted without ever feeling cheesy or annoying.

Exactly my kinda music

What a fun album. God I love the basslines in throughout the whole runtime. Awesome vocals that really fit the tone and backing instruments. I still prefer the Fun Boy Three version of “Our Lips are Sealed” but I think is the more successful version. Bunch of great songs on here. 9/10

Primera escucha de esta banda. La voz me recuerda a Kathleen Hanna, con sonidos más Blondies, más The B-52's. Banda subidora de energías, bailable. Buenísimo primer trabajo. Muy sólido en la música y en las voces.

Sempre avuto un debole per Belinda, fossi nato in quegli anni mi sarei sicuramente innamorato perso di lei. P.s. lei è più famosa da solista (Heaven is a place on earth)

Rather excellent for a debut album.