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.

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

Probably the best all girl band ever. They are highly underrated. Two absolute bangers here but every song is good. Great musicians, great vocals. They are synonymous with summer for me...partly maybe because I saw them play in July of 1984 (INXS opened...great show!)

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

Great pop rock album from beginning to end!

Classic 80s vibes!

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.

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.

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

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.

i get it

A banger from start to finish. I didn’t know what to expect only having heard the hits but I was optimistic from those and it did not disappoint. When you need an album to get you going and keep you going.

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.

never heard of them before. this slaps. cheery, optimistic. album ended just as I was getting slightly tired of it, so good length as well. will definitely listen to this again

Really fun, cohesive, and consistently upbeat.

There weren't many things out there like the Go-Go's in 1981--trust me, I was there. A fun album, with a great lead-off song,, "Our Lips are Sealed."

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 Bananarama, 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 one surprised me. I’m not usually a fan of this kind of poppy, 80’s music, but I was in the zone for this one. Good vibes for the whole album.

One thing is undeniable about The Go's-Go's- they're hook machines, and that's readily apparent on their debut album. My issue is their very accessible approach to New Wave and the simplicity of a lot of the music itself means this album lacks a lot of the novelty and staying power I think some of their quirkier New Wave contemporaries had. Still, they snagged me with the earworm more than not, and as bored as I wanted to be, I was singing along. Favorite Tracks: "Our Lips Are Sealed", "Skidmarks on My Heart" Least Favorite Track: "Automatic"

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

I've loved this album since it came out. In fact, it was probably one of the first albums I bought myself on vinyl (and I have the original peach background album cover version) and I still put this one on my turntable from time to time today. I was just over 9 years old when this came out, and to have an all-female band that played all their own instruments and wrote their own songs was amazing. Everything about the Go-Go's was so cool and fun. But aside from all that, this is just a great album. If you're only familiar with the two big hits, the rest of the album is a lot more punk than you would expect it to be based on those two songs. This is one of those albums that absolutely deserves to be on this list for so many reasons, and one of my all-time favorite albums.

I was but a wee lad when the Go-Go's broke through, but I distinctly remember "We Got the Beat" and "Our Lips are Sealed" on MTV and the radio (and having a crush on Belinda Carlisle). I kept to the greatest hits for most of my life but bought this on vinyl years ago. There are many classics here—"Our Lips are Sealed" remains the GOAT—and a few lesser tracks. You could argue, like the band did, that the production and mix of Beauty and the Beat veers too poppy, but these are pop songs at their core. And the Go-Go's ruled, so there's that. I wrote a story about this album & how it almost destroyed the band. You should read it! It's good! https://www.avclub.com/the-go-go-s-made-history-with-beauty-and-the-beat-and-b-1798240609

I love this record - 35 minutes of blisteringly good guitar pop that begs to be played loud. They're a hugely under-appreciated band - their sound can be heard in all the jangly, indie, punk pop bands that followed in the 80s and 90s. Green Day, for one, would have sounded very different without the Go Go's influence. There are a couple of slightly lacklustre moments but when they're bounding along at a pace, they absolutely shine. And those bass lines are glorious. The first thing I did when this album finished playing was bang it on again. Our Lips Are Sealed - how is it possible for a single song to be THIS good? Wonderful stuff.

I love this one.

A nearly perfect 80’s album, and I wasn’t aware this was their debut!

Wait that’s like 3 songs I’ve loved for as long as I can remember plus some other gems. Just awesome. Something told me this was gonna be a good one as soon as I saw it was yesterday’s album.

este ha sido super top me encanta. el rollito punky cocainomano

divertidisimo

Beautiful 80's vibes. Loving it.

We got the beat, fun pop

Fantastic

Did not know them and I love it!

Unsurprisingly, I have listened to this before and own the vinyl. Thanks Rugrats Vacation episode for permanently changing my brain to love the Go-Go's. Love it throughout, so much energy, as iconic as the two big hits are ("there's a weapon that we must use in our defense, silence" goes so hard as a lyric) my very favorite is Tonite

An absolute bop. I was dancing round the house to this all morning.

fun beginning it feels very light n girly. how much more is quite upbeat. they're cute, like their sound. its just not the sound i listen to like at all haha. oh i rlly fuck w tonite. lust to love, yeah i rlly like that too, absolute vibe. this town has a cool ass guitar line. YEAHHHH WE GOT IT WE GOT THE BEAT!! this is a fun song i like it. omggg yayy the ending is cute. wait this is a niceeee album like i thought this was totally not my vibe but nooo i fw this heavy. very whimsical >>10/10

No. 199 80s Girl Power Pop. And it is awesome! Just a killer album with banger after banger. Loved this from start to finish. Such a fun listen.

WE GOT THE BEAT WE GOT THE BEAT WE GOT THE BEATTTTTTT YEAH WE GOT THE BEAT

Irresistibly melodic and joyous proto pop punk.

At some point during Automatic i got legit mad at myself for having never listened to this album.

I have no notes

It made my playlist!! I loved the funk and the female vocals were refreshing because they are rare.

One of the all time great American albums. If you don't love this, you must hate joy.

Didn't expect alot going into this album.. but it's a blinder!

Puts you instantly in a good mood

когда нужно проникнуться беззаботным американским вечерним вайбом и юностью, тогда это то, что нужно. восстанавливает душевное равновесие

This is exactly the kind of album that deserves to be on this list. No notes. So fun.

9/10

My favorite punk pop girlies! Great album. No notes.

So fun, go girly pop from the 80's

Loved this. Always knew off the go gos but hadn't really. Did not realise Belinda Carlisle was the lead vocals but they have that edgy pink vibe especially within the female punk space whilst also having that southern Californian / Australian coast beach vibe.

Surf punk\new wave, gone pop! I love everything about it. All of these songs are of outstanding quality, almost any one of them could have been "Our lips are Sealed" or "We got the Beat". Even the throwaway tunes like Skidmarks on My Heart are sublime. If the label had any sense they could have had the whole album on singles as A or B sides. This is so good that when it ended, I was sad and had to start it playing all over again.

I was not expecting this album to give me stank face. I was expecting reasonably competent 80's bubblegum pop. And it doesn't fail if that's all you're looking for. But it succeeds at SO much more. Completely blowing my expectations out of the water. This is top level post-punk or pop punk. The musicianship is incredible. Sounds like a team of top-flight session musicians. I say that as high praise. Incredible playing - tight, technical, skilled - without feeling like there's showing off or ego. The rhythm section goes HARD.

Man this album was a breath of fresh air. Loved it

Classic. Upbeat, infectious, feel good, pop-rock that has stood the test of time. 0 songs added to playlist but favorites the album.

This album gives me the feel of having the summer to drive wherever my heart desires. I especially was feeling that with We've got the beat, gave me a real desire to find a hairbrush to sing into.

I la la loved this

Genuinely great. How have I never heard this before?

Fantástico. Quanta alegria e energia e ânimo em um lugar só. Tremendamente influente também, naquele momento de transição entre uma pegada punk e uma pegada new wave. Tudo que era bom na música popular na década de 80 está aqui. Os refrões fortes, as linhas de baixo pulsante, a produção limpa. E tudo isso seguido da essência Punk da banda, uma combinação infalível. Um imenso pioneiro no universo da música alternativa. O som me lembra muito Garbage, Breeders, Pixies, e muitas outras bandas alternativas. É possível dizer que esta banda é tão influente quanto um Sonic Youth da vida. Difícil dar uma nota abaixo de perfeita para um disco tão visionário e divertido. Não há erros aqui. 5/5