Beauty and the Beat

One of those albums in the category of music that blends every sound from the 70's and early 80's together. That kind of half Punk, half New Wave, half Alternative kind of Pop sound. Good mesh and the Go-Go's do it well. Can't really find much fault with it, it's just a solid little bop of an album with some nice stand out songs. If not much more than that.

What is it with 80s new wave bands and misunderstanding apostrophes?

Is making great music more important than grammar?

Maybe it is.

What a fun album! Had never listened to anything by the Go-Go’s outside of We Got The Beat. This was a pleasant surprise. Catchy and fun hooks with music that keeps you moving but isn’t dumbed down.

Peak early 80s pop, with jangly guitars, harmonies and sweet songwriting. God, this is a sweet relief from all the 70s folk-rock I've had lately. More please!!!

Beauty and the Beat is one of those albums where I can understand the appeal without necessarily enjoying it very much myself. The Go-Go’s have a fun, energetic sound, and there’s no denying that the album has plenty of catchy hooks and a strong sense of personality. “We Got the Beat” and “Our Lips Are Sealed” are especially memorable, and it’s easy to see why the band became such an important part of the early-’80s pop and new wave scene.
That said, the album was pretty mediocre for me overall. I never really found myself getting into the bright, polished production or the particular combination of punk, pop, and new wave that defines the record. Some of the songs are enjoyable enough, but as a whole it didn’t leave much of an impression on me.
I think part of the problem may simply be that I’m discovering that I don’t particularly enjoy a lot of ’80s music. The production style, vocal sounds, and overall aesthetic of the decade often feel a little too dated for my taste, and Beauty and the Beat definitely falls into that category.
Still, I can appreciate what the album represents. The Go-Go’s were a hugely successful all-female band who helped bring a punk-influenced sound into the mainstream, and Beauty and the Beat is an important snapshot of that moment. I just don’t think it’s an album I’ll be coming back to very often.

Divertido pero tampoco me ha apasionado.

This is the exact sort of music I'm incredibly weak for

Day 32

So this is mom rock. I love it!

Fav track: Fading Fast

Meh

More new wave

First listen. This is alright. Nothing exciting. The singles are very popular.

Like a glass of distilled water at room temperature.

better than i expect from 80s pop sounded a bit sugababes tbh

Post-punk, nu-wave with added Belinda deliciousness

Even though the Sex Pistols (and punk rock in general) had nothing to offer musically, the band inspired numerous other musicians to form their own bands. Attending the Sex Pistols’ concert in San Francisco in 1978 was what prompted Belinda Carlisle and Jane Wiedlin to pick up an instrument themselves and form a band. Three years later, Belinda Carlisle (vocals) and Jane Wiedlin (rhythm guitar), together with three fellow bandmates (Gina Schock – drums, Kathy Valentine – bass and Charlotte Caffey – lead guitar), released their debut album "Beauty and the Beat" as The Go-Go's, featuring a blend of pop, punk and new wave that was extremely contemporary for its time. Unlike Belinda Carlisle later on as a solo artist, The Go-Go's were less successful in Europe, so I’ve actually only listened to this album for the first time today. And that’s perhaps my problem: the momentum for this kind of music has passed. If you didn’t get to know and love them back then, it remains superficial and sounds just like countless other pop-oriented American new wave bands – perhaps even a touch more commercial than would have been good for it. The historical significance of the Go-Go's is, at least in the US, undisputed, but musically they simply offer well-crafted – and at times merely well-intentioned – new wave pop music.

I was surprised the Go-Go's even made the album. In the UK they're best known for co-writing Our Lips Are Sealed by the Fun Boy Three.

OK The Go-Go's version isn't as good as Fun Boy 3's masterpiece and feels, unfairly, like 2020s indie band doing a cover for Stereogum. But I would have liked it as a cover so I also like it as a pre-cover.

Oh Belinda Carlisle was in the band too. This albums better than her solo stuff.

After listening to The Cars's dreadful debut a few months ago I was trepedatious at having to another American attempt at New Wave that didn't travel. But it's really good in a simillar vein to Tracey Ulman's album or Kirsty MacColl's debut but better executed.

a bit too pop like for me, but will be great for like a retro girls night or smth

Finally, some bops fr fr. Very cohesive album that is full of good vibes x

Fun and catchy, will probably be back to this

A couple songs reminded me of the new Olivia Rodrigo album which is also fun and catchy

4

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