Beauty and the Beat

3.5

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.

80s pop of the good variety.

'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.

Our lips are sealed because a nuclear eat worm in my head for three days after listening to this album. I couldn't get to sleep because it just kept repeating in my head. I'll give it a 3

Pretty much bubble-gum pop, but it's all good. Our Lips are Sealed and We Got the Beat are classics, deservedly so (especially Our Lips are Sealed - great song). Other standouts include How Much More, Automatic (my favorite of the more "dramatic" songs), Can't Stop the World. Worst named song AND lyrics with the most dragged-out metaphor - Skidmarks on my Heart.

That’s a super fun 4.

Ultimately, I think it just suffers from being a little too same-y and a little too repetitive to justify a 5 off a first listen, but this is an album made for car rides, concerts, and good times; repetition should be damned with this one. It’s got good vocals that are occasionally reminiscent of David Byrne and Talking Heads, great instrumentation that feels very R.E.M.-esque at times, and ultimately, the vibes are just overwhelmingly fun.

I feel good with giving this one a 4; it could bump up to a 5 if some of the other songs just hit right, but the whole album is a treat to listen to.

Ponderous 80s bubblegum pop dross.

God kvindergy!

After listening to Beauty And The Beat, I gotta say, i was really surprised with how good this album turned out to be. The songs felt very catchy and fun and the singing was good and never really got annoying for me. The songs may have had a bit of a samey feel to them but none of them were bad since they all kept the vibe i liked about this album. This is definitely a great 80s new wave album that anyone who loves that style can easily get into.
Best Song: Our Lips Are Sealed
Worst Song: Tonite

At least two iconic songs in this one, mainly from commercials. A fun, high energy album. 4*
Highlights: our lips are sealed, we got the beat

En ik maar denken dat het recht op foute verbasteringen van filmtitels was voorbehouden aan een bepaald soort films....Vooruit, het draait om de muziek. De dames hebben elkaar leren kennen tijdens punk-concerten, lees ik. Ze besloten zonder ervaring zelf muziek te maken. Zetten zij zich daarmee af tegen de punk? Want daar waar de punkers soms goede muzikanten zo slecht mogelijk muziek willen laten overkomen, leerden zij zichzelf de instrumenten te bespelen en komen de dames met nummers als Lust to Love en This Town met uitgedachte pop-muziek. Het levert geen enorme knallers op, maar het luistert allemaal makkelijk weg.

There is a wholesomeness to the poppy sound of the Go-Go's in 1981. This is of a time before the copious amounts of cocaine, infighting and plastic surgery overtook their lives.

Great songs, good music.

80's pop personified.

3.08 average per track. Enjoyed this more that I thought I would.

Don’t hate it. Probably won’t listen to it again.

A reeeally fun time

The singles are great, of course, but the rest is highly enjoyable too.

This is a weird case where as a pop album, it has the issue a lot of punk albums have of being too repetitive, and a lot of songs blend together. It's like punk-lite, though, as it still feels like you could hear each of these songs on the radio and think "yeah, this belongs here" and not think anything of it for a moment. I could see myself liking this a lot more in a different mood, as each song is catchy and had me tapping my foot, but I'd forget the song as soon as it ended nearly every time, and that makes the whole album feel forgettable. Like, I completely get why this is here, and I think if I were to dig into this album deeper I'd really like it, but as far as impressions go, this just doesn't grab me enough to earn repeats in my own free time.

This was a kind of bubbly pop rock album that was enjoyable, but rather short. I looked it over all. 3.5/5