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Merry Go-Go Round

By Michele Morabito

The Go-Go's have come back together again for an actual studio album called God Bless The Go-Go's (their earlier reunions have been based on Greatest packages). It came out May 15, 2001 on Beyond Music/Universal and released in the USA and Canada. The first single is "Unforgiven", co-written by Wiedlin, Caffey and Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong. According to Billboard the CD entered the charts at number 57.

Currently, the band, consisting of singer Belinda Carisle, guitarists Charlotte Caffey and Jane Wiedlin, bassist Kathy Valentine and drummer Gina Schock are touring the US, then rumored to be heading toward Europe in the fall with a swing to Asia in the winter. The tour is expected to last 18 months. Fans were also able to check out the girls on VH1's Behind the Music. The promotion machine started back in March with TV appearances on Letterman, Leno and Conan O'Brian, Good Morning America and Rosie O'Donnell. Live365.com has them on the frontpage to listen to "Unforgiven" and Launch.com has their video.

The earlier reunions were based on the releases of Return To The Valley Of The Go-Go's and Go-Go's Collection 2000 (to coincide with the BTM show). To put this new studio CD in perspective, their last studio album was 1984's Talk Show that had the hit "Head Over Heels". Prior to that was Vacation from 1982 which spurned the title track, "Vacation" and their debut in 1981 entitled Beauty & The Beat with the hits "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "We Got The Beat".

The Go-Go's had the privilege of one of the first commercially successful all-female groups. They were a bit West Coast punk meets New Wave pop. The band also lived the high life and all the excesses that come with it - drugs, trashed hotel rooms and groupies. Originally named The Misfits in 1978, they changed their name and played small clubs in California. In 1979, the band recorded a demo and toured England, hoping for a record contract. The next year, the Go-Go's signed with IRS Records with Miles Copeland (brother of Stewart/manager of The Police, Sting and The Bangles). The result was their debut Beauty & The Beat and it stayed at number 1 for over a month with their single "We Got the Beat" going to number 2.

The next year came Vacation going Top Ten along with the title track. In 1984, the Go-Go's returned with Talk Show. It had the hit single "Head Over Heels" but never made gold.

The end came in summer of 1985. Belinda Carlisle went solo with "Mad About You" and "Heaven Is a Place On Earth" and other solo efforts through the late '80s and '90s.

In 1990, they first reunited to support the release of their best of album, Greatest. In 1994 for Return to the Valley of the Go-Go's, they reunited, toured with B-52's and cut several new tracks. In 2000, the band re-grouped for the VH1's "Behind The Music," and the companion album, Go-Go's Collection 2000. They toured and returned to the studio to start production on God Bless the Go-Go's.

The new CD has Bostonian producer/engineers Paul Kolderie and Sean Slade (Radiohead, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Hole). According to their official website, the new CD has that "sparkly California pop" feel. Collaborators include The Bangles' Susanna Hoffs and Lenny Kravitz guitarist Craig Ross.

The Go-Go's have splintered off in solo effort/groups which include Frosted (with Jane Wiedlin), The Delphines (with Kathy Valentine) and The Graces (with Charlotte Caffey and Meredith Brooks). The powerhouse writing team of Caffey/Wiedlin has come through with a #1 hit on the country charts with their song "But for the Grace of God" sung by Keith Urban. If I remember correctly, Wiedlin also does some songwriting with Howard Jones.