The Go-Go’s – live at The Metro, Boston – broadcast live by WBCN – August 20, 1981 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
The Go-Go’s in concert this weekend – broadcast live by WBCN, Boston at The Metro on August 20, 1981. The Go-Go’s formed in Los Angeles, California in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable line-up consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar and keyboards, Belinda Carlisle on lead vocals, Gina Schock on drums, Kathy Valentine on bass guitar, and Jane Wiedlin on rhythm guitar. The Go-Go’s rose to fame during the early 1980s and were the first, and to date only, all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts. They are widely considered the most successful all-female rock group in history.
Their 1981 debut album, Beauty and the Beat, is considered one of the “cornerstone albums of US new wave” (AllMusic), breaking barriers and paving the way for a host of other new American acts. When the album was released, it steadily climbed the Billboard 200 chart, ultimately reaching No. 1, where it remained for six consecutive weeks. The album sold over 2 million copies and went double platinum, making it one of the most successful debut albums of all time, and the group was nominated for the Best New Artist award at the 24th Annual Grammy Awards. The Go-Go’s have sold over 7 million records worldwide.
The Go-Go’s broke up in 1985 but reconvened several times through the 1990s and beyond, recording new material and touring. Though their 2016 performances were billed as a farewell tour, the band remains active on a sporadic ad hoc basis, most recently with three performances at The Hollywood Bowl in July 2018, and a short summer tour scheduled for 2021 with all five members from the longest-running line-up.
Head Over Heels, a musical featuring the songs of the Go-Go’s, ran on Broadway at the Hudson Theatre from July 26, 2018 to January 6, 2019.
In case you missed them, here they are, right at the time of the release of their milestone debut album – crank it up and rock out.
