THE GO-GO'S
AS SEEN IN:
"Vacation"
From Wikipedia:
The Go-Go’s are an all-female American rock band formed in 1978. They made history as the first all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts.The Go-Go's rose to fame during the early 1980s. Their 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 number one, where it remained for six consecutive weeks. The LP sold in excess of three million copies and reached triple platinum status, making it one of the most successful debut albums ever. The Go-Go's have sold more than seven million albums.
Formed in Los Angeles, California in 1978, the Go-Go's initially consisted of Belinda Carlisle (vocals), Jane Wiedlin (guitar, vocals), Margot Olavarria (bass), and Elissa Bello (drums).
They were formed as a punk band and had roots in the L.A. punk community; they shared a rehearsal space with X, and Carlisle (under the name "Dottie Danger") had briefly been a member of punk-rock band The Germs. Due to a bout of mononucleosis, she left The Germs before playing a gig.
The band started out playing at seminal punk rock venues such as The Masque and the Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles. Charlotte Caffey (lead guitar, keyboards) was added later in 1978, and in the summer of 1979, Gina Schock replaced Bello on drums. With these line-up changes, the group began moving towards their now more-familiar power pop sound.
During late 1979, the band recorded a 5-song demo at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles, and in 1980 supported the British ska revival group Madness in both Los Angeles and England. The Go-Go’s subsequently spent half of 1980 touring England, earning a sizable following and releasing the demo version of "We Got the Beat" on Stiff Records, which became a minor UK hit.
During December 1980, original bassist Margot Olavarria fell ill with hepatitis A and was replaced with Kathy Valentine, who had played guitar in bands such as Girlschool and the Textones. Valentine had not previously played bass guitar.
The Go-Go's signed to I.R.S. Records in April 1981. Their debut album, "Beauty and the Beat", was a surprise hit; it topped the U.S. charts for six weeks in 1982 and eventually received a triple platinum certification. The album was also a success outside the U.S. charting at No. 2 in Canada, where it received a platinum certification, and No. 27 in Australia. In 2003, the album was ranked number 413 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. "Our Lips Are Sealed" and a new version of "We Got the Beat" were extremely popular singles in North America in early 1982. In this period the Go-Go's became America's sweethearts and started building a fan base.
In 1982 the group was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
The follow-up album "Vacation" received mixed reviews and sold far less than "Beauty and the Beat". However, the album was certified Gold in the U.S. and spawned another top 10 US hit with the title track. Other singles released from the album were "Get Up and Go" and "He's So Strange", neither of which made it into the Top 40. In 1983 "Vacation" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Packaging. During the album's promotion the group was forced to go on hiatus when Schock underwent surgery for a congenital heart defect.
- Belinda Carlisle became the most commercially successful solo artist of the band's alumni, scoring a string of mainstream pop singles in the mid and late '80s, including the No. 3 US hit "Mad About You" (co-written by Paula Jean Brown) and the number-one single "Heaven Is a Place on Earth". In the UK and Europe, Carlisle became even more successful, continuing to score top-10 hits through the mid '90s. In August 2001, Carlisle appeared in a nude layout, including a cover photo, in that month's issue of Playboy magazine. In 2007, she released a French-language album entitled "Voila". She also appeared as a judge on the MTV show 'Rock the Cradle' and toured during the summer of 2008 as part of the Regeneration Tour with The Human League, A Flock of Seagulls, ABC and Naked Eyes. Carlisle wrote a memoir, "Lips Unsealed", that was published in June 2010.
- Jane Wiedlin released several solo albums including "Fur", which featured a successful single, "Rush Hour". Wiedlin also took acting roles in movies such as "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure", "Clue", and "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home", as well as doing cartoon voice-overs and a 2005 appearance on the VH1 show 'Surreal Life'. In 1995, Wiedlin formed a band called froSTed (the capital ST paid homage to 'Star Trek'), which released an album, "Cold", before disbanding in 1998. In 2000, Wiedlin started her own label, Painful Discs, to release her solo CD "Kissproof World". She has also become a legally ordained wedding officiant who performs ceremonies as "Reverend Sister Go-Go".
- Charlotte Caffey worked as a songwriter and session musician for Carlisle, and then in 1988 formed a band called The Graces that released the album "Perfect View". After the Graces disbanded, she briefly formed a group called Astrid's Mother. Caffey and Wiedlin performed several shows in 1997 as Twisted and Jaded, at which they played acoustic versions of Go-Go's songs and debuted new material they had written. They also co-wrote "But for the Grace of God" (2000) for Keith Urban, which was their first number-one single on the charts. Together with Anna Waronker, Caffey co-wrote "Ordinary Girl", the theme song to the television series 'Clueless' (61 episodes, 1996–1999).
- Gina Schock released a self-titled album in 1988 with her band House of Schock, and she later formed the short-lived group K-Five. Gina Schock co-wrote the title track for Miley Cyrus's sophomore CD, "Breakout", which debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 Charts in the summer of 2008. Schock also co-wrote several tracks on the 2009 debut album "Kiss & Tell" by Selena Gomez & the Scene. Selena Gomez and Cyrus are both stars on the Disney Channel.
- Kathy Valentine returned to her blues-rock roots playing lead guitar with a band called the Blue Bonnets, which morphed into the Delphines with Dominique Davalos on lead vocals and bass. The Delphines released two CDs, "The Delphines" (1996) and "Cosmic Speed" (2001). Gina Schock also joined the Delphines as drummer for a brief period. Valentine released a debut solo CD, titled "Light Years", in September 2005. In 2006 she relocated to Austin, Texas and produced a local female trio, Adrian and the Sickness, whose CD "BFD" came out in 2009. Valentine reformed the Blue Bonnets and continues production work in her home studio.
A new best of album is in the works that includes a new single.
BCnU in two.
Hopefully you won't even notice I'm gone......
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