Greg's R&R HOF Nominee #2: The Go-Go's

Usually, when you induct a band into the R&R HOF, you have to specify the members of said band, perhaps due to lineup changes. So, in keeping with formalities. the Go-Go's include:

-Belinda Carlisle
-Charlotte Caffey
-Jane Wiedlin
-Gina Schock
-Kathy Valentine

Now to the case itself.

Clearly, the Go-Go's were a trendsetter in the sense that they were the first all-female group to write and play their own music. Of course there were all female groups before (The Supremes), but they did not act with the independence that the Go-Go's did. However, that stand out fact doesn't make them worthy of induction alone. As I stated last week with Phil, there needs to be substance there to back them up. Otherwise, I could very easily look at other girl groups like the Bangles (who might come up at a later date) and gasp....The Spice Girls.

But what sets the Go-Go's apart from those 2 is the fact that not only were trendsetters in the feminine sense, but also in the musical sense.

The Go-Go's were born out of the L.A. punk scene, which tends to get overshadowed by its New York counterpart (CBGBs and all that). And if you listen to an early version of their biggest hit, "We Got the Beat" you can hear a punk edge.

This punk edge was brought about by attitude and a bassist (Margo Olavarria) who was total punk. In time however, they replace Olavarria with Valentine and their music began to take on a more pop style.

So what you end up with is the meshing of pop that sounds peppy and maybe even a bit light/frothy but with a lyric and context that is anarchic in nature.

And this style would quickly win over an audience and would be a trendsetter in the New Wave era.
Especially their first album, Beauty and the Beat, which is to the Go-Go's what A Night at the Opera is to Queen and what London Calling is to The Clash. A signature album which is a statement, a trendsetter, and a requirement to get into the HOF. The album went double platinum and was the #1 album for 6 consecutive weeks

This underlying theme would continue in their two subsequent albums, with songs like "Vacation" which was rumored to have been about Charlotte Caffey's addiction to heroin.

And the song 'Turn To You" which was written about Caffey's short-term relationship with baseball pitcher Bob Welch.

The next two albums for the Go-Go's while successful (Vacation reached #8 and Talk Show reached #12), were not as critically acclaimed as their first. Meanwhile, the band spiraled out in the usual depths of drugs, sex and addiction. They broke up in 1985, reconvening at certain points later.

The Go-Go's seemed to have a certain MO: Let out inner feelings, angsts and anger and coat them in sugar sounds and chords. A process that inspired a lot of the coming new wave bands that would define the early to middle part of the decade. So, being that kind of inspirer, we have to ask the question.

Why aren't they in?

As mentioned before, the band only released 3 albums and were together for 5 years during their peak so not much thought is given to them. However, short term bands have gotten into the Hall. One notable band were the Mamas and the Papas, who were together from 1966-1971 and released 5 albums with a small split in between. Another short term band is Nirvana, who in their peak released 3 albums from 1989-1994, when Kurt Cobain's death ended them. So I don't think the length of time a band produced their product is that much of an obstacle. In addition to that, the Go-Gos did score a hit after their peak. In 1994, a reformed Go-Go's released the single "Has the Whole World Lost Its Head" which, while sinking in the States, turned out to be their only top #30 hit in the United Kingdom.

This song harkens back to the original punk side of the Go-Go's which is probably why it didn't do well here, which leads me to my other point.

Like Phil Collins prior, I think people tended to think of the Go-Go's being frothy and light without seeing the substance. I believe that to be false, and the last song I will present was a surprise to me when I heard it, and will probably be a surprise to you. It is "Mercenary"; the last track of the last album made during the Go-Go's peak; Talk Show.

I would not have taken the Go-Go's to make an Irish/Scottish lilting song like this but there you are. The band has said in interviews that if parents, who let their kids go see them because they looked safe, knew who they really were, they would be shocked and reconsider. Nothing is what it seemed to be with the Go-Go's which in the end, is what makes them worthy of entrance into the R&R Hall of Fame.

Next Week: The Monkees, a "fake" band that had real impact.

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