The Go-Go’s Albums Ranked

The Go-Go’s are an American new wave band 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. The band is 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 broke up in 1985 but reconvened several times through the 1990s and beyond, recording new material and touring. Though the band’s 2016 performances were billed as a farewell tour, the band remains active on an ad hoc basis. 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. Here are all of The Go-Go’s albums ranked.

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6. VH1 Music First – Behind The Music: Go-Go’s Collection (2000)

“VH1 Behind the Music: Go-Go’s Collection is 55 minutes and 12 seconds long and was released on May 23, 2000. The CD did not chart. This was the Go-Go’s third and final compilation album to date. This is about eleven minutes longer then their Greatest CD. The Greatest has fourteen songs on it and this one has seventeen songs on it.”

5. God Bless The Go-Go’s (2001)

“The songwriting is mature. The playing is tight though most of the songs run at close to the same pace. Every song is between very good to great! By this time. Belinda Carlisle was an established pop icon and her tough, passionate voice convincingly leads the way through this journey of straight-laced rock and roll. Kudos to The Go-Go’s for coming back after a bad spit in the early 80’s to show the World they are better than ever and still have something to offer.”

4. Return To The Valley Of The Go-Go’s (1994)

“Return to The Valley Of The Go Go’s is an excellent double disk anthology from the Go Go’s. Their recording career consisted of just three albums, but this disk contains some great unreleased live work from their early days. Songs like “Screaming” & “London Boys” and covers like “Johnny Are You Queer?” and “Walking In The Sand” show the band’s punk roots that are balanced by pop sensibilities. All the hits are here including the shimmering “Our Lips Are Sealed”, the sprightly “Vacation”, the roaring “Turn To You”, the pounding “Head Over Heels” and the original Stiff records version of the hypnotic “We Got The Beat”.

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3. Vacation (1982)

“Vacation is the follow up to Beauty and the Beat. I wouldn’t call it a sophomore jinx because the album is actually very good. Just not as good as their other albums. There are weak spots in the songwriting (strange or cliché lyrics’) and the band tends to sound dull and uncreative at times…the album just seems to be a bit rushed. Belinda Carlisle’s distinctive vocals are solid. A couple of “professional” critics have applauded her more disciplined, controlled singing on this album.”

2. Talk Show (1984)

“Highly underrated, this album finds The Go-Go’s at their peak as musicians. Sonically, this sounds much different than their previous two albums, their debut, Beauty and the Beat, and their sophomore release, Vacation. Showing tremendous growth in songwriting and skill, this collection of songs are catchy. Features the hits Head Over Heels, Turn to You, and Yes or No.”

1. Beauty And The Beat (1981)

“Beauty and the Beat, from the all-girl group the Go-Go’s, is one of the best pop albums of its era. Any fan of the group should definitely have this album in their collection, and for that matter, any fan of pop music would be well served by having this album too. The Go-Go’s hit the pop charts hard with two of the singles from this album: “We’ve Got the Beat” and “Our Lips Are Sealed.” While the other songs aren’t as well known, they are all catchy tunes that show the talent that was assembled in the Go-Gos. Considering that Beauty and the Beat was a debut album, it proved to be an incredible hit and helped establish the Go-Go’s as one of the most popular groups of their era.”