Beauty and the Beat (The Go-Go's album)

In the late 1970s, Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin, and Margot Olavarria met while attending punk rock shows in California.[4] The three attended the Sex Pistols' final performance in San Francisco in January 1978, and afterwards were inspired to form their own band.[5] Although none of them actually knew how to play instruments, they quickly learned, and began playing in Hollywood nightclubs under the name the Go-Go's.[5] Carlisle was the singer, Wiedlin played rhythm guitar, Olavarria played bass, and the newly added Elissa Bello played drums.[4] A few months later, Charlotte Caffey joined the band as the lead guitarist, as she had experience writing music with other groups such as the Eyes.[4] The Go-Go's developed a reputation within the Hollywood punk scene, and were invited to open for the band Madness on a UK tour. While on tour, the Go-Go's recorded an extended play for Stiff Records.[5]

Tensions between band members resulted in Bello and Olavarria leaving the Go-Go's; they were replaced by drummer Gina Schock and bassist Kathy Valentine.[5] Around this time, the Go-Go's began to move toward a more pop rock driven sound, influenced by the burgeoning new wave genre.[6] Although the band's reputation continued to grow, they were unable to attract attention from major record labels. At a special showcase for A&R representatives at the Starwood, the Go-Go's did not get a single offer.[6] Carlisle believes this was because record executives were sexist, and did not want to sign an all-female band.[7] The only label that expressed interest was the indie label I.R.S. Records. In a 1982 Rolling Stone interview, Valentine said: "IRS was where you went if you couldn't get a deal with a real label."[8] On April 1, 1981, I.R.S. cofounder Miles Copeland III signed the Go-Go's.[6]

In The Go-Go’s documentary, Carlisle claimed to have come up with the idea for the album cover, saying she wanted something “timeless and… incognito”. The towels the band used for the shoot were returned to the Macy’s they were bought from earlier that day.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[9]
American Songwriter	[3]
The Irish Times	[10]
Mojo	[11]
Pitchfork	8.3/10[12]
Record Collector	[13]
Rolling Stone	[14]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[15]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	10/10[16]
The Village Voice	B+[17]

Beauty and the Beat was released to reviews that, while positive, were not outstanding, especially in light of its eventual summit of the album charts. Robert Christgau found the album good and wrote "this one's got hooks" in his column in The Village Voice,[17] while Jon Pareles in Rolling Stone called it a "solid, likable debut".[14] The album placed 10th on the annual Pazz & Jop critics' poll in The Village Voice for 1981.[18]

The album has since gained in regard. AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine called Beauty and the Beat "one of the cornerstone albums of new wave" and praised its "catchy hooks and an exuberant sense of fun",[9] while Rolling Stone's Warren Zanes wrote that the band "showed that elemental pop rock & roll remained as viable as ever."[19]

Eric Allen of American Songwriter, reviewing the album's 2011 deluxe edition, wrote that Beauty and the Beat is "one of the 1980s cornerstone albums of American new wave" and "still holds up surprisingly well thirty years later, which is a testament to the energetic spirit captured in this musical Zeitgeist of the 80s"; on the other hand, it is also "a reminder that the Go-Go's were never able to equal or surpass the success of this landmark debut".[3]

"When I was about seven, I discovered the Go-Go's," said American actress and author Drew Barrymore in an essay published by the magazine V. "I went out and bought their album Beauty and the Beat and, as the vinyl twirled, my whole world changed. I stared at the girls on the cover like they were a gateway to cool. The fact that they were girls made me feel not only invited but more important – like I could be a badass too. I looked over to my Pippi Longstocking poster on the wall and thought, Yes! I like girls who rock!"[20]

• Gaar, Gillian G. (1993). She's a Rebel: The History of Women in Rock and Roll. Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-1-8780-6708-1.

• Beauty and the Beat (Adobe Flash) at Radio3Net (streamed copy where licensed)