the go-go’s
The 50 Best Albums of 1982
Looking back at 1982 in music, the headline is obvious: Thriller Sells A Bajillion Copies, Becomes World’s Biggest Album. But is it the year’s best album? Funny enough, Michael Jackson‘s sixth LP hardly even affected the charts that year — it snuck out in late November, just as Men at Work’s 1981 blockbuster, Business as Usual, began its commercial stranglehold in the U.S. Only one record on our list, Fleetwood Mac‘s chart-targeted Tusk follow-up, Mirage, hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200. (Doesn’t it seem weird, looking back, that Prince‘s 1999 peaked at No. 9?) Lots of fascinating shit was happening in 1982, and you didn’t always find it on the radio. On our list, we included everything from early hip-hop (Grandmaster Flash) to horror-punk (Misfits) to lo-fi synth-pop (Solid Space). Revisit...
Hear The Linda Lindas Rock Up The Go-Go’s ‘Tonite’
Teenage Los Angeles rock band The Linda Lindas have paid tribute to one of their biggest influences by releasing their own studio version of The Go-Go’s’ “Tonite.” They frequently cover the song, drawn from The Go-Go’s’ iconic 1981 debut album Beauty and the Beat, in concert. “The Linda Lindas started out as a cover band, and we’ve played more songs by The Go-Go’s than anyone else,” the band says. “And even after we started to write our own songs, we never stopped playing ‘Tonite.’ We love the idea of us going out and owning our town, and ‘Tonite’ is as fun to play as it is empowering — especially the part where we all sing together. ‘We rule the streets tonite until the morning light’ and so should our fans. Because the cover is such a hit at shows, we decided to record a studio version t...
Why the 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Was the Best in Years
After skipping a year due to the pandemic, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted its 2021 class with a wild, surprise-guest-filled party held in the town many argue is the ceremony’s only rightful home: Cleveland, Ohio. What a homecoming it was. Paul McCartney became a seventh Foo Fighter. LL Cool J, Eminem, and J. Lo blew up the night like old-school hip-hop Avengers. And later, LL was the only person on the arena floor to stand and clap for the late, great Biz Markie. Both Carli(s)les — Brandi and Belinda — were in the house. Drew Barrymore did Ponds performance art. [embedded content][embedded content] The Go-Go’s swore to use their induction to get more female bands into the painfully male-dominated institution. And, randomly, Survivor host Jeff Probst was there — the sol...
How ‘Fill-In’ Musicians Keep Major Tours and Bands Rolling
Matt Sorum was sitting poolside with his wife when he got a text on his phone from legendary Motörhead bassist/singer Lemmy Kilmister. Lemmy was asking Sorum to fill in on drums for a run of Motörhead shows. In a self-conscious moment, Sorum texted Lemmy back, asking “why me.” “And Lemmy wrote back, ‘Because Dave Grohl’s not available,’” Sorum tells SPIN over Zoom while letting out a chuckle. Sorum is known for his colossal grooves with Use Your Illusion era Guns N’ Roses and early 2000s Scott Weiland-fronted supergroup Velvet Revolver. But in 2009, Sorum filled in on drums for around 14 shows with “Ace of Spades” speed-rock trio Motörhead. The band’s regular drummer Mikkey Dee had signed up to be part of the Swedish version of I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here, and wasn’t available. Cre...
Foo Fighters, Jay Z, The Go-Go’s, Carole King, Todd Rundgren and Tina Turner Inducted Into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
And they’re in. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced their inductees for 2021, and it’s a doozy. Foo Fighters, Jay Z, The Go-Go’s, Carole King, Todd Rundgren and Tina Turner will round out the performer category. Additionally, in the Musical Excellence category, LL Cool J, Billy Preston and Randy Rhoads get the call to the hall while Kraftwerk, Gil Scott Heron and Charley Patton were tapped in the Early Influences category. Clarence Avant will be inducted as the recipient of the Ahmet Ertegun Award which honors non-performing individuals. The Foos, Jay Z and The Go-Go’s were first-time nominees. Late last year, we wrote about why the Go-Go’s should be inducted into the Rock Hall and spoke with the band’s Jane Wiedlin earlier this year about their new documentary and her thoughts o...
Either You Love the Go-Go’s – Or You’re Wrong
There are two types of people in this world: Those who will watch the new Go-Go’s film and learn that they’re one of the most important bands in modern music — and those who already knew. Either way, their self-titled, 2020 documentary The Go-Go’s is available just about everywhere this month (streaming now, DVD/out on Blu-ray on Feb. 26), so no matter which camp you’re in, you’re in for something truly great. Directed by Alison Ellwood (Laurel Canyon), the 2020 Critics Choice Award for Best Documentary winner gives you the full scope of their wild ride through musical stardom, from their gritty early punk roots to the top of the charts, to their rough personal journeys with addiction and betrayal that forced their world to crumble under their feet. And, eventually, brought them back...
Dear Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame: Induct the Go-Go’s Already!
Dear RRHOF (and anyone else who overlooked The Go-Go’s), Once upon a time in L.A.’s late-’70s punk scene, a bunch of young women found each other and decided to do something no all-girl group had done yet: write their own songs and play their own instruments. Last on that goal list? Become one of the biggest bands of the early-mid 80s. They did that. They are Charlotte Caffey, Belinda Carlisle, Gina Schock, Kathy Valentine and Jane Wiedlin. They had bigger dreams than the punk universe would allow. Once Charlotte Caffey wrote “We Got the Beat” in all of five minutes she pretty much sealed their destiny. Credit: Kerstin Rodgers/Redferns/Getty Images Early on, when they went to England to tour with The Specials and Madness, the white nationalists (a.k.a. The National Front) who loved s...
Tom Morello, Kathy Valentine and More Cover Eurythmics’ ‘Sweet Dreams’
A group of legendary artists including Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, Foo Fighters’ Rami Jaffee and The Go-Go’s Kathy Valentine joined Girl with a Guitar, a group of young female guitarists from Kabul, Afghanistan to cover Eurythmics’ 1983 hit “Sweet Dreams.” [embedded content] Guitarist Vicki Peterson of The Bangles, singer Cherie Currie of The Runaways, guitarist Wayne Kramer of MC5, drummer Kris Myers of Umphrey’s McGee, The Bird and the Bee’s Greg Kurstin and singer Inara George also contributed their talents to the rendition. The new cover not only sheds light on the hardships children, particularly girls, are facing in war-torn countries, but also hopes to raise money for The Miraculous Love Kids, an organization that raises awareness, resources and funds for some of the mos...
Hear The Go-Go’s High Energy Return With ‘Club Zero’
The Go-Go’s finally premieres tomorrow (Aug. 1), and they are celebrating the documentary’s release with their first new song in nearly 20 years. While some bands would try to align their sound with what’s current, The Go-Go’s go with what they’re known for — rolling guitars the grow toward the chorus. Summer beach feels all around, and we fully appreciate it. “Club Zero” was self-produced and came to fruition through a series of email conversations. It was recorded in San Francisco with co-producer/mixer/engineer Travis Kasperbauer and with Gabe Lopez in Los Angeles. And The Go-Go’s shows the Los Angeles band’s rise to fame in the early 1980s and how the went from playing in the L.A. punk rock scene to filling arenas. There will also be early footage from recording sessions as well as the...
