God Bless the Go-Go's
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
God Bless the Go-Go's is the Go-Go's fourth studio album, released May 15, 2001. It was their first studio album in 17 years since the release of Talk Show in 1984.
Critical reception and chart performance
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | (68/100)[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [2] |
| The A.V. Club | (favorable)[3] |
| Billboard | (favorable)[4] |
| Blender | [6] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (B+)[7] |
| PopMatters |   [8] |
| Q | [1] |
| Rolling Stone | [5] |
| Spin | (6/10)[1] |
| Uncut | [1] |
God Bless The Go-Go's received a score of 68 out of 100 from Metacritic based on some generally favorable reviews from critics.[1] Allmusic wrote, "Every bit as Go-Go's, that is, as their non-hits and less remarkable material. While the Go-Go's sound is intact, there is not a "We Got the Beat" or a "Head Over Heels" to be found. It is feasible that in this age of pop rebirth, the Go-Go's decided it was now or never."[2] Rolling Stone wrote "The album doesn't attempt to update the band's sound with hip-hop moves or electronic frippery, for which God should bless 'em, indeed. The girls' hold on the current pop world remains so strong that Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong co-writes a song ("Unforgiven") in impeccable Go-Go's drag."[5]
The album sold fewer copies than the previous Go-Go's studio albums but still managed to chart in the U.S. Billboard 200, peaking at number 57.[9]
Singles released from the album included "Unforgiven" and "Apology."
Artwork controversy
The album cover was created by photographer Maryanne Bilham. It was criticised by some Catholic groups for showing the group members posing as the Virgin Mary. Each Go-Go represents one of five saintly virtues; Chastity (Belinda), Modesty (Charlotte), Purity (Jane), Mercy (Gina) and Honesty (Kathy). The U.S. Catholic League president William Donohue criticized the band for ripping off Catholic imagery and resorting to "cheap ploys" to lure a new audience to the band. Go-Go's singer Belinda Carlisle replied to the critics by saying "any sort of art shouldn't be an issue. Art should not be censored. I don't get that it's controversial at all." [10]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "La La Land" | Charlotte Caffey, Kathy Valentine | 3:01 |
| 2. | "Unforgiven" | Caffey, Jane Wiedlin, Billie Joe Armstrong | 3:23 |
| 3. | "Apology" | Valentine, Heatherton | 3:57 |
| 4. | "Stuck in My Car" | Caffey, Wiedlin, Peter Stuart | 3:36 |
| 5. | "Vision of Nowness" | Valentine, Craig Ross | 2:55 |
| 6. | "Here You Are" | Caffey, Wiedlin, Jim Vallance | 4:01 |
| 7. | "Automatic Rainy Day" | Gina Schock, Wiedlin, Steve Plunkett | 3:17 |
| 8. | "Kissing Asphalt" | Caffey | 2:49 |
| 9. | "Insincere" | Caffey, Wiedlin | 3:45 |
| 10. | "Sonic Superslide" | Caffey, Belinda Carlisle, Schock, Valentine, Wiedlin | 3:33 |
| 11. | "Throw Me a Curve" | Caffey, Carlisle, Schock, Valentine, Wiedlin | 3:11 |
| 12. | "Talking Myself Down" | Caffey, Wiedlin, Susanna Hoffs | 3:55 |
| 13. | "Daisy Chain" | Wiedlin, Valentine, Jill Sobule | 3:45 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Think I Need Sleep" (UK only) | Caffey, Anna Waronker | 3:30 |
| 2. | "King of Confusion" (Japan only) | Caffey, Valentine, Bill Bartell | 3:07 |
Personnel
- Band members
- Belinda Carlisle – lead vocals
- Charlotte Caffey – lead guitar, piano, backing vocals
- Gina Schock – drums, percussion
- Kathy Valentine – bass, backing vocals
- Jane Wiedlin – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Additional musicians
- Billie Joe Armstrong – additional guitar and vocals on "Unforgiven"
- Rami Jafee – Mellotron and Chamberlin on "Here You Are"
- Peggy Baldwin – cello on "Here You Are"
- Roger Manning – Mellotron on "Daisy Chain"
- Production
- Paul Q. Kolderie, Sean Slade – producers, engineers, mixing at Record Plant, Fort Apache Studios, Magic Shop Studios and Record One
- Rick Neigher – producer and engineer on track 6
- Mike Shipley – mixing of tracks 1-4
- Marc DeSisto – mixing of track 6 at Skip Saylor, Los Angeles
- Tom Weir – mixing of track 13
- Mike King, Matt Levella, Chris Reynolds, Jaymz Hardy-Martin III – assistants
- Steve Hall – mastering at Future Disc
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200[9] | 57 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Internet Albums[9] | 17 |
References
- ^ a b c d e Critic reviews on Metacritic
- ^ a b Fawthrop, Peter. "The Go-Go's God Bless the Go-Go's review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2013-05-26.
- ^ Phipps, Keith (19 April 2002). "The Go-Go's - God Bless the Go-Go's". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2013-05-26.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Reviews & Previews: The Go-Go's". Billboard.com. Billboard. 19 May 2001. Archived from the original on 8 June 2001. Retrieved 2013-05-26.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b Berger, Arion (19 July 2001). "Album Reviews: The Go-Go's - God Bless the Go-Go's". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 14 February 2007. Retrieved 2013-05-26.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Blender review[dead link]
- ^ Sullivan, James (18 May 2001). "Go-Go's - God Bless the Go-Go's". EW.com. Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 21 April 2009. Retrieved 2013-05-26.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Varkentine, Ben (14 May 2001). "The Go-Go's: God Bless the Go-Go's". PopMatters. Retrieved 2013-05-26.
- ^ a b c "God Bless the Go-Go's > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
- ^ Weiss, Neal (2001-05-08). "Go-Go's Baffled by Album Cover Controversy". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on 2006-12-29. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
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