Vacation | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 20, 1982 | |||
Recorded | March–May 1982 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 35:41 | |||
Label | I.R.S. | |||
Producer | Richard Gottehrer | |||
The Go-Go's chronology | ||||
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Singles from Vacation | ||||
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Vacation is the second studio album by American rock band the Go-Go's, released on July 20, 1982, by I.R.S. Records. The album reached number eight on the Billboard 200, [2] and has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). [3] The title track reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. [4]
Despite the album's success, the recording period was hampered by several issues. Most of the band's lineup was struggling with drug addiction and were starting to argue more over creative differences. There was also growing discord between songwriter and lead guitarist Charlotte Caffey, lead singer Belinda Carlisle, and guitarist Jane Wiedlin, who had begun to take more of an interest in songwriting. These problems were never resolved and would result in the band's dissolution following the disappointing sales of their third album, Talk Show .
The single "Vacation" was also issued in what may possibly have been the first cassette single.[ citation needed ] In addition to the title track, two more singles were pulled from the album at the time: "Get Up and Go" and "This Old Feeling", the former of which peaked at number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100. [4] The song "Speeding", which is not included on the album, is a Caffey/Wiedlin composition used as B-side of the single for "Get Up and Go".
In 2016, Edsel Records reissued remastered deluxe editions, all with bonus tracks, of the Go-Go's original three releases. [5]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [6] |
Robert Christgau | B− [7] |
Record Mirror | [8] |
Rolling Stone | [9] |
Cash Box called "Get Up and Go" a "rousing pop/rocker", saying that "the rhythm is as peppy as the title would indicate." [10] Billboard called it a "spirited pop/rock anthem" that is "invigorating" despite not being as "seamless" or having as much "mass appeal" as the preceding hit single "Vacation". [11] Detroit Free Press critic Gary Graff called it a "beach party pop tune." [12]
Rolling Stone critic Ken Tucker called "This Old Feeling" a "perfect pop song: an ethereal melody is anchored by Kathy Valentine's bass as Carlisle's voice skims the surface of a pleasant memory just beyond reach" and said that "Rarely has the woozy pleasure of a good daydream been rendered more movingly in rock music." [13]
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Vacation" |
| 2:57 | |
2. | "He's So Strange" | Wiedlin |
| 2:55 |
3. | "Girl of 100 Lists" | Wiedlin | Wiedlin | 2:16 |
4. | "We Don't Get Along" | Valentine | Valentine | 2:42 |
5. | "I Think It's Me" |
| Caffey | 2:40 |
6. | "It's Everything but Partytime" | Wiedlin |
| 3:18 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
7. | "Get Up and Go" |
| Caffey | 3:15 |
8. | "This Old Feeling" | Wiedlin | Caffey | 3:04 |
9. | "Cool Jerk" (the Capitols cover) | Donald Storball | Storball | 2:52 |
10. | "The Way You Dance" |
| Caffey | 2:54 |
11. | "Beatnik Beach" |
| Caffey | 2:50 |
12. | "Worlds Away" |
|
| 3:58 |
Chart (1982) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [14] | 71 |
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [15] | 24 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [16] | 44 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [17] | 24 |
UK Albums (OCC) [18] | 75 |
US Billboard 200 [2] | 8 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA) [3] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
The Go-Go's were an American all-female rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar and keyboards, Belinda Carlisle on lead vocals, Gina Schock on drums, Kathy Valentine on bass, and Jane Wiedlin on rhythm guitar. They are widely considered the most successful all-female rock band of all time.
Beauty and the Beat is the debut album from California new wave band the Go-Go's. Released July 14, 1981 on the I.R.S. Records label, the album reached number one on Billboard's Top LPs & Tape chart in March 1982, bolstered by its two big Hot 100 hit singles: "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "We Got the Beat", released in 1980, but in a different version. After a long and steady climb, Beauty and the Beat reached number one in the album chart dated March 6, 1982, the week before "We Got the Beat" entered the Top Ten of the Hot 100. The album stayed at the top for six consecutive weeks, and ranked second in Billboard's year-end Top 100 of 1982. The LP sold in excess of two million copies, and was RIAA-certified double platinum, qualifying it as one of the most successful debut albums of all time. Critically acclaimed, it has been described as one of the "cornerstone albums of American new wave".
Belinda Jo Carlisle is an American singer and songwriter. She gained fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, the most successful all-female rock band of all time, and went on to have a prolific career as a solo artist.
Charlotte Irene Caffey is an American guitarist and pianist, best known for her work in the rock band the Go-Go's in the 1980s, including writing "We Got the Beat".
Panorama is the third studio album by American new wave band the Cars, released on August 15, 1980, by Elektra Records. Like its predecessors, it was produced by Roy Thomas Baker and released on Elektra Records.
Jane Marie Genevieve Wiedlin is an American musician and singer, best known as the co-founder, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist of the new wave band The Go-Go's. She also voices Dusk, the drummer and backup vocalist of the fictional rock band The Hex Girls. She also had a successful solo career.
Kathryn Valentine is an American musician who is the bassist for the rock band the Go-Go's. She has maintained a career in music through songwriting, recording, performing and touring as well as additional academic and creative pursuits. Valentine was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in October 2021 as a member of The Go-Go's.
"Our Lips Are Sealed" is a song co-written by Jane Wiedlin, guitarist of the Go-Go's, and Terry Hall, singer of the Specials and Fun Boy Three.
Wheels Are Turnin' is the eleventh studio album by REO Speedwagon, released in November 1984. It reached No. 7 on the Billboard 200. The lead single was "I Do' Wanna Know," which stalled at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100. The second single, "Can't Fight This Feeling," was REO's second and longest-running number one single. Other singles released were "One Lonely Night" and "Live Every Moment". These singles also reached the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, reaching #19 and #34, respectively. The singles from the album also had success on other Billboard charts: "Can't Fight This Feeling" and "I Do' Wanna Know" each reached #5 on the Mainstream Rock chart, with "One Lonely Night" reaching #17, and "Can't Fight This Feeling" and "One Lonely Night" reached #3 and #10, respectively on the Adult Contemporary chart.
"Vacation" is a 1982 single released by the all-female rock band, the Go-Go's. The song was the first single from the album, Vacation.
"Mad About You" is the debut solo single by American singer Belinda Carlisle. It was written by Paula Jean Brown, James Whelan and Mitchel Young Evans, and produced by Michael Lloyd for Carlisle's debut solo album Belinda. The single was released in 1986 as a CD single, 7-inch single and a 12-inch single. It was her first hit after leaving the Go-Go's, peaking at number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and at number one on the Canadian Singles Chart.
Heaven on Earth is the second solo studio album by American singer Belinda Carlisle. It was released on October 5, 1987, by MCA Records. Three singles reached the top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100, including the number-one single and Carlisle's signature song "Heaven Is a Place on Earth". The album has been certified triple Platinum in the United Kingdom and Platinum in many countries, including the United States.
Belinda is the debut studio album by American singer Belinda Carlisle. It was released on May 19, 1986 by I.R.S. Records. Carlisle began work on the album in 1985 following the breakup of the Go-Go's, for whom she was the lead singer. The album was supported by four singles, with lead single "Mad About You" peaking at number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 in Canada.
"We Got the Beat" is a song by the American rock band the Go-Go's, written by the group's lead guitarist and keyboardist Charlotte Caffey. The band first recorded the song in 1980 for a single on UK-based Stiff Records, and later rerecorded it for their debut album Beauty and the Beat on I.R.S. Records. The initial single release brought the Go-Go's underground credibility during their first UK tour and in the band's hometown of Los Angeles. The first version reached No. 35 on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart due to its popularity in clubs as an import, and the second version was a top 10 hit in both the United States and Canada. It is considered a new wave classic hit, as well as being the Go-Go's' signature song. The song was named one of "The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll".
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