I've been on a Go-Go's kick of the last few days, as I re-ripped their catalog to my iPod.

For me, this is a difficult question...I usually vascillate between Kathy Valentine (bass) and Jane Wiedlin (rhythm guitar), with an occasional nod to Charlotte Caffey (lead guitar & keyboards). I find Belinda Carlisle (lead vocals) fairly obnoxious and her solo career uninteresting. Gina Schock (drums) is cute but uninteresting.

I'm voting for Kathy, because you can see one of her nipples on the back cover of Beauty & The Beat.

I'll go with Jane based on my deep affection for "Blue Kiss".

I voted for Kathy too. With all due respect to the rest of them, Kathy Valentine is the only one who ever seemed like a "real" musician to me rather than a bunch of girls in L.A.'s punk scene who formed a band for a laugh. She was in the original Textones ~ I used to own their self-pressed vinyl single with the first version of "Vacation" (probably worth $100 now or something, sigh) ~ it was rougher than the later Go-Go's version, but I liked it better.

Didn't the original version have a different chorus? I read in the liner notes of "Return To The Valley Of The Go-Go's" that Jane and Charlotte wrote the chorus we're familiar with.

Well, there you go.

Vive l'electric piano!

I voted for Belinda. I loved her vocals and her solo career. I saw them in concert with the B-52s several years ago in Boston. They brought the place down. Everyone was up and dancing.

I'm terminally un-hip when it comes to music, but I voted for Belinda because my wife can't see me now.

Anyone who collaborates with Brian Wilson has got to be interesting - Belinda gets my vote.

The jubilant "We Got the Beat" is my favorite song from the '80s!

Oh, so that's who they are. I vote for Belinda again!

I just saw the TV clip. I remember that episode! This was back in 1985 when Joan Rivers was still subbing for Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show!" I was home from college at the time and my mother asked me about the Go-Go's. "Do you know who these girls are? Do you buy their records?" she asked. "Yeah. All the time," I said back.

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Ahhhhhhhhh.....

Thanks, Hank!

I'll give you credit for recognizing one of her best songs. I love its opening line - "I remember I was in the tanning salon, when I heard that River Phoenix was gone."

She also name-checks "Chardonnay" in that song - boy, that wine can really make you sick!

Jane Weidlin

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Funny this post would reappear today.
I was just reading an article on the book that just came out about the Masque in Los Angeles http://www.laweekly.com/music/music/the ... tos/17621/
And when I saw the photo of the early Go-Go's on page 2, I was reminded how much I used to love Margot when I saw them play the Whiskey before they recorded Beauty and the Beat.

belinda carlise did a playboy spread.

i don't think any of the others did.

enough said.

renny

IAWTP

But Jane went buff in the tray card of her latest solo album, Kissproof World.