God Bless the Go-Go's
| God Bless the Go-Go's | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 15, 2001 | |||
| Recorded | 2000–2001 | |||
| Studio | Sound City and Sound Image, except "Here You Are" at Moodus Noise and Sunset Sound Recorders (Los Angeles, California) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 45:11 | |||
| Label | Beyond Music | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| The Go-Go's chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from God Bless the Go-Go's | ||||
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God Bless the Go-Go's is the fourth and final studio album by the American rock band the Go-Go's, released on May 15, 2001. It was their first studio album after a lengthy hiatus, and was released 17 years after the band's previous album Talk Show was released in 1984.
While many of the band's earlier hits had been written within the band, the band worked with other artists for this album; songwriters that contributed to this album included Billie Joe Armstrong, Jill Sobule and Susanna Hoffs, among other musicians.
Critical reception and chart performance[edit]
God Bless the Go-Go's received a score of 68 out of 100 from Metacritic based on 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."[3]
The album sold fewer copies than the previous Go-Go's studio albums and peaked on the U.S. Billboard 200 at number 57.[4]
Two singles were released from the album; "Unforgiven" and "Apology."
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | (68/100)[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| The A.V. Club | (favorable)[5] |
| Billboard | (favorable)[6] |
| Blender | [7] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (B+)[8] |
| PopMatters |   [9] |
| Q | [1] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
| Spin | (6/10)[1] |
| Uncut | [1] |
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "La La Land" | 3:01 | |
| 2. | "Unforgiven" | 3:23 | |
| 3. | "Apology" |
| 3:57 |
| 4. | "Stuck in My Car" |
| 3:36 |
| 5. | "Vision of Nowness" |
| 2:55 |
| 6. | "Here You Are" |
| 4:01 |
| 7. | "Automatic Rainy Day" |
| 3:17 |
| 8. | "Kissing Asphalt" | Caffey | 2:49 |
| 9. | "Insincere" |
| 3:45 |
| 10. | "Sonic Superslide" |
| 3:33 |
| 11. | "Throw Me a Curve" |
| 3:11 |
| 12. | "Talking Myself Down" |
| 3:55 |
| 13. | "Daisy Chain" |
| 3:45 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Think I Need Sleep" (UK only) |
| 3:30 |
| 2. | "King of Confusion" (Japan only) |
| 3:07 |
Personnel[edit]
Credits adapted from the liner notes of God Bless the Go-Go's.[10]
- Band members
- Belinda Carlisle – lead vocals
- Charlotte Caffey – lead guitar, piano, backing vocals
- Jane Wiedlin – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Kathy Valentine – bass, backing vocals
- Gina Schock – drums
- Additional musicians
- Billie Joe Armstrong – additional guitar and vocals on "Unforgiven"
- Rami Jaffee – 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[edit]
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200[4] | 57 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Internet Albums[4] | 17 |
References[edit]
- ^ 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 May 26, 2013.
- ^ a b Berger, Arion (July 19, 2001). "Album Reviews: The Go-Go's - God Bless the Go-Go's". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 14, 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
- ^ a b c "God Bless the Go-Go's > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
- ^ Phipps, Keith (April 19, 2002). "The Go-Go's - God Bless the Go-Go's". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
- ^ "Reviews & Previews: The Go-Go's". Billboard.com. Billboard. May 19, 2001. Archived from the original on June 8, 2001. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
- ^ Blender review
- ^ Sullivan, James (May 18, 2001). "Go-Go's - God Bless the Go-Go's". EW.com. Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
- ^ Varkentine, Ben (May 14, 2001). "The Go-Go's: God Bless the Go-Go's". PopMatters. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
- ^ God Bless the Go-Go's (liner notes). The Go-Go's. Beyond Music. 2001.
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