Sometimes artists leave subtle clues to their audiences about their state of mind.
Sometimes they display them in block letters big enough to dwarf the Hollywood sign.
“Vacation, all I ever wanted / Vacation, had to get away” goes the chorus to the leadoff title track, a simultaneously energetic and dour number about needing a break from it all. Sure, there’s the suggestion that the narrator is trying to forget an ex, but it’s window-dressing from a band teetering on the edge of exhaustion while indulging in all those notorious ’80s vices.
Like millions of others, I loved The Go-Go’s 1981 debut Beauty And The Beat from the first time I heard its effervescent singles “Our Lips Are Sealed” and “We Got The Beat.” What I wasn’t aware of was that by the time it came out, the band had been slugging it out in LA clubs steadily for three years. And then, between Beauty’s July 1981 release and Vacation’s debut 13 months later, the band played more than 90 shows.
By the time they set out to record Vacation, Charlotte Caffey (guitars/keys), Belinda Carlisle (lead vocals), Gina Schock (drums), Kathy Valentine (bass) and Jane Wiedlin (guitars) were a bleary-eyed mess, and it shows in the results. The title track is in fact the high point of an album whose dark energy is only underscored by egregiously tinny, trebly, over-compressed ’80s production.
The band always benefited from a surfeit of songwriters, but even with the credits shared widely among the band members, the vibe appears unanimous when considering song titles like “We Don’t Get Along,” “It’s Everything But Partytime,” and “Worlds Away.” It’s clear these ladies would rather have been anywhere but where they were.
The modest highlights found here include the propulsive bounce of “Get Up And Go,” the giddy call-and-answer of “This Old Feeling,” and the kitschy ’60s surf feel of “Beatnik Beach.” Much of the remainder reveals a band laboring to fill out the track list and get another album out the door (with five songwriters on board, they still needed a cover to clear 36 minutes of music).
The good news was that, while the personal issues and interpersonal dynamics within the band only continued to spiral after Vacation, the group took more time assembling its 1984 follow-up Talk Show, with far better results. And even on an album that represents the Go-Go’s musical low point, their talent, spirit, and charisma still shine through at times. Better days lay both behind and ahead.
