One of the best new wave bands, the Go-Go's managed to record three albums, without selling out, before their demise. Given that, the popisms of GREATEST HITS make it a curious collection. In omitting a number of the band's "best" songs--"Skidmarks on My Heart" and, inexcusably, "Can't Stop the World" from BEAUTY AND THE BEAT; "That Old Feeling" from VACATION; "Beneath the Blue Sky" from TALK SHOW--it presents the band as a straightforward pop band. But while pop certainly wasn't detrimental to the Go-Go's, it was merely one facet of their short career.
The band's biggest singles, "Our Lips Are Sealed," "We Got the Beat," "Vacation," and "Head Over Heels" are all here. Among the lesser-known tracks are "This Town," a scathing character study of L.A. life; the punchy "Get Up and Go," which highlights Gina Schock's drumming; "Mercenary," a somber tale of a deteriorating relationship with martial drumming and shimmering acoustic guitars; and "Turn to You," complete with singalong backing vocals, a propulsive beat, and swaggering guitar. Though as a whole this collection focuses on the poppier side of the band, it more than amply demonstrates the skill and style that the Go-Go's brought to the then-new new wave movement.
