Have y'all heard "Club Zero" the first new Go-Go's tune in ~20 years? Was just released last fall as part of that aforementioned documentary:
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Kathy Valentine appreciation thread
- Thread starter Raman
- Start date
Keep in mind that the studio recording was sped up. The song was/is played in G (check out a live version), but the record is just shy of Ab.
- Steve
Especially for a band that started out not knowing how to play! If you've watched the Showtime documentary (2020), it's impressive how they started out just wanting to be in the punk scene for the partying, knowing nothing about music and not rehearsing, and very rapidly got more serious and progressed until they would write these very well crafted songs with intricate vocals and harmonies.
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I am reading the Kathy Valentine autobiography. I highly recommend this book to anyone. Mainly I wanted to hear more about her story, and the Go-Go's story. But really, it's fascinating to read because I am realizing how some people (myself included) were drawn to music as a way of coping in the world in general. I never really felt like I "fit" in the world, so I began to play guitar just as a way of getting out of that anxiety. I wonder if other musicians have done the same. In this sense, I see that the world of music is really like a gift to the musician.
Kathy Valentine was to the Go-Go's like what Ringo Starr was to the Beatles. Both of them joined the band shortly before they hit it big, and both were "one of them" in the sense that they had the same kind of background and musical aspirations as their newfound band members. And both of them gave other band members the assurance that they were going to "get the job done" without worry.
I'm sure it applies to many of us. A bunch of nerdy misfits.
Nothing special about the bass in this song. It's just steady and perfect. It's also originally a Textone song: Kathy Valentine's earlier band.
I just thought it shows the Go-Go's punk origins, and how they've mastered that energy into pop.
It's really base and fast, and it looks like so much fun to play!
I just thought it shows the Go-Go's punk origins, and how they've mastered that energy into pop.
It's really base and fast, and it looks like so much fun to play!
I think the best punk-inspired bands created their own forms of pop music. I can't stand when I hear punk "purists" talking about what they think real music is.
I saw them in October 1982. I wasn't really a fan, but they came to WVU, where I was attending college. A HS friend of mine, attending a nearby college asked if I could get him tickets, so we camped out, scored great seats, and I can say that I saw the Go-go's AND A Flock of Seagulls live in concert. AFOS were crazy loud, and my seats were close to the PA column (no flyaways back then). I actually had to go walk around the concourse a bit so my guts would stop shaking.
The Go-go's were good, but were definitely into their substance abuse period. They lost the beat during the little breakdown of "We Got the Beat".
Fast forward 39 years, and I decide I want to learn "Our Lips are Sealed". Simple enough, right? Well, not really. KV's playing a wonderful bass line that I've got mostly down, except I'm also trying to sing. I'll get there eventually, but it will take some practice. Much respect for her playing.
It also took me a bit to realize that most of the tabs I found were wrong, as they were playing along with the record. After hitting a few live recordings, and noticing that they were ALL in G, including the ones from the early 80s, I decided that was the key I was learning, and screw the tabs.
I've been trying to carve out the time to catch that documentary from 2020. Eventually...
The Go-go's were good, but were definitely into their substance abuse period. They lost the beat during the little breakdown of "We Got the Beat".
Fast forward 39 years, and I decide I want to learn "Our Lips are Sealed". Simple enough, right? Well, not really. KV's playing a wonderful bass line that I've got mostly down, except I'm also trying to sing. I'll get there eventually, but it will take some practice. Much respect for her playing.
It also took me a bit to realize that most of the tabs I found were wrong, as they were playing along with the record. After hitting a few live recordings, and noticing that they were ALL in G, including the ones from the early 80s, I decided that was the key I was learning, and screw the tabs.
I've been trying to carve out the time to catch that documentary from 2020. Eventually...
If you scroll up you can see the video I posted of Kathy's isolated bass track which will help in learning the part. In her book, Kathy mentions that several tracks on the first album were sped up, so that's why this one is closer to Ab even though they played it in G.
- Steve
Yes, thanks for posting that. I'd actually found that video before finding this thread. Listening to that isolated bass made me realize that it wasn't even in Ab. (and your comment there confirmed that) It is still really nice to hear it isolated to hear some of the nuances, especially in the chorus. Between your video, and another one of a GMA soundcheck from a fairly recent appearance, I've worked out most of what I want to play, and where.
