Beauty And The Beat  by The Go-Go's

The story of the creation of Beauty And The Beat is a journey from the punk scene of Los Angeles to absolute pop dominance. Beauty and the Beat from 1981 is the iconic debut of The Go-Go's, the first all-female band to reach the top of the charts by playing their own instruments and writing their own songs.

Under the guidance of producer Richard Gottehrer, the album married the energy of punk/new wave with the sunny aesthetics of surf-pop and the girl groups of the '60s. Gottehrer insisted on playing the songs slower to highlight the melodies and lyrics. The band, accustomed to the punk speed of their live performances, initially hated the result, considering it "lame" and overly clean. The sound of the album is characterized by "clean" guitars, strong riffs, and catchy melodies, with the songwriting balancing between teenage carefreeness and a darker, urban thematology.

The major hits Our Lips Are Sealed and We Got The Beat launched the album to No.1 on the Billboard 200 for six weeks. With sales exceeding 2,000,000 copies (double platinum), Beauty And The Beat is considered a milestone of the American new wave scene, paving the way for women in rock music.