And God so loved punky power pop that he resurrected both the Go-Go's and the Blake Babies at the same time. On May 15th, Beyond Records will release God Bless the Go-Go's, the first new Go-Go's studio album since 1984's Talk Show. Expect to see it filed in the minor miracles and comebacks section of your record store next to -- d'oh! -- God Bless the Blake Babies, the similarly titled reunion effort from Juliana Hatfield 's old Boston college rock band, due March 6th on Zoe.

The lead single from the Go-Go's set, which was co-produced and engineered by Paul Kolderie and Sean Slade (Radiohead , Hole) will be "Unforgiven," which was co-written by Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day , along with Go-Go's guitarists Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffey. A spokesperson for Beyond said that the single should be released in late March.

Other album tracks featured on a five-track sampler sent to press include "Apology," "La La Land," "Stuck in My Car" and "Vision of Nowness," which was rumored early on to be the title of the album.

Rest assured, fans of the band's Eighties' hits -- not to mention fans of later-day melodic punk/pop groups like Green Day -- are not likely to be disappointed when they get their hands on God Bless the Go-Go's.

"We recognized what the classic Go-Go's sound was -- upbeat, melodic, harmony-laden, with the lyrics dark and the music up," Caffey told Rolling Stone last May. "It's all the things we've ever done, except fifteen years later. It's different, it's the same . . . and we're just a little bit wiser." Wiedlin later described the album much more succinctly. "It still sounds like the Go-Go's," she said proudly.

RICHARD SKANSE
(February 10, 2001)