And The Beat

It’s not quite right to say that the Go-Go’s' 1981 debut, Beauty and the Beat, is where new wave caught hold in the U.S., but it’s not quite wrong, either. Prior to this, there had certainly been new wave hits – Blondie had been reaching the Top Ten for two years running – but the Go-Go’s ushered in the era of big, bright stylish pop, spending six weeks at the top of the U.S. charts and generating two singles that defined the era: the cool groove of “Our Lips Are Sealed” and the exuberant “We Got the Beat.” So big were these two hits that they sometimes suggested that Beauty and the Beat was a hits-and-filler record, an impression escalated by the boost the Go-Go’s received from the just-launched MTV, yet that’s hardly the case. Beauty and the Beat is sharp, clever, and catchy, explicitly drawing from the well of pre-Beatles ‘60s pop – girl group harmonies, to be sure, but surf-rock echoes throughout – but filtering it through the nervy energy of punk.

The funkiest guitarist from Detroit returns with his newest instrumental offering "Rhythm and the Beat". If you aren't a fan of instrumental music then this should change your perceptions. The CD opens with the sexy soul rock of "Funkolina Brown" where stanky rhythm melody guitar is king. The dubstop inflected "Secret Plot Deep" gets down and nasty on a hard rock funk feel. "Groovellephacus" is a four on the floor monster with its funky Wes Montgomery style guitar and Was Not Was keyboardist Jamie Muhoberac working his sonic magic throughout. This outing also sees Randy J letting loose on lead vocals with the blues laden "Lets Get Funky Tonight" and the down home track "Omazing with Keb Mo bassist Reggie McBride on the upright bass.

Lian Ross is a German Hi-NRG/Euro disco singer. She has recorded successful covers such as Sylvester's "Do You Wanna Funk" and Modern Talking's "You're My Heart, You're My Soul." Her original hit songs include, "Say You'll Never", "Fantasy", and "Scratch My Name" among others. A compilation of her hit singles and choice tracks, "The Best of and More" was released in 2005. One of her recent successful hit singles is, "Never Gonna Lose" released on ZYX Records in Germany on December 27, 2005 and her number one hit "Young Hearts Run Free" was released on Blanco y Negro Music in Spain on September 9, 2009. Her 2013 album ”I Got The Beat” comprised a variety of musical styles including Tribal House with the song ”Around The World”, Electropop with the song ”Shake Your Booty” and a new version of Lians ”Say You’ll Never”.