"The Go-Go's" An Enganging Look at Pioneering Pop Superstars

Long before they were groundbreaking, highly influential pop superstars that produced classic tracks like "We Go the Beat," Our Lips Are Sealed" and "Vacation," the Go-Go's were a bona fide punk band that worked their way up through the tough Los Angeles scene with a knack for energetic shows and frenetic songs.

Didn't know that? It's one of several revelations in the terrific new documentary, "The Go-Go's," an engaging look at the triumphs and pitfalls of the history-making, first all-girl band to completely write their own songs and play their own instruments. The film is sure to please newcomers, casual fans and devotees alike.

"The Go-Go's" was released digitally earlier this month and is out on DVD/Blu-Ray on Friday, Feb. 26. In addition, the group's 2001 album, "God Bless the Go-Go's," will be reissued on CD, vinyl and digital formats on May 14.

Some of the most intriguing parts of "The Go-Go's" capture their beginnings through archival footage of performances from their days playing L.A. punk venues. The shows were wild, the music played fast and furious. Yet within the maelstrom you can hear the melodies, the first vestiges of the irresistible pop that would come to define the band.

Through then and now interviews, a picture is painted of the Go-Go's many ups and downs, including trying to break through as an all-girl band in a boy's business, particularly during their first U.K. tour, their ambition to evolve from punk to pop, drug issues, and ultimate triumph as one of the most popular and influential groups of the 1980s.

Consisting of singer Belinda Carlisle, guitarists Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffey, bassist later turned guitarist Kathy Valentine, and drummer Gina Schock, the Go-Go's burst onto the pop scene like a supernova with their No. 1 debut album, "Beauty and the Beat" (1981), which featured the aforementioned Top 20 singles "We Got the Beat" and "Our Lips Our Sealed." "Vacation" (1982) followed, the Top 10 sophomore effort propelled by its infectious title track. The band would breakup after its 1984 release, "Talk Show" and reunite for 2001's "God Bless the Go-Go's."

The Go-Go's are on this year's nomination list for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. They shouldn't be.... Instead they should already long have been in the annals of rock's (and pop's) greatest, most influential and significant acts. Revisiting their music and watching their remarkable story in "The Go-Go's" is a treat that gives considerable insight into a band deserving of the ultimate in accolades.