V04-T03 Surfing And Spying

.....I can't believe it took this long to get to an example of this odd little novelty format. There was a time when the three-inch CD was being abandoned by those few labels who experimented with the questionable idea of marketing a single length format of a technology whose selling points were expanded playing times and track maneuverability. As titles were deleted I scrambled to find those with exclusive tracks, or at least tracks not otherwise available on CD. This was one.

Volume 4: "THE LITTLE BROWN ONES ARE THORAZINE, GEORGE", track 3

• 01:50 "SURFING AND SPYING" (Charlotte Caffey)
• performed by The Go-Go's
• original source: B-side 7" I.R.S. 9901 (US) 6/81
• and my source: CD3 I.R.S./A&M CC 31073 CSIG 152 (US) 1988

.....Around the time I was putting together the compilation with Volumes 5 and 6, I.R.S. released a long overdue hits-and-rarities collection, 2CD RETURN TO THE VALLEY OF THE GO-GO'S I.R.S. 7243 8 29694 26 (US) 10/94. This mostly instrumental number was the first track on the second disc. (I say 'mostly' because the title contains the only lyrics.) This single (the A-side was "OUR LIPS ARE SEALED") is often listed as their first release, but that's not exactly true. The previous year in England Stiff Records released two songs from a demo cassette that the Go-Go's had sent trying to get signed, not intending for those takes to be official releases. They released eight more I.R.S. singles. Not counting the Stiff debut, it was three 7"s for each of their three early albums, including one non-album track per set of three. The other two non-album tracks were "SPEEDING" (also on the CD3) and "GOOD FOR GONE". All three are on RETURN...

.....I've always had a soft spot in my heart (or my head) for The Go-Go's. Belinda Carlisle's subsequent drug-and-Republican addled career often distracts people from the fact that they were a killer band live or studio. It's more of an unfortunate comment on the music industry than on the band itself that they were sold as a novelty 'girl-group'-- especially since they were writing retro material like this themselves , doing the occasional period cover (such as "COOL JERK", twice) only rarely. Belinda, for her part, had a genuine punk credential, if you can call it that. As a teenager she hung out with the Germs, the band that gave the world Darby Crash and Pat Smear. Of course, back then her name was Dottie Danger.

.....I don't always bother to mention the names of producers in these notes, although that can sometimes be helpful in distinguishing between different versions of songs when you're shopping and don't always have the option of listening to multiple versions. In this case, the producers Rob Freeman and Richard Gotteher provide a link to another song later in this volume. But first we'll segue to something that makes a smoother transition rhythmically and texturally.