Ashleigh Jackson writes Sluice Fanzine and orchestrates Sluice Fest, a mostly all-locals DIY music festival in Huntsville, Alabama that happens every year in August.

Name of record/artist:

Beauty and the Beat by The Go-Go’s was released in 1981 on I.R.S. Records

What emotion does this record invoke for you?

This record makes me feel nostalgic even though I didn’t start listening to it until a couple of years ago. It reminds me of running around town with nothing to do and nowhere, in particular, to be with my friends in high school, especially the track “This Town.”

What is your favorite instrumentation part on this album?

The bass in particular is really strong. It plays a lot of key elements on this record that bring up a lot of emotion. If you try to listen to just the bass without the other instruments it could have been on a completely different record. Margot Olavarria played bass on this record and she had different intentions for the sound of the band, going more towards a sound that’s similar to Buzzcocks. It really shines through and I wonder what it would be like if the album as a whole had gone in that direction.

Does this record bring back any memories for you?

The track “Tonite” takes me back to driving my friends to shows at Excalibur in Decatur. Back then we were listening to a lot of No Cash, Descendants, and Black Flag, but that track reminds me of being in a state of excitement that comes about when you’re about to do something cool. “How Much More” reminds me of dating as a teenager. The song is cute and catchy but it’s also pretty sad. It captures the excitement of having a crush on someone and the heartbreak of it not being reciprocated.

What are the highlight tracks?

Without a doubt my favorite song is “Automatic” – it’s such a cool song to me. It’s the most complex song on the album.

Describe the album artwork

The album artwork is all the girls wrapped in white towels with cucumbers over their eyes and face masks on with a blue and pink pastel gradient in the background that looks like a painting. It’s like having a big sleepover with your girlfriends.

RAPID WORD ASSOCIATION - What is the FIRST word that comes to your head

Empowerment.

This record is the first time that you see an all-female band that wrote and played all their own songs. For myself, as a woman, that’s a really important thing to see, especially now that we have all these new bands popping up in town.

Why should we listen to this record?

This record is honestly really cool and everyone should listen to it at least once. It’s way more than just “We Got the Beat” and “Our Lips are Sealed.” Both of those are obviously good songs and stand out on their own, but there’s more to it if you dig a little and listen to the album in its entirety.