Album Review:

Despite what the cover may lead you to think, the Go-Go’s were, in fact, a real group. Formed a few years earlier, the trio had been singing together on and off since high school before they signed with RCA Victor. Members Roger Yorke, William Wild, and Jim Infield (“all under 21” – according to the back of the album), along with Wrecking Crew musicians, came together to create this album. Although the actual sounds grooved into the wax may not be technically surf music (it’s “swimming music”), the Go-Go’s do a good job of bridging a few styles together and creating their own unique sound on their one and only Lp.

Exactly why the fellows at RCA decided to open up the album with ‘Chicken of the Sea’ is a mystery. Easily the worst track on the record, it’s a weak opener right from the very bottom of its ‘chicken-plucking’ heart, and the “ch-ch-chick-chick-cha-chick’s” don't help. The following track, ‘Lonely Girl’ is a soft ballad much in the style of the Rip-Chord’s ‘Beach Girl,’ while the sluggish ‘Summertime Express’ spreads itself a little thin with train whistle sound effects and some dull lyrics. The album finally picks itself up with the sweet ‘Goodbye Winter’, which (finally) has some references to surfboards and the sea. The doo-wop-styled ‘Kingfish’ sits somewhere between surf music and up-tempo 1950s rock, while a cover of Eddie Cochran’s ‘Summertime Blues’ acts as some uninspired filler. While the material on the first side is relatively weak, upon turning the vinyl over, the group finally puts everything together. ‘Underwater’ is a dreamy surf tune complete with bubble sound effects and wailing sax. ‘At the Beach’ is pure, unadulterated fun-in-the-sun with chugging guitars and a light premise, concluding that “if it weren’t for the girls, we’d have a lot of fun at the beach…” ‘Do the Malibu’ rocks pretty hard, while ‘Peek-A-Boo-Swimsuit’ follows in suit. Carol Connor’s only contribution to the album, ‘Sand Swimmer’ is a good slice of surf rock, while the closer ‘Swim Time U.S.A’ features a Beach Boy’s-styled falsetto.

Swim With the Go-Go’s has a unique feel to it. Without committing itself too heavily to any one style, it’s truly a unique offering from a little-known group and should have a place in any early 1960s music collection. ‘Kingfish’ will get stuck in your head for weeks. Where this album really rocks is the second side - there’s even a Carol Conners composition, ‘Kingfish,’ in the mix. The Go-Gos would be heard again on The Munsters; Songs Inspired by the T.V. Characters album the same year.