Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
The song remains the same, it is how the album is packaged that will draw the audiophile and the collector in, and if you manage to snag in the net those who had long thought about investing in their soul, albums from the said artist, then the Decades in which they have plied their trade have not only been worth it, but pursued with an acclaim of history on its side.
One of Pop’s most endearing and enduring voices, one that was formed in Punk appreciation, and which has offered expression and influence of the highest orders, sees Belinda Carlisle repackaged for a new generation in her four-cd box set release, Decades Volume 1, and one that allows all a sense of gathering, a praiseworthy endeavour of insistence and overpowering demons.
The first four albums, Belinda, Heaven On Earth, Runaway Horses, and Live Your Life Be Free, set a standard which saw the American girl next door throw off the Go Go’s excess and deliver a series of single hits and sensational albums for the 80s pop hungry populace.
Decades is unafraid to show that it is a boxset, understanding that it may the third time the fan will have bought a physical release, and yet it has that right is full on, it is polished, it is dramatic, it is stirringly beautiful and frames the essence of the performer in her absolute element. Front and centre, never once shying away from the camera, always open, full of confidence; and the albums of that period capture all those emotions and the American west coast force of mature nature that came bounding in after the tumultuous affair with hippy acceptance.
The songs that were released as singles remain hugely popular, as do the albums that kick started Belinda Carlisle’s solo career, and much as this must be surely acknowledged to be down to the inclusion of Go Go’s teammates Charlotte Caffey and Paula Jean Brown, and perhaps one of the great friends and fellow performers of their time, Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles. It also showed the intensity of belief and work ethic that would come further down the line that the legendary Lindsey Buckingham also makes an appearance as a song writer on the debut album.
Decades is more than just a set of CDs given a new home in an attractively styled box set, it is a statement of the artist’s own feelings of her past, each song given its moment in the sun, a memory captivated by the allure off sexuality, drama, and truth, and the seemingly impossible decades that Belinda Carlisle has been at the heart of pop’s unending grip of the conscious of the music lover.
Bold and beautiful, a box set that is a bonus to behold.
Ian D. Hall