Belinda Carlisle “Belinda” CS (1986)

Details: Belinda Carlisle's solo debut, simply titled, "Belinda," was released in 1986 on I.R.S. Records (the same label as The Go-Go's) and featured help from fellow Go-Go, Charlotte Caffey after the band's split. Previously owned club edition cassette release, comes in a clear shell with white pad-printing. No lyrics, front 2-panel j-card only.

Description: "After calling time on The Go-Go’s at the Rock In Rio Festival, it was more than a year before Belinda Carlisle emerged blinking in the solo spotlight. With a radical new clean-cut look she was repositioned for the pop market, all vestiges of her punk roots excised.

Her launch as a solo artist got off to a flying start in North America with debut single Mad About You. It’s a clear indication that this is a fresh proposition from her Go-Go’s days, with only a rocking guitar solo courtesy of Duran Duran’s Andy Taylor providing any clue to her past life. The single made No.3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and topped the charts in Canada. In 2017, Carlisle told Classic Pop: “It was very intimidating going solo. I really had to find my feet. It took a long time.

“I was really insecure about being out there as the complete focus. I couldn’t bounce things off of other people on stage.”

Retaining Go-Go’s guitarist Charlotte Caffey as the major songwriter on this debut LP allowed for some sense of familiarity amongst the Brave New World of Carlisle’s solo career. Caffey supplied five songs on Belinda, a record that spins through a myriad styles as Carlisle searched for a new musical direction. Belinda added: “Charlotte’s an amazing songwriter and was a great support to me when the band broke up. We get each other. We were both born and raised in California so we have that sensibility. We have the same musical tastes and our relationship is really intuitive.”

As a well-connected LA mover and shaker, Carlisle attracted various A-listers to the songwriting table for her debut; The Bangles’ Susannah Hoffs co-wrote Need A Disguise, a subtle indication Belinda may not have been the butter-wouldn’t-melt pop star that her record label was presenting her as. Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham hooks up with Caffey and Jonathan Segal for Since You’ve Gone, a two-paced track that grows from a piano-led ballad with mournful strings into a guitar rocker. ...

Second and third singles I Feel The Magic and Band Of Gold neglected to dent the charts and the fourth culled from the LP came out as a promo only. Belinda certainly had its moments, but there was still much work to be done in establishing Carlisle as a solo act. Her next step would be absolutely decisive." - Classic Pop Magazine

Grade: VG+ (Cover/Cassette)

TRACK LISTING SIDE A:

A1. Mad About You
A2. I Need A Disguise 
A3. Since You’ve Gone
A4. I Feel The Magic
A5. I Never Wanted A Rich Man

TRACK LISTING SIDE B:

B1. Band Of Gold
B2. Gotta Get To You
B3. From The Heart
B4. Shot In The Dark
B5. Stuff And Nonsense