CoronaVinyl Day 283 (C): Belinda by Belinda Carlisle

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Today's CoronaVinyl category is "C," and my choice is Belinda Carlisle's 1986 solo debut album, Belinda.

Carlisle, of course, was the lead singer of the hugely influential new wave band The Go-Go's -- who, to this day, remain the only all-female band in the history of the Billboard album chart who played their own instruments and wrote their own songs that had a #1 album.  They'll be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this October.

In 1985, she left the group to go solo, and she had pretty immediate success with her first solo record.  Musically, it was largely an extension of her time with The Go-Go's -- poppy and generally enjoyable to listen to -- and former band mates Charlotte Caffey, Paula Jean Brown, and Jane Wiedlen all contributed to the album, either writing songs or providing backing vocals (or both).  Also contributing to the album were The Bangles' Susanna Hoffs (co-writing and backing vocals), Duran Duran's Andy Taylor (guitar), star songwriting tandem Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg (co-writing and backing vocals), and Rolling Stones sideman Nicky Hopkins (keyboards), among others.

The album went to #13 on the Billboard album chart and gave Carlisle her first Top 5 solo hit with "Mad About You," which went to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 (as well as to #1 on the Canadian pop chart).  The following year, she would release her sophomore album, Heaven on Earth, which featured three Top 10 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, including her signature solo song "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" (her only #1), "I Get Weak" (#2), and "Circle in the Sand" (#7).  After that, she only netted two more Top 40 hits in the U.S., but remained popular in the UK well into the '90s.

She then reunited with The Go-Go's in the early 2000s and has toured and made music with them since then when they're together.  In 2005, after a couple decades of booze and cocaine addictions, she kicked both and has been sober since.  She has released two solo albums in the new millennium, 2007's Voila and 2017's Wilder Shores.

The Spotify version of Belinda is a brand new 35th anniversary edition with ten extra tracks, including alternate mixes and live versions of songs.

Favorite song from Side 1:  "I Feel the Magic"
This song was a minor hit, reaching #82 on the Billboard Hot 100.  It has a '60s Motown feel to it, so you know I like it.

Favorite song from Side 2:  "Gotta Get To You"
This one is a nice little pop rock song that, to me, sounds the most like a natural extension of The Go-Go's, which makes sense because it was co-written by Carlisle, Caffey, and Brown (and James Whelan).  And there's a sax solo, so that's always a plus.