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Wow!  Where can I start?  This is going to be a large sub-section to my site because of Belinda's importance to me.  I also have plenty of Belinda images which I've had in my possession for a long time now, which I've been intending to put online for everyone to see for quite some time now.

To put things simply - my life in music (and me as well) wouldn't have been the same if it wasn't for Belinda!  This sounds incredibly melodramatic, but the reality is that Belinda was the first music love of my life. Although my music tastes now couldn't really be more different to Belinda, she still continues to play an important part in my life and hi-fi now.

My story begins in 1987.  It all started when I saw the video to Heaven Is A Place On Earth on Saturday Superstore, a children's Saturday morning program on British TV and I was enchanted from that point onwards.  What this meant for me is that my (then) non-existent music interest started and I had a focal point in my life which was crucially different to the rest of my peers.  There was nothing wrong with the music I was listening to at the time (indeed, the music at that time, heavy rock - I still listen to now), but the important point from my point of view was that Belinda was unique to me from within my peer group.

Belinda is a solo artist, but is also a member of the phenomenally successful American pop/punk all girl group The Go-Go's, who started their career during the early 1980's.  The Go-Go's are an important blueprint to all would-be girl groups.  They showed the world that success could be made on their own according to their own image and rules.  Their world was anarchic and unpredictable - but they always aimed to have as much fun as they possible could along the way.  The Go-Go's still occasionally perform together, and not because they need to because of any financial insecurities, but because they enjoy playing together as a group!

I was very proud and lucky enough to see Belinda in concert in June 2004.  This was my first ever Belinda concert, despite me promising to myself that I would have gone to see her perform much earlier on in my life.  Belinda looked and sounded amazing, and she was in great form - performing songs from all her albums (including Mad About You, a song from her very first album).

This is my Belinda ticket from when I saw here in London in 2004.

The majority of Belinda Carlisle's songs are available on either her studio or compilations albums.  One of Belinda's songs, Live Your Life Be Free was released as both a single and appears as the first track on the respective studio album.  However, this version of Live Your Life Be Free that appears on the album is, in my opinion, not a particularly great version.  There is a version of it that was released as a B side to her Half The World single that has a much better sound.  It doesn't include any of the vocals at the very start, and instead it is replaced by a rock guitar introduction.  As this version is currently impossible to get hold of by any means, I have included it as an MP3 download from my website.  Additionally, I have also have a great remix of Leave A Light On, which has appeared on two of Belinda's singles from the Runaway Horses era, Vision Of You and Summer Rain.  This remix is not currently available on any format either.  The remix is not radically different in sound, but it does add a little more 'width' on the original version of the song.

Belinda Carlisle - Live Your Life Be Free (Original Intro Version).mp3  (3.07Mb)

Belinda Carlisle - Leave A Light On (Kamikazee Mix).mp3  (3.61Mb)

Additionally, I have in my possession an Amiga music module of Belinda's Circle In The Sand.  This can be played using either an Amiga with OctaMED, ProTracker or any module player installed.  Alternatively, for those who'd like to here this song on a different computer platform, a number of different media players can play this.  The most convenient player for this on the PC is WinAmp, available from their website at http://www.winamp.com.  This module is available in the MOD format to download from my website.

Belinda Carlisle - Circle In The Sand.mod  (67Kb)

Keep up to date on the best Belinda Carlisle website around by visiting  http://www.belinda-carlisle.com.

Below are my appraisals of all of Belinda Carlisle's studio albums.  Naturally, I own all of her releases ;-)

	Belinda This album is probably the most different of all Belinda's albums (unsurprisingly considering its age), but it's not one to be overlooked.  This album starts off with the great track Mad About You, a song brimming with happiness and confidence.  As far as I'm aware, this is the only song from this album that Belinda will still perform live.  Bangles band member, Susanna Hoffs co-writes the song I Need A Disguise, a track showing sixties influences.  Belinda performs a cover version of Freda Payne's Band Of Gold, one of only two cover songs that Belinda has ever put onto her albums.
	Heaven On Earth Although obviously well known for the classic pop anthem Heaven Is A Place On Earth, the whole album is full of classic radio friendly songs.  The second single from this album Circle In The Sand is a breathtaking ballad (which has a stunning promo video to complement it!).  Belinda's only other album cover song appears here - a version of Cream's I Feel Free, which although sounds really different in context to the remainder of the album, is a fine 80's pop/dance/rock track.
	Runaway Horses Starting off with the mind-blowing Leave A Light On, featuring a classic George Harrison slide guitar solo, and concluding with the final, Belinda co-written ballad Shades Of Michelangelo, Runaway Horses is a more refined and better produced album than its predecessors.  The great Latino sounding La Luna is a pure masterpiece (with a great period setting promo video).  Summer Rain shows of the power and range of Belinda's vocals to its fullest, without ever managing to sound over-the-top.
	Live Your Life Be Free This is the most musically diverse of all Belinda's albums, and for this reason, this is my favourite Belinda album ever.  The irony of it all is that the title track (the first song) is, in my opinion, the worst song on the album, as I never did like the singing intro.   Do You Feel Like I Feel? is a great late 60's style inspired slice of pop, and is one of my favourite pop songs on the album.  Also featured is one of Belinda's finest ballads - Half The World which features great soaring vocals.
	Real A striking visual difference between this, and Belinda's previous albums is the excellent cover art photography throughout the CD booklet.  An additional difference between Real and Belinda's previous albums is that Belinda has writing credits on nearly every song.  What this results in is a deliberate (and an earthy refreshing) change in sound compared to all Belinda's other albums.  Whilst this isn't my favourite of Belinda's albums, this does impress on the song writing quality front - especially on the melancholic tracks Too Much Water and Here Comes My Baby.
	A Woman & A Man Like Real, this album boasts yet more staggeringly beautiful cover art work (almost worth the price of the album alone).  Starting off with the watery themed In Too Deep, the album follows with California, which is a tale about the great Californian earthquake of 1994.  Roxette's Per Gessle contributes the song Always Breaking My Heart which injects some pace into this otherwise downbeat album.  The closing song My Heart Goes Out To You is a lovely song to hear, and is the equivalent of your best friend giving you a consoling hug - which, in a way, is a beautiful way to finish an album...