| Goo Goo Dolls | 1987 |
| Jed | 1989 |
| Hold Me Up | 1990 |
| Superstar Car Wash | 1993 |
| A Boy Named Goo | 1995 |
| Dizzy Up The Girl | review #2 | 1998 |
| Ego, Opinion, Art & Commerce (compilation) | 2001 |
| Gutterflower | 2002 |
These days, you're likely to hear the Goo Goo Dolls on some rock radio stations alongside contemporary, generic alternative stuff, and it's easy to see why - these days, their music fits perfectly into the framework of the commercial pop rock in the modern era. Not that this is a bad thing, of course - the band's music is often filled with quite catchy hooks, most of the time courtesy lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Johnny Rzeznik, and although sometimes those catchy hooks do border on the generic side, at their best, the band is as proficient at nailing that type of sound down as anybody in the business. And hey, even bassist / occasional vocalist Robby Takac could write a few gems back in the early 90's before his position was taken over by Rzeznik and his voice turned to complete shit. Then there were the umm... drummers that spent time in the lineup I don't feel like mentioning. It's easy to believe they don't exist.
The problem, however, was allowing the more well-written pop to outnumber the faceless tracks on their albums, and this is why I usually can't call the band anything more than a solid, but dreadfully inconsistent, songwriting band, from their early years (when they were a more punkier and raw outfit where Takac handled much of the songwriting) up until now, though I still haven't heard the first two records yet, the only real big gaps on this page. And yeah, there's another thing I forgot to mention - although acoustic ballads were always present on their albums, it wasn't really until the success of "Name" from A Boy Named Goo that the band recently began attempting to carve a hitmaking niche out of it. Not that I mind, though - it does seem that the ratio of success in ballads to success in straightforward pop/punk rockers is greater for them, at least in my judgement.
And yeah, that's about all I have to say. For a band that started out being dismissed as nothing more than a Replacements clone, they have admirably found their own spot in the pop world and have gotten better with commercial success, not worse. Of coruse, sometimes the Goo Goo Dolls can be boring and incredibly formulaic, but sometimes they could also be incredibly energetic and fun, and occasionally even... gasp... interesting. But the reviews pretty much tell you all that stuff, and more. So the dumb intro paragraph will be out of your way right... now.
--Nick Karn
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COMMENTS
The Goo Goo Dolls are by far, the BEST band in the world. I am a die hard fan who has a black rose and the words Goo GOO Dolls, tattooed on my ankle. I have 4 kitten, their names are: Gutterflower, Dizzy, A Boy Named Goo, and Goo Girl. My entire life is comsumed in Goo and I love it. The Goo Goo Dolls Rock, and I hope they contnue to rock forever.
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Kevin's Song, Out Of The Red, Laughing. LOW POINTS: Hey, Know My Name.
Now this album I'm really not sure how to take. On one hand, if you've ever thought of the Goo Goo Dolls as crappy alt rock ballad writers that deserve to be flushed down the toilet with other generic crap, a good portion of the best stuff here is convincing evidence that might change your mind, since not only does it have tons more energy, there are some really good vocal hooks on here and occasional intriguing diversions! But on the other hand, a good percentage of this is also not much more than your half-baked generic punk that tries to get by on pure conviction but instead comes off as bland on account of the lack of hooks (I'm looking at you, "Know My Name", "Hey" and "You Know What I Mean"). And this band needs hooks to live, remember that. Of course, it doesn't sound completely unlike the later, more commercially successful, stuff, as there's still plenty of poppy melodies and a tinge of balladry, but in general, this is a more harder-edged set for them than usual.
Also, Robby Takac was still the more frequent songwriter at this stage of the Goo's career, and two of his contributions here are among the strongest. The opener "Laughing" in particular is a convicing meld of powerful, fast-paced enthusiasm in the vocals and playing with an infectious melody (and very nice bassline in the chorus), and "Out Of The Red" works as an impressively vicious hybrid of several harder styles (metal, punk, and arena rock) - quite emotionally riveting, as well. Maybe it's not as catchy as some of the others, but one hell of a burst, nonetheless. John Rzeznik holds his own, though - "Just The Way You Are" is one of his typical straightforward hard poppers, with a good showcase of his vocal power and continually developing hook-writing ability, and the closing "Two Days In February" is, sure enough, an acoustic ballad. But a charmingly stripped down, quite effective one. Almost as pleasant as "Name", actually.
But the best song on here, however, is done in a style that's extremely unusual for the band. And get this... it's an instrumental! Yup, I'm dead serious - "Kevin's Song" sounds like it could have come off the opening credits of a movie, and it's extremely pretty. The way the moving keyboards contrast the slow guitar riff that builds up from the introduction is tremendous, and the way it veers off into a fast-paced ending is a very, very clever touch. It might be their best song ever, actually. And at the very least, the Prince cover "Never Take The Place Of Your Man" (sung by the 'incredible Lance Diamond') is relentlessly tight and entertaining, with their punky take on it fitting in perfectly with the rest of this material. Man, it's too bad there's an unhealthy amount of bland material on here ("On Your Side" and "Million Miles Away" are just a couple more of those pretty faceless, though still decent, tunes), because if most of this album was anywhere near as impressive as the highs, Hold Me Up could have annihilated all competition in this band's catalog. But such is life, and this is still worth acquiring on account of these unknown gems.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: We Are The Normal, Fallin' Down. LOW POINTS: None.
Well, this effort could just as easily have been a huge breakthrough for the Goo Goo Dolls commercially, but somewhow it wasn't. Maybe it just wasn't quite the right time for their hard charging, glorious power pop in the mainstream, or maybe it was getting dogged by critics for the 'two lead vocals as counterparts' style imitating the Replacements. Or it could have been that there's really only one song that even comes close to the traditional ballad style of the band (though it was a minor hit, and is the highlight here, after all). But nevertheless, these days it is commonly looked upon as the band's best effort by many fans and listeners, and something of a power pop cult classic. Indeed, Superstar Car Wash flows pretty effortlessly with hooky power, and unlike Hold Me Up, there are really no bad songs or throwaways here. But still, I can't help but get the nagging feeling that there's something missing.
For one thing, I believe most of the material on here is a little lacking in melodical and musical depth for the songs to really have lasting impression. Like, I need something more than just energetic catchiness, you know? But luckily, two songs on here, in my opinion, can be called something close to timeless. The booming, echoey opener "Fallin' Down" fits that description, with equally great vocal melodies on both the verse and the chorus, a captivating opening riff, and moving introspectiveness in the lyrics - ingredients to a great pop song here. There's also the aforementioned lone ballad "We Are The Normal", with lyrics written by, of all people, Paul Westerberg of the Replacements. I'm not sure if he was also the one who came up with that phenomenally mournful, anthemic and truly lasting melody, but that doesn't matter - it's a fantastic ballad, and the somber orchestration interplaying with the acoustic guitar is near genius.
Now out of the other 12 tracks here, it's a bit harder to name highlights, though I probably would single out two minor gems from Robby Takac here (whose material is still possibly the strongest as a whole, actually) - "Domino" is another one of his exciting punky raves that's as catchy as it is furious, and "Lucky Star" also very much showcases his talent for writing fine anthemic pop with nice basswork in there. Maybe if his vocals didn't bother me a bit I could appreciate them even more. As for John Rzeznik's other contributions, "Cuz You're Gone" and "Girl Right Next To Me" are among the better straight power pop stuff here, with a slightly depressing and moving pre-chorus to the former and inventive lyrics to the latter. I'm also quite partial to "String Of Lies", because two vocalists alternating lines in a catchy, hard-hitting anthemic setting is one of my favorite special subtleties in all of pop, although the melody here isn't quite great enough to truly make it brilliant.
And that's what I could say about most of the others. Damn, these guys are so annoyingly consistent sometimes - there's hardly anything bad I could say about "Don't Worry", "Stop The World", "Another Second Time Around" and "So Far Away", for instance, other than the fact they're pretty formulaic. They sound really nice and infectious while playing, though I can only pick up scattered melodic fragments out of them long afterwards, and that's not exactly a showcase of great pop, is it? But even though it has its' unmemorable shortcomings, I can see how some would hold this as a great album. If nothing else, it works as a pleasant listening experience when you don't really want to be overwhelmed by totally creative music.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Only One, Name, Naked. LOW POINTS: Somethin' Bad, Burnin' Up.
Finally, a big success starts to come. See, for the most part A Boy Named Goo sticks to the same straightforward power pop formula as before, but with less consistent results. At their best, these rockers are mighty catchy gems, with more maturity and craftsmanship in the arrangements, lyrics and melodic flow, but some of the punkier moments clearly show the band running out of steam in that department. More important than that, though, was how different in nature their smash, completely out of nowhere, single "Name" is in contrast to this material. It's one of those introspective, 'songwriter wearing his heart on his sleeve' type of acoustic ballads, and for the mid 90's alt rock crowd, it would be hard to come across very many that more effectively hold up to time. The way that beautiful melody seemingly rises in power as it builds up to the chorus is something pretty special.
What's also curious about the album, though, is how the roles in the band have shifted. Everyone associates the Goo's songwriting with John Rzeznik by now, and it's no surprise why - at this point, his abilities in that department were only growing stronger and more confident ("Name" is just one of several good examples), while Robby Takac's songwriting was... going in the opposite direction. He does contribute a couple good numbers in the intriguing nostalgic tune "Impersonality" and the more standard, but still decent, "So Long", but I can't really compliment "Burnin' Up" and "Somethin' Bad" at all. He's starting to recycle melodies and tempos of earlier tunes pretty blatantly (heck, just check out the last album's "Lucky Star", also a track two, for the origins of the former), and the result is very unimpressive. At least his vocal workout is pretty convincing and energetic on the closing "Slave Girl" cover, though (as Rzeznik does similarly for his own take on the previous cover "Disconnected").
While the album does have the occasionally bland formulaic tendencies in the weaker tracks and nicely written but more admittedly generic fare like "Ain't That Unusual", "Eyes Wide Open" and to a lesser extent, "Flat Top" (though the chorus to that one certainly has conviction) that don't have as much substantial power as the others, there are several songs here that lift things up to the band's normal standards. The best one might be "Only One", a convincing attempt at an actual multi-part composition - the faster, more 'energetic' section is a wonderfuly trashy, but noticeably dark account of the rock star lifestyle, and it shifts effortlessly into a slower 'finger snapping' take on that atmosphere, with two equally awesome melodies on both. The two other singles "Long Way Down" and "Naked" are also convincing workouts in the 'quiet to light' punkish grunge vein, with a particularly strong melodic base on the latter (I dig those 'weiiiiiighed.... dowwwwwn' bursts right before the chorus). Basically, this isn't a consistent album at all, but it does point the band in a better direction.
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(Nick Karn's review)
HIGH POINTS: Black Balloon, Iris, Acoustic #3, Hate This Place. LOW POINTS: January Friend, Slide.
The shift in sound is finally complete - the Goo Goo Dolls have metamorphisized from punkish power pop underground favorites to a band whose forte is introspective ballads and pleasant jangly alt rock. Thanks to the success of "Name", the Goo Goo Dolls were naturally expected to come up with even more smashes in the same vein. But going into writing and recording the album, John Rzeznik suffered a huge case of writer's block, and he certainly wasn't going to be saved by his partner at this point. But it's funny what coming up with one song can do for the momentum of the album - out of nowhere, Rzeznik wrote a 'sequel' to "Name" in the form of another acoustic tune "Iris", whose totally majestic and yearning melody is perfectly accented by sweeping strings and a great guitar solo was originally used on the soundtrack to the film City Of Angels. And that's how this album started to come together.
Which is good, because Dizzy Up The Girl is basically the culmination of Rzeznik's gradually developing songwriting powers - and the gradual filtering out of the harder edged influence in the sound. Admittedly, this somewhat more commercial, softer approach here does get off to a slow start, as the first four tracks on here are easily the weakest entries on the whole album. The only two that can be called crap (well, maybe) are the jangly pop of "Slide" (whose utterly generic melody recalls the horribly bland work of Matchbox 20) and Robby Takac's "January Friend", an unfortunate reminder that is songwriting is not only out of gas - his distressingly shot voice is getting more annoying as well. But the opening "Dizzy" and "Broadway" aren't anything to brag about either - the former's effective dark verses are completely at odds with the totally cliched chorus, and the latter is pretty average pop that doesn't have much more than the nighttime vibe going for it.
Fortunately, the remaining nine tracks fare much, much better, and without exception, all the songs that display effective ballad-like qualities are among their very best work, including that aforementioned hit "Iris". "Black Balloon" in particular is probably the pinnacle here, with just as excellent a cinematic sweep as that one in its' cinematic, slightly melancholy chorus, and that guitar tone in the verses just sounds so dreamy! Though unfortunately short, "Acoustic #3" is also a total gem - true to the title, it's stripped down to the bare acoustic bone, with only some touch of orchestration, but it sounds so gorgeous, especially since that vocal melody is well worth treasuring. And the closer "Hate This Place" is absolutely wonderful uplifting pop that sounds mature and hopeful beyond its' year in spite of that negative title.
I really wish I could give this more than a high 7 based on those four highlights alone, but unfortunately, the beginning stretch of songs doesn't allow me to do that, even though this is probably my personal favorite (and most rewarding) album from these guys. Even the more 'middle of the road' tracks work well - Takac redeems himself at least a little for his "January Friend" throwaway with "Amigone" (which might have the last gasp of pure rawness left in the sound, and that shot voice actually works to his advantage here), "Full Forever" (a nicely glorious chiming guitar tune) and "Extra Pale" (a fine showcase of his bass playing abilities that still haven't diminished much, at least). Plus Rzeznik's two remaining numbers "Bullet Proof" (which has a great tense pre-chorus leading up to a fine hooky refrain) and the slow paced "All Eyes On Me" work fine. But of course, it's more the ballads that save the day here, and that's reason enough to call this thing the peak.
Ya know, I've never been a BIG fan of modern music. I've not been the typical teen type who worships Blink 182 and Limp Bizkit, etc. just because they're popular. So, I've always been a little leery of modern pop and alternative and rock. However, over the last few months, I've grown to like more and more. My good friend Neil happened to have this cd, so he burned me a copy today. I've been spinning it in me drive since then, and I must say I am indeed impressed with the songwriting. These guys actually understand the concept of hooks, which is something a lot of music nowadays is lacking. But, from the opening track up through the last note of the last track, the Goo Goo Dolls have given us a hooky pop-rock delight. Now, delight does not translate to masterpiece; as far out as some of the songs are, I can't give this more than an 8. But I can give it an 8. Wow, I just did my rating in the first part of my review. How odd.
Well, some major winning tracks on here would be.....Iris, the big hit from here (and rightfully so!). It's a sweet, lovely ballad, and I really enoy it. There's an emotional wholeness to it, a genuine feeling of love and desperation. If I remember right, it was the song that broke Johnny-whatever-his-name-is's songwriting dry spell that began just after A Boy Named Goo. Well, if he was in a songwriting drought, I'd say it flooded here. But, Iris isn't it here! There's plenty of good stuff for your listening pleasure. The opener, Dizzy, is a bit punchier than most of the songs on here, but that's OK--it's a cool song. But it isn't as cool as Slide....I really like that song. It's very arresting.
For me, the lowest point is January Friend; it's just a wee bit raspy fer me, thank ya velly much. However, the lovely ballad after it (Black Balloon) is far from raspy, and is another major highlight. I also like Amigone, which is the possessor of a cool opening chord progression. It's a rocker, and a pretty good one at that. Elsewhere, Acoustic # 3 is yet another fine acoustic ditty, albeit too short....it's almost as good as Iris, which it proceeds. I'm no Goo Goo Dolls expert, but this has to be one of their best releases. No joke. It's not a "serious" listen, but if you're in the mood for some modern pop-rock with some edge, some poise, some style, and a buttload of hooks, you need not look farther than Dizzy Up The Girl.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: What A Scene, Big Machine. LOW POINTS: You Never Know, It's Over.
You know, I don't have anything against flawlessly crafted pop albums, but when they take close to a half-decade to come to completion, there's probably reason to be suspicious. By now, the position of the Goo Goo Dolls as modern rock hitmakers has really been set in stone, so they've apparently earned the right to labor in the studio in order get everything perfect and smooth in the production aspect of things, and with not a single melody or note out of place for mass consumption of pop radio. Absolutely nothing on here feels spontaneous at all, in sharp contrast to earlier work, which probably led to my initial experience of being awfully bored with the whole album. Sure, there are catchy melodies here, but the ones on Gutterflower are of the kind that sound melodic while they're playing, just rendered kinda soulless by the tone of the whole thing, especially since the material lacks some of the wonderful quirks and subtleties some of their better material had.
On further listening, though, it does elevate itself from 'boringly mediocre' to just 'pleasantly decent'. Again, there are a couple songs here that can be considered weak - Robby Takac contributes yet another one of his hoarse pop songs that steal melodies from earlier work ("You Never Know"), and "It's Over" has not only a totally listless vocal performance, but a melody that's extremely hard to remember unless you really go out of your way to memorize it, but in general, it's not bad. Though formulaic, it certainly is - the lead single "Here Is Gone" is pretty much factory-made ballad product for this band, with its' smooth sound and chorus melody that suspiciously sounds a lot like "Black Balloon" (don't tell anyone!), plus "Think About Me" and "Sympathy" certainly show they're content to stick with the acoustic pop path, the latter in a more 'acoustic guitars only' form.
Like all albums from this band, of course, there are highlights. The bouncy hook of "What A Scene" does a lot more to work itself into your head than a generic 'na na na na na na....' hook should be allowed to, and it's the most endlessly infectious number here. There's also the ironically titled opener "Big Machine", which certainly sounds like it came out of one with its' extremely polished guitar sound and vocal melody, but it does have a certain amount of drama and darkness to it, I have to admit. The rest is more Goos by numbers (albeit some pleasant stuff like Takac's surprisingly moving "Smash" and the surprisingly moody closer "Truth Is A Whisper", and there really aren't any fantastic songs here (which finally gives me an excuse to drop one of their albums below 7!), but is still certainly worth recommending if you're an avid fan of the sound. I'm not, really, but I do still have a certain respect for it after all these years.
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COMMENTS
[email protected] (Wes Lindstrom)
I haven't heard the album, but I really like "Here is Gone". Generic or not, it has a really gorgeous melody and powerful, anthemic chorus. Unfortunately, the production is absolutely fuck-awful; all the work into making the album sound pristine is ruined by horrible amounts of compression, obviously done in a vain attempt to make the album louder than everything else, which were similarly overcompressed to sound louder than everything before it. The sound is slammed agaisnt peak volume as hard as possible and half the time the level meters never go below -1db! The result is a mix that is muddy, noisy, cacophonius, boxed-in and lifeless, with the bass maxed out to the height of illegability. No dynamic range whatsoever. It basically sounds like a really bad vinyl with all the artifacts taken out—come to think of it, that's probably why so many bands go through with it. The current crop of post-grunge rockers are totally pre-occupied with vinyl and analog recordings, and they'll do whatever they can to get that "warm vinyl sound" on CD even if it ends up making the album sound like shit. This nightmarish loudness war has got to stop; the last thing we need is this destructive practice that has plagued music for the past 8 years to become the de-facto standard.
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