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= worst,
= best)
The Goo Goo Dolls, "Dizzy Up The Girl"
Warner Bros., 1998 (
)
The Goo Goo Dolls are doing something right; there's no question about it. The smash hit "Name" from the album "A Boy Named Goo" put the Dolls on the pop, alternative, and rock a-lists in 1995, and they have never looked back.
The disturbing irony is that most rock fans had not heard of the band prior to the release of "Name", and from this reviewer's standpoint, that's a shame. It's a fact that the Goo Goo Dolls have been putting good music out for close to a decade on Metal Blade Records, a label traditionally aligned with alternative-type heavy metal bands (e.g. speed metal, thrash metal, etc.). The Goos were a bit out of place on the label, but not entirely. In fact, prior to 1995, among the heavy metal/hard rock elite - and even to some extent in the then-underground alternative scene - the band had become relatively popular. Their music was a bit heavier then and less pop-oriented. To their credit, though, the Goo Goo Dolls carved out an appealing sound niche culminating in 1993's "Superstar Car Wash", an album with the Dolls' best two songs to date: "Fallin' Down" and "We Are The Normal". The band "popified" their sound (with amazing success) for "Boy Named Goo" in 1995, racking up four hit songs and multi-platinum sales. But I digress, because we are here to talk about 1998's "Dizzy Up The Girl". For those seeking the "new" Dolls sound, the album does not disappoint - not by a long shot.
Most of the songs on "Dizzy Up The Girl" are laden with pop sensibility and catchy (but respectable) hooks. The album's first official release, "Slide", is getting massive air play on pop, alternative, and rock stations. In traditional fashion, the song begins with John Rzeznik's soft, but urgent-sounding vocals, accompanied by catchy acoustic guitar and an overall great hook. When the perfectly-mixed drums and bass kick in, the song very much defines the now-familiar Dolls successful formula. This formula is, in my opinion, what appeals to music fans across the map. And the amazing cross-over ability of the band should almost guarantee massive sales.
Of course, prior to the official release of the album, the band released "Iris" as part of a movie soundtrack (the song is also on this album). "Iris" paralleled the success of "Name" in that both songs are ballads with a similar feel: slow and sad intros crescendoing into urgent choruses and then back down to melancholy bridges and endings. "Black Balloon" and "Acoustic #3" are similar and may also receive significant airplay. The album's third track, "Broadway" is indeed another likely hit. It begins with a brief Crowded House sounding intro before kicking into the now-familiar Goos formula described for "Slide" above.
But the album's true gem is "Bullet Proof". "Bullet Proof" hastens back to the pre-1995 Goo Goo Dolls, mixing a heavy distorted guitar intro with a simple verse, angry pre-chorus, and a majestic sounding chorus. The lyrics mirror the traditional lost opportunity with girl sentiment: "Would you come my way/Or did you burn out to the end/Would you come my way/Should have listened when you called my name/Yea she wants to tear you down/And she leaves without a sound/It's like falling backwards/Into no one's arms." But the sentiment works here and this is what amazes me. No matter what mix of musicianship, melodies, and lyrical charm the Goo Goo Dolls boil together, their songs almost always draw appeal.
The exceptions to this rule are often the songs that bassist
Robby Takac sings:
here, "January Friend", "Amigone", "Full
Forever", and "Extra Pale". Robby's songs tend
to be more punk-pop oriented and a bit less appealing. In fairness,
however, they too have redeeming qualities - usually nifty chord
progressions and faster melodies. But Robby's voice leaves something
to be desired, probably due mostly to the fact that John's is
so ear-friendly. But in a nutshell, Robby's songs don't come close
to diminishing the effectiveness of the album.
The one viable criticism of the album, however, appears to be the sentiment that the Dolls are now too pop-oriented; in effect, that they have sold out. This criticism, in my opinion, is ineffective. The Dolls' radio-ready route seems to be nothing more than the natural progression of the band (see Aerosmith since 1989 for a similar and equally-appealing progression) - and that's a decent alibi for a band gone pop.
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