Search - Goo Goo Dolls :: Goo Goo Dolls

Give Grandma earplugs before you pop this one in!

Allison Werth | Kansas - the land of nowhere | 04/27/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I recommend the First Release to EVERY diehard Goo fan. If you've never heard it, you are definitely missing out. It doesn't suck! Really! It's reeeeeaaaally good. Ok, yes, it sounds like a bunch of wild, juvinile party hounds but they were really into what they were doing! And the two covers they do are awesome! This isn't something you can sit around and do soul searching with or anything, but this is awesome party music. Or maybe if you need motivation to get up and clean your house or something, or just have something to jam on the old air guitar. The lyrics and some of the "sound effects" will make you laugh too. You'll slap your forehead and go "oh my gawd!" and shake your head, but you'll love every minute of it. You might even have flashbacks from your partying days, whether it be last weekend, or 20 years ago. Heck, it might even inspire a party! Give Grandma earplugs before you pop this one in. Beware, this is not for the faint-hearted, elderly, or the timid!"

A great first album from one of the greatest bands of all ti

Owen M. Wilson | Atlanta, GA USA | 09/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First of all, if you like the "Iris" type of Goo Goo Dolls music this album may not be for you. I got into the Goos around the time that Hold Me Up came out. In fact, they would play in bars around Atlanta and you could walk up and stand right in front of the stage. Seriously. Many times, these guys were so ripped that they'd only "play half of every song they knew". They were great! When they got finished playing they would walk into the crowd or go to the bar. Johnny came up to my group of friends after a show at the Pointe and talked to everyone for about 10 minutes. I'd never had more fun at any shows during that period of time.



That being said, the first three GOO GOO Dolls records were pretty much punk-edged rock with a lot of tongue in cheek humor. Robbie was the primary singer/song writer for these (Johnny started writing on the Hold Me Up record, I believe). This is a totally different sound than you're used to hearing on anything from Super Star Car Wash through the new release. They have gotten softer and tuned their sound and grown into the makings of a super group that always seems to be on the cusp of something bigger. What is most amazing is that in both formats this band has been incredible.



This record is rough and raw and shows the Goos at their early beginnings, but that's it's charm. Think of a cross between the Ataris, Rancid, and add the humor of Barenaked Ladies and you have this record."

Unrelenting Music

E. Anderson | 07/20/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I became a Goo Goo Dolls fan through an old-fashioned sort of channel. I bought tickets for a concert, knowing only a few tracks from the radio, and bought Dizzy Up The Girl. While the singles I knew (and ostensibly, loved) were there, so was an undercurrent of genuine, unrelenting music with the capacity to kick your ass.



So I started tracing the Goos' collective career backwards. I still don't have "Hold Me Up," but I've got the rest of the albums, from Live at Buffalo all the way back to (just now) this one. It is not *ahem* refined. It is not polite. It is thoroughly fun, unrelenting rock and roll. I will confess to a fondness for "Don't Beat My Ass (With a Baseball Bat)" that was derived, initially, from the title, but it's clever, both musically and lyrically.



Their propensity for including covers has lasted, now their big single is "Give a Little Bit." However, that trend reaches all the way back to a fairly distorted, punishing "Don't Fear the Reaper," found here.



If you like Jed (which you should check out first, for pricing reasons), grab this. If you are a passing GGD fan, consider less-pricey albums first. If you're serious enough to own most of the rest of their music, and to like it all (or at least most...) This gives a great glimpse into what they once were. I dropped $40 on this, and am pleased with the exchange."