Ralphy's C.D. Reviews

Review date 23-03-1999: The Goo Goo Dolls - C.D. Dizzy up the girl

Suddenly while looking through the racks I found this album in a shop over the border in Germany. If you want to know the history behind my search for this record, see the review of the City of Angels soundtrack. The Goo Goo Dolls are a trio (of men, despite the name) originating from Buffalo, New York. In 1986 schoolfriends Robby Takac (bass) and George Tutuska (drums) asked guitarist Johnny Rzeznik to join them in a band called The Sex Maggots. Soon after they changed their name after a nightclubowner insisted. In the early years the GGD's (supposedly, I only know this album) played mainly punk and alternative and for their first 4 CD's they were hardly known outside the clubcircuit. With their previous album "A boy named Goo" they finally achieved their main stream breakthrough in the States were it went platinum. After recording this album Johnny and Robby fired the drummer George and eventually replaced him with Texan Mike Malinin, who thus makes his GGD CD-debut on "Dizzy up the girl", the long awaited album after their big US-hit "Iris".

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To me this album brings everything rock music should. The music is solidly based with powerful drumming and good guitar riffs, the lyrics are well thought over and involve diverse subjects, yet the songs remain catchy and gripping. John Rzeznik and Rob Takac both write songs and it seems that who writes the song also does the vocals. And while for the quality of the songs it don't matter which one writes them, it is obvious to me and most fans I interacted with on the net that Rzeznik's voice has more to offer than that of Rob Takac, but they seem to know that themselves already since the majority (10 out of 14) of songs are sung by the vocally superior John Rzeznik, including the singles "Iris", "Slide" and "Black balloon". According to older fans I interacted with this album has something of a sellout thing to it (see the review at Music-Critic Music Reviews through a link on Ralphy's Links Page) compared to their older more alternative work, but as I am unaware of these albums (The Goo Goo Dolls were virtually unknown in Europe, except for England) I can't see what they're complaining about. Songs like "Slide", "Dizzy", "All eyes on me", "Hate this place", "Broadway" and ofcourse "Iris" are up-tempo beauties and slower songs like "Acoustic #3" and "Black balloon" are also thoroughly enjoyable and even the rougher Takac-songs have a certain edge to them. Other critics may say that this CD has no innovation in it, but I know enough bands who wanted to try "new and different things" and got totally or partially screwed up (see U2) and then decided to go back to rock basics, which feature on this album. Bonus for European fans is the extra track "Name" (the first semi-major GGD-hit in the USA), which originally featured on their above-mentioned previous album. Rating for "Dizzy up the girl": 8.2 .

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Update 03-06-1999

As I stated in the Black Lab CD-review of "Your body above me" I received a tape of an older Goo Goo Dolls-album "Superstar Carwash". It sounds rougher around the edges than "Dizzy up the girl", but I don't really see a drastic change in style between then and now. Ok, maybe some small changes. Robby Takac sang more on that album, but now with the a bit smoother songs Johnny Rzeznik's voice works better, but I'd already mentioned that. "Dizzy up the girl" sounds poppier, but "Superstar Carwash" isn't a heavy alternative or punk record either. Meanwhile the Goo Goo Dolls also finally broke through in The Netherlands, as "Iris" hit the top 20 in the official hitlists more than 9 months after it's release.

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