Rating:  -
I bought the album "Dizzy Up The Girl" after hearing "Slide" on the radio. As soon as i listened to Dizzy Up The Girl, i almost immediately ran out to buy Gutterflower, and i wasn't disappointed. Although it wasn't as good as Dizzy Up The Girl, it was still a solid album from start to finish.
Big Machine - What an awesome song to start the album! The music really gets you pumped and brings out the best of Johnny's awesome voice and the lyrics are heartfelt. This song is easily one of the Goo's finest. 10/10
Think About Me - The intro lets you know "this song is going to be good", and it is. Johnny's songwritings skills are phenomenal, and are shown greatly in this song. 9/10
Here Is Gone - Probably the most famous song from Gutterflower. The prechorus does its job perfectly, leading into one of the most powerful choruses i've ever heard. Truly a great song. 10/10
You Never Know - The first Robby song on the album. The first time i heard Robby was on Dizzy Up The Girl, with his song January Friend. It made me wonder why such a great band with a great lead singer in Johnny would bother having another lead singer who is no-where near as good as Johnny. I think Robby has improved since Dizzy Up The Girl and has come out strongly on Gutterflower. This song is no exception. 7/10
What A Scene - You almost get the feeling that Johnny has joined the dark side when listening to this song, none-the-less, the song gets the message across, and had it not have been for the annoying and seemingly endless "na na na na" at the end, this song would have scored a perfect 10. Still a solid song. 8/10
Up, Up, Up - Really fun song to listen to, even though im not a huge fan of Robby's. Almost makes you want to get up and dance. Probably one of Robby's better songs he has written. Although, like alot of his songs, it lacks any real length. 7/10
It's Over - You can really feel the pain Johnny feels when singing the lyrics of this song, which is extrodinary. The music is really good to, it adds to the emotion that is emitted in this song! 8/10
Sympathy - This song reminds me alot of "Acoustic 3" from Dizzy Up The Girl and is just as good. Although it is kinda short, it's one of my favourite acoustic songs, and is one of the Goo's best acoustic songs. 9/10
What Do You Need - One of the heavier songs on the album, which is surprising because most of the heavier songs are those of Robby's. This song is pure rock, which is awesome to hear. Guitar work is really neat in this song. 8/10
Smash - Robbys best song of the album. Intro is catchy and makes you want to hear the rest of the song. Although his lyrics aren't as strong and emotional as Johnny's, the song is still a fine one. Way to go Robby! 8/10
Tucked Away - Robby's last song of the album. This is probably my least favourite song of the album. It really lacks imagination, the music gets boring and repetitve. 6/10
Truth Is A Whisper - Not Johnny's best effort, but a good way to end a great album! 7/10
I hope you enojyed my first review here at amazon.com :) Go the Goos!!
Rating: -
Gutterflower is a terrific CD. It really isn't as good as "Dizzy Up the Girl," but that album is going to be nearly impossible to top. Gutterflower's singles(Here is Gone, Sympathy) are good but they don't really match up to Iris, Black Balloon, Slide, and Broadway. However, the non-singles from this album are a bit better than the non-singles from Dizzy Up the Girl. I think they are a bit more mainstream upbeat rock than than in the past. I hate to use the term because it turns a lot of people off to the music, but it's got a real "pop rock" feel to it, which, in my opinion is when the Goo Goo Dolls are at their best.
I think the Goo Goo Dolls have come a long way since the early 90's. I like all of their CDs back to Superstar Carwash, but before that they really were just "ok". Now they have a popular rock sound that appeals to almost everyone.
One more thing. Everyone seems to give the song "Sympathy" a lot of credit. I just wanted to say that all of those people are completely.... right. That is a great song and really didn't get the radio play that it deserved. Granted it's no Iris but it really is a terrific song.
I recommend this CD to new and old Goo Goo Dolls fans alike.
Rating: -
Everyone who has ever heard of the Goo Goo Dolls has heard of their blowout album Dizzy Up The Girl - and its hit songs "Slide", "Black Balloon", "Broadway", "January Friend", "Acoustic #3", "Dizzy", and, of course, "Iris". The Goo Goo Dolls are back and still rocking on the old-fashioned way. When I bought Gutterflower, I had already gotten my hands on Live In Buffalo, Dizzy Up The Girl, and A Boy Named Goo. Gutterflower isn't a continuation of any of the past albums, but rather... something different. Take Dizzy Up The Girl and make all of the songs more emotional and sad, dealing with the problems of the real world instead of all of the perfect fantasies one would expect. Gutterflower isn't like Dizzy Up The Girl - and that's a very good thing.
From the first track, you can tell that the Goos have gone back to a more polished sound and haven't forgotten their power/punk rock roots that sprang out of Hold Me Up and Jed. It's a very heavy sound, not at all like the happy pop of most of Dizzy Up The Girl - but, again, that's a good thing. The last thing you want from such an amazing band is to have the same album done over and over again. Anyone who wants another Dizzy Up The Girl from this will be disappointed, but anyone who wants something new and powerful will be blown away.
Now that I've gone over the main idea and brilliant points of this album, I'm getting deeper into the real issue that Goo fans can't seem to get over debating about: Robby Takac's singing. If you want to here more pop-punk styled songs from him that we heard back on Superstar Carwash, I highly reccomend Gutterflower. For anyone else, you can still enjoy Robby's songs if you give them a chance. His voice has a lot more depth and style this time around, and it's not wasted on such energetic and upbeat songs from him.
Now that I've gone over all there is to go over, I'm going to share my opinions on each individual song. If you're looking to see (my opinions, anyway) which songs are best, which became hits, whether or not to get one individually on iTunes, etc, this is the place I reccomend you look.
1. "Big Machine" - WONDERFUL song. Powerful rocking guitar work, catchy and interesting lyrics, one of my favorite songs on the CD. It came out as a single, so it's one of their better known hits from Gutterflower. 5/5
2. "Think About Me" - It's a lot like "Slide", but still an amazng song. There's a llot of loud guitar work, and wonderful vocals and lyrics from Rzeznik. 4/5
3. "Here Is Gone" - Biggest hit single from the album, and one of my personal favorites. A lot like the acoustics and rasping vocals of "Black Balloon". Very sad, but amazing song. 4.5/5
4. "You Never Know" - Probably the angry Robby song of this album. It's very catchy and a lot of fun to listen to, but the lyrics are a little strange. 4/5
5. "What A Scene" - A very sort of... angry but true song. It does a very good job of capitalizing the faults of society that people overlook. The backup vocals blend in with the main voice so well! Most people complain about the "na na na na na..." part at the end of the song, but I love it and think it adds to the overall feeling of the song. 4/5
6. "Up, Up, Up" - Wow! This is such an energetic song. I love the vocal work from Robby, and the bass playing is very powerful here. 4/5
7. "It's Over" - Right after the short and upbeat "Up, Up, Up" we get "It's Over". This is such a sad song, with the haunting and husky vocals at the beginning sending chills down my spine. Powerful, and it slides along into an original effort that the Goo Goo Dolls haven't tried before. Another favorite of mine. 5/5
8. "Sympathy" - A relatively short acoustic song, and the lyrics are very emotional. One of their bigger hits. You can really feel Rzeznik trying to give a sincere apology in this song. It's also called "Acoustic #4" by some fans. 4.5/5
9. "What Do You Need?" - Another very haunting and emotional song, and a lot louder than track 7. Echoing vocals and a powerful electric guitar rythm. Another one of my favorite songs on the album, and very in-your-face about the message it wants to send. 5/5
10. "Smash" - The shortest song on the album, and therefore it has to be a Robby song. It has interesting lyrics and a catchy beat, but there's not much else to it because it's less than 2 and 1/2 minutes long. 3.5/5
11. "Tucked Away" - It's very catchy and I love the echoing repeats of the title towards the end. It could have used a little more work on the lyrics, though... 4/5
12. "Truth Is A Whisper" - Another spine-tingling emotional rock song, and it's truly amazing. I love the lyrics, the guitar/bass work, and the steady drum beat. 4.5/5
Overall, Gutterflower's sound as a whole gives a new spin on the maturity and power of the Goo Goo Dolls over the years. If you're a fan of the Goo Goo Dolls and want something new, original, and powerful, then Gutterflower is the CD for you. If you want something love-themed and poppy exactly like Dizzy Up The Girl or Superstar Carwash, stay away from this. Otherwise, go for it!
Five stars.
Rating: -
I see a lot of you reviewers bashing Robby Takac (the bassist) just because all of his songs don't fit with Johnny Rzeznik's songs. Robby's songs are great on this album, and his songs on here are argubly his best songs since "Superstar Carwash". So, his lyrics aren't on par with Johnny, whatever, his songs are just fun songs to rock out to after all of Johnny's dark ballads. Just give the man a break!!!
Enough about that, "Gutterflower" is a great album to have in your collection. I bought this album before traveling backwards in time through the Goos history. If your a new or casual fan, I suggest buying "Dizzy Up The Girl" first, then "Gutterflower, then go backwards from there. "Gutterflower" feutures the hit singles "Here is Gone" and "Sympathy" which got tons of radioplay.
1. Big Machine-Once you hear that first guitar line, you know the Goos changed from that poppy style back to more of a rocking style. This was a single that wasn't very successful but held it's own. Great start to this album. 9/10
2. Think About Me-This song is like the "Slide" of Gutterflower. A great song, nevertheless. Can be song you can realate to. 8/10
3. Here Is Gone-Probably the biggest single off the album. The chorus and lyrics are amazing. Shows that Johnny's turned to the dark side ;). 10/10
4. You Never Know-The first Robby song on the album. The chorus is great and is a rocking song. His lyrics are average though but the sound makes up for it. 10/10
5. What A Scene-If it wasn't for the seamingless endless "no-ing" at the end, I would have given it a perfect 10. A great, rocking song by Johnny that would have made a great single. 7/10, 10/10 without all the "no-ing"
6. Up, Up, Up-What a fun song!!! You have to listen to it many times to appreciate it. It too short though, but it isn't surprising since Robby's songs tend to be short. 9/10
7. It's Over-Right after the fun "Up, Up, Up", the album takes a U-turn to the dark side of Johnny. His voice is haunting in the verses then becomes his normal melodic voice in the chorus. The chorus is great, by the way. 9/10
8. Sympathy-I think "Acoustic No. 3" off "Dizzy Up The Girl" and "Two Days in Febuary" off there "Hold Me Up" album are a little better then this acoustic piece. Still a great song though. You've probably heard it a lot on the radio. 8/10
9. What Do You Need-Another dark song by Johnny. This song is probably the heaviest song they've made since "Flat Top" off of "A Boy Named Goo". The verse leading up to the chorus is amazing. 9/10
10. Smash-Robby's third song on the disc. Another fun song that has the same feeling as "Up, Up, Up". Still needs to work on the lyrics though. 7/10
11. Tucked Away-Probably the best song Robby has ever made with "Burnin' Up" off of "A Boy Named Goo". Once again the lyrics need to be worked on. The chorus is classic. 10/10
12. Truth is a Whisper-This song seems like it has a christian influence. A great song that any modern rock fans will enjoy. 10/10
If you are a new Goo Goo Dolls fan, I once again recommend you buy "Dizzy Up The Girl" then "Gutterflower". And if you are willing to, you can journey back all the way to there first album, which is just a lot of raw, punk, cover songs. I hope you will enjoy the incredible music the Goo Goo Dolls have made!!!
Rating: -
This CD is an underrated effort because it's not like "Dizzy up the Girl," but that is a good thing. Too often, a band will find a combination that works and use it over and over again, extracting millions of dollars from its fans without any effort. However, the Goo Goo Dolls didn't do that at all. They went back to the recording studio and came out with a different product, a better product in some ways.
The first big change they made was the type of songs. DUTG had love songs. Johnny did a wonderful job with them, but in Gutterflower, he sings of a rougher reality. (The divorce from his wife probably helped him with this). The change is probably what made this CD less popular, but it also makes the CD so good. Johnny writes about the darker side of the world, the emotions that people try to ignore. He capitalizes this with the songs, "Big Machine," "Here is Gone," and "Sympathy."
The second big change was with Robbie, the back-up vocalist, sings some songs like he did in DUTG, but he sounds much better this time around. One of his songs "Up Up Up" is one of my favorites. The problems he had in the past were that his songs were too redundant and they weren't written for his voice; they made him sound whiny. He fixed both of those problems.
If you want another CD like DUTG, there isn't one so just listen to it again. If you want a great Goo Goo Dolls CD with improvements in both the lyrics and sound, buy Gutterflower.
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