|
Bio
 FORMED: 1985
Early in their career, Buffalo natives the Goo Goo Dolls were frequently dismissed by critics as mere imitators of the Replacements; however, the band refined and mainstreamed their sound enough to become of the most popular adult alternative rock bands of the latter half of the '90s, selling millions of records to audiences largely unfamiliar with their inspirations. That's no knock on the band, either -- their music simply improved in craft and accessibility as the years progressed, and radio happened to be receptive to what a decade earlier would have been considered collegiate power-pop. Thus, the band landed two huge hits with the acoustic ballads "Name" and "Iris."The Goo Goo Dolls were formed in Buffalo, NY in 1985 by guitarist/vocalist Johnny Rzeznik, bassist Robby Takac, and drummer George Tutuska, initially under the name the Sex Maggots (the new name was chosen from an ad in True Detective magazine at the behest of a local club owner). Originally a cover band with a taste for power-pop and classic rock & roll, the group soon began writing its own songs. Their early sound recalled the Replacements' origins as a bratty punk band (circa Sorry, Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash) -- melodic, snotty, and a little bit thrashy. That sound was the reason the band attracted the interest of the heavy metal label Metal Blade, which issued their debut album in 1987 (known either as The Goo Goo Dolls or First Release). 1989's Jed continued in a similar vein; the college-radio breakthrough came with 1990's Hold Me Up, a Replacements-ish power-pop record.1993's Superstar Car Wash was the Goo Goo Dolls' artistic breakthrough; though it did nothing to quell the Replacements comparisons, it was a finely crafted pop/rock record, and its lead single, "We Are the Normal," was co-written with 'Mats leader Paul Westerberg himself. Still, Superstar Car Wash wasn't the commercial force the band hoped it would be, especially in light of the success of similar bands like the Gin Blossoms. That all changed with 1995's A Boy Named Goo, when an L.A. rock station put the acoustic-driven ballad "Name" into heavy rotation. It was eventually released as a single nationwide, and went Top Five late in the year; platinum sales for the album followed close behind. Unfortunately, drummer Tutuska was no longer around to enjoy the band's success; prior to the album's release, he'd been sacked and replaced by ex-Minor Threat drummer Mike Malinin.Dissatisfied with the royalty rates in their Metal Blade contract, the band waged a legal battle that wound up allowing them to jump to parent company Warner Brothers. Somewhat drained, Rzeznik and the band shook off a case of writer's block to contribute the ballad "Iris" to the soundtrack of the 1998 Nicolas Cage/Meg Ryan romance City of Angels. Appearing that April, the song was a monster smash, although it was never released as a single (so its official Top Ten pop-chart status doesn't convey how popular it was); for a better indicator, "Iris" spent nearly a year on Billboard's airplay charts, including an astonishing 18 weeks at number one, and was nominated for three Grammys. The band's next album, Dizzy Up the Girl, was released in September, during the middle of "Iris"'s marathon airplay run, and sold over three million copies. Its clean, polished sound completed the Goo Goo Dolls' transformation into mainstream pop-rockers who happened to have alternative roots. Further hits from the record followed over the next year, including "Slide," "Dizzy," and the Grammy-nominated "Black Balloon," and the band toured heavily in support. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
|
News
Pictures
click on the thumbnail to view full picture
|
Tour
currently not on tour
09/13/1999 Little Rock AR Riverfest Amphitheatre
09/14/1999 Antioch TN First American Music Ctr.
09/16/1999 Tampa FL USF Sun Dome
09/17/1999 Jacksonville FL Naval Base
09/18/1999 W. Palm Beach FL Coral Sky Amphitheatre
09/21/1999 New York NY Rosie ODonnell Show
|
Albums
Gutterflower
01. Big Machine
02. Think About Me
03. Here Is Gone
04. You Never Know
05. What A Scene
06. Up, Up, Up
07. It's Over
08. Sympathy
09. What Do You Need?
10. Smash
11. Tucked Away
12. Truth Is A Whisper
Dizzy Up The Girl
01. Dizzy
02. Slide
03. Broadway
04. January Friend
05. Black Balloon
06. Bullet Proof
07. Amigone
08. All Eyes On Me
09. Full Forever
10. Acoustic #3
11. Iris
12. Extra Pale
13. Hate This Place
Boy Named Goo
01. Long Way Down
02. Burnin' Up
03. Naked
04. Flat Top
05. Impersonality
06. Name
07. Only One
08. Somethin' Bad
09. Ain't That Unusual
10. So Long
11. Eyes Wide Open
12. Disconnected
13. Slave Girl
Superstar Car Wash
01. Fallin' Down
02. Lucky Star
03. Cuz You're Gone
04. Don't Worry
05. Girl Right Next To Me
06. Domino
07. We Are The Normal
08. String Of Lies
09. Another Second Time Around
10. Stop The World
11. Already There
12. On The Lie
13. Close Your Eyes
14. So Far Away
Hold Me Up
01. Laughing
02. Just The Way You Are
03. So Outta Line
04. There You Are
05. You Know What I Mean
06. Out Of The Red
07. Never Take The Place Of Your Man
08. Hey Goo
09. On Your Side
10. 22 Seconds
11. Kevin's Song
12. Know My Name
13. Million Miles Away
14. Two Days In February
Jed
01. Out Of Sight
02. Up Yours
03. No Way Out
04. 7th Of Last Month (Or Iggy The Cat Gets A Bath)
05. Love Dolls
06. Sex Maggot
07. Down On The Corner
08. Had Enough
09. Road To Salinas
10. 'Em Elbmuh'
11. Misfortune
12. Artie
13. Gimme Shelter
14. James Dean
|
Last time this page was update : 5-26-01
created by: Di0dE barnes e-mail 5
|
