Track Listing

1. Big Machine
2. Think About Me
3. Here Is Gone
4. You Never Know
5. What A Scene
6. Up, Up, Up
7. It's Over
8. Sympathy
9. What Do You Need?
10. Smash
11. Tucked Away
12. Truth Is A Whisper

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #46297 in Music
• Released on: 2002-04-22
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced

Amazon.co.uk Review
On the surface, the Goo Goo Dolls' Gutterflower is a seamless continuation of 1998's Dizzy Up the Girl, with sinewy guitars; muscular, anthemic choruses; and Johnny Rzeznik's perfectly articulated rasping vocals. But on closer listening, the Goos' eighth album is made of much sterner stuff. Those quixotic, yearning lyrics of yore have taken on a darker cast, no doubt due to Rzeznik's divorce. As a result, Gutterflower almost has the feel of a concept album about love gone wrong, with Rzeznik providing anxious commentary rife with images of dislocation and agitation. The listener is given barometric readings of the singer's bruised psyche as he attempts to put himself back together again. Luckily, Rzeznik is a clever and facile lyricist with a knack for elevating garden-variety neurosis into a rather compelling soap opera, sketching edgy characters that would feel right at home in David Lynch's world. "Swallow all your bitter pills, that's what makes you beautiful," he advises in "Big Machine", while in "Sympathy" Rzeznik appears to be apologising to his former wife for his past transgressions, only to lash out with an elegant deftness, chastising her for "all these thoughts you stole from me". While he may have a face like an angel, Rzeznik unleashes a cunning and a fascinating brutish force not seen before, making this a much more interesting album than previous offerings. --Jaan Uhelszki

CD Description
After the highly successful 1998 album 'Dizzy Up The Girl' the Goo Goo Dolls release their seventh studio album, 'Gutterflower'. Teaming up again with producer, Rob Cavallo the Goo Goo Dolls take a darker, more aggressive route, but still manage to hold on to their own brand of American college rock.

Customer Reviews

PLEASE BUY THIS ALBUM!!!!
I can only beg British rock/indie fans to buy anything from the Goo Goo Dolls catalogue of albums. Have barely met anyone who doesn't like their sound, and they definately seem to be improving with age. This album had a hard job to follow the (in my humble opinion) ground-breaking Dizzy Up but it manages to keep the same amazing sound, without giving you replica songs (Travis, Blink, Stereophonics all spring to mind as culprits). This album doesn't have the such obvious Tacak fillers as most previous Goos albums, although the strongest tracks are unsuprsingly Rzenik's Big Machine, Here is Gone and Its over. Big Machine and Here is Gone are as good as tracks as they've ever done, up with We are the normal and Slide in my opinion. Only thing lacking is a proper ballad to rival Iris or Black Balloon (the latter being my favourite Goos track of all time), but don't let that put you off, this is an amazing album that you will listen to time and time again, and probably lead you to buy most of the Goo's back catalogue (I bought 3 after buying Dizzy Up). Just make sure you tell your friends

Eloquent Anger
This CD is something you rarely find in rock music anymore. It is a concept album. The thread that runs through most of this CD is one of anger and disillusionment at the end of a relationship. This no doubt stems from lead singer Johnny Rzeznik's divorce during the period from "Dizzy Up the Girl" to the making of this terrific milestone in the evolution of "The Goo Goo Dolls".

As happens with all bands who finally achieve great success after years where not many know about them but their loyal fans, those same fans tend to turn on them. If everyone likes them now, they must have sold out, right? Rzenik and "The Goo Goo Dolls" have just matured artistically and have created in "Gutterflower" an articulate and sometimes angry CD that blends their trademark guitar work with Rzeznik's powerful lyrics as he tries to figure out what went wrong.

This effort is less ballad driven that "Dizzy Up the Girl" and is much more serious in tone. It has something to say and does so in the eloquent way Bob Dylan use to years ago. But "The Goo Goo Dolls" still manage to give us the MUSIC we have waited for as well. Being able to do both shows the maturation of this great rock band. It is artistically rich and will probably be held in higher regard a few years from now as we look back.

"Big Machine" is about surviving the break up ("I'm in love and you don't care") and sets the tone for the entire CD, chronicling Rzeznik's bewilderment while taking a few shots as well. Even the infectious first single released, "Here is Gone" has lyrics like "I thought I lost you somewhere, But you were never really ever there at all". The best cut may be "What a Scene" with fast and edgy lyrics that have echos of Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" (How does it feel when your out on your own, and now it's to late to come home? And it's hard to be free when your down on your knees). There are some good songs scattered throughout written by Robby Takac as well but the overall feel remains the same.

Leave your preconceptions behind about what you thought this new CD was going to be like and you will enjoy it tremendously. If you're unfamiliar with the band you might want to pick up "Dizzy Up the Girl" first to get a feel for their unique style.

"Gutterflower" is a richer and more mature effort that won't leave you disappointed. If you dismiss it off hand as some have done you will be missing something truly uncommon in rock music.

The best thing ever. Again.
This album is incredible. Not that I doubted it would be - John Rzeznik's efforts have been stunning since "Superstar Carwash". The opening track, however, proves his genius. "Big Machine" kicks in with an incredible riff that never stops rocking, and continues with beautiful harmonies throughout the chorus. "Think About Me" is definately the "Slide" of this album, gorgeous in its simplicity. The first single, "Here Is Gone", is track 3, and although being generic Goo Goo Dolls, it's great. There are (possibly unintentional) references to previous albums in the structure; "Truth Is A Whisper" being the last track and mirroring "Hate This Place" in a darker style.

There is, in fact, little doubt in my mind that John Rzeznik is some kind of musical deity in disguise; he just can't do anything wrong. Unfortunately, we only get 8 John tracks, and Robby Takac (bassist) takes over the songwriter position for the other 4. This is a mistake, and although his songs improve with every album, next to John's amazing work they fail to impress, sending my finger reaching for the "skip" button.

However, John's songs are worth the price of the album, especially the acoustic ballad "Sympathy". Buy this collection of heart-touching music, you won't regret it.