Goo Goo Dolls: Hold Me Up (Metal Blade/Fun After All/1990)

Goo Goo Dolls are most famous for their hits "Name", "Iris" and "Slide". However, several years before all of these name-making hits, the band were a ratty, bratty, thrashy punk band. They'd first released Goo Goo Dolls (Mercenary/1987) and Jed (Metal Blade/1989), but really hit their stride on their third album, the first to be distributed by Warner Brothers, Hold Me Up. It was on this album that guitarist Johnny Rzeznik (aka Johnny Goo), sings lead on four (and co-lead on "Hey") of the songs on the album. Bassist Robby Takac (aka Robby Goo) was the lead lead singer on the band's first two albums (okay, Johnny sang two of the songs on Jed), however, Johnny undeniably assumed the role of front man/lead singer by the time of the band's fifth album (and multiple-platinum release) A Boy Named Goo. 

I first discovered this band in late 1990 with the video/single for "There You Are" on MTV's 120 Minutes. I saw the band live before I'd heard the album, and was completely blown-away. The album did not disappoint when I did in fact hear it. The influence of The Replacements, Cheap Trick, Hüsker Dü and The Ramones are evident throughout the album. The singles, "There You Are" and "Just The Way You Are" are highlights. The two covers (Prince's "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" and The Plimsouls' "A Million Miles Away") are exceptionally rocking. Takac is responsible for a few of the albums' exceptional tracks; the intense Ramonesesque opener "Laughing", the amphetamine-rockabilly of "Out Of The Red" and minor-key-yet-optimistic "So Outta Line". The stalker song "Hey" could be a contender for best song on the album. The instrumental "Kevin's Song" is oddly the album's centerpiece and is kind of wonderful. The mid-tempo "You Know What I Mean" and the acoustic (the bands first acoustic song, a taste of the future) "Two Days In February" both appeared on the Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare soundtrack- as did the non-album single "I'm Awake Now".


If you think you know the Goo Goo Dolls and haven't heard this (or their early work), I highly suggest giving it a serious listen. It still holds up (no pun intended) as a great pop/punk album.
Great, tight playing and very fine material. Also Superstar Car Wash (the album that followed Hold Me Up) is definitely work a listen.

Here's the video review:

Special thanks to: Stephen Gersztoff.