Something For The Rest Of Us

Goo Goo Dolls | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 31, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros.
• ASIN: B003QM01XU
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,407 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Sweetest Lie

2. As I Am

3. Home

4. Notbroken

5. One Night

6. Nothing Is Real

7. Now I Hear

8. Still Your Song

9. Something For The Rest Of Us

10. Say You're Free

11. Hey Ya

12. Soldier

Editorial Reviews

Written and recorded over the past couple of years, 'Something For The Rest Of Us' delivers another dose of great Goo songs such as 'Sweetest Lie,' 'One Night,' and 'Soldier.' With his songwriting, John Rzeznik confronts some of the issues that have become part of many people's everyday lives:

'I wanted some of the material on this album to address the disillusionment of the difficult period we live in; I wanted to give a voice to the emotional uncertainty that accompanies hard times.'

'So many people are struggling to keep it together through tough economic conditions and two wars that seem to have no end in sight. The ones who bear the brunt of these burdens are everyday people. That's who I want to speak to.'

The recording of the album took place in various studios in Los Angeles as well as the band's studio in Buffalo, and during the course of events the band worked with a wide range of engineers and producers including Tim Palmer, John Fields, and Butch Vig. The result showcases more of the well-crafted songs and timeless lyrics that have been such an integral part of the Goo Goo Dolls' continuing success.

Most bands that were around in 1986 have come and gone. A lot of trends came and went. But through it all the Goo Goo Dolls have been able to survive and stay relevant. They have grown beyond their influences, and have spent their lives creating and performing great songs. And at the end of the day, that's what it's all about - songs. So as the trends come and go, or when the world gets caught up in the latest celebrity gossip, there will always be people hungry for songs that speak to them. And those are the people the Goo Goo Dolls are talking to. The Rest of Us.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Well-Crafted, Well-Polished Set of Songs, August 31, 2010

By 

Cory T. Shaeffer "HockeyFanatic" (Pittsburgh) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Something For The Rest Of Us (Audio CD)

Ever since 1986, the Goo Goo Dolls have been rocking out and producing uptempo pop-rock, with their commercial peak taking place with their two blockbuster albums, 1995's "A Boy Named Goo" and 1998's "Dizzy Up The Girl."

As the years have gone by, the band's sound has become much softer, but this progression was slow and steady throughout the past 15 years. Their most recent album, 2006's "Let Love In" was comprised almost completely of love songs, and was very soft for pop-rock standards, not to mention alt-rock standards.

So it is no surprise to find their brand new album opening with the energetic and melodically vibrant "Sweetest Lie." A few other tracks are more uptempo and immediate, including the brilliant Robby Takac number "Now I Hear." As is typical with this band, they continue their preference for one word song titles for their singles. "Home" is the latest in a long line of these ("Name," "Iris," "Slide" were some of their other huge hits). And it is a strong single - albeit not as strong as those earlier hits I mentioned.

The highlight of this new set is perhaps the lyrics. "Notbroken" was written about a soldier who is away from home, and Rzeznik waxes philosophical on "Nothing is Real." The title track is also quite engaging. But the true test of an album-oriented rock band is the fact that the entire LP plays through without any bad songs, and has plenty of hooks. And this album reaches that goal. It is not as outstanding as "A Boy Named Goo" or as immediate and energetic as "Superstar Car Wash," but it is right up there with their other gold and platinum albums that came afterwards. Not many bands who have been around for a quarter century are still putting out a quality product like this, and it is a testament to this band's constant desire to improve its songcraft, and they have become old pros at crafting this type of pop-rock that endures years after it is released. In other words, the Goo Goo Dolls are back and as good as they ever were.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Passion and Professionalism, August 31, 2010

By 

Rudy Palma "The Writing Fiend" (NJ) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Something For The Rest Of Us (Audio CD)

The sound and scope of "Something for the Rest of Us" evidence the Goo-Goo Dolls to be in tight shape and high spirits. Playing with the ferocity of a younger band with something to prove, they have more than enough sparkly, shining tunes to please listeners on all levels of interest.

Lead single "Home" benefits from a soaring melody, sharp, pulsing guitars, a tastefully polished sheen and, of course, Johnny Rzeznik's throaty, authoritative vocals.

Opener "Sweetest Lie," which rocks with high-octane intensity, heavy melody, poetic lyrics and longing vocals, as well the arresting, lyrically dense "Notbroken," a potential radio hit that would not ware out its welcome on the hundredth play, are among other highlights which prove "Home" is no Trojan horse to lead listeners unsuspectingly into an otherwise poor album.

There are the requisite lesser tracks, of course, such as the earnest yet repetitive "Hey Ya" (thankfully not a cover of the Outkast hit) and the well-meaning yet weak-pulsed title track, which is only partially redeemed by carefully chosen lyrics ("black streaks of Maybelline run down your cheeks") which show dexterous attention to detail. Rubbing against the stronger material, however, they cannot topple over.

Other tracks such as "As I Am" and "One Night" check all the boxes and sound radio-ready, with great playing and Rzeznik's ever-harrowing vocals leading the way, yet they are also rather unimaginative in the lyrics department. They would sound great gracing the airwaves of your local Hot A/C station, but they might disappoint fans looking for the lyrical depth of past albums. It is unquestionably a matter of taste.

By contrast, "Say You're Free" has a meaty, substantial lyric and empassioned vocals but does not fulfill the promise of its first 30 seconds due to lack of a solid hook.

"Still Your Song" shows off the upper and lower parts of Rzeznik's vocal range, with the mercurial, restless melody accenting the sadness and urgency of the lyrics well. "Soldier" works similarly, underscoring the distressing, conflicted era that has continued onward from the late 2000s. Through the distress, however, there is still a glimmer of light.

"I know things change, but you're living like a soldier who's caught in the fray," sings Rzeznik with resolute compassion. "Don't lose your faith. It's not too cold. It's not too late."

Some will be pleased with "Something for the Rest of Us" and some will not, but those in the latter will surely appreciate its professional and passionate execution.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Goos plow on..., October 5, 2010

By 

Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Something For The Rest Of Us (Audio CD)

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Goo Goo Dolls, as hard to believe that is. And what better way to celebrate this monumental milestone than by releasing a new album (and hitting the road). By the way, this album is only the 4th studio album of new material since 1995's "A Boy Named Goo" (following 1998's Dizzy Up the Girl, 2002's Gutterflower and 2006's Let Love In).

"Something For the Rest of Us" (12 tracks; 48 min.) starts off with a blistering "Sweetest Lie", by far the best song on the album for me. First single "Home" is pleasant enough. "One Night" has some good punch to it. My other favorits song is "Now I Hear", one of the couple of tracks contributed by Robby Takac. But other than those tracks, there is not a whole lot that hasn't been covered before. Although the album is slightly better than "Let Love In', it's still too "glossy"-sounding for my liking. Take the title track, for instance, by far the least intruiging or engaging track on this collection.

The Goos came to town this past weekend, and while it had been quite a few years since I last saw them live, and I knew I wasn't too overwhelmed with the new album, curiosity got the better of me, and I just had to check them out again. Boy, am I glad I did. Johnny Rzeznik was in super-form all evening. They played about half of the new album's tracks (opening the show with "Sweetest Lie"), and a bunch of older tracks (although sadly none from "Superstar Carwash"). In all, a great evening of music. Meanwhile "Something" is ok, not great. It's clear the band will never release anything close to the perfect double-whammy that were the "Boy Named Goo" and "Dizzy Up the Girl" albums, the latter being the perfect synopsis of the Goos of the early days and the latter era.