Customer Reviews

What I Learned About Ego, Opinion, Art & Commerce

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Goo Goo Dolls' 7th album, What I Learned About Ego, Opinion, Art, and Commerce, is an album that has no new tracks on it. It's their greatest hits with a twist: their most popular songs, Name, Iris, Slide, Black Balloon, and Broadway, are all conspicously absent. So, you may be saying to yourself, why should I buy an album that doesn't even feature their biggest hits? Well, just because those songs were their biggest hits don't necessarily mean that they are the group's best songs. The 22 tracks here represent songs from the 1st 6 albums and they are all good except Amigone and Two Days in February. For those people who think that the GGD are a pop machine, they need to listen to this album. This CD represents some of the most hard-rocking tracks that the GGD have done. I really believe that their purpose in releasing this album was to remind people that they are still a hard-rocking band and not some bubblegum pop machine. The tracks are broken down by album like this:

1) From Dizzy Up the Girl--Bullet Proof, All Eyes on Me, Amigone, and Acoustic #3.

2) From Boy Named Goo--Naked, Ain't That Unusual, Burnin' Up, Flat Top, and Eyes Wide Open.

3) From Superstar Car Wash--Fallin' Down, Another Second Time Around, Cuz You're Gone, We Are the Normal, Girl Right Next to Me, Lucky Star, and On the Lie.

4) From Hold Me Up--Just the Way You Are, Two Days in February, Laughing, and There You Are.

5) From Jed--Up Yours.

6) From The Goo Goo Dolls--I'm Addicted.

Some of the songs sound exactly the same like they do from the last 3 albums. (I don't know about the songs from the 1st 3 albums because I don't have those yet.) However, Acoustic #3 is a little longer here than it was on DUTG, and Burnin' Up and Naked both sounded a little different here than they did on BNG. I was a little disappointed that 2 of my favorite songs didn't have the same bite here that they did when they were originally presented in Eyes Wide Open and Cuz You're Gone. I don't know if it was because they toned down the guitars or the new mix was bad, but the originals are, in my opinion, better. This album was good to get because you get a sample of stuff before BNG especially alot of stuff from SCW and HMU.

If you have GGD albums and you have really listened through them, then you know that the GGD can rock with the best of them. I'm a die-hard GGD fan (if you couldn't tell by now) and I feel that this is an excellent way to be exposed to their "non-hit" music. If you're expecting an album full of songs like Name, and Iris, then you'll be severely disappointed. However, if you just want to listen to some great hard rocking tracks with great melodies and hooks, then you will want to buy this album.

It's been 3 years of waiting for Goo Goo Dolls fans. We are still waiting for new material (soon I hope), but "What I Learned About Ego, Opinion, Art and Commerce" will do very well until then. I have seen people complain that this album doesn't have the huge radio hits like "Iris", "Slide", "Name", "Black Balloon", etc. STOP COMPLAINING! If you are a huge Goo Goo Dolls fan, you already have all of those songs. The group hasn't been around long enough to compile a definitive greatest hits collection, so they have given us a collection of what they feel is their best non-radio work. This is an amazing album. For all of you out there who knock the Goo Goo Dolls, I wish you would listen to this album. It shows that they are not all about soft pop music. By the end of the album, they have shown their roots in harder rock music.

Some highlights of this album for me were: 1. "Bullet Proof" - Off of "Dizzy Up The Girl", all around good song. (4/5)

5. "Naked" - This song, off their 1995 release fits in perfectly with the hits they have churned out for the radio. It's very much like Iris with it's guitar sounds and pop melody. (5/5)

8. "Flat Top" - Catchy (4/5)

10. "Fallin' Down" - What a great song, I have no idea why the radio didn't love this one back in 1993 when it came out on "Superstar Car Wash". It is leaning more towards rock than usual Goo Goo Dolls, it has a great electric guitar beginning, an extremely catchy chorus, and good lyrics. What more could you want? (5/5)

12. "Cuz You're Gone" - Heading into rock territory...the Goo Goo Dolls do that well. An upbeat song about somber subjects, that's hard to do. (5/5)

13. "We Are The Normal" - A really cool song all around. It especially stands out because of the violin in the background and the amazing lyrics. (5/5)

14. "Girl Right Next To Me" - This was released nearly 9 years ago, but it would still fit in very well with radio hits nowadays. Great hook. (5/5)

18. "Two Days In February" - Like "Acoustic #3", this is an entirely acoustic slower song. It has a good tune (Though not as good as "Acoustic #3"). They played this on Jay Leno's show a few weeks back. (4/5)

The last few songs are from their earlier days, and are, to me, not as good as more current things. I tend to like their more melodic pop hits than the hard rock stuff. But that doesn't detract in this album in the least. It's a great CD, so don't worry about wasting money. This is something you will be able to listen for a long time to come without it getting old.

Most people don't know many Goo Goo Dolls songs beyond those played on the radio ("Name", "Iris", "Slide", etc) and/or those on the "Dizzy Up The Girl" album. Let me tell you right now that you're missing out on some great music from a great band! For those who are looking for more GGD material, but don't want to shell out all the $$$ to buy their first 5 albums, this is a great CD to get. (Think about it- you're getting a whopping 22 songs on a single CD!!!) It contains many of the fans' favorite hits from over the years, and it showcases the GGD's unique rock/punk/pop stylings over their 14 year career. This CD has been in my CD player almost every day since the day I bought it. Favorites include the expanded version of "Acoustic #3", the amazing re-recorded version of "Two Days In February", the catchy "Girl Right Next To Me" and "Cuz You're Gone", plus the beautifully written "All Eyes On Me". The CD is perfect for those GGD fans who have not gotten to hear older GGD material, or for die-hard GGD fans who want to hear new remixes of all their favorites. Buy it! You'll be glad you did!

If you are Goo Goo Dolls fan - this enhanced CD is a must purchase! All of the 22 tracks have been re-mixed and significantly improved - including the four tracks off the most recent album "Dizzy Up the Girl". The vocals are much clearer and the harmonies finally pop-out to greet you. All of the tracks from the first four albums sound fresh and have the production values they deserved in the first place. At least two tracks have been completely re-recorded - Acoustic #3 from DUTG (it's graced with a breathtakingly lovely cello segment from the amazing women of Rasputina) and Two Days in February. The latter originally had a haphazard (albeit charming) recording from the street outside the studio complete with cars whizzing past - it now has a wonderfully clean track. Both re-recordings feature heart-felt lyrics sung by John Rzeznik with a more mature, more interesting vocal. Die-hard fans will probably think the earliest tracks of Up Yours and I'm Addicted are a little too polished but the brashness still comes through with plenty of attitude - perhaps not as thrash-punk as the original but certainly chock full of energy.

On top of everything is the enhanced part of the CD which allows access to a special, fairly well-designed website where fans can view and hear pictures, video and audio from these tracks as well as some other goodies. I had no problem accessing this site from my work PC with it's T3 connection but I had problems with my home MAC 56K connection (unable to hear tracks or view video and the re-fresh is painfully slow). I don't what exactly is the problem - connection or platform.

My only complaint is with the liner notes on the CD. Although the pictures and graphics are refreshing, I would have liked some commentary from the band about their journey making this record. It must have been quite an experience to re-visit their earlier sound. Also, I would like to know more about the other musicians (non-band) from the other tracks. Two Days in February has an added organ part (sounds like an old pump organ to me) and it's not credited. You must enter the website to access lyrics to the tracks but they are available and also include some video clips.

This CD takes the listener on a backwards journey through the Goo Goo Dolls career so those more familiar with the most recent album will feel at home immediately. The amazing part is that the whole CD works from beginning to end and the listener gets a good sense of where the Goo's came from and the natural progression they've made over the years. I'm only left to wonder - where will they go from here and how soon will we get some new tunes? However, I will be satisfied with this CD until that time.

US Release Tracks: Bullet Proof, All Eyes on Me, Amigone, Acoustic #3, Naked, Ain't That Unusual, Burnin' Up, Flat Top, Eyes Wide Open, Fallin' Down, Another Second Time Around, Cuz You're Gone, We Are The Normal, Girl Right Next to Me, Luck Star, On the Lie, Just the Way You Are, Two Days in February, Laughing, There You Are, Up Yours, I'm Addicted.

After reading review after review of "Die-Hard" Goo Goo Doll fans who only own their last two albums I had to put in my two cents. I am one of few Goo fans who have stuck with them through all six albums and embraced their change. Yes, with the success of "A Boy Named Goo" and "Dizzy Up The Girl" a lot of people are going to be picking up this album expecting more of the same. Make no mistake THIS IS NOT A GREATEST HITS ALBUM. However, while the songs from "Superstar Carwash" will surely be to the mainstreams liking, other songs that hint of their punk rock beginnings will also be on display. Hopefully, this will intrigue others to check out their earlier albums. If you are looking for a Follow-up to "Dizzy Up The Girl", "Superstar Car Wash" would be a better bet. If you do purchase this album and enjoy it then make sure you get "Hold Me Up" and start to experience the Incredible Lance Diamond.

The Goo Goo Dolls. My favorite band and it seems that not many people can understand why. Listen to "What I've Learned About Ego, Opinion, Art, and Commerce" and you'll learn why they're my favorite. The best thing about this album is that the Goos intentionally ignored their hits, the songs that made them famous. Not that those songs were bad- God knows I love "Iris", "Name", and "Slide". Those are great songs, but the problem is they don't even get close to what the Goo Goo Dolls are all about. The Goos can rock out and do on this cd. I think the Goos goal in making this cd is to remind people they can rock. THis collection of songs was designed for the real, longtime Goo fan, not for some teeniebopper who heard Iris and bought DUTG. This is a great thing. For all those who claim the Goo Goo Dolls have sold out, think again. They remember their roots, and love them. All of the tracks are remixed, and on some tracks it's more obvious than others. It is clear that "Acoustic #3" and "Two Days in February" were probably completely re-recorded. And the intro to Naked is different, and better! The only problem I have with the cd is that they left out "Long Way Down"...WHY??????? Otherwise, great stuff from a great ROCK band. Get it.

Somehow I missed this band, they just slid under my radar screens. I don't listen to a lot of pop radio, that might explain it. I'm a singer/guitarist who's on the far side of 40. I have a strong love of guitar bands. A young co-worker of mine turned me on to this record and I'm glad he did. What do we have here? Song after glorious hard-edged yet melodic song. Great lyrics, great drumming, great guitar tone and that all-too-rare quality of making you *believe* that rock songs *matter*. If this record is a collection of their non-hits, then I'm amazed. There's real talent here in this band. Who needs hits anyway when you can listen to great album cuts like these?

Like most Goo Goo Dolls fans, I came into the club when I heard Iris. It turns out that I like everything from latin pop and slow ballads to hard rock and death metal, so i checked out the older goo goo dolls albums (have all but the 1st one which is out of print). I LOVED THEM! Personally, i think robby sings better in the older albums than dizzy, but on witht this CD.

This CD has 22 tracks. THIS IS A BEST OF CD, NOT GREATEST HITS! all tracks are remastered and remixed and 2 days in Febuary was rerecorded, and acoustic #3 orchestra was done with a different orchestra (the cello player played with nirvana on their last tour).

This CD is ALL HARD ROCK except for 2 days in febuary, which is acoustic (and We Are The Normal). Though they're remixes, they sound like they were rerecorded.

My suggestion: If you are a rabid GGD fan, buy it! If you arent sure about getting older GGD CDs, then buy this one and decide. If you're a person who hates GGD for Iris and name but never heard their hard rock CD, check it out...

Most people know the Dolls from the DUTG album and "Name" from A Boy Name Goo. That's fine because that has made them pretty darn huge. This album is more to me of letting people get familiar to their older stuff. I like the older stuff just as much as I like the new stuff. Tracks 10-16 are from the Superstar Car Wash cd. People don't even know of those songs and they are pretty damn good. The only tracks that are really remixed from their original release are "Acoustic #3" and "Two Days in February." Other than that, if you just turned into a goo fan and don't want to buy their older albums, just give a listen to this one, you'll be surprised at how versatile they are and you can listen to Robby's good songs and John's amazing guitar riffs and voice.

After hitting it big with their sixth album, the Goo Goo Dolls put together a collection CD. Except this is not at all a greatest hits or singles album. This record is a compilation of the work the Goo Goo Dolls have done over a ten year period. Most of the album's tracks are before the rock band went to the Mainstream. These pieces are harder and grittier than what most Goo Goo Dolls listeners have come to expect from this band. Most of the performances are hard grudgy rock and fast paced licks. As part of releaseing these vintage Goo Goo Dolls tracks, the band went back to remix and remaster the songs. Sound levels have been corrected and some more instrumental parts have been added to the original performances. Accoustic #3 has a longer strings section and it works well with the song. Pieces that were once out of time and had instruments not in sync with each other, have been rerecorded and performed perfectly. Like all Goo Goo Dolls' records, WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT EGO, OPINION, ART & COMERCE has performances from both Johnny Rzeznik and Robby Takac. Like always, Rzeznik's pieces are the ones that tend to stand out from the band's sound. Takac's are just not as well thought through and more mindless than Rzeznik's. Takac's performances have a major impact of the album's quality as a whole, and not in a postive way. The thought of putting together a compilation CD such as this is very unique, because it gives a chance for fans to have a taste of the Goo Goo Doll's work and not the well known work. Personally I think more bands should do this, release a compilation CD that does not contain their singles but work that is less recogonized. Props to the Goo Goo Dolls in this aspect. WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT EGO, OPINION, ART, & COMERCE is a great rocker album and one that gives Goo Goo Dolls' fans to hear what they sounded like before hitting the Mainstream.

Stand out tracks include:
"Bullet Proof"
'All Eyes On Me"
"Naked"
"Ain't That Unusual"
"Fallin' Down"
"'Cuz You're Gone"
"We Are the Normal"
"On the Lie"
"Just the Way You Are"
"Two Days In February"
"There You Are"