Thursday, December 11, 2008

Greatness of Goo

So, like a moron, I gave this stupid assignment to my Goo friends, asking them to make a list of the Ten Songs they would have a casual/non-fan listen to in order to try and convince them of the Dolls' greatness. Basically, to prove how kickass they are, which Ten Songs, from your own personal collection, would you use? And, I gave this to them, thinking, for a second there, that I'd somehow escape having to do it myself, since I'm usually much more interested in others' opinions than my own.

But, no. Here I am, and here's the list, in no order whatsoever. (Mind you, I did this while listening to anything BUT the Dolls... I figured that the songs that I could clearly think about were probably the ones I felt showcased them the best) And, here we go...

Black Balloon - Okay, we all knew this song would make my list. Is really anyone surprised? No? I didn't think so. I would say "favoritism aside," but this has EVERYTHING to do with favoritism, because this song
must have been my favorite for ten years for a reason. And, I think I know why.
See, we've been studying Whitman a lot this semester, which is fine with me, and lately it's hit me how similar I think Rzeznik and Whitman are. They're both artistic bards, struggling with the crowd and isolation at the same time. With both often preoccupied, or inspired, with the singular, Whitman's poetry and Rzeznik's songs end up written in such a way that the universal takes hold. As much as I poke fun at Rzeznik for his "vague" lyrics, I know it's truly a gift he has and uses to bring us all closer, further into that tiny little space he, or his hauntings, occupy. It's a beautiful thing, and I think it's done exceptionally well and beatifully with
Black Balloon.
We all know it's about Tammy, Takac's ex-wife, so the root of the song, and the instances within, are either true or closely based-on fact. Regardless of that preciseness, Rzeznik still manages to tackle the universal, and craft a semi-personal tragedy into what, I think, is one of their greatest love songs. That's his lyrical gift, I'd say.
So, to wrap it up, because goddamn, I cannot write this much about each of the Ten songs, Black Balloon is on my list because I think it's their best love-song and is one of the best representations of Rzeznik's particular lyrical-style, amongst the more generality that's it's just a good song.

So Far Away (instrumental) - I think, as far as Gooey instrumentals go, this is the best (with Kevin's Song and String of Lies (instrumental) not too far behind). In fact, this song has two sets of lyrics: what's heard on the album (ie.: SFA) and a demo-rarity, Dancing in Your Blood, and I sometimes wish that they would have chosen DiYB, but that's beside the point... The point is, they liked this music so much, instead of starting over, they tried like hell to write lyrics for it, and we know how much Rzeznik bitches about lyric-writing... Anyhow, just to show off the band's kickass music, I would use this selection. And, that's all there really is to say about this one.

Here Is Gone (acoustic)
- To tone it down, get the amps off of 11, and go all acoustic and intimate, hands-down, the HiG acoustic is the top choice. For starters, the plugged-in album version of this song is fantastic: in fact, HiG is one of those Goo singles that probably should have done better (and, maybe Gutterflower would have done better, and LLI would have never happened, or would have been different, at least...). And the song just gets even better when the electricity's zapped off. The powerful lyrics burn through on the raspy and torn wings of Rzeznik's vocal chords, and you can hear his heart bleeding, as yours will, too, by the end.

I Don't Wanna Know (Fleetwood Mac cover)
- While not my favorite cover (that goes to Nothing Can Change You and/or Don't Fear the Reaper), this is on the list because of what Rzeznik and co. did to make it so awesome. Essentially, they re-wrote the song. Fleetwood's version, no offense, is border-line cheesy, in the vein of Captain and Tennille. The Dolls took it and changed it into an amazing alt rock song that should have got radioplay when it was tacked-on to that tribute album. In short: they Gooified it.

Broadway (Live) - Let me set the record straight, I don't like the album version of this song. I never have, and I probably never will. That said, even when I'm not at an actual concert, and I just have this song pop up on my Winamp's shuffle, I'm IMMEDIATELY THERE, with the Dolls, in the front row, cheering and rocking out. And, it doesn't matter which concert it's from, either. It could be a Broadway from a '99 concert, or one from '07, and it'd STILL be amazing. Time does not damage the live performances of this song, which is a blessing not all of the Dolls' songs have been fortunate enough to receive (*cough*: Iris). This song is just perfect to showcase how the Dolls are, contrary to popular myth, one of America's best rock bands.

We'll Be Here When You're Gone (remix) - OMG, something from LLI (sort of) makes the list?!, you ask. Shut up, I reply. *smirk* This is on the list because of its epic trancey beauty, and because it shows a whole other side of Goo that was barely hinted at with the GF gem, Truth is a Whisper. In fact, if they decided to go all Silversun Pickups/Interpol/Keane/The Cure-ish on us, and get all electronicy, I'd be totally cool with it. But, anyway, this makes the list because it shows, and shows very well, yet another side of this multi-faceted band; and, not only that, but I think it also proves the Dolls' staying power -- evidence of their ability to constantly re-invent and evolve and mature as a band.

Lucky Star - I'm sure you were wondering when I'd get to Takac. Well, here we are. God, I don't know where to start... All right, I'll sum it up for you. This song is Takac's Black Balloon. Lyrically, it's absolutely Takac's best song. And, just like Black Balloon, it's a love song, but in only the way Takac could write one. It showcases his polar-opposite style, how he's buried in the speficifics, and leaves the universals to Rzeznik.
Besides developing the (delicious) way they complement each other, the lyrics still carry feeling. Maybe you don't weep like you do when you hear Iris or Become, but you're heartless if your ears don't perk up at least a little on the "But I remember" line -- the raw emotion in Takac's voice is unavoidable.
The music is up to par against (but not necessarily better than) anything else of Takac's: rockier and punkier, overall, when compared to Rzeznik's stuff (especially the recent stuff), so it's really the whole package that puts this song on the list. And, as a final note, I'll eat my hat when Takac tops this song.

String of Lies - Here's, possibly, the surpise! entry. Why? Because, when I first thought about this list, and I thought about which duet I would use (and there's not very many to choose from), my knee-jerk choice was Tell Me (Something I Don't Know), a demo-rarity. Then I thought of this, and then I thought of Hey. So, I pulled them all out and listened to them, and decided on this one.
I chose this one because of a number of reasons:
First, I wanted to shine a light on the core of the band; Rzeznik and Takac, their chemistry and talent wonderfully blended together, which is what the band is, despite how the equality has shifted from Takac, to the two, to Rzeznik, over their 20+ years together. (Also, if I'm trying to impress a casual or non-fan, I'd like to point out that the Dolls are, actually, a dual-singer band, which is often by-passed as of late...)
Second, musically this is a great alt rock song: I think one of their best. It's powerful and it makes you just want to rock along. (Be careful playing it in the car, you might get pulled over for speeding...) The guitar solo in it shows off Rzeznik's skills, while the overall song (which is SO CLEARLY Takac-ish, and almost makes me wonder if he wrote the majority of the music and then opened the rest up to Rzeznik) is just a fantasic representation of the blending of their punk roots with their alt rock styaing power.
Third, the lyrics seem born from something specific (Takacism) but in the end, reach out to a universal (Rzeznikism) theme of mistrust plagueing a relationship. Maybe Rzeznik and Laurie had a fight, or maybe Takac's letting off steam regarding the faltering friendship between Rzeznik and Tutuska ("always compromise..."). I have no idea. Either way, these are their best duet-lyrics. You can even note how it seems highly particular who sings which line (ie: it's not a simple trade-off, Rzeznik sings line 1, Takac sings line 2, rinse and repeat). Some serious thought went into this one.
Overall, SoL is their best duet, and maybe their best song, holistically. It shows off both singers' voices and musical talents (the overall song and the solo). It presents both their lyric-styles. It, even, highlights a key theme of a number of their songs. It embraces their punkier roots and anticipates their current pop rock ways.
And, in short, it embodies the heart of this band: the two of them, and how perfectly they work together.

Big Machine - This makes the list because, until I'm proven wrong with the new album, this is the best rock song, courtesy of Rzeznik, of the Dolls' modern era (and this list, I know, has been somewhat in-balanced as far as time is concerned). It's adult pop rock at its finest, really. The sound is huge, but not overwhelming, and the lyrics are accessible. It's just a great rock package, and I wanted something to showcase their modern pop rock sound. (Long Way Down, Lazy Eye were considered, until I made this decision; which then lead to thoughts of What A Scene, Dizzy, this one, and Stay With You).

Tucked Away - And, we'll put this list to bed with, what I think is, Takac's best modern era song. And while we're thinking about the now; if Big Machine is Rzeznik's best, then this is Takac's, and funny how they both come from GF. The music is powerful, especially the driving beat, and emotion just oozes from Takac's vocals, and maybe that's because this is another song supposedly about Tammy. Regardless, the song is simply kickass, and proves, like Big Machine, that there's rock and passion still there, beneath the adult rock ballads.

And, there you have it. (be sure to click song titles to download the song)
Am I heart-broken that this list isn't 50/50 between the two? A little, but, let's face it... If you're trying to hook someone on Goo, which means they'll jump on the fan bandwagon NOW, why have a Takac-heavy list? The equality has shifted, for whatever reason, as of late... It's just how they do things. Same goes for having nothing on there prior to SSCW. It's just not representative of the band they are now, and I'm cool with it.

Oh, and there's this for a laugh: The Dolls supposedly need a bail-out.

and all the stars you see are on dirty sidewalks

4 comments:

  1. me = casual listener. So I will listen to your list and give you my feedback. And if it sucks, I'm coming after you. haha jk.

    Now quit creating your own distractions and get shit done missy. haha love you! have a productive day of writing!

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  2. Really? All right, rock on.

    I'll get stuff done later! lol I always do.

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  3. I concur with what you said. Although, my list is shaped differently.....

    and I have a few songs that I am adding that just missed the list, since I couldn't really narrow it down... lol. I'm cheating.

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  4. Hm. It was interesting to see your list, the reasons for your choices were really well-detailed (nice justification for BB by the way *winks*). Though I'm not sure I agree with the instrumental So Far Away because it's not actually something they've released, but I digress. You said from your collection, not things they've put out on CDs.

    I've got my list done and posted on my blog too if you want to look at it. My picks haven't changed but there's a little more detail.

    Oh, and you're going to have to change that 'George to my Robby' Jess. It's supposed to be Mohn (John x Mike). XD

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