Lqv2015

I just recently got into them but dunno which songs I should purchase off of iTunes so I do what anyone would do, and ask here. What are your favorite songs by this band?

These I'm pretty familiar with

Slide
Black Balloon
Here is Gone
Iris
Broadway

Hud

Not a big fan, but Iris was a great pop song. I would avoid the Supertramp cover they've got out now though and go for the original...don't mess with the 'tramp baby.

Hollowgen

i always chuckled at how poppy & glamourous they became, while the bass player kept a mullet and looked like a 14 year old trailer park maitenance man.

Gdrlv

I really liked Superstar Car Wash back in '93 or '94 (Christ, has it been that long?), but haven't cared for anything they've done since.

Rocketdog2000

Yeah go with just about anything off of Superstar Carwash -which is still my fave, too.

Avoid their first two albums - s/t & Jed - as they still hadn't decided if they wanted to be punk or metal at the time.They're ok for diehards, but the average person would probably think they were complete crap.

johnbook

My favorite has always been..."Big Machine"

atlantamoi

"There You Are" from Hold Me Up. Frankly, it's the only album of theirs I'd want to own.

Mordred

Superstar Carwash is a friggin' masterpiece. One of those perfect hidden gems that almost nobody has heard (from a band that everybody's heard no less). I love that album to death.

You're right though, the first two albums are absolutely horrible. How they got signed with that crap I'll never know. Glad they did though.

duse

Amen to that. I saw them in 1993 or so, whatever tour that was, at Rockafellers in Columbia, and the lead singer said something to the effect of "This song is going to be our downfall" and then played Iris. I bought Superstar Carwash, and they had just become very poppy and gushy and I ended up dumping it. You could call them a sell out, but I'd done the same thing as well. Anyway, to answer the question "Two Days in February" off of Hold Me Up. I always compared The Goo Goo Dolls to The Buck Pets in the early 90's. I loved that band. I also liked their cover of Bitch off of No Alternative, but I enjoy hearing "The Incredible Lance Diamond" sing.

Edited to get my facts straight after I did some research. I was way off initially w/ my memory.

natevines

Black Balloon is amazing, love that song.
I feel that Slide is a bit overrated though

nodeerforamonth

"There You Are"
"Road To Salinas"
"Living In A Hut"
"Don't Beat My Ass (with a baseball bat)"
"Laughing"
"Had Enough"
"Up Yours"
"No Way Out"
"Hey!"
"Just The Way You Are"
"Lucky Star"
"James Dean"
"Girl Right Next To Me"

"Slide" is great too (as with "Black Balloon"), but if you only know the latter stuff, you are REALLY missing out!

tofu

I really liked "Ain't That Unusual" from the Angus soundtrack.

kneijst1

Girl Right Next to Me. I'm seen and met them several times, and am traveling to Vegas on New Years to see them at House of Blues. (not the only reason I'm going to Vegas, but one of the main reasons).

They also have a great new single out available only on iTunes called 'Better Days'. Good song, but I hate iTunes so I'll wait til the album comes out to purchase it.

I definitly recommend getting Hold Me Up and Superstar Car Wash, their best two albums. The 'newer' ones are still good IMO, but I'm highly biased. Nowadays they seem to be a love em or hate, but since I'm from upstate NY and have met them, I'm in the love em half.

nodeerforamonth

oh! I should edit my list to include that. That is actually from "A Boy Named Goo". Has some of the best lyrics in it!

Also should add "Something Bad".

Goo Goo Dolls are one of my very favorite bands! Seen them about 30 times from '89 onwards. I remember seeing them at Cal State Fullerton during the "Hold Me Up" tour in the quad area in front of about 20 people.

Fanboy

"Long Way Down" has always been a favourite of mine. Just an absolutely kickin' driving song.

DRG

"Hey" and "Know My Name", both from Hold Me Up. I listened to these all the time back in the day, great times.

Holysmoker

I've always thought Iris was a perfect song. Too bad the band doesn't think much of it anymore, I mean if they think it will be their downfall.

paulringodaman

I'm not a big fan, so Iris is my favorite song. Every gf I've had has always loved that song and it puts them in the "mood", so that is why!

Flashback

I'm with you here. There are a few here and there but not much at all. They found a popular formula and stuck with it. Which, I guess is good for them. I just wonder if they ever learned how to play live yet, or at least good. ugh!

nodeerforamonth

How to play "There You Are" live? Or play live in general? I've seen them play it a dozen times. Most recently was on the "Dizzy Up The Girl" tour. "Ain't That Unusual" is a song they've only played once (and it was at a party) because they can't play it live (chords too complicated for Johnny to sing and play at the same time).

They're a great live band! You never know what to expect with them.

Flashback

Not the song(s), was asking if they ever learned (sarcasm). Hey if you like them great, I'm sure I like a few clunkers, but IMHO they are just not a good live band.

fryinpan1

Iris is probably my favorite Goo Goo Dolls song, but I like many of their songs. Also, I agree that Superstar Carwash is great.

nodeerforamonth

Well like I said, I've seen them 30 times (at least) and I could probably tell you a story about each and every gig. Whether it's a storm coming in during an outdoor show and blows away the drum kit, or Johnny having this girl from the audience to sing "Name", or the roadies coming out with leaf blowers to blow away some confettie that was flying around (and Johnny pretending that the blowers were blowing him away), or Robbie and Johnny telling a 10 minute story about how they met, or them going around kicking beach balls that made their way onstage (and not missing a note) or Robbie jumping into the pit, slamming away while playing bass and a guy in a wheelchair punches him in the stomach, no two gigs (for me anyways) have been the same.

Flashback

Sounds like fun, however you never mentioned one thing about their ability to play live. Actually, most of that stuff is not really that unusual....now standing in a stadium where people decide to light a row of seats on fire...that's a bit unusual.

nodeerforamonth

I was trying to make my post brief. They started as a punk band and that's not really about being so technically proficient.

Regardless, they're in a different state of mind right now in their careers and although I could go into detail about how they changed "Cuz You're Gone" for one night or added riff into another song for a second or used a different tuning for another, I didn't want to get boring. They're a fun live band.