RIP IT UP

April 1996

GOO GOO DOLLS
A Boy Named Goo
(WEA)

No one had heard of them save a dedicated few Stateside — then enter 'Name', which received ridiculously high rotate on MTV and finally 'broke' the Goo Goo Dolls, Buffalo's favourite sons. A Boy Named Goo is, in fact, their third album, and mines that vein of wastrel cool so beloved of the likes of the Replacements and, more recently, Soul Asylum. Indeed 'Name', with its acoustic feel and winsome melody, is atypical on an album which seems more comfortable with its foot on the distortion pedal. Fine, but unfortunately songs like 'Long Way Down', 'So Long' and 'Burnin' Up' are about as inspirational as their titles suggest. By the sounds of this, the boys better not get too comfortable in that new tour bus.

GREG FLEMING