Goo Goo Dolls
Superstar Carwash

Known to the European public mostly for the ballad "Iris," the Goo Goo Dolls have been active on the scene since as far back as 1986... If the first albums feature vaguely hardcore sounds (with influences from Husker Du and Cheap Trick), from the early '90s the Goo Goo Dolls embarked on a sonic maturation that recalls, even if on a smaller scale, that of the Replacements...

"Superstar Carwash" was released in 1993, straddling the band's "garage" and mainstream periods, and, although it was not a commercial success, it is the album that earned Rzeznik and company the title of "America's best unknown band."

The album opens with "Fallin' Down," a sort of power ballad in a minor key with an exquisite guitar arrangement and an excellent melody, which immediately showcase the leap in quality made by Rzeznik as a songwriter. "Lucky Star," "Another Second Time Around," "Already There" and "Domino" are quite possibly the best songs Tackak (bassist and second voice) has ever sung, while Rzeznik makes his mark with good power pop tracks: "Stop the World," which bears a strong resemblance to the 'Mats, "So Far Away," one of the band's most intense up-tempo melodies, but especially "On The Lie," a fresh and sparkling power pop song (harbinger of the sound that would follow in the subsequent "A Boy Named Goo") in which Rzeznik delights us with a beautiful lyric ("...he said that Jesus Christ was just like a cop/you know, you never know when they come...").

Undoubtedly making the history of the album, however, is the ballad "We Are The Normal," written by Paul Westerberg (not coincidentally, John Rzeznik's childhood idol), which opens with a beautiful string arrangement and is the track that epitomizes the band's turn toward maturity.

In summary, this album does not represent anything innovative, but it provides us with a good amount of melodious rock, of fine craftsmanship. Additionally, the choice to use two different voices (Tackak and Rzeznik) on different tracks, combined with the decent variety of the album (ranging from Ramones-style punk to acoustic guitars, to power pop... a bit like the Replacements did) makes listening an experience that does not tire and pleasantly flows away.