September 2018 – Classic Rock Review

Dizzy Up the Girl by Goo Goo Dolls

It took six albums and over a decade for Goo Goo Dolls to be propelled into international success and 1998’s Dizzy Up the Girl was that ultimate catalyst. This album features more upbeat and pop-oriented compositions than the group had recorded on their five previous albums and no doubt this helped the record to achieve its stellar commercial success. It has sold more than four million copies and reached the Top 20 on album charts in several countries.

This Buffalo, New York based group was formed in the mid 1980s by guitarist/vocalist Johnny Rzeznik and bassist/vocalist Robby Takac. Their name was inspired by an ad for a toy. Once they signed with Mercury Records they used that name for their 1987 self-titled debut album. They had a loyal but mostly local fan base around the Buffalo music scene as they released several more albums through the early 1990s. Their 1995 album, A Boy Named Goo, was the first to receive national attention due to the success of the single “Name”, ultimately fueling that album towards double-platinum success. Shortly before that album’s release, drummer Mike Malinin became a permanent member of the trio.

The production of Dizzy Up the Girl followed a legal battle over earned royalties and through this time Goo Goo Dolls underwent a fundamental change in sound from strictly alternative rock to a more pop and mainstream music. The album was produced by Rob Cavallo and recorded during 1997 and 1998.

Dizzy Up the Girl by Goo Goo Dolls
Released: September 22, 1998 (Warner Bros.) Produced by: Rob Cavallo & Goo Goo Dolls Recorded: 1997–1998
Track Listing	Primary Musicians
Dizzy Slide Broadway January Friend Black Balloon Bullet Proof Amigone All Eyes on Me Full Forever Acoustic #3 Iris Extra Pale Hate This Place	Johnny Rzeznik – Guitars, Vocals Robby Takac – Bass, Vocals Mike Malinin – Drums

Dizzy Up the Girl by Goo Goo Dolls

Released: September 22, 1998 (Warner Bros.)
Produced by: Rob Cavallo & Goo Goo Dolls
Recorded: 1997–1998

Track Listing

Primary Musicians

Dizzy
Slide
Broadway
January Friend
Black Balloon
Bullet Proof
Amigone
All Eyes on Me
Full Forever
Acoustic #3
Iris
Extra Pale
Hate This Place

Johnny Rzeznik – Guitars, Vocals
Robby Takac – Bass, Vocals
Mike Malinin – Drums

The opening track “Dizzy” has a T-Rex-like vocal delivery by Rzeznik with more modern, nineties rock instrumentation and, although a short track, time is given for a nice instrumental break. “Slide” is an upbeat love song built on some finely picked guitar riffing and later echoed chording. The song reached the Top 10 on the US pop charts in early 1999 and topped the charts in Canada. “Broadway” follows as a local anthem for Buffalo topped by upbeat music and melodic pop vocals.

The first of four songs written by Takac where he takes lead vocals, “January Friend” has an upbeat, new wave rock vibe like the other three tracks later in the album. “Black Balloon” is a unique track with layered electric and acoustic guitars before eventually breaking into stronger rhythmic arrangement while maintaining a dreamy atmosphere throughout. The song is also one of many to feature string arrangements by David Campbell. “Bullet Proof” is a slightly dark, romantic and dramatic track with soaring vocals and much atmosphere, while Takac’s “Amigone” features a strong and present drum beat by Malinin. Following the Takac new wave track “Full Forever”, “Acoustic #3” lives up to its title as purely acoustic track by Rzeznik with some slight string arrangements which may be a bit superfluous in the otherwise simple elegance of the short track.

Goo Goo Dolls

“Iris” is the ultimate culmination of the album’s vibe with its acoustic with waltz-like beat and odd but appealing arrangement. The song was originally composed for the soundtrack of the film City of Angels and as the lead single from Dizzy Up the Girl, the song topped the pop charts in several countries. The album concludes with a couple of upbeat electric rockers, Takac’s slightly punk “Extra Pale”, and the full-fledged rocker “Hate This Place”, which completes the journey of this fine album.

With five successful singles released, Dizzy Up the Girl was far more successful than any previous or subsequent Goo Goo Dolls album. Following its release, the group took their time following up, with the seventh album Gutterflower arriving in 2002.

Part of Classic Rock Review’s celebration of 1998 albums.

Vagabonds of the Western World
by Thin Lizzy

Buy Vagabonds of the Western World

The 1973 release Vagabonds of the Western World, the third studio album by Thin Lizzy, is a cohesive collection of original style and substance by this group from Ireland. The songs are presented in a range of rock sub-styles from British style blues-rock to their own style of Irish folk rock with some slight psychedelic and jazz tinged numbers. The album would prove to be the high water mark for the original trio of Phil Lycott (bass, vocals), Eric Bell (guitars) and Brian Downey (drums, percussion).

Lynott and Downey knew each other since school in the early 1960s and they played together in the Dublin area band, The Black Eagles, through 1967. After heading out in differing music adventures for a few years, they came back together and formed Thin Lizzy with Bell in 1969. The following year they signed with Decca Records and relocated to London where they recorded their self-titled debut album in early 1971. TShades of a Blue Orphanage followed a year later but neither of these first two albums charted or sold very well. Later in 1972, the band released a single of their original rock arrangement of the Traditional Irish folk song “Whiskey In the Jar”. Led by Bell’s excitable lead guitar and Lynott’s steady, matter-of fact vocal delivery, this song became a a UK Top Ten hit,

The surprise success of the “Whiskey In the Jar” single gave Thin Lizzy a larger recording budget and studio time to record Vagabonds of the Western World. The album was recorded in London during the summer of 1973 and was co-produced by Lynott and Nick Tauber.

Vagabonds of the Western World by Thin Lizzy
Released: September 21, 1973 (Decca) Produced by: Nick Tauber & Phil Lynott Recorded: AIR Studios and Decca 4, London, July 1973
Side One	Side Two
Mama Nature Said The Hero and the Madman Slow Blues The Rocker	Vagabond of the Western World Little Girl in Bloom Gonna Creep Up on You A Song for While I’m Away
Group Musicians
Philip Lynott – Lead Vocals, Bass Eric Bell – Guitars Brian Downey – Drums, Percussion

The album starts with the excited slide guitar over thumping rhythms on “Mama Nature Said”. Here Lynott’s raspy vocals add a further sonic level to this fun stomp with an obvious environmental lyrical overtone. “The Hero and the Madman” begins with an odd spoken intro provided by guest Kid Jensen over the music built on bass and drums rhythm along with Bell’s guitar finely floating in a wah-wah like haze before exploding into an astronomical closing guitar lead. “Slow Blues” is an aptly titled track by Downey and Lynott with several distinct sections, including a funk-based verse and a folksy/psychedelic mid-section.

“The Rocker” is the only track on the original album credited to all three group members and this thematic track may be the record’s most indelible. Here, the guitar and bass lock in for a fine series of riffs and pretty much all of the final three minutes of the song are reserved for an extended guitar lead. The title song begin’s with the traditional Irish greeting “Tora Lora Lora” over Downey’s floor tom beat. Eventually, “Vagabond of the Western World” breaks into moderate but dramatic verse and more straightforward choruses.

Thin Lizzy in 1973

“Little Girl in Bloom” features cool, odd beats and some overlapping vocals and fine harmonies, all provided by Lynott. The song is built mainly on pairs of bass notes that make it simple but very original until about three minutes in when the complete rhythm kicks in with a bit of guitar harmonizing, a preview the sound of Thin Lizzy in future years. “Gonna Creep Up on You” is another basic but interesting rocker, leading to the album’s original closer, “A Song for While I’m Away”. This unique track is vocally like a sixties pop ballad complete with strings and orchestration but with strong drum rhythms that are much harder rocking and give it a duplicate sound. When the album was later released for CD, four additional tracks were added including, “Whiskey In the Jar”, the Zeppelin-esque riff-driven blues rocker “Black Boys on the Corner”, the rock/reggae/bosa nova fusion of “Randolph’s Tango”, and the heavy blues rocker “Broken Dreams”.

Just a few months after the release of Vagabonds of the Western World, Bell abruptly left the band citing ill-health and disillusionment with the music industry. Thin Lizzy used several guitarists in the subsequent years before forging their signature dual-lead sound that brought them to even higher fame in the mid 1970s.

Part of Classic Rock Review’s celebration of 1973 albums.

Sports by Huey Lewis & the News

Buy Sports

Huey Lewis and the News found their peak of commercial success with their third album, Sports. Released in the Autumn of 1983, the album topped the Billboard album charts the following year and spawned five Top 20 hits which remained on the charts and mainstream pop radio well into 1985. The album is a collection of original songs by Lewis and the band as well as songs written or co-written by composers outside the group, while maintaining an astonishing cohesion throughout.

The roots of the group date back to 1972 when Lewis, a vocalist and harmonica player joined the San Francisco area jazz-funk group Clover along with keyboardist Sean Hopper. Clover had a lengthy career through the 1970s and recorded several albums with minor success in the US And UK. When Lewis departed in 1977, the group became the original backing band for Elvis Costello’s debut album, My Aim Is True. Meanwhile, Lewis and Hopper began collaborating with another Bay Area jazz-funk group called Soundhole, with members including saxophonist and guitarist Johnny Colla, bassist Mario Cipollina and drummer Bill Gibson. In 1978, Huey Lewis & The American Express was officially formed with lead guitarist Chris Hayes becoming the sixth and final member in 1979. After a record deal with Chrysalis Records was secured, the group modified their name with the release of the self-titled LP Huey Lewis and the News in 1980. A second studio album, Picture This was self-produced and released in 1982 with gold-level success fueled by the breakout singles “Do You Believe in Love” and “Workin’ for a Livin'”.

Recording for Sports began immediately after the completion of Picture This with producer Bill Szymczyk assisting in production. Due to reorganization at Chrysalis, the band employed the strategy of holding back the master tapes and biding their time performing at small venues while the label got their affairs in order and were in a position to fully promote the album.

Sports by Huey Lewis & the News
Released: September 15, 1983 (Chrysalis) Produced by: Bill Szymczyk, Huey Lewis and the News Recorded: Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, CA; Record Plant, Sausalito, CA & The Automatt, San Francisco, 1983
Side One	Side Two
The Heart of Rock n’ Roll Heart and Soul Bad Is Bad I Want a New Drug	Walkin’ On a Thin Line Finally Found a Home If This Is It You Crack Me Up Honky Tonk Blues
Group Musicians
Huey Lewis – Lead Vocals, Harmonica Chris Hayes – Guitars, Vocals Johnny Colla – Saxophone, Guitars, Vocals Sean Hopper – Piano, Keyboards, Vocals Mario Cipollina – Bass Bill Gibson – Drums, Percussion, Vocals

“The Heart of Rock n’ Roll” starts the album with a thumping heartbeat sound to launch the thematic (albeit somewhat tacky) anthem. Musically, it employs the faux eighties funk rock that permeates this album but worked well in the mid eighties pop scene. While equally as popular, “Heart and Soul” is of much higher quality overall. Co-written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn of the band Exile, this classic rocker uses a repeated riff but with strategic arrangements throughout, including the mid section where the deadened guitar and bass make for a simple but effective bridge. Further, the song features probably the best vocals by Lewis overall on the album.

“Bad Is Bad” is a modern doo-wop / soul track with cool organ Hopper, bluesy guitars by Hayes and a potent harmonica solo by Lewis with lyrics that are both jocular and profound. The song was written in the late 1970s while Lewis was working with Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy and that group did perform it live a few times half a decade before it was recorded for Sports. “I Want a New Drug” is another slightly clever theme which at once normalizes and demonizes drug use. Musically, there are dueling guitars over the simplest, cheezy-est synth rhythm, a method later “borrowed” by Ray Parker Jr. for the Ghostbuster theme song. “Walking On a Thin Line” was co-written by Andre Pessis and Kevin Wells of Clover and it starts with a haunting synth bass before breaking into an upbeat pop rocker with good melody and a semi-serious message about a Vietnam veteran’s post-war stress.

Huey Lewis and the News in 1983

The later part of the album tends to thin out on quality material. The lone exception is the hit song “If This Is It”, which features strong guitar-driven rock elements, some doo-wop backing vocals and fantastic lead vocals melody and chorus hook. The song is sandwiched between the pop-rock boilerplate “Finally Found a Home” and the more hyper new-wave synth rocker, “You Crack Me Up”. The album ends quite oddly with a cover of Hank Williams’ late 1940s Country hit “Honky Tonk Blues”, which does little to advance the original but is a nice place to showcase Hopper’s piano playing skills.

Sports was a hit worldwide but Huey Lewis and the News continued their rapid work schedule, scoring the Academy Award nominated theme song for the 1985 film Back to the Future and following up Sports with the similar pop-rocker Fore! in 1986, which was nearly as big of a hit as its predecessor.

Part of Classic Rock Review’s celebration of 1983 albums.

Internationalist by Powderfinger

Buy Internationalist

The third studio album by Australian rock group Powderfinger, 1998’s Internationalist, features a diverse array of musical genres. Led by the finely crafted compositions and versatile vocals of front man Bernard Fanning, who helped compose songs which range from emo-drenched ballads to proto-punk rock screeds to an original middle style which is moderate, thoughtful, original in approach and, in several cases, musically exquisite.

The group was formed in Brisbane, Australia in 1989 by guitarist Ian Haug and bassist John Collins. The following year Fanning was brought on board along with drummer Jon Coghill. The quintet was completed in 1992 with the addition of multi-instrumentalist Darren Middleton. After years of honing their sound and gaining a following, Powderfinger signed with Polydor in 1994 and released their debut studio album, Parables for Wooden Ears but it faced a lukewarm reception. The group’s second studio album, Double Allergic, arrived in 1996 and fared much better critically and commercially, being certified triple platinum in Australia.

Through 1997, Powderfinger toured heavily following the success of Double Allergic while Fanning then spent much of that year composing new songs. By the time the group entered Melbourne’s Sing Sing Studios, with producer Nick DiDia, Powderfinger already had 30 or 40 prospects for the album which would become Internationalist. Although this was by far their most experimental work, according to Collins, the album best replicated the group’s live sound.

Internationalist by Powderfinger
Released: September 7, 1998 (Polydor) Produced by: Nick DiDia Recorded: Sing Sing Studios, Melbourne, Australia, 1997-198
Track Listing	Primary Musicians
Hindley Street Belter The Day You Come Already Gone Passenger Don’t Wanna Be Left Out Good-Day Ray Trading Places Private Man Celebrity Head Over My Head Capoicity Lemon Sunrise	Bernard Fanning – Lead Vocals, Guitars, Piano, Keyboards Darren Middleton – Guitars, Piano, Keyboards, Vocals Ian Haug – Guitars, Vocals John Collins – Bass, Keyboards, Vocals Jon Coghill – Drums, Percussion, Vocals

Internationalist by Powderfinger

Released: September 7, 1998 (Polydor)
Produced by: Nick DiDia
Recorded: Sing Sing Studios, Melbourne, Australia, 1997-198

Track Listing

Primary Musicians

Hindley Street
Belter
The Day You Come
Already Gone
Passenger
Don’t Wanna Be Left Out
Good-Day Ray
Trading Places
Private Man
Celebrity Head
Over My Head
Capoicity
Lemon Sunrise

Bernard Fanning – Lead Vocals, Guitars, Piano, Keyboards
Darren Middleton – Guitars, Piano, Keyboards, Vocals
Ian Haug – Guitars, Vocals
John Collins – Bass, Keyboards, Vocals
Jon Coghill – Drums, Percussion, Vocals

After a false start, the opening track “Hindley Street” starts with potent guitar riff before breaking into a pleasant rhythm and groove to back up the pleasant, melodic vocals by Fanning, In contrast, “Belter” is a relentless, unabashed modern punk / grunge track which instantly displays the wide-ranging contrast o the material on this album.

“The Day You Come” was the first single to be released off Internationalist haunting, utilizes many unique sonic features before reaching the smooth chorus hook and backing vocals from the Brisbane trio Tiddas. This song received the ARIA Music Award for Song of the Year in 1999. “Already Gone” alternates between dynamics of incredibly quiet verses and choppy loud choruses, while “Passenger” is a spacey folk song with pleasant sonic effects that found some slight success on the Australian music charts.

Powderfinger

Co-written by Middleton, “Don’t Wanna Be Left Out” is a surf rock / punk hybrid which incorporates a bit of old INXS in its structure. In contrast, “Good-Day Ray” was co-written by Coghill and moves in a completely different direction with straight-forward punk / new wave, melody, pop and much energy in less than two minutes. “Trading Places” is a more monotone, dark acoustic folk featuring some slight orchestration late in song leading to the fine, subtle but upbeat, “Private Man” with great moving bass and drums under choppy guitars. “Celebrity Head” is a fun, Ramones-like rant including great chants of “Oy”, “Over My Head” is a very short acoustic folk interlude with rich vocal harmonies, and “Capoicity” highlights Fanning’s ability to change vocal tone and style while this latter song also contains some musical and arrangement brilliance as it moves through several sections, the most potent being the pregnant pause before the cool guitar lead. “Lemon Sunrise” closes things with a slow, soulful arrangement with layered guitar effects on top and a slight psychedelic vibe painting a mental vibrant picture.

Internationalist was certified five times platinum in Australia and awarded “Album of the Year” in that nation. At the time of this album’s release, Powderfinger was still strictly a local act on the continent but following this record’s success, they began to set their sights overseas, appearing at music festivals in the US and Canada.

Part of Classic Rock Review’s celebration of 1998 albums.