Literally their Greatest Hits
Goo Goo Dolls have been rocking the music industry for over a decade, but it was ‘Iris’ that I found a heart for the band so was interested to see what other tracks they have created over the years with ‘Greatest Hits Vol. 2’, which contains songs used for movie soundtrack as well as a remix and a live performance.
There is variety of movies in which the Goo Goo Dolls have had a musical influence over on the soundtracks. ‘I'm Awake Now’ featured on the ‘Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare’ soundtrack fits perfectly with its “don’t fall asleep to dream” hook, ‘I Don't Wanna Know’ from ‘Ace Venture: When Nature Calls’ emits an indie feel but the most impressive is a demo of ‘Iris’, written for ‘City of Angels’. This track doesn’t hold the same weight that the film version did, but it is great to see how a simple demo is moulded into a sensation tune. Both live tracks here prove that Goo Goo Dolls is impressive at putting their sound to a larger audience and I get an overpowering feeling to go a see what the band are like live and not just what I hear through a CD.
‘Torn Apart is one of the weirder openings I have heard. The jabbering followed by heavy guitars and fast paced lyrics is something unusual and quite unexpected, but impressive hearing them trying something different. This is followed by other bizarre tunes, ‘No Way Out’ and ‘Slave Girl’ in which ruggedness overpowers a listener.
Mid way between two differing sides of Goo Goo Dolls is ‘String of Lies’ with its characteristic vocals and underpinning guitar with an urgent sensation. Other more melodic rock numbers include ‘Hate This Place’ with its hard pounding raps and an upbeat rhythm. Then there is a glimpse of the mellower side of Goo Goo Dolls with ‘Without You Here’. Instrumentals are one thing that never gets tiring; ‘Stop the World’ and ‘Only One’ have amazing guitar lead instrumentals. Vocals from John Rzeznik are remarkable as they alter depending on melodies and rhythms and support some incredible harmonies, specifically on ‘Long Way Down’ and ‘Million Miles Away’.
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This is an all out exploration into the sounds and experiences the band has been through and it is a wonderful opportunity to hear scrumptious songs.