(First of all, I think the reviewer below me has this album confused with another one.)
I don't mind the Goo Goo Dolls today, but they're just another mainstream band compared to this album. Hold Me Up captrued the band at a transition between the extremely thrashy punk-inspired music of Jed and First Release and the more melodious, radio-friendly kind of music they would play from Superstar Car Wash on. This was the best time of their career. Their songs are catchy here, and yet they're still not watered down. Both Robby and John are at their best. Unlike Dizzy Up the Girl and all of their albums since, this doesn't sound like a Goo Goo Dolls who are yearning to play something more dynamic. This sounds like a Goo Goo Dolls who know exactly what it is they want to do, and they do exactly that. This album was a part of my childhood. I listened to this album at the same time as Dizzy Up the Girl. The difference is that Dizzy Up the Girl never stood the test of time. This album did.
I just wrote this on the spur of the moment. Perhaps later, I'll write a better review. In the meantime, just know that people who consider themselves fans of the Goo Goo Dolls because of their radio hits should educate themselves, and this should be their first album.
Recommended songs: ALL of them.
February 28, 2007 |  | This is Where The G.G.D.'s Sold Out |  |
As the title states, this was the end of the line for the goo's being a unique, passionate, relevant indie/punk band. The style,sound, and songwriting on here is a complete 180 from their first 2 records. There are a few decent ones, that is why I gave it a '2'. Unfortunately most of it veers towards the overrated watered down mainstream pop crap they put out to the present and the same type of stuff you heard on the radio over and over and over. They were still on Metal Blade for this release but you wouldn't know it. Johhny took over most of the songwriting and singing duties and it shows. From this record on, the material was saturated with overly cheesy ballads, ala Johnny. It is what made them successful, but in alienated me and other hard core fans who knew this was not the same band that used to make music from the heart. Each release after this got worse and worse, even though some of 'dizzy...' was decent like this. Please do not buy anything of the g.g.d;s after "jed" as it is just pathetic how fast this band turned into a made for aor radio sellout so quickly.
February 7, 2007It was in 1990, when the rock group Goo Goo Dolls released their third album: HOLD ME UP. The record was intriguing. Mainly for the fact that the band was still in their experimental sound stage, and the music they produced was fairly decent. Johnny Rzeznik was definately the leader of the group. This is quite apparent with his fast paced scale based guitar licks and inversions of his chords. His performance was still in a progression, for Rzenzik still had to learn how to keep in time with his other band members. The rest of the band members needed work in this aspect of their musical performance as well. There are points within the songs that the players loose time and the piece slows or rushes. There are other times when the players get off in the beats within their rhythms they are suppose to perform. What stands out about this record is; Goo Goo Dolls still have their originality and are obviously having fun experimenting within their genre. Rzeznik's lyrics like always, are an admirable trait, and fit well with the pieces' style that the band performs. HOLD ME UP is classic Goo Goo Dolls sound, the style the band performed before hitting the Mainstream. It is a record to give attention to by Goo Goo Dolls fans because this is the album that the band's sound had progressed further than just hard, grudgy, and wailing rock.
Stand out tracks include:
"Laughing"
"Just the Way You Are"
"There You Are"
"Hey"
"A Million Miles Away"
August 3, 2006 | | Vintage Goo is Gritty Good-3.5 Stars | |
This is the album that Johnny referred to as their "real" first album. It's an enjoyable listen if like a more garage/jangle/rock sound. I personally enjoyed it when I first bought it back in 1999 and still listen it to it today because of surprisingly, its simplicity. There are no violins, piano, or other additional instruments in most of the songs. It's just guitar, bass, and drums. The song writing and delivery might not be as good as Superstar Car Wash or A Boy Named Goo but the rawness and lack of slickness adds to its blemished appeal. Surprisingly, Robby's voice sounds much better on this album than Dizzy Up The Girl (DUTG) and latter albums because his raspy voice compliments the muddy sounding guitar, bass, and drums.
Some fans whose first exposure to the Goo Goo Dolls is DUTG, Gutterflower, or (shivers) Let Love In might not enjoy this album because of its lack of ballads like Iris and it's harder sound. But longtime fans who longingly wish the Goos will get back to their Buffalo rocking roots will treasure it.
July 14, 2006 | | Just Gives You GOOS Bumps LOL. | |
Hey everyone at amazon.com. The Goo Goo Dolls are one of the best bands in the world any album of theres is a plus to your cd collection. Anyway Hold Me Up is one of there earlier albums that still retains there orignal hardcore punk sound from the 80's. This is a big part of the goo goo dolls as some of the tracks verge on what you here now on albums like Dizzy Up The Girl & Gutterflower. Back to the point the best track on this album are 2. Just The Way You Are, 4. There You are. But in fareness the stand out track on this must have album is Two Days In February. In conclusion i hate the people that say goo goo dolls older albums are there best as this is not true there music was good back then but it has evolved so much now the "Dizzy Up The Girl" and the "Gutterflower" albums are there best to date and the cover version of Supertramps "Give A Little Bit" is also cool. Don't hate evolotion!!!!
October 26, 2005More reviews at Amazon.com ...
