Goo Goo Dolls: Johnny Rzeznik (vocals, guitar); Robbie Takac (vocals, bass); Mike Malinin (drums).
Additional personnel: Tim Pierce (guitar, mandolin); Tommy Keene (guitar); Jamie Muhoberac, Benmont Tench (keyboards); Luis Conte (percussion); Nathan December, Rob Cavallo.
"Iris" was nominated for a 1999 Grammy for Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal. "Black Balloon" was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal.
On first hearing, the Goo Goo Dolls sound like the Replacements' distant cousins, full of trashy rock bravado tempered by intelligent, often tender lyricism and a penchant for combining ringing acoustic guitars with dirtier sounds for a rich sonic stew. In fact, DIZZY UP THE GIRL finds the Dolls moving further away from the Replacements sound than ever before, with a definite '90s influence to the proceedings. The group's main link to the Replacements (and to Paul Westerberg's main influence, Alex Chilton) is the man-child dichotomy played out over the course of the album. The youthful, energetic spirit that makes DIZZY UP THE GIRL an exciting bit of rock & roll is matched at every step by a world-weariness that gives the jangly alt-rock tunes an air of maturity.
Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (10/15/98, p.131) - 3 Stars (out of 5) - "...the Dolls traffic in raspy-voiced, guitar-fueled rave-ups with a sentimental streak....Nothing like a few hints of vinegar to make the gooey ballads go down."
Spin (12/98, p.182) - 6 (out of 10) - "...Having watched their evil stepsisters, the Replacements, try and fail to fit their eccentricities into the square hole of success, the Dolls prove more amenable: DIZZY UP THE GIRL is a marketing department's dream, this year's Soul Asylum with the edges filed off its power pop and metalloid stomp..."
