The Quad

Issue date: 9/1/08 Section: Entertainment

It's not often that a sequel tops the original, but the Goo Goo Dolls managed to do just that with the second half of their greatest hits collection.

"Greatest Hits Vol. 1: The Singles" was released last November and featured the singles that helped make the band one of alternative rock's biggest acts. It was a great way for casual fans to finally own the songs that they have been enjoying on the radio for the past 12 years, but hardcore fans were left out in the cold.

New versions of "Name" and "Feel the Silence," as well as the new song "Before It's Too Late," simply weren't enough to justify the purchase price.

For starters "Vol. 1" only included material from the Goo Goo Doll's last four albums, totally ignoring their first four, admittedly less popular but no less enjoyable albums.

The next problem with the collection was the new versions of old songs.

The new version of "Name" was more polished, slightly shorter and in no way an improvement over the grungier original.

The "Feel the Silence" remix is virtually indistinguishable from the version that appeared on 2006's "Let Love In".

All that being said it was still a collection of very good songs even though most fans already owned them already. Fortunately the Goo Goo Dolls kicked things into a higher gear with "Greatest Hits Vol. 2".

The CD contains 22 of their lesser known tracks from all of their eight albums including seven covers, five of which never appeared on a Goo Goo Doll's CD.

Best of all the CD comes with a DVD that features 17 of the band's music videos as well as a six song live performance recorded at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado.

It's the DVD that really makes the collection worthwhile for the more seasoned Goo Goo Dolls fan. Sure, the CD has some nice rare tracks, but nothing can beat the fascinating experience of watching a band literally grow up before your eyes.

When you pop in the DVD it offers you the option to watch all 17 videos in chronological order starting with 1991's rocking "There You Are" and ending with the 2006 ballad "Let Love In".

You can literally watch the Goo Goo Dolls transform from mullet-sporting metal heads to the chart topping, arena filling band that they are today.

It's quite the experience and makes the collection a must have all by itself. The CD, while not quite as cool as the DVD, is no slouch either.

Tracks like "I'm Awake Now" from the "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" soundtrack and "Lazy Eye" from the "Batman and Robin" soundtrack are nice to finally be able to own on a CD. The same goes for the cover of Tom Petty's "American Girl", which was recorded live at the Concert for New York that followed the September 11th terrorist attacks.

Continued...

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