''Superstar Car Wash'' is the fourth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Goo Goo Dolls The Goo Goo Dolls are an American rock band formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, by guitarist/vocalist John Rzeznik, bassist/vocalist Robby Takac, and drummer George Tutuska. After starting off as a cover band and then developing a punk sound, ...

, released on February 23, 1993 on

Warner Bros Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...

John Rzeznik John Joseph Theodore Rzeznik (; born December 5, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter, best known as the founder, guitarist and frontman of the American rock band Goo Goo Dolls, with whom he has recorded 14 studio albums. Early life Rzeznik w ...

wrote the song "We Are the Normal" with his idol, The Replacements' singer

Paul Westerberg Paul Harold Westerberg (born December 31, 1959) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the Replacements. Following the breakup of the Replacements, Westerberg launched a solo career that saw him re ...

. The two corresponded by mail but never sat in a studio together. The song "Fallin' Down" was featured in the 1993

Pauly Shore Paul Montgomery Shore (born February 1, 1968) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker best known for his roles in 1990s comedy films. Shore began as a stand-up comedian at the age of 17, before becoming an MTV VJ in 1989. This led to a sta ...

movie ''

Son In Law In law and in cultural anthropology, affinity is the kinship relationship created or that exists between two people as a result of someone's marriage. It is the relationship which each party to a marriage has to the relations of the other part ...

''. Also, the song " So Far Away" was originally written and recorded with the title "Dancing In Your Blood"; the song had the same basic structure, but different lyrics, more minimal instrumentation, and a slightly different melody. Superstar Car Wash was an actual car washing business on William Street just outside the downtown region of Buffalo, the hometown of the band. Remixed versions of songs "Fallin' Down", "Another Second Time Around", "Cuz You're Gone", "We Are The Normal", "Girl Right Next To Me", "Lucky Star", and "On The Lie" appear in the 2001's compilation

What I Learned About Ego, Opinion, Art & Commerce ''What I Learned About Ego, Opinion, Art & Commerce'' is a compilation album by American rock band Goo Goo Dolls. It was released in 2001 by Warner Bros. Records and is a compilation of Goo Goo Dolls songs released from 1987–2000. Tracks 1–4 ...

. These mixes sound slightly different from their original versions, with crisper and clearer background noises, such as accompanying acoustic guitars and choruses which have been emphasized.

Musical style

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

described the album's sound as a mix of punk rock, pop and

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

thought that the album mostly " emainedin familiar

power-pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

territory", but also had "occasional ventures toward metal or punk." Buffalo News called the album an "alternative-pop masterpiece", stating that the band had "taken their heavy metal, punk and

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

roots and combined them with a softer pop style."

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...

described the album as simply

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

Reception

The album was met with highly positive critical reception. AllMusic gave the album four-out-of-five stars saying that the band let loose and channeled their playful immaturity throughout the attractive impurity of this album." Entertainment Weekly gave the album an 'A' rating. Rock Hard rated the album 8-out-of-10, saying that the band "have an arrow in their quiver that might hit the mark this time." The Chicago Tribune gave the album a 3.5/4.

Track listing

All songs written by The Goo Goo Dolls (

Johnny Rzeznik John Joseph Theodore Rzeznik (; born December 5, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter, best known as the founder, guitarist and frontman of the American rock band Goo Goo Dolls, with whom he has recorded 14 studio albums. Early life Rzeznik w ...

Robby Takac Robert Carl Takac Jr. (born September 30, 1964) is an American rock bassist and vocalist. Takac is one of the founding members of the Goo Goo Dolls, along with Johnny Rzeznik. Background Takac was born in Buffalo, New York and grew up in the Buf ...

and

George Tutuska George Tutuska (born February 27, 1965) is an American musician, best known as the former drummer of the alternative rock band Goo Goo Dolls. Life and career Tutuska is from Buffalo, New York. He is of Irish and Hungarian descent, and he is marr ...

) except when noted.

Personnel

Goo Goo Dolls *

– lead and rhythm guitar, lead and backing vocals *

– bass guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals *

– drums,

art direction Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the visi ...

Additional personnel *Frank Luterec – band photography *Gavin MacKillop – recording, mixing,

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

, leaf photography *

Stephen Marcussen Stephen Marcussen is the founder and chief mastering engineer at Marcussen Mastering in Hollywood, California, United States. He has been mastering music since 1979. Biography Marcussen's introduction to music recording happened in 1976 when, at ...

– mastering at Precision Mastering *Brad Nelson – assistant

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

*Deborah Norcross – design *Matt Pakucko – assistant engineering, mixing *Armand John Petri – instrumentation *

Mary Ramsey Mary Ramsey (born December 24, 1963) is a member of folk rock duo John & Mary and lead singer and violinist for the American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs. Ramsey has also worked with other well-known artists such as Jackson Browne, Goo Go ...

–

viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

on "We Are the Normal" *Merlyn Rosenberg – cover and building photography *Joe Rozler – instrumentation *Leslie Wintner – design

Charts

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1993 albums Goo Goo Dolls albums Hard rock albums by American artists Power pop albums by American artists Punk rock albums by American artists Warner Records albums