Goddo

It was intended as a comeback disc, both commercially and artistically. Its principal architect, Goddo frontman Greg Godovitz, calls it the "best album of my career." And it went -- again in the words of Godovitz -- "straight in the toilet." In hindsight, it's easy to see why King of Broken Hearts, Canadian power trio Goddo's return to recording after a decade, was met with such deafening silence. Mostly it was a matter of timing. This CD was issued in 1992, when the grunge era was in full swing and the public was no longer interested in hearing '70s rock played by long-haired 40-year-olds. Compounding the problem, this 11-song effort is a ballad-heavy entry that finds Godovitz all but abandoning his old raucous ways for a sedate, middle-aged sound. The swaggering guitars, full-tilt boogies, and tales of excess that defined Goddo classics like "Sweet Thing" have been replaced by commercial fare like the thudding arena rocker "Was It Somethin' I Said?," the 12-bar blues-rock of "Dreams of New York City" (complete with saxophone), and the post-'80s new wave mood of "It's Good to Be Alive," "Say You Will," and the title track. There are glimpses of the old Goddo in the chugging Doug Inglis beats and whammy bar Gino Scarpelli guitars of "Please Baby Please" and "Mirror Mirror," but, generally, it's no wonder King of Broken Hearts left fans -- and, ultimately, Godovitz himself -- broken-hearted. [A "25th Goddoversary Collection" anniversary edition of the album was released in 2004.]~ Darryl Sterdan, All Music Guide