Gutterflower

Gutterflower is the seventh studio album by the Goo Goo Dolls, released on April 9, 2002 through Warner Bros. Records. It is the follow up to their critically successful albums Dizzy Up the Girl and A Boy Named Goo. The album was commercially successful upon its release, hitting #4 on the Billboard 200.

"Big Machine"
John Rzeznik refers to this as his "disco song". "I’m really horrible at programming drum machines, but this was like pattern 74 on my drum machine, which said 'disco.' I called all my friends and said, 'Check this out, this is my disco song!'" He describes it as "a propulsive tale of unrequited love". "Big Machine" was occasionally performed live on a smashed Stratocaster guitar that Rzeznik has fondly nicknamed "The Half-Caster". Despite being smashed in half, it still plays. It can be seen in a 2002 VH1 Storytellers special. Rzeznik stated that he had someone fix it up and it works just fine.

"Here is Gone"
John Rzeznik wrote this song on the phone while talking to a friend. He asked his friend if he should "take the chords up or take 'em down?" and the friend told him to "take 'em up" and that's how he came up with the chorus and the rest of the song came together shortly thereafter. According to Rzeznik in 2007, the video for this song cost more to make than the entire Gutterflower album.

Critical
In 2005, Gutterflower was ranked number 499 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.

Chart performance
Gutterflower peaked at number 4 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Band members

 * Mike Malinin – drums
 * John Rzeznik – guitars, vocals, composer (tracks 1–3, 5, 7–9, 12)
 * Robby Takac – bass, vocals, composer (tracks 4, 6, 10–11)

Other personnel

 * Ken Allardyce – engineer
 * Brett Allen – guitar technician
 * Kim Bullard – programming
 * Rob Cavallo – producer
 * Daniel Chase – pro-tools
 * Ed Cherney – mixing
 * Mike Fasano – drum technician
 * Steve Genewick – engineer
 * Mick Haggerty – art direction, design, photography


 * Jimmy Hoyson – engineer
 * Cheryl Jenets – artists and repertoire
 * Dean Karr – photography
 * Tom Lord-Alge – mixing
 * Doug McKean – pro-tools, programming
 * Kevin Meeker – engineer
 * Bob Mussell – photography
 * Allen Sides – engineer
 * Robert Vosgien – mastering