Betty Goo - Gooicide

Album: Gooicide
Artist: Betty Goo
Release: 1997

Just when I thought I knew how much of a genius Aaron Tap is, I got ahold of a copy of Gooicide by Betty Goo, which he sang and played guitar for in the 90's and...Holy Shit.  I had found bits and pieces of this record online and had listened to as much of it as I could find, but I've only listened to the entire thing twice now (give me a break, I just got in the mail yesterday) so I don't feel like I can do one of those in-depth pulling out lyrics, telling you what it's about kind of reviews.  But at the same time, I'm not sure I'll ever be able to do that with this one.  Trying to talk about this record song by song or in great detail is like trying to remember a dream.  The more I try, the more it slips away, which is why I'm going to go ahead and just sing its praises now while I'm still high on the first couple spins.

I was told (warned?) that the record was kind of schizophrenic before I had a chance to listen to it.  That was a true statement, but it is all over the place in the best possible way.  In that regard, it kind of reminds me of Violent Femmes because I never know where it's going, but it is always going somewhere awesome.  Mr. Tap's vocal calisthenics and the sick shit he makes that guitar do just get down inside my head and refuse to let go.  There is a sound to this record - I can't put my finger on it, it's just like some people playing music and just letting it happen.  Maybe that's not at all how this record was made, but it sounds organic and cathartic.  It is one of very (very!) few records that I have no desire to shuffle or split up into multiple playlists, I just want to experience the entire thing, all the way through, just the way it was recorded.

My only complaint about this album is that I can't ever hear it for the first time again.  I will only get more and more familiar with it and soon I'll know it like the back of my hand.  Which is not to say that it won't still be blowing my mind then, but never again will it have exactly the same effect it had on me last night.  I got it in the mail yesterday, and I quickly ripped it to iTunes and put it on my iPod.  Unfortunately we didn't go to bed until midnight (even though my alarm goes off at 5:45am) but I started listening to it anyway (I always lay in bed and listen to something before I go to sleep, it's a habit I got into during a time when sleepless nights were the norm). 

Big mistake.  Once I got started and this thing borrowed its way into my brain, there was no possible way I could turn it off and just stop listening to it until it was over.  Listening to this record, laying there in the dark with nothing to distract me, was an experience to say the least.  Betty Goo is taking you on a trip, and I'm pretty sure they don't even know the destination, but you are sure as shit going where ever they want to take you and you're going to like it.  Or at least, I did.    I'm not sure it's possible to walk into a record store and buy this one and I know for sure that it's not on iTunes, but trust me, if you dig things that are inventive and interesting and unusual, it is definitely worth putting some effort into finding it.