Good Charlotte - Good Charlotte (Good Charlotte - Good Charlotte)

Member Name: ManUtdBoi

Product:	Good Charlotte - Good Charlotte
Date:	31/10/04 (806 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: fun, thoughtful

Disadvantages: -

The words ‘good’ and ‘talented’ are thrown around far to often with modern bands. Despite my age and the fact that bands such as Good Charlotte and Green Day are my main viewpoint, I fully understand what it means to be ‘talented’. In the case of Good Charlotte, I believe that they receive far to much stick from certain sections of the public. Yes, they may not be ‘punk’ (whatever the hell that is these days), but what Good Charlotte is, is a band of 5 guys that know how to have fun with their music and have gone on to create a massive fan base for themselves in the process. Lead by lead vocalist Joel Madden and his twin brother (as well as lead guitarist) Benji, Good Charlotte have just released their third record ‘The Chronicles Of Life and Death’, an album that shows further progression from previous release ‘The Young & The Hopeless’, and also shows diversity within the genre.

I however, have decided to give my thoughts on their debut album ‘Good Charlotte’, an album that offers a far superior sound to anything that has come since, using a far edgier, under-produced sound to great effect. Good Charlotte stand out from the crowd as their music has a genuine message to it. Where bands such as Yellowcard give off the same message, the difference is that with Good Charlotte, it’s genuine. Joel and Benji Madden really did have the difficult childhood that they write about, with their father walking out on them at a very young age, leaving them to fend for themselves. Suicide, depression, lost love, betrayal, its all here in abundance. As far as the pop-punk genre goes, Good Charlotte are easily the best, and only genuine band, within it. Infectious hooks, great melodies and strong messages …….that’s Good Charlotte for ya.

Little Things.

As this album wasn’t released in the UK until Good Charlotte became the ‘in thing’, I’m not completely sure as to what songs were released from the album. What I believe its safe to say, is that this is the teen anthem for the album. With the spoken opening dedicating the song to “Those that have never had a date to no school prom” or those people that “have always been called a freak”, instantly winning the attention of the masses. Luckily I don’t qualify in either of those categories, but it doesn’t mean that I cant enjoy a great track. Up-beat and very reminiscent of early Green Day, ‘Little Things’ is Good Charlotte at their rebellious best. This is the first sign of the Madden twins anger at their father, using lyrics such as …….

“And that same year on Christmas Eve
Dad went to the store (uhh see you guys later)
We checked his room
His things were gone
We didn’t see him no more (DICK !!!)”

Waldorf Worldwide.

As with ‘Little Things’, this is another song that wouldn’t be out of place on a Billie Joe Armstrong masterpiece. The verse has more of a, how should I put it, Caribbean feel to it, plodding along to the backing music. Another great upbeat chorus with Good Charlotte again having another stab at their father, showing that however tough they may try to look, that one issue does effect them highly. Where ‘Good Charlotte’ outdoes ‘The Young & The Hopeless’ is that with this album, Good Charlotte were fresh and new, allowing them to do things their way, but with success comes the ultimate price … record company power. Once you become a ‘household name’ you are then expected to comply to the wishes of the people that pay you. With Good Charlotte that has certainly effected the true punk edge that their earlier material has, and it becomes evident on their follow up release that there is an instant, and obvious change to their sound.

“All I wanna do is kick the welfare
All I wanna do is get my share
And I don’t wanna run for president
I just want an honest way to pay my rent”

East Coast Anthem

The best track on the album, ‘East Coast Anthem’ is fast, hard and infectious as hell. They don’t try and do anything special, and that’s where Good Charlotte are different, they know they make great music without trying to be diverse with it. East Coast Anthem stands out as it is without doubt the quickest, and lyrically best, thing present here, and only matched for fun by ‘Lifestyles Of The Rich and Famous’. With most people I know being on the non-fan side of Good Charlotte, in fact the only person I know that likes them is my girlfriend, it makes it difficult to even be able to talk about what a great band they are, because with an album, let alone a song of this quality, they truly are a talent.

“Walking on the streets of DC
On the east coast where I live
You say what’s the problem
What’s with this angry kid”

Festival Song.

I believe this was the first single released (although as I said I’m not entirely sure), and as with ‘East Coast Anthem’, it’s a snotty, driven anthem to the people that have, at some point, tried to tell GC how to run their lives. It incorporates the fact that Good Charlotte don’t want ‘your boring life’ nor your ֳ to 5’, and want to be different form the norm. Yes, these are the lyrics that you here from New Found Glory, Simple Plan etc, but Good Charlotte don’t just incorporate them into tuneless, flat rubbish, they put them into genuinely entertaining songs that areas infectious as anything else I’ve heard in a long time.

“But tonight tonight, its on tonight
I don’t want your boring life
And I don’t want your 9 to 5
Or anyone to tell me how to live my life”

Thankyou Mom

This song is a bonus track on the UK version of the album, placed roughly 1 minute after the final track. It is a beautiful acoustic track that sees Joel Madden singing along to the acoustic playing of his brother, Benji. The song, as i'm sure you can tell from the title, is a thankyou message to their mother for being there when their father wasn't, and helping them to grow up into the people that they've since become.

"I'm sitting here I'm thinking back to a time when I was young...
My memory, is clear as day
I'm listening to the dishes click, you were downstairs, you would sing
Songs of praise
And all the times we laughed with you, and all the times that you stayed true to us
Now we say...

I said I thank you, I'll always thank you
More than you could know, than I could ever show
And I love you, I'll always love you
There's nothing I won't do, to say these words to you
That you're beautiful forever

You were my mom, you were my dad, the only thing I ever had was you, it's true
And even when the times got hard, you were there to let us know...that we'd get through
You showed me how to be a man, you taught me how to understand the things, people do
You showed me how to love my God, you taught me that not everyone knows the truth

And I thank you, I'll always thank you
More than you could know, than I could ever show
And I love you, I'll always love you
There's nothing I won't do, to say these words to you
That you will live forever
Always, always and forever......"

(forgive the inclusion of all the lyrics but I believe this to be a beautiful track that deserves recognition)


Undoubtedly, I’m sure that they will continue to receive flack for being ‘posers’ and ‘fake’, but these comments also generally come from the people that haven’t even given their albums a listen, and believe that Usher is the ‘cool’ thing (now I personally would rather be a poser than an all round dead weight). But in fairness, that’s just because I appreciate what Good Charlotte have gone through in their lives, and they have come out stronger as a result, and with the upcoming third album to go with their previous album, as well as this fantastic debut release, what isn’t their to appreciate about Good Charlotte - a true fun band with a damn fine sound backed by a genuine message to the masses.

www.goodcharlotte.com
www.goodcharlotterocks.com

Track listing

1. Little Things
2. Waldorf Worldwide
3. The Motivation Proclamation
4. East Coast Anthem
5. Festival Song
6. Complicated
7. Seasons
8. I Don’t Wanna Stop
9. I Heard You
10. The Click
11. Walk By
12. Let Me Go
13. Screamer
14. Change

Summary: