GODDO – KING OF BROKEN HEARTS (1992)

Goddo’s 1992 studio release ‘King Of Broken Hearts’ is by far their most underrated album since the band’s inception in 1975. The album was released during the growth of the Grunge movement in the early ’90s.

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 The swaggering guitars, full-tilt boogies, and tales of excess that defined Goddo classics like “Sweet Thing” have been replaced by commercial fare like the thudding arena rocker “Was It Something I Said?,” the 12-bar blues-rock of “Dreams of New York City” (complete with saxophone), and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. ~ Darryl Sterdan

1. Mirror Mirror
2. Say You Will
3. Just Don’t Know
4. King of Broken Hearts
5. Was It Somethin’ I Said?
6. Dreams of New York City
7. It’s Good To Be Alive
8. The Quest
9. Quicksand
10. Lost Without Your Love
11. You Can’t Do That
12. Egypt
13. You Must Fight Back
14. Please Baby Please

Greg Godovitz bass, vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar
Gino Scarpelli guitars, bass, slide guitar, backwards guitar and solo
Doug Inglis drums, percussion, tympani
Rick Hopkins B3 Hammond organ, piano
Marty Morin percussion, background vocals
Terry Brown tambourine, keyboards, percussion
John Ferreira tenor sax, soprano sax
Mike Mocak baritone sax, tenor sax
Bob Gray strings
Colina Philips background vocals
Vivienne Williams background vocals
Kenny Maclean background vocals
Dr. John Bjarnason harmonica
Dennis Marcenko bass
Chris Yost rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar
Drew Winters keyboards

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