Good Charlotte
The D, G and A chords are really all you need - to start. A combination of the root, major 4th and 5th chords allows a guitarist to play most Blues songs and nearly every Rocker of merit. There's power is those chords. When Good Charlotte had their first rehearsal they were the only chords guitarist Benji Madden knew. After all, he'd only been playing a couple of weeks.
It took a life-altering event to prod Benji and his identical twin brother Joel down the Rock road - a Beastie Boys' concert. The "hey, we can do that" mentality ruled as the Waldorf, MD, natives, who'd relocated to Annapolis, developed their chops. Benji picked up the guitar learning those three magic chords (and more) and wrote songs while Joel worked on vocals. With high school buddies, drummer Aaron Escolopio and bassist Paul Thomas, Good Charlotte was rolling. Hearing Joel and Benji perform as a duo for a one-off show, guitarist Billy Martin was impressed and eventually signed on.
A demo of "The Little Things" landed at a Philadelphia modern Rock station where it beat out everything else on the playlist. That, and a hard-driving live reputation, got Good Charlotte signed by Epic with their self-titled debut arriving in '00. The Madden brothers became MTV VJ's and soon were featured on the network's late night show All Things Rock. Sophomore album, "Young & Hopeless" made its appearance in '02. Along the way, Aaron bailed but Good Charlotte kept at it spending a good chunk of the year on the Warped Tour.
With the addition of drummer Chris Wilson, Good Charlotte attempted to expand its boundaries with '04 release, "The Chronicles Of Life & Death."
Following the "The Chronicles" Wilson, who had joined in '02, left citing personal health reasons. Benji was quoted in Kerrang! magazine saying that, for him, Chris leaving the band was the worst part of '05. Dean Butterworth became the group's third drummer.
In March of '07, Good Charlotte issued their fourth studio album "Good Morning Revival." The set was originally scheduled for a June '06 release but the date kept getting pushed back. In the meantime, the first single, "The River," featuring Avenged Sevenfold's lead singer, M. Shadows and guitarist Synyster Gates, was available for downloads.
Good Charlotte's debut and the "Young And The Hopeless" are exciting speed Punk adventures with all the snotty exuberance that took Blink 182 to the top. "Young & Hopeless" is a great album from the hot guitar riff on opening track "New Beginning" to the title track and beyond. The brilliantly satirical, with processed vocals, "Lifestyles Of The Rich and Famous" is priceless. This album Rocks.
The days of Good Charlotte posters occupying a favored spot on fan's bedroom walls is long over but the group still has something to offer. After noodling around on the title track, "Good Morning Revival" get serious on "Misery." "The River" and the speedy verses on "Something Else" make an impact. More in that vein would have made a difference.
"Revival" dwells on love, which can create a lot of pain, but not the kind that drove the group's earlier - better work. Whether by design or not, Good Charlotte comes close to the Wallflowers ("A Beautiful Place"), Sting ("Where Would We Be") and My Chemical Romance ("Broken Hearts Parade") to get across. There're even Wave touches. Though the Madden's are older, and likely more mature, what "Revival" lacks is their in-your-face recklessness. To their credit though, they keep the energy going rather than wallow in ballad self-revelation or whatever that is many bands indulge in before the public completely tosses them off.
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