| Gold Medal | 
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| Artist: The Donnas
Label: Atlantic / Wea
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy Used: $0.75
You Save: $18.23 (96%)
New (46) Used (46) from $0.75
Avg. Customer Rating:  71 reviews
Sales Rank: 75765
Format: Enhanced
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 83758
UPC: 075678375828
EAN: 0075678375828
ASIN: B0002ZI9DI
Release Date: October 26, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | I Don't Want to Know (If You Don't Want Me) | | • | Friends Like Mine | | • | Don't Break Me Down | | • | Fall Behind Me | | • | Is That All You've Got For Me | | • | It's So Hard | | • | The Gold Metal | | • | Out of My Hands | | • | It Takes One to Know One | | • | Revolver | | • | Have You No Pride |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
The Donnas proved themselves more than apt at playing fast and fun party rock in a Ramones-y mold from their teenage get-go in 1998, then quickly amassed a huge following for their increasingly "pro," deliriously fun retro-rock. In 2002, they surprised lots of folks with Spend the Night, an album that showed more lyrical finesse as well as Cheap Trick/ Thin Lizzy-ish pop-rock flourishes. On 2004's Gold Medal, however, the wayback machine continues to spiral backwards, and the result is far less pleasurable. The songs plod along with little reward, most of them "going over like a lead zeppelin," to quote Keith Moon. There are some nice touches, from the Zombies-esque backing vocals on "Don't Break Me Down" to the truly psychedelic guitar solo in "Out of My Hands." But in the end, Gold Medal will likely be remembered as the Donnas album with way too much cowbell on it. --Mike McGonigal
Album Description
The Donnas' eagerly awaited Gold Medal takes the top prize for vital, edgy, modern rock'n'roll at its finest. The quartet's 2002 break-through Atlantic debut, "Spend the Night," debuted in the #1 position on Billboard's "Heatseekers" chart, fuelled by the radio/video hit, "Take It Off," massive critical acclaim, and high-profile TV performances on Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Now the Donnas have raised the bar, as musicians and songwriters, to deliver the best work of their career. Produced by Butch Walker (Avril Lavigne, Injected), tracks like the provocative first single, "Fall Behind Me," and the poignant "Revolver" shimmer with rock energy, blasting off the blocks with newfound invention and intensity. With Gold Metal, the Donnas take an Olympian leap forward, setting a sparkling new standard for pure rock'n'roll brilliance.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 66 more reviews...
The Donnas make a solid return with a twist of the 70's October 26, 2004
26 out of 32 found this review helpful
Ever since hearing Spend The Night, I've been a fan of The Donnas. I find their music fun to listen to and hum along. They may not be revolutionary nor groundbreaking but they don't have to be. These 4 ladies can more than hold their own weight in a male-dominated industry, and for that I say, good for them.
And now The Donnas are back with Gold Medal, their highly anticipated new album. Before I go on, I should say that the only Donnas album I own (other than Gold Medal) is Spend The Night, so my comparisons will be only to that album. That out of the way, I think Gold Medal lives up to the hype for the most part. One thing you'll notice, perhaps the first thing you'll notice, is that this album has a mellower feel than Spend The Night, even during the heavier songs. At first I wondered why this was so, and then realized it's because of the slightly less-polished production than Spend The Night. I can't help thinking of the overall sound of Gold Medal as 70's "fuzz" guitar. Not that that's a bad thing, mind you. It's as if The Donnas want the listener to focus on the music itself this time, rather than just the chunky, loud power chords that Spend The Night consisted of. Which one is better? That will be a personal preference, but I have to say that I liked the production on Spend The Night better. Don't get me wrong though, Gold Medal sounds great too. It's just another type of "great" if that makes sense.
Lyrically, The Donnas have injected a little more maturity into their songwriting, although their desire to party is still ever so present: case in point, the opening lines of "It's So Hard":
"I'm not obsessed, I could care less. I just want to get you undressed." If that's not trademark The Donnas, I don't know what is! But it's all tongue-in-cheek, so why not just go along with it.
This album has been released in a limited edition "Dual Disc" version in addition to this single disc version. Unless you're an avid collector of limited edition releases (or just love The Donnas so much that you absolutely must own both versions), I would recommend just getting this single disc edition. It has an enhanced section with the video of "Fall Behind Me" (which is WAY COOL), a link to their website and a link to ring tones. So basically all the multimedia stuff you would want. The Dual Disc edition offers a dual-sided disc with the album on one side and a DVD on the other. The DVD offers the entire album in Surround Sound (really not that different in terms of sound quality, unless you own top-of-the-line speakers), the video of "Fall Behind Me" and a making-of segment for the album. Sounds good at first, but there are some drawbacks. For one, the Dual Disc format is nothing new, and I along with many DVD owners HATE them. They are much easier to scratch and get fingerprints on, since one can't touch either side. Anyone who has ever owned a DVD film on a dual disc format will know exactly what I'm talking about. And if that's not bad enough, the DVD will not play on certain models, nor on certain models of DVD-Rom drives on one's PC. The only real bonus of the DVD is the making-of segment, but this will only appeal to die-hard fans. For everyone else, the single disc edition is the way to go.
 No longer hungry & aggressive -- Donnas go fat and content October 29, 2004
8 out of 12 found this review helpful
Well, I guess it's a decent pop album, but where's the aggressive sneer, the hungry attitude and emotion of previous albums? C'mon gals, just because you've gotten popular doesn't mean you have to sell out and get complacent. This may be a decent pop album for some other artist, but I've thoroughly enjoyed Donnas albums of years past and this PALES in comparison. Very vanilla, very much by the numbers...
To add insult to injury, the DualDisc has a technical snafu that cuts off the last track after about 58 seconds. I've exchanged two copies of it now to no avail, and now I read on the Donnas website that THE ENTIRE PRODUCTION RUN of the Dualdisc has this screw up, which is unforgiveable for a major label release.
So in the end we have an uninspired album with technical (and artistic) difficulties. Very disappointing. I'll go back to listening to the new Green Day and Sum 41 CDs -- at least they've still got attitude and energy.
Atlantic Destroyed The Donnas November 7, 2004
8 out of 16 found this review helpful
Note - I am a long time fan, from the Electrocutes "Steal You Lunch Money" (Sympathy 4 the R.I. Label) to The Donna's Atlantic Records debut "Spend the NIght".
The Donnas have long been known for combining a punk/metal/rock sound that included great lyrics about sex, rock and roll, and just having fun, all with a sense of humor and great playing. The releases on Lookout Records, The Donna's self titled through Turn 21 are by far their best. When The Donna's signed to Atlantic I was excited for them , but worried about them losing their distinctive sound, however "Spend the Night" appeased my worries - it was still the Donna's!
This release however, destroyed the Donna's that I love. The ladies have gotten rid of their Donna A, C, F and R. Their sound has mellowed - gone are the tight, fast and passionate rips. Gone is the lyrical content that could make me laugh or get me pumped up and ready to rock. I wish I could say that this is development for the group, but I cannot. This is easy listening. I have always wished The Donnas success, but I didn't realize that I would lose them when that occurred. Go to h*ll Atlantic!
For those reading this review, please check this release out, but then go back to "Skintight", "Turn 21", "American Rock and Roll Machine", and even "Spend the Night". For those more adventurous/lo-fi, try "The Donnas".
Maya, Brett, Allison, and Torry... I still love you guys. Please remember your days on Lookout.
 Gold Plated At Best... November 5, 2004
6 out of 12 found this review helpful
While previous albums blended the hard rockin' fury of artists like The Ramones, Kiss & Joan Jett, "Gold Medal" turns the "rawkin'" knob down a few notches for a more tame and dare I say "commercial" sound. Now the band's influences seem to draw more from The Knack, Loverboy & The Bangles than the previous mentioned artists (I'm not joking for once) . If "Gold Medal" is listened to with an ignorance of the previous Donnas albums, a pleasant listening experience might result. It's an okay power-pop, punk-lite album. But if you already own any of the previous albums, you may be pretty disappointed here. You'll be really disappointed when your mom doesn't tell you to turn this one down, because you don't really want to turn it up. If you are new to the Donnas, best enter the words "rock", "roll" & "machine" in the search box now and take a pass here. Current fans will no doubt want to purchase this cd. I strongly recommend holding off on your purchase for awhile then search eBay or zShops for a good price. ****May 2007 zShops Used Price Update....Told you so!****
Not up to Par October 31, 2004
5 out of 9 found this review helpful
I agree with the other guy who wrote this review, I'll quote him on it,
"Well, I guess it's a decent pop album, but where's the aggressive sneer, the hungry attitude and emotion of previous albums? C'mon gals, just because you've gotten popular doesn't mean you have to sell out and get complacent. This may be a decent pop album for some other artist, but I've thoroughly enjoyed Donnas albums of years past and this PALES in comparison. Very vanilla, very much by the numbers"
I think he hits the nail on the head. The more I listen to it, I'm sure it will grow on me some. But when I throwed in "Turn 21" and "Spend the Night" for the first time, I was BLOWN AWAY, and couldn't stop listening. I'm getting the very opposite feeling from this album.
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