Gold Medal | 
| Artist: The Donnas
Label: Atlantic / Wea
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $18.97 (100%)
New (34) Used (47) from $0.01
Rating:  72 reviews
Sales Rank: 54025
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: 0007567837582
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 67 more reviews...
The Donnas make a solid return with a twist of the 70's October 26, 2004
eric_f (Boston, MA)
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.
 Sold Cold Medal January 28, 2005
Reijo Piippula (Turku, Finland)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
The Donnas' sixth album Gold Medal isn't really what it promises. This isn't even silver...It's more like Bronze...The album starts with a great punk track "I Don't Want to Know..." which I find a very positive track although the lyrics aren't so happy. "Friends Like Mine" is quite basic rock stuff but then comes "Don't Break Me Down", "Fall Behind Me", and "Is That All You Got for Me" which are all good. "It's So Hard" is again a boring track. "The Gold Medal" is somethin' new. It sounds like Garbage but has the attitude of The Donnas. The song "Revolver" is quite a good one but the rest of the album isn't that good. If you liked "Turn 21" excellent, you probably like this one too. I like more the albums "Spend the Night", "Get Skintight", and "American Teenage Rock 'n' Roll Machine". This album isn't so bad but may be a disappointment for some fans...it sounds too poppy...just like some Blondie fans were disappointed for "Parallel Lines" after Blondie had made two punky albums.
Stars: I Don't Want to Know (If You Don't Want Me), Fall Behind Me, Gold Medal
Not as raw as the others... November 6, 2004
Frank J. Nova (brooklyn, ny United States)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Sure, they're not nailing crunch chords like before, but they're riffs have a lot more thought put into them.
They're growing up, and like it or not, getting a little more sophisticated.
I wouldn't sweat them turning into 4 Avrils just yet...
BTW I got my hands on a dualdisc, the last song ends after a minute on the CD side, but plays all the way through on the DVD side...
Edge Lost October 28, 2004
Foos (Texas)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
_____Today I purchased the DualDisc version of Gold Medal. It was the same price as the regular version, so I picked it up. My portable CD player has a hard time playing it, even though it has no difficulty playing any other CD (it is, however, a very old and dilapidated CD player).
_____It eventually began to play the disc consistently and I was eager to hear The Donnas' new music. After listening to the entire album about three times through, I am very disappointed. The overall drive from their previous release, Spend the Night, is missing from most tracks. It sounds and looks as if The Donnas were trying for more of a mainstream appeal via taking cues from Jet. The power has left the music in lieu of unimaginative parallel diction and rhyming phrases and poppy guitar riffs and lead fills. The cover art for Gold Medal is also very reminiscent of Jet's Get Born, a coincidence a true rock band in their right mind would never let occur.
_____I have heard in interviews from the Spend the Night period that when The Donnas sit down to record an album, they put their heart into every song they record and try to make every last track great. This is not what Gold Medal sounds like. I was drawn into buying it not just by how much I enjoyed Spend the Night, but also by hearing their first single from the album "Fall Behind Me" by way of the internet. I do enjoy this song on the album, as it falls victim to the aforementioned problems only to a lesser extent. The other songs on the album do not sound like they received the same amount of time, effort, and preparation for the album "Fall Behind Me" received. This is not an album I enjoy listening to from start to finish.
_____I am not very satisfied with the album that is Gold Medal. If The Donnas truly wanted the album to sound like this, then I am glad they got their wish, but it is my belief the album's loss of edge either stems from Atlantic wanting The Donnas to go more mainstream so they could make more money or The Donnas wanting to go more mainstream so they could make more money. It is, after all, called "music business, not music fun" and what people do in it generally depends "how badly they want or need that quarter." This album will sell more copies than Spend the Night, however, because of its "new & improved" sound, but I wish one of the youngest and biggest true rock n roll bands did not have to compromise their style to do so. I really wanted to give this album a great review, but I can't. The bottom line is that it doesn't rock, something you used to be able to count on The Donnas to do.
A Transitional Effort July 31, 2006
Douglas Hintz (Colfax, CA)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
It's been mentioned before, but the thing that struck me most about "Gold Medal" is the production. There is NO reverb or delay or ambiance at ALL - in some ways this makes the end result more immediate and accessible - but in others, oddly enough, it makes the band (make no mistake about it - this is a GREAT band!) sound somehow distant and sterile. The appeal of previous Donnas CDs was the sense that you'd turned the wrong corner on your way home and just happened upon the coolest and most rocking band on the planet. Listening to The Donnas was a bit like being in the garage while they cranked it out like only they can. They CAN crank it out and they do so here with a maturity and a willingness to expand their horizons that takes some serious balls. I'm sure they could recycle the familiar Donnas formula if that's what they wanted to do - but, to their credit, they're smart enough to know that in the end they'd end up being little more than a parody of themselves (unless I've missed something there's not a single reference to underwear on the entire CD!) After repeated listenings I realize that I LIKE these songs - I'd love to hear them in the garage - or on the stage. As good as the production on this CD is (Hell, I'm considering experimenting with a similarly "Dry" sound on my projects - I can see places where it would work well..) it's just WRONG for The Donna's. They need the "live" feel for their songs to have the immediacy that hits you between the eyes and keeps on hitting. They are growing as artists and musicians and I salute them for the effort and I'll be in line to buy the next effort. Go Girls! (Women?) This CD will one day be seen as the boundry between "The female Ramones" period and whatever they decide to become as a unique entity carving out a place in Rock'n'Roll history of their own. (PS - I'm available to produce and my rates are extremely reasonable!) But PLEASE - next time choose a producer who understands what makes The Donnas special instead of one who only knows what makes HIM special.
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