Good God's Urge

Good God's Urge is the second studio album by American alternative rock band Porno for Pyros.[2] It was released in 1996 on Warner Bros. It was the band's first album to feature bass guitarist Mike Watt, who assisted the band in finishing the album after Martyn LeNoble left before all his bass tracks had been completed.[3] There were three singles released from the album.

Good God's Urge
Studio album by
Porno for Pyros
ReleasedMay 28, 1996
StudioShangri-La, Malibu, California
Genre
Length38:22
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerPerry Farrell
Thomas Johnson
Matt Hyde[1]
Porno for Pyros chronology
Porno for Pyros
(1993)		 Good God's Urge
(1996)
Singles from Good God's Urge
  1. "Tahitian Moon"
    Released: May 1996
  2. "100 Ways"
    Released: 1996
  3. "Dogs Rule the Night"
    Released: 1996

In addition to Watt, many guest musicians lent their musical talents to various songs. "Porpoise Head" featured Daniel Ash, David J and Kevin Haskins from Bauhaus, Love and Rockets and the Bubblemen. Good God's Urge also marked a reunion of ex-Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro, who played guitar on the album track "Freeway." The song also featured Navarro's Red Hot Chili Peppers bandmate, Flea.

Farrell's then-girlfriend, Christine Cagle, appeared on the album cover.[4] Photographer John Eder described the photoshoot as "increasingly chaotic and weird", and said the cover was one of the last shots of the night.[5]

The album was devised over a two-year "surf trip" that saw the band visiting places like Tahiti, Indonesia, Samoa, Costa Rica, and Mexico, leading to a more acoustic and less hard rock sound. The trips doubled as occasions for the band to detox from their severe drug addictions, which informed the lyrics of songs like "Porpoise Head" and "Tahitian Moon".[5] Recording took place at Shangri-La in Malibu, California.[5]

LeNoble left the band before recording completed due to drug addiction and clashes with Farrell, who was growing increasingly paranoid from crack cocaine use. LeNoble was frustrated with the business structure of Porno for Pyros, set up as a company with Farrell as the sole owner, thus depriving the other band members of publishing rights. LeNoble was hospitalised after he left due to the severity of his drug addiction.[5]

Porno for Pyros went on a hiatus shortly after the tour (featuring Watt on bass) promoting the album's release due to guitarist Peter DiStefano cancer diagnosis.[6] They were set to reform in 2019 to perform at singer Farrell's birthday celebration, but those plans were scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Good God's Urge-era lineup of Farrell, DiStefano, Perkins, and Watt performed in 2020 as part of a Lollapalooza webcast, and in 2022 as part of the Welcome to Rockville festival.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[6]
Entertainment WeeklyC−[8]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[1]
NME8/10[9]
Rolling Stone[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[11]
Spin6/10[12]

Trouser Press wrote that "while he helpfully turns the attack down to an alluringly cool semi-acoustic breeze on parts of Good God’s Urge, Farrell can’t improve his obnoxious personality, which renders the album another love-it/hate- it proposition."[13] The New York Times wrote that "the music gets atmospheric, experimental and interesting."[14] CMJ New Music Monthly called the record "more pleasantly stoned than the first album."[15]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Porpoise Head"4:15
2."100 Ways"3:42
3."Tahitian Moon"3:47
4."Kimberly Austin"3:13
5."Thick of it All"4:43
6."Good God's://Urge!"3:52
7."Wishing Well"3:40
8."Dogs Rule the Night"3:22
9."Freeway"4:23
10."Bali Eyes"3:28

Personnel

Band

Additional musicians
  • Thomas Johnson: Samples and sounds, keyboards (track 2)
  • David J: Bass (1)
  • Mike Watt: Bass (2, 6)
  • Flea: Bass (9)
  • Daniel Ash: Guitar (1)
  • Kevin Haskins: Samples (1)
  • Dave Navarro: Guitar intro (9)
  • Matt Hyde: Intro slide guitar (3), samples (8), slide guitar (10)
  • Lili Haydn: Violin (2)
  • Ralf Rickert: Trumpet (2)
  • Leo Chelyapov: Clarinet (7)
  • John Flannery: Space guitar intro and chorus (9), backing vocals and trash can (6)
  • Josh "Bagel" Klassman: Backing vocals (9)
  • Christine Cagle: Backing vocals (6, 9)
  • Shawn London: Backing Vocals (6)
  • Kimberly Juarez: Backing Vocals (2)

Production

Charts
Chart performance for Good God's Urge
Chart (1996) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[16] 20
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[17] 20
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[18] 18
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[19] 57
UK Albums (OCC)[20] 40
US Billboard 200[21] 20

References
  1. MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 886.
  2. "Porno for Pyros | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  3. MTV News Staff. "Porno For Pyros Light Another Unforgettable Fire With Good God's Urge". MTV News.
  4. Gramlich, Chris (2013-04-08). "Jane's Addiction - What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been (Page 6) • Timeline •". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2013-05-24.
  5. Mullen, Brendan (2005-04-26). Whores: An Oral Biography Of Perry Farrell And Jane's Addiction. Da Capo Press. pp. 425–441. ISBN 978-0-306-81347-4.
  6. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 6. MUZE. p. 600.
  7. Greg Prato. "Good God's Urge - Porno for Pyros". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
  8. Nisid Hajari (1996-05-31). "Good God's Urge Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2013-02-23.
  9. "NME.COM - PORNO FOR PYROS - Good Gods Urge - 25/5/1996". NME. October 16, 2000. Archived from the original on 2000-10-16.
  10. Arion Berger (1996-06-13). "Porno for Pyros: Good God's Urge : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. pp. 80–82. Archived from the original on 2007-12-06. Retrieved 2013-02-23.
  11. Cross, Charles R. (2004). "Porno for Pyros". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 646. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  12. "Spins". SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. July 22, 1996 – via Google Books.
  13. "Porno for Pyros". Trouser Press. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  14. Strauss, Neil (July 15, 1996). "POP REVIEW;On the Road to Spiritual Glam-Rock (Published 1996)" – via NYTimes.com.
  15. "Reviews". CMJ New Music Monthly. CMJ Network, Inc. July 22, 1996 – via Google Books.
  16. "Australiancharts.com – Porno for Pyros – Good Gods Urge". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  17. "Charts.nz – Porno for Pyros – Good Gods Urge". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  18. "Norwegiancharts.com – Porno for Pyros – Good Gods Urge". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  19. "Swedishcharts.com – Porno for Pyros – Good Gods Urge". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  20. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  21. "Porno for Pyros". Billboard.
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