Dookie
Green Day
I really wanted to cover a Green Day record but they have so many records that I love, it was hard to pick. So I decided to cover six. In the first part of this series, I'll be looking back at the first three records the band did for Reprise, their introduction (much to the punk community's chagrin) to the mainstream. In the second part, I will take a look at a later time in the band's career that was particularly prolific. Of course, I'm talking about the ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, ¡Tré! trilogy. I hope you enjoy reading my thoughts on these six records.
Let's begin with Green Day's major label debut, an album that is widely praised as one of the greatest pop-punk records of all time. You don't need me to tell you how good it is, but for the sake of making a public record, I will anyways. Dookie packs a sugary punch with a lot of kinetic energy. There's also an air of youthful naivety to it as the songs navigate these novel (for the protagonist) coming of age situations. Being trapped in a toxic relationship (Pulling Teeth), setting out on your own and it not being what you imagined it would be (Welcome to Paradise), and coming to terms with your sexuality (Coming Clean) are just a few of the situations depicted on this record. In a more meta sense, the band was not able to foresee the backlash that lead to their annexation from the punk community they cut their teeth in as a result of signing a major deal, and incorporating more pop and sentimental sensibilities. I think this is evidenced by the rather strong response the band would make on their following record. For myself, and many others I'm sure, that naivety and youthful exuberance made their music quite endearing.
On a more personal level, Dookie was incredibly influential to me as a growing musician. Many of the first basslines I tried to play came from this record and it made learning the instrument an absolute blast. The walking bassline on Longview, the nimble bass fills on Sassafras Roots, and the rapid hammer-ons and pull-offs on When I Come Around are just a few examples. There is so much versatility in Mike Dirnt's bass playing and I believe that the enjoyability of Dookie's songs largely hinge on the bassline; it's a total bass guitar record. To a lesser extent, the drums were also pretty influential. The drum fill on Basket Case in particular, where Tré Cool sneaks in an open hi-hat in the middle of furious snare rolls and cymbal crashes blew my mind the first time I heard it, and I have definitely stolen that fill a few times on some of the drum parts I have conceived over the years.
Green Day also showed me the beauty in simplicity. They are often criticized for making songs that are frustratingly simple: three chords, verse, chorus, verse, chorus. While I get the criticism, I appreciate the way the band doesn't stretch their ideas too thin. They come up with a great chord progression, a nifty bassline, some manic drums, and a catchy vocal melody accompanied by the occasional harmony, and then the band packs it in somewhere underneath the three minute mark, long before you could possibly grow tired of it. On the other hand, this criticism is not entirely valid as there are a few examples of some pretty cool detours the band embarks on. Half way through Chump, the trio abandons the song for this moody bass and tom breakdown that eventually builds into this crazy rock freakout that you'd typically hear at the end of a legacy rock band's arena show. Welcome to Paradise's bridge also takes an unexpected detour that feels so far off the beaten path that you are surprised when it eventually makes its return to the final verse.
Believe it or not though, Dookie actually isn't my favourite Green Day album. Sure it has many of the band's most iconic songs, but the classics aren't necessarily my favourite Green Day tracks. I guess another thing overall that I'm a little nit-picky over is the production. It is slightly washed out, has more of a live feeling. It's a sound that I don't typically mind, but looking at Green Day's discography overall, I do prefer the more direct sound on their later records. Don't get me wrong though, this album is still incredible; absolutely deserving of every accolade it receives. Furthermore, it will always serve as a reminder of where I was when I began my musical journey and how far I have come on a performance level.
8.6
Standouts: Basket Case, Sassafras Roots, In the End, F.O.D.
Pop-Punk (1994) Reprise. Reviewed March 16th, 2022
Insomniac
Green Day
I really wanted to cover a Green Day record but they have so many records that I love, it was hard to pick. So I decided to cover six. In the first part of this series, I'll be looking back at the first three records the band did for Reprise, their introduction (much to the punk community's chagrin) to the mainstream. In the second part, I will take a look at a later time in the band's career that was particularly prolific. Of course, I'm talking about the ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, ¡Tré! trilogy. I hope you enjoy reading my thoughts on these six records.
Green Day's 1995 follow-up, Insomniac, is very much a response to the backlash the band received from punk purists over Dookie, as I previously alluded to. There are explicit responses to their critics on the songs 86 and No Pride, where Billie Joe sings about the cold shoulders, the gatekeeping, and the questioning of the band's integrity. Aside from this song though, just listen to the sound of this album. The guitars are more distorted, the production is more direct, the songs are faster, Billie Joe Armstrong puts on a more demented voice, and so many tracks are filled with spiteful bitterness. It creates this interesting dichotomy where I'm not quite sure if the band is giving Gilman the finger or offering mea culpas. What I can say for certain though is that this is my favourite Green Day record, or at least it is at the time of this writing. That's because not only are the hits from this record still fantastic, Insomniac also has quite a few of my favourite deep cuts.
Bab's Uvula Who? is among those fantastic deep cuts. It's a real simple song about how anxiety over our shortcomings can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Musically, I love the tight shots of distorted guitars, the dramatic spacing between them, and the sweet harmony on "all wound up" is maybe the album's strongest hook. It's like a Beatles tune on uppers. Then there's Panic Song which was not a single, but I'm sure has grown to be a fan favourite. More than half the song is this epic build-up as Mike Dirnt mashes on a single bass note and Tré Cool rolls on the floor tom. The build-up is so good that whatever followed could have been awful and the build-up would still be worth it, but of course the last minute and a half is amazing. I also really like the songs No Pride and Tight Wad Hill for no special reason other than I just really enjoy the vocal melody and chord progressions.
As for the singles, Insomniac has some of the best. I love the bitter energy on Stuck With Me and how you can't tell if it is directed towards the abusive party, or themselves for not being strong enough to cut ties. This track also has some pretty awesome bass moments as well, like the brief little bass digression that takes center stage before the final chorus. Geek Stink Breath has a progression that features some rapid chord changes and a tremendously sharp chorus that I find really catchy. To match along with the subject matter, I also find Billie Joe Armstrong's vocals to be particularly delirious, especially on that final verse. Those delirious vocal performances later return on Brain Stew. I love the descending, chromatic chord progression and again, that use of space between those distorted guitar hits. There's no chorus. Instead, Armstrong just fills the space with incessant harmonics, fret noise, and metallic sliding as his hand moves aimlessly up and down the neck. This track seamlessly transitions right into the next, Jaded, which is up there for the band's fastest tune. Who doesn't like a fast song?
On paper, Insomniac is not their most successful album, and is probably rarely thought of amidst the conversation of best Green Day albums, but if you ask me, it is the most visceral and reaches the highest peaks of any other Green Day record. On top of that, the album is dense with my personal favourites in their catalogue. Furthermore, It's an album where I feel the band has something to prove in spite of all the backlash they received. As a result, the songs are more aggressive, the vocal deliveries are more expressive, and overall, just a more exciting record. It was also a necessary moment for the band. Had they not faced the criticism head on, I'm not sure they would have had the confidence to experiment on later projects. Everyone has heard the hits but if for some reason you have not heard this album all the way through, then I guess you know what you have to do.
8.8
Standouts: Geek Stink Breath, Bab's Uvula Who?, Panic Song, Brain Stew, Jaded, Walking Contradiction
Pop Punk (1995) Reprise. Reviewed March 16th, 2022
Nimrod
Green Day
I really wanted to cover a Green Day record but they have so many records that I love, it was hard to pick. So I decided to cover six. In the first part of this series, I'll be looking back at the first three records the band did for Reprise, their introduction (much to the punk community's chagrin) to the mainstream. In the second part, I will take a look at a later time in the band's career that was particularly prolific. Of course, I'm talking about the ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, ¡Tré! trilogy. I hope you enjoy reading my thoughts on these six records.
After exorcising all that frustration on Insomniac, Green Day returned in 1997 with a considerably more polished, carefree, and arguably, more fun record. Nimrod was also Green Day's longest and most diverse offering up until that point; featuring eighteen songs and clocking in at just under fifty minutes. The band still brought that bitterness on songs like The Grouch where Billie Joe Armstrong sings about growing old and reflecting on a wasted life. Then there are moments filled with seething anger, resulting in some of Green Day's most ferocious tracks. Platypus (I Hate You) has to be the band's fastest song and also the most disrespectful. "I heard you're sick, sucked on that cancer stick... it brings me pleasure just to know you're going to die" Armstrong spits directed at Gilman club owner, Tim Yohannan; the one responsible for banning Green Day from performing there after their move to a major label. Yohannan would pass away a year later from lymphatic cancer. The anger spills over to violence on Take Back. Armstrong surprisingly unleashes a monstrous growl that sounds so good, I kinda want to hear how he would sound on a disgusting grindcore or powerviolence record.
As I alluded to, that is just one aspect of the record. On the other hand, the band gets quite sentimental (and cynical) on tracks like Redundant. Armstrong reflects on the length of his relationship with his wife and how close proximity for such a long period of time has led them to be at odds with each other more often than not. Even saying 'I love you' hardly has meaning anymore. The following track, Scattered, continues down this sentimental path as the song's protagonist realizes that he misses a certain someone after looking at old photographs. The feelings come hard and fast as Armstrong paints the picture of lumps in throats, choking back tears, and the sudden determination to get this person back into their life and give them everything they have. Musically, I love the way this track comes in hot and when the verses come around, the song drops in intensity unexpectedly.
This is all pretty heavy, but the rest of the record is a lot more fun, I swear. All the Time has a great groove and I also love the robotic delivery of the vocals in the chorus. King For a Day explores gender bending in a super playful way with marching snares and a comedic horn section. "Sugar, spice, and everything nice wasn't made for only girls," Armstrong said in 1997 and for some reason, twenty-five years later, many still can't wrap their head around this. The band has a lot to say and a lot of emotions to cover so thankfully, they set aside some time to just chill out at the beach. Last Ride In is a much needed instrumental breather with calming waves, a nice side stick groove, reverbed guitar, and bassy horns.
In my opinion, Nimrod is maybe their most consistent record, although, the highs don't quite reach the peaks that Dookie and Insomniac do. Still though, I find it amazing that the band jam packed eighteen tracks onto this record and not one dud in the bunch. It demonstrates that this time was particularly creative and prolific, especially considering the trio produced thirty songs in total over the course of the recording sessions. It's a great stamp on the first leg of the Reprise years.
8.5
Standouts: The Grouch, Platypus (I Hate You), Take Back
Pop Punk (1997) Reprise. Reviewed March 16th, 2022
