This past week, Green Day's charismatic frontman Billie Joe Armstrong turned 48. To top that , Green Day released their 13th studio album Father of All Motherfuckers earlier this month . It's crazy to comprehend that Green Day as a band have been around since 1987 and that their first album was released in 1991 on the independent California based record label Lookout! records . Since they signed onto Reprise records and released their masterpiece Dookie in 1994, they have been living life in the fast lane ever since. To celebrate the bands legacy and the impact they have made on music and my own musical upbringing , I'm gonna break down their catalog to showcase the essentials , what needs to be looked at more, and what to avoid .
Essentials (must haves)
Dookie (1994)
The album that made Green Day a household name and won them the Grammy for best alternative album while also being credited to bringing punk rock to the mainstream audience . This album oozes with essential punk rock anguish . Punchy, straight forward guitar hooks styling The Ramones and The Who, Tre Cool's drumming channeling his inner Keith Moon, and the groovy and melodic bass line by Mike Drint on "Longview" Green Day showed that they were a force to be reckoned with.
American Idiot (2004)
10 years later, Green Day proved that along with being prolific musicians , they can tackle social change and the political climate . What we got was American Idiot, a rock opera Tommy like spectacle that is a freight train from start to finish . The album is packed with #1 hits including the title track , the multiple layered Jesus of Suburbia , and the classic two part epic Holiday/Boulevard of Broken Dreams . The main character is titled as the "American Idiot", and he's in anguish with school, his family, and society . This album gained the band a career comeback , and gained the band a whole new league of followers . I was in kindergarten when this album dropped , and it spread word of mouth throughout the concrete halls of Hillside elementary and I was hooked .
Nimrod (1998)
By the time 1998 rolled around, Green Day was on top of the world . Just like society , Billie Joe Armstrong and the rest of the band had lives of their own outside of the public eye. Billie Joe had been married since 1994, and by this time was about to become a father . Nimord's lyrical content express the realities and hardships of becoming a father. Stand out tracks include
Hitchin a Ride" and the coming of age "Good Riddance (Time of your life).
Further listening
Warning (2000)
When Warning was released in the fall of 2000, critics praised the album for Billie Joe Armstrong's prolific songwriting and for production . The band teamed up with producer Scott Litt, who previously worked with grunge and alternative giants Nirvana and R.E.M.
Billie Joe was highly influenced by Bob Dylan's 1965 landmark LP Bringing It All Back Home and based a majority of the lyrics and musical styles for inspiration. The title track, the tongue in cheek powerhouse "Minority", and "Warning" which is clearly a tip of the hat to The Kink's "Picture Book", and you have an album that shows that Green Day was more than just your run of the mill band and foreshadowed themes for American Idiot
Revolution Radio (2016)
When the band released their politically driven , fast paced/in your face Revolution Radio in September of 2016, true fans were beyond pleased and Green Day was back with authority . Critics and fans were waiting on a solid , prolific material due to the band's mini trilogy Uno, Dos, and Tre were released back in 2012. The band did delivered . This track is filled with hidden gems including "Somewhere Now" "Bang Bang" ( a social cry for America's gun violence) and the beautiful ballad "Ordinary World"
21st Century Breakdown (2009)
Green Day's second form of the rock opera cannon was released in the spring of 2009. The themes and elements follow the same principles as their predecessor but instead of calling out the media, politicians and the social norms, question them . '21 Guns' and "Know your Enemy" are the albums key songs that tackle these issues , however the album is filled with hidden gems along with the title track being a full out rock n roll epic. Add producer Butch Vig, who produced Nirvana's Nevermind, and I'm sure you would want to take a better listen
Avoid
Uno, Dos, Tre (2012)
Green Day decided to release a trilogy of albums in the fall of 2012 . Not much can be said about these albums that have already not have been said . The production is rushed , lyrics can be improved on , and it hasn't aged well. Despite "99 Revolutions" and "Oh Love!", which showcase classic Green Day trademarks , I would try to avoid these albums if you can .
