Thanks for all the r/r/c's - apologies have not been around much - have an obscene amount of reading...
Thanks for all the r/r/c's - apologies have not been around much - have an obscene amount of reading for Uni this year!! Will get round to catching up soon - promise!! Sarah xx
Member since:20.03.2006
Reviews:24
Members who trust:31
Ok, I know this album has been around for some time, but I felt compelled to write this after rediscovering it in my CD collection and listening to it constantly on my way to and from work for about three weeks now!
Green Day formed as part of the California punk scene and are Billie Joe Armstrong (Vocals, Guitar), Mike Dirnt (nee. Mike Pritchard, Bass) and Tre Cool (nee. Frank Edwin Wright III, Drums). They released their first album 39/Smooth in 1989, followed by Kerplunk in 1992. It was only with the release of Dookie though that Green Day shot to fame. Containing songs such as Longview and Basket Case, the exposure for the album was massive, with MTV playing the tracks round the clock. Dookie was a massive commercial success for the group, selling 11,000,000 albums worldwide.
Green Day's next album Insomniac was easily forgotten but with the release of Nimrod in 1996, the band achieved instant cult status among many rock fans. A less commercial album than Dookie (selling approx. 2,000,000 albums worldwide), the band for what they didn't make in royalties, increased their fan base ten fold due to the credibility now afforded to them.
The band then all but disappeared from the music scene until the release of Warning in 2000. The debut single, Minority ensured that the album topped the US music chart in just 4 weeks - the fastest a Green Day album had done so….. At least until American Idiot.
AMERICAN IDIOT --------------------------------------------
American Idiot was released in September 2004 and is the bands most ambitious album to date. Described as a 'Rock Opera' album, it is confrontational, angry and most of all controversial. A comment on American politics, society and very, very Anti-Dubya,
the album is a rock rollercoaster of emotion. I personally think it is their best album to date due to its originality and unapologetic nature. All the tracks on the album were written solely by the band members, as was the music.
TRACK BY TRACK --------------------------------------------
1. American Idiot (2.54) The title track from the album, and the bands first release, this is probably best defined as a great stadium rock song. With its thumping drum beat, explosive lyrics and amazing vocals it is an instant classic. I loved this song from the moment I heard it - it is still my ring tone to this day! 'Can you hear the sound of hysteria? The subliminal mind, f**k America'
2. Jesus of Suburbia (9.08) Split into five parts, this is the first evidence of the 'Rock Opera' we come to on the album. Jesus of Suburbia, City of the Damned, I Don't Care, Dearly Beloved and Tales of another Broken Home are the names of the different parts contained here. I personally love this song, it alternates between a fast and slow pace with a fluency that is thrilling. The lyrics are punishing as a comment on society as a whole and it raises issues we should be concerned bout such as the state of youth and drug awareness. 'It says home is where your heart is but what a shame, Cause everyone's heart doesn't beat the same'
3. Holiday (3.52) Another rocking anthem, another political message. This song is very controversial, drawing on images of Capital Punishment. It is not quite as fast or angry as American Idiot and as a result, the song seems more measured. This was the third release and although was not as successful as some of the others, is still a very good song. 'Hear the dogs howling out of key, To a hymn called Faith and Misery'
4. Boulevard of Broken Dreams (4.20) This is an amazing Green Day song. It won the most accolades out of all the songs released from the album and rightly so in my opinion. The song is slower than much of the rest of the album and the lyrics seem more carefully thought out, the beat has been massively reduced as the vocals take centre stage. 'My shadow's the only one that walks beside me, My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating'
5. Are we the waiting? (2.42) I really like this track, it shows off the vocal talents of the entire band (as backing on the chorus) and the song, while not very long is definitely worth a listen. 'Are we? We are, are we? We are the waiting unknown'
6. St Jimmy (2.55) Ok, back to the fast angry rock tracks now! The drums underneath this song are amazing - how they managed to put lyrics over them is beyond me! They did manage it though and the result is a fantastic rock anthem. 'King of the 40 thieves and I'm here to represent, The needle in the vein of the establishment'
7. Give me Novacaine (3.25) This is my second favourite album track. I am amazed that it was never released as a single and can only assume that it was not commercial enough. The lyrics are sublime, the tone of the song a lot more reflective and thought through. Nothing more I can say about this one really, I love it! 'Out of body and out of mind, Kiss the demons out of my dreams'
8. She's a Rebel (2.00) Fast paced again, this is a good interlude before the next track but is altogether too short to really glean an opinion about. 'She's the symbol, of resistance, And she's holding on my heart like a hand grenade'
9. She's an Extraordinary Girl (3.33) This is my favourite track on the album without a doubt! It tells the tale of an unhappy couple, who have no control over their circumstances - sounds happy, huh? It is an amazing song, lyrically excellent, great tune and Billie Joe's vocals are out of this world! 'He steals the image in her kiss, From her hearts apocalypse'
10. Letter Bomb (4.06) I can't make my mind up about this song, it's not, in my opinion the best track on the album, but then I don't dislike it either. We're back to the fast pace and heavy drums but it feels to me like something is missing. 'It's not over til' you're underground, It's not over before it's too late'
11. Wake me up when September ends (4.45) I am not a huge fan of this song. It is the closest thing to a ballad this album has and is lyrically very good but it never struck a chord with me. It was the fourth song to be released and was played constantly on Kerrang and Q for weeks! 'Summer has come and past, The innocent can never last'
12. Homecoming (9.18) The final 'Rock Opera' instalment of the album. This is like Jesus of Suburbia in that it is again a mixture of fast and slow paced tracks, mainly serving to tell us the fate of St Jimmy (the rock star from track 6). The segments are The Death of St Jimmy, East 12th Street, Nobody Likes You, Rock and Roll Girlfriend and We're coming home again. 'Nobody likes you, everyone left you, They're all out without you, having fun'
13. Whatsername? (4.12) I have to admit, this is, for me, the worst track on the album. It seems lacklustre and is not nearly as good lyrically as the rest of the songs. The tune is good and the beat, as always, rocks, but I still don't really like it and tend to flick past it. 'I made a point to burn all of the photographs, She went away and then I took a different path'
COVER AND INLAY -----------------------------------------
The artwork on the cover is very striking, in only three colours (Black, White and Red); there is a picture of a hand holding a grenade in the shape of a heart. As this is the only artwork, this is the resonating image of the album. The inlay cover has all the lyrics listings which is great if, like me, you love to scream along!
You've probably gathered I love this album. As I said at the start, I think it is Green Day's best work to date and whilst I know they are not for everyone, with this album they have sealed themselves as one of my all time favourite groups - second to Bon Jovi of course ;-) The album is a great starter album for anyone who has not got anything by Green Day and should you already have it, dig it out and listen again! It's well worth it!
OTHER STUFF --------------------------------------------
Please be aware that there is parental advisory on this as there are some lyrics that might be offensive to some people. The best price I have seen for the album is £4.99 at Tesco's but it is available everywhere so you should have no problems getting a copy!
www.greenday.com - Official site www.greenday.net - Fan site
Ok, glad that's all out of my system! Hope you have enjoyed reading,
Sarah x
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
hey i love this band and im now going to have to go and get this album at first i didnt know wether i would like it because i prefer the early stuff like dookie and international superhits
maisiemouse123 17.06.2007 21:59
Fantastic review on a fantastic album - though do love their earlier stuff :) - Karen x
nursie_nursie 21.12.2006 13:28
I love this album and have been a huge fan of theirs from the start back when I was a teenager. Basket case is my favourite song ever, I can put it on and no matter how down I feel it makes me smile and I do prefer their early stuff but the lyrics are amazing in some of their new stuff, I like the political element!
No matter whether or not you think Sylvester Stallone should have gone back to the Rocky ... more
trough one more time, this soundtrack is fun because it's basically a collection of music from all the past movies in the saga, ending with Three 6 Mafia's rap con...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
There's a clenched fist grasping a heart-shaped hand grenade on the cover of American ... more
Idiot, a militant mural presumably designed to inform us that Californian punk-pop vets Green Day love America but hate what's becoming of it. Inferences aside, you c...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
![American Idiot (Parental Advisory) [PA] - Green Day](http://imagesb.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/normal/195/product-5738195.jpg)
![Overall user rating: American Idiot (Parental Advisory) [PA] - Green Day](http://images.ciao.com/ide/images/stars/2003/stars45.gif)
May 25th, 2006
exceptional by (21%):
very helpful by (79%):
![River Is Wide, The [Remastered] - Forum (The)](http://imagesb.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/small/251/prod_small-6006251.jpg)
![American Idiot (Parental Advisory) [PA] - Green Day - review by Dyson2005](http://images.ciao.com/ide/images/stars/2003/stars30.gif)
![American Idiot (Parental Advisory) [PA] - Green Day - review by bsnadani](http://images.ciao.com/ide/images/stars/2003/stars20.gif)
![American Idiot (Special Edition - Behind The Scenes/Parental Advisory/+DVD) [PA] - Green Day - review by galaxynicole](http://images.ciao.com/ide/images/stars/2003/stars40.gif)
