Music Monday: Green Day

A tough parenting decision once involved Green Day. I will get to that in a moment.

Like so many others, I was introduced to Green Day through their single “Longview” and I kind of liked it, especially the bass line. What I was more interested in was how the rest of the album sounded. It wasn’t until a few months later and the single “Basket Case” came out that I decided I wanted to really check the band out.

What I didn’t know at the time but found out shortly after “Basket Case” came out was my best friend at the time had Green Day’s previous two albums. I was surprised he had been holding out on me. The band’s breakthrough major label debut was decent, but their first two albums were, in my opinion, far superior. I became a fan of the band.

Over the course of the next two albums, which I picked up upon release, I enjoyed Green Day more and more. But I felt disappointed in that both Insomniac and Nimrod both sound like the same album. I can never tell which one I am listening to and there is nothing distinctive about either one. Both have some great songs, but taken as a whole the albums are unremarkable.

It wasn’t until Warning came out that I saw the potential of the band. This was (and to a certain extent still is) my favorite album by Green Day. While not “pure” punk rock, the band does have its roots in that genre, but wasn’t afraid to push outward from there. Here the songs are each distinct, the album feels cohesive, and there is still plenty of sardonic humor in there as well.

By this time Kyle had entered our lives and he became a fan as well. When Green Day’s next album came out it had been a few years since new material had surfaced (two collections, one a hits another of b-sides) and the fans were eager to hear what they had to offer. The single”American Idiot” was a massive hit, as was the album that came with it. An ambitious project for a punk-pop band, the rock opera told a complete tale, had individual songs that worked on their own, and the album sounded like the band had matured but kept close too their roots.

I had two tickets to see Green Day on this tour and was going to take Kyle. I don’t remember what it was he did, but Kyle got in trouble and it was the day of the concert. That afternoon I think. Going to the concert was more for him than for me as he really loved the (then) current album.

Well, he didn’t get to go. As a result I didn’t get to go. This was during a low point in our relationship with Kyle, a bit before he would eventually get sent to boarding school. Getting to go to the concert was a big deal, and then at the last minute having it taken away was an even bigger one. And no, I didn’t get to go by myself.

It wouldn’t be until the next album and tour that I would get to see Green Day.

American Idiot was a good album, but the follow-up 21st Century Breakdown, another rock opera but this one felt like it was bigger because it needed to be, not because the story necessitated it. It was a good album, but to my mind it is inferior to American Idiot, despite having greater chart success. Don’t get me wrong, I like it, just not as much as most people apparently do.

I took my youngest brother, Kagan, to the tour’s opening date here in Seattle. I knew the set list would draw heavily from the two previous (and immensely popular) albums, but was hoping for a couple of older songs, particularly one of my favorites – “Basket Case” and I wasn’t disappointed.

Because the previous two albums had been rock operas and were “big” albums, Green Day needed to do something to top those, and without another rock opera, the plan was to release three albums in just over three months.  Those albums weren’t as critically or commercially successful, but did feel like much more of a return to form for the band.

What is next? Apparently Green Day has begun work on a new album. Their 12th. And they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, which makes me feel old.