Green Day discography
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American Idiot
Green Day's first and only concept album containing 5 chart-topping hits: the title track American Idiot, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Holiday, Wake Me Up When September Ends and Jesus Of Suburbia.
American Idiot tells the story of a young man (Jesus Of Suburbia) living in a time where media is bias and "redneck" political leaders run the show. JOS becomes frustrated with his life and what's going on around him and he decides to hit the streets in search of a better life. After living on the streets for a while, he's feeling lonely and continuing to lose hope. He finally meets street-smart St Jimmy and a girl, Whatsername, whom he falls madly in love with. Things started to look up for JOS for a while. Times were good until Whatsername broke his heart and St Jimmy commited suicide. He decides that he hasn't found the better life he was searching for out on the streets and goes back home to find a job and conform to a normal way of life. Even after he returns home he thinks back to the times he spent on the streets and wonders what Whatsername is up to, while trying to forget.
American Idiot has recieved rave reviews and is considered by many to be Green Day's masterpiece. It shows that there is no limit to what Green Day is capable of.
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Shenanigans
This, on the one side new but on the other old album really classifies the meaning of its title. Shenanigans, as miscellaneous things or simply called 'gibberish' or 'nic-nacs' or, if you want me to continue, everyday's silly things, is made up of a collection of b-sides, previously unreleased songs and covers from the Ramones, Fang and The Kinks.
As its title says, as it's made of the songs which took place in different periods, everyone can find something suitable for themselves. From that point of view, you can furioulsy beg some TV station to recognize your talent by listening to 'I Want To Be On TV', you can cry while listening to 'On The Wagon' thinking of your hangovers or destroy your room under the influence of 'Desensitized'. This album shows the growing up of Green Day members through songs 'cause you can also find some recent ones. To conclude it all: Shenanigans. That's what members of Green Day were up to when they made this album.
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International Superhits
A year after an easy-like-a-sunday-morning album called 'Warning', Green Day needed a rest but also another desert for their everlasting fans, they just couldn't stop giving another piece of that sweetness that you can't get enough of. But an urge to rest on the one and a plea from the fans on the other side can't quite go together. So the solution was in a compromise. Isn't that something that moves us along after all?!
Green Day guys put all the greatest songs together making the most wanted compilation simply called International Superhits. The album contains 21 mega ultra extra super hits which don't allow you to just sit and calmly listen to them, you can't control yourself, you HAVE to jump and sing so loud, that loud that your windows have to tremble, being scared of breaking. Besides (let me call them evergreens) those well known songs, International Superhits also includes two previously unreleased songs, Maria and Poprocks & Coke.
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Warning
After three years of barely mentioning Green Day, three years of trembling and wondering: Which cave are they hiding in?, they surprised us all. As the fans got used to head-banging while listening to Green Day songs, this album was a big shock to them. But it was a positive shock, wasn't it?!
Through their songs, Green Day guys have spoken about every day's problems, about problems that were kept somewhere down, that were untouchable for people to speak out about them, all those problems that you could just whisper about being scared that they might cause some new ones.. Green Day guys broke the chains of reality and let those problems out. With Warning, Green Day proved to everyone that they can rock just as hard with acoustic guitars as they can with electric. Warning singles included the title track Warning, Waiting, Minority and Macy's Day Parade. Green Day took questioning authority to whole new level with this album.
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Nimrod
Following the path of their major success throughout the 90's, Green Day guys did sneak in everyone's houses, basements, under the beds, their music was echoing in the mind of a troubled youth teenager.. But their glory days were just about to begin.
Eventhough they cancelled the tour claiming exhaustion, we all knew that something much more was behind that statement. We were hoping and watitng for a breakthrough. And it happened: a breakthrough called Nimrod. The crowd fell in love with Nimrod at the first sight. And just like the verse of 'Time Of your Life' says, it was a turning point in Green Day's career. With Nimrod, Green Day released Nice Guys Finish Last, Hitchin' A Ride, Redundant, and Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life), the song that became everyone's graduation anthem that year. They started to evolve and a new sound started to show. It was a turning point in their career because with the success of Good Riddance they were no longer restricted to playing one style of music.
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Insomniac
Why would we stop if we were that good? That made up but useful motto is self explanatory.
Just a year after a huge music quake caused by Dookie, Green Day trio put the ideas together bringing us another part of their master piece; Insomniac. But it would be too sweet and too related to fairy tales, too surreal, if their climbing-up was that easy and covered in roses. No. This is a fairy tale 'cause it has a happy ending so far but Green Day had to constantly prove themselves how great they were. After the release of Dookie, Green Day was rejected from their underground community and some of their old fans now considered them sellouts because they signed with a major record label. Members of Green Day were pissed off and it shows in their music. Insomniac expressed how they felt by no longer being welcome in a place they used to consider their home. Insomniac's singles include: Stuck With Me, Geek Stink Breath, Walking Contradiction and Brain Stew/Jaded. Cover art is titled "God Told Me To Skin You Alive" and all album art is by Winston Smith.
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Dookie
Slowly going through those previous Green Day periods it mostly looks like they were waiting in line, like they were still a few steps behind, somewhere in shadows. They were on the right path but something was still missing. However, Green Day knew excatly what to do, what kind of lyrics to write but still holding onto being yourself. They weren't afraid of writing their thoughts down and having their own beliefs, not this time, not a few years later.
Dookie is a product of youth, rebellion and a strong will. It was Green Day's ticket to fame, which proves a Grammy Award itself for the best alternative album. Their first album signed to the major record label, Reprise. With songs about masturbation, coming out & going insane, Green Day gained a following of teenage fans struggling with the same problems and going through similar experiences. They turned the rock world upside down with the album singles: Longview, Basket Case, Welcome To Paradise and When I Come Around. Tre goes solo in a hidden track at the end of F.O.D. called All By Myself.
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Kerplunk
Early 90's were stressed for the band due to its beginning and getting to know the punk scene. Plus, right after 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours was released, Green Day's first drummer, John Kiffmeyer aka. Al Sobrante, whose longing for a knowledge prevailed and he had chosen a college, quit the band leaving his place to Tre Cool. His knacks for playing drums and also setting them on fire amazed Billie Joe and Mike and a simple guy from The Lookouts teamed up with them.
Together they created Kerplunk. Eventhough they were only in their early 20's, they knew excatly what they were doing. Like they were sending the message to the world: 'Maybe we're still kids but we're gonna get you sometime soon!' So be it. And it was. Since they weren't on a major record label, they didn't release any singles, but 2,000 Light Years Away, a beautiful I-miss-you-and-I-want-you-here song, with a punk energy and a pop melody at the same time was a pretty big hit from this album.
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1,039 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours
Out of nowhere and almost out of nothing, Green Day has become a part of a punk scene. They were talented from the start but to most of people they were just another underground band. But their love for music and a knack for doing it didn't let them down. Struggling and forcing finally got paid off.
Green Day's first album, 1,039 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours, was released on a small, independent record label from the Bay Area called Lookout Records that many local Bay Area bands were signed to. Looking at the hours of recording and terms they had to work in, their first album was pure magic. They took seriously everything they were doing, every single song was detailed, from A to Z. No one has the right to be surprised talking about their major success. 1,039 helped them establish a fan base across the country and it was just the thing they needed for their band to become more serious and get their music out to the public. And it certainly didn't take long...
