411 Green Day Roundtable: 39/Smooth and Kerplunk

Posted by Daniel Wilcox on 05.08.2009

The 411 Music staff begins its week-long look back at the greatness that is Green Day with a look at their two Lookout Records releases, 39/Smooth and Kerplunk.

Twenty-two years ago, Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt played their first show together under the name Sweet Children. Both were just fifteen years old at the time, and the gig took place at Rod's Hickory Pit in Vallejo, California. It was a gig they only got because Armstrong's mother was working there at the time. Two decades later, the band has sold over 65 million records worldwide (22 million of those in the United States), won three Grammy Awards and released seven studio albums. On Friday May 15th they'll release their latest effort worldwide, entitled 21st Century Breakdown. The current single "Know Your Enemy" is topping various charts around the world. As the band looks to recapture the success of breakthrough album Dookie and 2004's blockbuster American Idiot, some of the 411 Music staff have come together to reminisce over Green Day's storied past releases in anticipation for the release of 21st Century Breakdown.


Before we go any further, let's introduce the 411 staff who will be joining us on our week-long look back at Green Day's impressive discography.

Chris Crowing is the author of As The Crow Flies, where most recently he discussed his hate for Coldplay and all things bland.

Tom Santoro is the man behind All Mixed Up and also contributes reviews for the site, including that of the new Blue October album.

Brian Berry has been around for years and has contributed to both 411 Music and 411 Movies in his time here.

And we all know Mitch Michaels, mighty editor of the Music Zone. Mitch contributes a ton of stuff to the site including news, reviews, and the Quick ‘n' Dirty news report, because we're all just dying to know whether Miley Cyrus is a virgin or not.

And finally, there's me, Dan Wilcox, the man behind the Great Rock News Report and various reviews.

Today's roundtable is a double-whammy, a look at the two albums Green Day released prior to the worldwide success that came with Dookie. So with so much to get through, let's not waste any more time and get right to it!



411's Green Day Roundtable: 39/Smooth and Kerplunk
39/Smooth was Green Day's debut album, released in 1990 on Lookout Records. Recorded by Andy Ernst (AFI, Rancid) and the band themselves over the New Year 1990, the album sees Green Day at their rawest. If you're looking for some 39/Smooth trivia, the album's artwork was drawn by Jesse Michaels, vocalist of Operation Ivy.

On January 17 1992, the band released their second and final album for Lookout, Kerplunk. It was the first record to feature the band's current line up of Armstrong, Dirny and Tre Cool. The album became of the most successful independent albums of all time, and today has sold well over 6 million copies worldwide. The CD version of the album features four bonus tracks, which make up the Sweet Children EP, one of which is a cover of The Who's "My Generation."



1. Do you own this album and if so, how did you come across it?
Chris Crowing: I used to own both on C90 cassettes back in the day, but I've never gotten around to getting CD or digital copies. When I was first getting into alternative music in general (as opposed to Oasis) I pestered all the metalheads and punk kids for recommendations, and these were amongst a mountain of albums I had bootlegged for me by these patient individuals.

Tom Santoro: I never got 39/Smooth due to lack of being able to find it and later because I never deemed it important. It is the only Green Day album I do not own. I do own Kerplunk And I bought that on cassette after Dookie came out. I later found a cheap used CD in 1996 or so.

Brian Berry: Since I grew up several minutes from where they're from, early Green Day was required listening for me as a middle school youth. Consequently, I own both 39/Smooth and Kerplunk. Both were given to me on blank cassette tapes from friends, which I taped over by the time I reached my first year of high school. They now live on my hard drive.

Mitch Michaels: I don't have either of Green Day's Lookout albums. Oh, don't look at me like that - you'd never heard of them till Dookie, either.

Dan Wilcox: I believe I have them both lying around my house somewhere, buried in a cupboard somewhere or something. Thankfully they're both on my computer so I can bust them out whenever the mood takes me.



2. Which do you consider the best tracks?
Chris Crowing: It's been some time since listening, but I always loved the first tune on 39/Smooth - "At The Library" - probably because it's the first on the tape and the rest all sort of blend in once you're wandering along.
Kerplunk is a grand pop punk record and is full of great tracks - it'd be easy to say "Welcome to Paradise" but I have to vote for "2000 Light Years Away" or "One Of My Lies."

Tom Santoro: The stand outs are "2,000 Light Years Away"; "Dominated Love Slave"; "80"; "One For the Razorbacks"; "One of My Lies"; "Android"; "No One Knows". I like every song on this record. "2,000 Light Years Away" is my favorite Green Day track ever mostly because it mirrored my sentiments about a girl I liked a lot circa 1995.

Brian Berry: 39/Smooth's strongest tracks are "At the Library", "Going to Pasalaqua", "Paper Lanterns", "1000 Hours", "Only of You" and "I Want To Be Alone". Kerplunk has my all-time favourite Green Day track, "2000 Light Years Away". Other standouts include "Welcome To Paradise", "One of My Lies", and "Android".

Mitch Michaels: 39/Smooth isn't really a bad album, but it's not like there are a ton of standout tracks either. The opener "At The Library" is a fun, punky cut, as is "Road To Acceptance", as are most of the other songs. In fact, the early 90's yielded a veritable shitload of fun punk albums like this. The only truly amazing thing about 39/Smooth is what happened with Green Day after. Kerplunk, however, is where the band starts showing flashes of greatness. It's no surprise that it's where the three-man lineup still running today really solidified. My favorite cuts here are "2000 Light Years Away" (the only pre-Geffen track that really deserved to wind up on the band's best-of comp), the pre-Dookie version of "Welcome to Paradise" and the more pop-oriented tracks like "One Of My Lies".

Dan Wilcox: I've got to be honest and say that there aren't too many tracks on 39/Smooth I enjoy too much, but there are a couple of stand outs. "At the Library" is a terrific take, but it's pretty much all downhill from there, although "Going to Pasalacqua" is another fun track. As for Kerplunk, there are many more winners on this one. Everyone's mentioned it, but "2000 Light Years Away" really is a little gem. Some of my other favorite tracks include the obnoxiously catchy "Android" and the brilliant "Welcome to Paradise." I could probably give honorable mentions to about half a dozen other tracks though.



3. Which tracks do you usually skip?
Chris Crowing: Given that I used to listen to them on my Walkman (remember before there were iPods?) I usually just let the album run, and I can honestly say there isn't a track on either record that I found so objectionable as to waste the effort fastforwarding past it - and digging the albums out online and having a listen again, that still runs true.

Tom Santoro: I tend to listen to this all the way through, however I dislike the "My Generation" cover from the Sweet Children EP. I don't like the production on "Who Wrote Holden Coulfield?" so sometimes I skip it.

Brian Berry: On 39/Smooth, I can't get into "Don't Leave Me", "Rest", "Knowledge". This album is more monotonous than any other Green Day release so it's kind of a hard listen for any more than 6 tracks. Kerplunk, on the other hand, is nearly flawless. Only "Dominated Love Slave" doesn't work for me. It was clearly thrown in as a joke to close out Side A of the vinyl but it doesn't fit with the rest of the tracks. Tre Cool's lone track is silly and obnoxious. While I don't hate it, the cover of The Who's "My Generation" doesn't come close to improving on the original so I can't back it.

Mitch Michaels: There's not much to dislike on 39/Smooth - just some fun but forgettable punk that keeps you tapping for a half hour. However, the band starts experimenting on Kerplunk, making for some bigger highlights, but also some misses. The country-tinged "Dominated Love Slave" just comes off silly to me, and the take on "My Generation" is ill-advised.

Dan Wilcox: Well, 39/Smooth really tends to grate after the first half dozen tracks or so, so a lot of the latter tracks on that album generally tend to get skipped over. As for Kerplunk, there are far less songs that I'll skip, but "Dominated Love Slave" is definitely one. I believe it's the first track written entirely by Tre Cool but don't quote me on that. "Who Wrote Holden Caulfield?" usually gets skipped, and I tend to stop playing the recod once I get to the last four bonus tracks which make up the Sweet Children EP. The "My Generation" cover is awful, and there's not a lot else of substance there either.



4. How would you rate these albums out of 10 and why?
Chris Crowing: 39 Smooth - 6/10 - it's a damn fine debut, and shows that Green Day were always a cut above the curve of your average pop punk band, even recording this in their teens. That said, it's a little rough and the Buzzcocks and Operation Ivy influences (not to say that's a BAD thing) shine through a little too clearly for a higher rating.

Kerplunk - 7/10 - This was the next step up, with more confident playing and songwriting and a better production job. It's really refreshing to look back and listen to Green Day when they really seemed young and vital, and this record really shows that.

Tom Santoro: I would give Kerplunk! an 8 out of 10. It would be almost perfect if not for the cheap production most notably on "One For The Razor Backs", "Welcome to Paradise" and "Who Wrote Holden Coulfield?", but that should be expected for and indie punk record.

Brian Berry: 39/Smooth gets a 6/10. It's more monotonous than any other Green Day release so it's kind of a hard listen for any more than 6 tracks. However, it has some very strong tracks. Kerplunk, on the other hand, is nearly flawless. I'd give it a 9/10, as it's where they best harness their late ‘70s Brit-punk influences (The Buzzcocks, The Jam, The Clash etc.). One of the best pop-punk albums ever.

Mitch Michaels: I'd rank 39/Smooth an average 6.0 and Kerplunk a good 7.5. We'll go with an overall school as 7.0, as checking these out together is definitely a good experience.

Dan Wilcox: 39/Smooth is obviously the inferior album here. I'd give it a 4.5, slightly below average, but there are a couple decent tracks on there. Kerplunk is a very respectable 8.0, as pretty much every track is worth a listen and it doesn't get on my nerves at all, unlike its predecessor.

	39/Smooth	Kerplunk	Dookie	Insomniac	Nimrod	Warning	American Idiot
Chris Crowing	6.0	7.0
Tom Santoro	N/A	8.0
Brian Berry	6.0	9.0
Mitch Michaels	6.0	7.5
Dan Wilcox	4.5	8.0
411's Average*	5.5	8.0

*Mean score rounded to the nearest half-integer.
5. Final thoughts.
Chris Crowing: Green Day's first records are often overlooked by the masses who regard Dookie as the first record that matters and that is a shame. If you really like your pop punk, these are albums that you need to experience, even if you then go back to listening to Blink 182 or whatever. While they don't have the polish or finely honed hooks of later records, they show that Green Day had a spark, and a willingness to be a bit more diverse right from the start. Both come highly recommended for a listen.

Tom Santoro: Kerplunk! is easily my favorite Green Day album. The album is full of angsty relationship songs, boredom and suburban alienation, all things a teenage Tom Santoro felt in the early to mid 90s. They are simple songs that I can sing along with and music to which I can bounce around with. Not every punk band needs to be as bad ass as Black Flag nor does it need to sing about societies ills like The Clash and Green Day proved that with this fun little record.

Brian Berry: There are a lot of high quality East Bay punk bands that never quite got their due (e.g. Hickey, Crimpshrine, Fleshies, Abi Yoyos, Love Songs), a couple that saw a bit of success (Operation Ivy, Jawbreaker, NOFX) and only a couple that acheived mainstream attention (AFI, Rancid). No punk band, regardless of location has seen the success Green Day has. These two albums are where they started out, forging the blueprint for one of the most successful careers in rock music of the past 20 years. The first album has some bright moments but doesn't have the legs to sustain its length, while the second stands up as one of the strongest punk albums ever.

Mitch Michaels: To be honest, I hadn't listened to these albums all together until "studying" for this roundtable. I have to say, Green Day's early days weren't amazing, but they were more than just mindless punk. The band was fun and willing to experiment, especially on Kerplunk.

Dan Wilcox: While neither album is a classic, or even anything close to Green Day's best stuff, there are still clearly signs that this was a band with a lot of potential, and a lot of fresh ideas that could and ultimately would take the world by storm. You can see the improvement from one album to the next, and that improvement would be much more significant by the time Green Day released their next album Dookie.

*
We'll be back on Monday morning to take a look at Green Day's huge breakthrough Dookie, and from there be sure to join us every day next week as we look back at Green Day's past records in anticipation of the release of 21st Century Breakdown next Friday!