A Lesson In... 08.11.09: Green Day (Part 2)

Posted by Alistair McGeorge on 08.11.2009

Last week, Alistair McGeorge began A Lesson In Green Day, looking at the band’s career from its beginning 22 years ago up to the release of Warning in 2000. This week, the look at Green Day continues, moving from International Superhits! to the epic 21st Century Breakdown.

Welcome back to A Lesson In..., I'm back after a week's volunteering and ready to go. Sorry for the absence of a column last week, but as I said, I got back on the Monday (August 3) after a 23-hour coach journey and was in no state to write a column in less than a day. Anyway, I'm back this week with the second and final part of my look at the career of Green Day.

There were no noteworthy comments for last week's column (maybe you're trying to tell me something?), so we don't have that to get through this week. Hopefully you're all saving the insults or praise for the final part this week. With that said, we should probably pause for a moment, and stop...

It's banner time.



So, last week we finished with a look at Warning from 2000, which saw a decline in Green Day's mainstream popularity as they progressed towards a less pop-punk orientated style. The following year saw a reversal in fortunes, particularly at the Californian Music Awards. They were nominated for eight awards (Outstanding Album and Outstanding Punk Rock/Ska Album for Warning, Outstanding Group, Male Vocalist, Bassist, Drummer, Songwriter and Artist), winning all of them. What followed that year were two releases, a "greatest hits" style compilation and a b-sides collection which would mark the end of this era of Green Day…



So I'll see you there…

On November 13, International Superhits! was released on Reprise Records, and included every song the band released a single from Dookie through to Warning, plus two previously unreleased songs. "Poprocks & Coke" was recorded specifically for this collection, and the opening track "Maria" was a b-side for "Waiting". It's a fairly self-explanatory release, going chronologically from album to album showcasing the singles for each one. It's a good look at the band's history from their appearance in the mainstream, and a good starting point for people wanting to get into their earlier stuff.

The same date, International Supervideos! was also released as a companion to the CD version. With the exceptions of "Poprocks & Coke", "Macy's Day Parade", "Welcome To Paradise", "She" and "J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva)", the singles from the album version were represented here with their accompanying videos.

In terms of album sales, it was largely successful, reaching platinum in the United States by August 2006. In the U.S. it peaked at #40, and reached #15 in the UK charts. By the time it reached platinum, it had sold 1.3 million units in the U.S. alone. It was through this release I got my first listen to what, at the time, I considered to be the perfect pop-punk song. While that's definitely not the case, I have fond memories of blasting this song out in my room years ago, so I'm giving you all a chance to see if it's worthy of the praise, if you haven't heard it before:



The next year, Shenanigans saw its release on July 2 and was made up of B-sides, rarities and covers, plus a previously unreleased track. By August 2006, it had sold 200,000 units in the U.S., where it reached a respectable #27.

If you're a big fan of the band, this is worth it just to complete your collection, but outside of that it's just there. In my opinion, it's not really anything special, although it has its good moments. If you're into good old-fashioned punk-rock, you'll probably have this playing for a while after you first hear it.

A lot of the songs could've fit nicely into the L.P.s and not seemed out of place, but listening to it, they're maybe better suited to a release like this. One song that immediately caught my attention was "Do Do Da", and is up there with "Ha Ha You're Dead" as one of the stand-out tracks on Shenanigans. Have a listen…



In the spring of the same year, the band went on a co-headlining tour with Blink-182, called the Pop Disaster Tour. In 2003, they headed into the studio to write and record their follow-up to Warning, which was under the working title of Cigarettes and Valentines. After around 20 tracks were completed, the master tapes were apparently stolen from the studio.

Back-up tapes did exist, but Mike Dirnt said they just weren't the same as the originals. Rather than re-record the album, Green Day decided to start from scratch, and begin writing a new album, which would eventually see the light of day in 2004.

A collaboration with Iggy Pop for "Supermarket" and "Private Hell" on Skull Ring in 2003 and a cover of The Clash's (well, it was originally by Sonny Curtis and The Crickets really) "I Fought The Law" in 2004 kept the band in the mind of the U.S. fans before the release of their next album, which would push them even further into the mainstream as one of the leaders of modern rock…



The space that's in between insane and insecure…

On September 21 2004 Green Day released their seventh album on Reprise (produced once again by Rob Cavallo), and the rock-opera concept album American Idiot turned them into full-on superstars. Gone were the pop-punk songs about sex, drugs and loneliness, replaced by a story following Jesus of Suburbia through 13 of the more ambitious songs the trio had attempted before.

The decision to start from scratch after Cigarettes and Valentines was certainly the right one; American Idiot became the first Green Day album to reach the top spot in the Billboard 200, also getting to #1 in the UK as well as 17 other countries. Whilst reviews of the album were mixed, the attention of the mainstream and new-found popularity showed that the effort that went into this ambitious album had definitely paid off.

If you liked or knew of Green Day before 2004, the cool thing is to hate this album and everything it stood for, to call the band sell-outs and claim they were better songwriters in the 1990s. I've heard this said so many times, and I'm ashamed to admit I'm guilty of it myself. I'm listening to the album all the way through for the first time in a good year or so as I write this, and I'll hold up my hands and say I was wrong. Initially I loved this album, then I fit into the general opinion that it wasn't a good "Green Day album"…now, I'm ready to admit that yes, this is a fantastic album. Just before we get into the details of the album and its singles, a comparison for you to make…listen first to this song from Warning…



Now have a listen to one of the more punk-orientated tracks from American Idiot…



To say Green Day aren't like they were is to not really listen to the album properly. I realize I'm really digging deep with the comparison, but they follow a very similar chord structure (as in, largely the same chords and strumming pattern). But wait… "She's A Rebel" is much more of a heavier punk sound than "Hold On"…maybe I'm trying too hard, but songs like this also prove my point that Green Day could- and were- still making good punk-rock:



Five singles were released from the album, to varying success. The title track reached #3 in the UK, and peaking at #61 in the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. made it Green Day's first entry in the chart, giving them a rise in popularity and fame needed after the down-turn with Warning. Two months later, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" was released as a single, peaking at a fantastic #2 in the Billboard Hot 100. It was slightly less successful than its predecessor in the UK, still reaching a respectable #5 over here.

The next single was "Holiday", which saw a drop in position from the last one. Despite topping the Mainstream Rock Tracks, it peaked at #11 in the Hot 100, and reached #11 in the UK. "Wake Me Up When September Ends" became Green Day's second single to reach the Top 10 in the US, peaking just one spot outside of the Top 5. It also peaked two places into the Top 10 in the UK, so was more of a success than the previous two singles. In October 2005, the final single "Jesus of Suburbia", a near-10-minute epic with 5 movements, was released, although I unfortunately couldn't find any information as to how it charted. If anyone reading this manages to find any details out, feel free to leave a comment and I'll include it next week.

American Idiot resulted in many awards for the band, including the 2005 Grammy for Best Rock Album. Green Day's mainstream popularity, appeal and position was cemented in 2005 when the Grammy Award for Record of the Year went to "Boulevard of Broken Dreams". The MTV Video Music Awards saw more success; the band won 7 of the 8 awards they were nominated for (6 awards for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", including Video of the Year, and Viewer's Choice for American Idiot). It would be another five years before a new, official Green Day album saw the light of day, but they were certainly kept busy for the next half-decade…





Live DVD, check, Grammy, check, garage side-project…

After the success of American Idiot, the band embarked on the longest tour of its career, from the UK and Australia to Japan and South America. Just two dates in Milton Keynes at the National Bowl saw 130,000 people gather over the two nights. Like Queen 23 years before them, Green Day recorded their show at the Bowl, and on November 15 2005 Bullet in a Bible was released as a CD/DVD set featuring many of the songs performed over the two dates, plus a DVD documenting how the show was put together. Whilst many of the typical hits were included ("Basket Case", "American Idiot" and of course "Good Riddance"), old favourite "King For A Day" is also included in the set-list along with "Brain Stew".

Earlier in the year (August for those of you who were wondering), Green Day obtained the rights to their pre-Dookie material from previous label Lookout! Records, citing a breach of contract regarding unpaid royalties. Two years later, this material would be re-issued on Reprise.

With all this success and anticipation regarding what the band would do next to top their last album, they did what any sensible rock band would do…quietly attempt to release a new album under a different name, and tour tiny Bay Area venues to promote it. You can hear one of the singles at the start of this section, but here's a look at the other single by Foxboro Hot Tubs:



I was debating whether to include Foxboro Hot Tubs in this article, as they're not technically Green Day. However, the line-up is made up of the trio, plus Jason White and Jason Freeze (who tour with the band and appeared on Bullet in a Bible). White is even present in the video for "Wake Me Up When September Ends".

Anyway, I've decided to include the album (Stop, Drop and Roll!!!, released in 2008, recorded the year before) in the column because it is essentially Green Day, and is also a good defense to people who said they've completely sold out to political ideals and a stadium rock style. Foxboro Hot Tubs are essentially just a good, old fashioned rock ‘n roll garage band, toe-tapping and fun to dance to. If it had to be compared to anything the band had done previously, it could be just about compared to Warning, but that's a bit of a stretch.

I only discovered this album a couple of weeks ago, and it's one I'd recommend, definitely up there with most of the material Green Day have produced. It's not Dookie, it's certainly not American Idiot, and it's hard to believe it was written and released after the claims of Green Day selling out and losing the "fun" aspect of their music.

The physical release comes in a cardboard sleeve reminiscent of old vinyl records, with the design on the album again made to look like a vinyl. Also, the track listening is split into an A and B side, again like vinyl records. Billie Joe, when asked about the band in an interview with NME, said "The only similarity between Green Day and Foxboro Hot Tubs is that we are the same band". He said the project came about because they wanted to record some spontaneous rock music, and this was the result.

The album reached #21 in the Billboard 200, and in the UK it peaked at #37. The singles didn't perform particularly well; "The Pedestrian" failed to chart, and "Mother Mary" reached #16 and 137 in the U.S. Modern Rock and UK Singles Chart respectively. The next album (the first in 5 years to be officially "Green Day") would erase this from all memory, and was the final push to superstardom…



Can you hear the sound of the static noise?

In January 2006, the band began writing for what would be their eighth album, to be produced by Butch Vig. Nearly two years later, 45 songs had been written, but it wasn't until January 2008 that Green Day finally went back to the studio to begin recording what would become 21st Century Breakdown. The gap between American Idiot and the new album would be the longest between any two Green Day albums in the past.

It took three years to write and record, finally being released a month after its completion, on May 15 2009. A teaser for the album had already gone up the website, and a run of California club shows preceded its release. The first single from the album ("Know Your Enemy") was released on April 16 to help promote the album, peaking at #28 and 21 in the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles charts respectively. It did, however, manage to top the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks, Alternative Songs and Rock Songs charts.

The next single ("21 Guns") hasn't performed as well yet overall, although there's still time yet. That said, by peaking at #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 it became the band's highest ranking song since "Wake Me Up When September Ends"). Most of the people I've spoken to about Green Day currently (specifically these singles) say that the band just don't write good punk anymore. Whilst there isn't really anything explicitly punk on this album, this next track did remind me of older Green Day:



21st Century Breakdown, so far, has sold extremely well, topping the charts in 16 countries, hitting gold or platinum in 10 of them, including the UK and US. It might not be a return to the Dookie sound so many older fans of the band are waiting for, but I truly think it's a step in a better direction. At the age and experience the band are at now, they can't be seriously singing about being a teenager, drugs and girls. I suppose they could've done, but I applaud them for their continual progression, and for creating a true modern masterpiece (besides possibly "Know Your Enemy", I don't think there's a bad track on it).

Grading… Green Day
What is there to say? I've not tried to hide my love for this band, and I don't see why anyone should. Sure, the case can be made that they've sold out over the last decade, but really…they sold out with Dookie as well. A band shouldn't be criticized for pushing the boundaries and trying to create something epic and memorable, which is exactly what Green Day have always tried to do.

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Well, that concludes my two-part lesson on the history of Green Day. We've gone from a little underground punk band to all-out rock superstars in 22 years. Thanks for joining me, and I hope you've enjoyed the last two columns. After such a huge band, it'll be a bit of a chance next week, with a band better known here in the UK than the U.S. I wasn't sure whether to cover this band at first, but they should definitely make for an interesting column (I hope).

Homework

1. In terms of the U.S. hearing about this band, it was Just (their) Luck in 2006, with a movie soundtrack and appearance.
2. One of their newer videos contains a tribute to a memorable scene from the film that inspired their name.
3. They've covered a lot of bands, from Queen and Thin Lizzy to The Killers and The Kinks.

That's all for this week, but hopefully I'll see you all here again next Tuesday for another edition of "A Lesson In…". Until then, here's a farewell video (entirely unrelated, but I think it's a beautiful song)…