I am not a big Green Day fan. However, after my hearing a couple tunes on the radio from their latest, I was curious enough to pick up American Idiot. All I can say is that this CD is extremely impressive, especially coming from a band I thought was over and done years ago. The songs are incredibly rockin...full of hooks and kick ass riffs. Its supposed to be an "opera" of some sort...I have yet to figure out the story here after a day of listening but take a listen when you get a chance. I think most people will be pleasantly suprised like me with this one.

opera.....blah.....blah.....

cool....i was thinking of getting this after many years of not listening to them since "insomniac".

what i want to know is...is it still the 3 chord punk shit or have they progressed?

it sounds interesting...

mrdespues said:

I don't really get the "opera" thing either. A few of the extremely long tracks are "movements." The "movements" are very catchy but are basically fragments of unfinished songs strewn together. Don't listen to this expecting a punk version of THE WALL or QUADROPHENIA. But it really IS a great album. Probably their best since DOOKIE, if not better. Billie has become a really great pop-song writer. Check out "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," "Holiday," or even "Are We the Waiting." Basic riffs but great lyrics and giant hooky choruses. They don't really stretch all that much on this album, It's just really good. Loads of singles. Definitiely worth your money. IMHO.

I agree with Romanachris, it basically is like a medley as a movement on the longer tracks.

It's probably somewhere in between, mrdespues.

This is definitely their best since Dookie, but there's a step ahead there, like the last song Whatsername which breaks a little bit from the theme element and is just a good heavier ballad. For me, that song sealed my love for the album.

I loved it, I expected worse given how Nimrod came out, and to me it flows really well, but I wouldn't go in expecting the simple 3 chord punk presentation.

There's elements from that and a more melodic element to this one.

For instance Holiday tries hard to be a Clash song in Green Day fashion more or less and then goes into Boulevard of Broken Dreams, a song great in its own right but definitely based in a more melodic rock song with a bit of a ballad feel to it.

Both great songs, but the way the album is laid out you jump into the next track in medley format which for some people can be hard to get into, but I think it works better than it might sound.

The important thing is that you're so busy getting into what's being played that you lose the need to obsess over why that song ended and you're now into something else within a 9 minute time frame.

It's simply a great album, good at least to some, and for me at least a more popular album that can be played in its entirety and still be worth a listen or two after that is worth checking out.

It's not entirely the Dookie days, but I think this one shows what they're capable of beyond the simple 3 chord progression and what could lie ahead.

I didn't expect them to have it.

I thought Dookie was ok ( the Clash comparisions at the time were a joke)...but this is SO much better. There is more the songs on American Idiot. Much more complex (for Green Day) and better written.

BTW, its been a few days now and I still don't get the story...the the CD is still rockin as all hell. It hasn't left my cd player once since I bought it.

i like green day i really like the message that they have always tried to send.

i should go get this album.

helps keep me young :giggle;

I haven't heard the album yet, but I've seen them live recently. The show was fucking INSANE, and they did play a few tracks from the album. So far, I liked what I heard.

I'm waiting for my little sister to buy it so I can burn a copy. From what I've heard, it should be good.
[Edited 10/10/04 12:25pm]

Their next-to-most recent effort "Warning" was their most interesting album in my opinion. It had different styles and textures and went way beyond the "3 chord rock thing". I've heard it compared to a Kinks album.

American Idiot was ok, but with all the hype, I was hoping it would progress even more from where "Warning" had left off, but it seems that they've reverted back to their Dookie/Insomniac days (the sound of it). But yeah, the medley format on some of the tunes is at least an interesting twist.