Review by LarryG
3 stars out of 4
Thanks to Time of Your Life from 1997's Nimrod CD, Green Day and their
singer/guitarist/writer Billie Joe Armstrong have belatedly gotten some
respect. Billie Joe has matured a little but he has been making good
music since the band broke through with Dookie. It was easy to dismiss
Green Day as just ripping off the Clash, Ramones and Sex Pistols. Billie
Joe is clearly a fan of late 70's punk, as he shows by sometimes slipping
into an English accent on songs like Long View, but he has established
his own identity. His ability to make music that appeals to punk and pop
fans is truly a gift.
The songs on Dookie aren't cerebral but eight million Dookie buyers weren't
wrong. Dookie is filled with tight, exciting adrenaline filled rock. Billie
Joe's guitar playing is pretty basic but strong and the band keeps the
music moving at a great, energized pace. The lyrics are juvenile but
Billie Joe simply expressed his audience's confusion about growing up
and not knowing where you're going. Long before Columbine, Billie Joe
sang Having a Blast about feeling such confusion and loneliness that he
fantasized about blowing himself up and taking a bunch of people with
him. Long View always seemed a little gimmicky to me but the kids clearly
connected with that slacker anthem about having no motivation, sitting
around watching the tube, so bored that even masturbation's lost its
fun. While it's simplistic, Long View sounds like a hit. The music grabs
you right from the start with Mike Dirnt's bass line before exploding
into its chorus with Billie Joe's invigorating power chords. The appeal
of Basket Case, is also undeniable. Billie Joe's self described
melodramatic whine about feeling like he's cracking up actually has a
fun, self deprecating side and the music is fast and exhilarating.
The main draw of Dookie is the energy of the music. Dookie has a lot of
excellent rockers. Welcome to Paradise, a song about a runaway finding
a home on the streets that was also on the band's Kerplunk CD, is great
juiced up three chord rock that cops a little from the Yardbirds' For
Your Love. The lightning quick She is very good fun. Most of the songs
on Nimrod are fast punky pop but Billie Joe successfully mixed in a few
slower songs. When I Come Around has a great guitar riff and a little
more sophistication than most of Dookie. On Pulling Teeth, about staying
with a girl out of her fear of her violence, the band winningly pulls
up, like on Nimrod's Redundant, and emphasizes good harmonies. Dookie was
a real sounding depiction of the torments of a troubled youth. More
importantly, the music is exciting rock. The lyrics aren't sophisticated
but Billie Joe showed a definite talent for making likeable, fast music.
There were also a few signs that the band would be interesting performers
if they ever grew up.
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