Following the success of Nimrod's groundbreaking ballad "Good Riddance", Green Day felt like they could do pretty much anything they wanted to. The fans from their Gilman Street days were long gone. They were a giant pop-punk band now and they had no limits. Following a short hi-aidas, Green Day came into the studio with an idea of making a record using pop songs. The result was Warning. Warning was an album that put people on two sides of a fence. You either loved it or hated it. I'm gonna play Ralph Nader and put myself in the middle. The album consists of instant classics like Minority and Macy's Day Parade, but it also is filled with garbage songs as well.
1. Warning.
The title track off Warning is an appropriate announcement that Green Day has changed their image. They're still angry, but they are not the punks you know. A repetetive but catchy acoustic guitar is an immediate change from earlier stuff Green Day has put out. Tre and Mike play the same thing over and over again, and Billie takes center stage putting out clever one liners calling out authority ("Sanitation Expiration Date/ Question Everything" and "Is it the cop or am I the one who's really dangerous"). A fitting catchy opener.
2. Blood, Sex and Booze
This is one of my favorite songs off the album. Billie's funny lil ode to a Dominatrix named Kill. The quiet but biting verse describes waiting for the Dominatrix. The lyrics are catchy and fun and the melody of the vocals make this song an instant classic. In the chorus, Billie un mutes his guitar for an angry cry of "Im in distress/Oh Mistress I confess so Do It One More Time." A weird thing that pops up here is Billie playing a mandolin. The solo is fantastic with the head bobbing guitars and Billie throwing some Woo/ Whoa oh oh's. Tre's drumming is simple but effective with smartly placed crash cymbal hits. A highlight of the album.
3. Church on Sunday
Mmmmm a very poppy/crappy song about compromise. We'll here this song about 4 or 5 times on the album under different titles. Billie's songwriting gets cranky as his lyrics are uninspired. Instrumentally, nothing at all special. I feel bad for Mike. He needs to escape from the hinderances Billie's songs put on him. And Tre gets no love either.
4. Fashion Victim
Another pop song to come out of Billie's head. Lyrics make no sense. (Do the Anorex A Go Go? WTF?) The song is hard to listen to cuz god forbid it gets stuck in your head. It's got a catchy feel, as do almost all the songs, but its crap. The solo has some guys do some whoa oh oh's. Instruments are screwed again. Bad song.
5. Castaway
Heres a gem to come out of the pop formula. While still catchy and poppish, It has a great harmonized chorus with the cry of "Castaway". Tre plays a jumpy beat which makes the verses fun and you can actually enjoy them. Mike's bassing makes a brief but ever so sweet cameo in the bridge and in the verse and chorus, he's not stuck playing root notes all the time. My personal guilty pleasure.
6. Misery
Starts with some strange instrument playing and then a spanish guitar, and then a masterpiece follows it. Great beat, even if it is simple. Has a Vaudeville feel to it, similar to Hitchin a Ride, only much quieter. Thbe song tells a great stories about Virginia, Mr Whirly, Vinny, and Gina, all bound to Misery (hence the title). It has somewhat of a Beatles feel in the chorus with the harmonized lines of "Low, low low" and "I dont know". This song incorporates a plethora of intrsuments, ranging from Accordions, to mandolins, to a xylophone cameo. And don't forget the marriachi horns. Fantastic song.
7. Deadbeat Holiday
Following two great songs, Deadbeat Holiday is a bland, uninspired song that tempts you to hit the skip button. Billie lyrics are old and cliche. The chorus is catchy, but not nearly enough to save this song from mediocrity. Tre and Mike get stuck with root notes. Again. Billie just says suicide for no reason in the bridge, which pisses me off for reasons I won't discuss with the general public. Don't waste your time.
8. Hold On
The Worst song on the album. Tre gets stuck with a simple 1-2 beat. If you listen very hard, you can hear Mike's bass being it's awesome old self, but it's not highlighted, so it's easy to miss. Words are crap. No Melody to speake of. Even the harmonica can't save this song. Worst thing to come out of Billie's head.
9. Jackass
This song is good only when you analyze the lyics. Rumor has it this song was written about Blink 182, one of the many pop puk bands to rip off Green Day. It makes perfect sense with lines like "Everybody loves a joke but no likes a fool/ and yer always crackin the same old lines again." A jumpin jazzy horn solo is short lived, but the best part of the song. Not to be redundant, but the Rhythym does nothing again. The last straight pop crap song on the album. Yay!
10. Waiting
This song was a single, using the same melody of the classic "Downtown". I love the descending line "Well Im so much closer than I have ever known." The lyrics dont make any sense, but they havent at any point on the album so I ignore it. The triplet fills after Billie crys Wake Up is pretty cool to. The song dies in the Middle where everything drops out and leaves Armstrong with his acoustic for a reprise of the verse. Other than being an obvious rip off, the song's pretty good.
11. Minority
The big single off the album, and rightfully so. My favorite off the album, Minority uses great bass, fine peppy drumming, and a Green Day Staple: the anthematic chorus. It begins with Billie playing a fun riff then explodes into the chorus. The bridge is awesome as well, incorporating some great harmonies and of course the "A Free For All/*** em all" line. Great melody, great lyrics, and the greatest hit to come off Warning.
12. Macy's Day Parade
Rolling Stone hyped this song up saying "Blows away Good Riddance as best ballad". I won't say that, as nothing beats Good Riddance, but Macy's Day Parade is indeed a beautiful ballad using acoustic guitars and melancholy vocals to show the depth of feeling Green Day has. The lyrics are not anytihng depressing, but i think the way they are incorporated is what makes it so great. It is a great song to be sure. Another highlight of the album.
Overall: This album is the worst album Green Day's put out. However, it's not sooo bad you need to burn it like some Simple Plan album. While you're getting the best of the album with Intewrnational Superhits, there are some good songs on the inside too. "Blood Sex and Booze" and "Misery" are great songs. If Green Day had stuck to that formula instead of making pop crap that would be shunned by their fans, this would have been a classic. But there's too much crap on it to make you go out and by it if you only are casually into Green Day.
Pros:
Minority
Mike's bassing on Minority
Macy's Day Parade
A change in direction
Cons:
Hold On
No Drumming prowess shown at all.
Mike's quality bassing is shown far too little on the album.
Billie's songwriting skills are getting cranky....
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