Review Summary: Classic.
Chapter III: Breakthrough
So far, Green Day hadn't distanced themselves from bands like The Offspring or NOFX, both of who were making much better albums at this point. They were in danger of falling into irrelevancy - I mean, 39-Smooth was a ***ing ***ing abomination. Sloppy and emulated hardcore punk badly in a bad way. Kerplunk was an improvement - it twas beter than 30-Smooth, ***ing fillers wore that bastard down though. And with Dookie, Green Day perfeted the art of 19-90s pop punk. The title is named after *** - so sophomiric rite? But the album was full of maturity as BJ Armstrong tackled topics that could construe be them as a one more adult band. Growin up. (Like Blink 182, dammit).
(Speaking of tackled: who's looking forward to the Super Bowl? Broncos better win)
Dookie is more mature. It's mature lyrically. "Welcome to Paradise" is perfeted here - the ***ty kerplunk version wax bad - too grity and unpolshed. It is about leaving home and survival of the fittest in the black ghetto of sububan Cali. "Coming Clean" talks about how Billy strugles with him being partly gay - you see, he is bi sexual. He did not want to be like societys norms for a homosexual. He was afraid of how his peers would judge him. Like me - I would have eat him up if we were in high school twogether. Bullied? Maybe. I grew up rough.
As you guys said in the comments, I shouldn't talk about tracks individually. So I will dedicate a para graph just to talk about rifs. It is a shame that They do not riff no more like they used to here - Uno! was no riffy, all poppy. But Dookie did have it. Listen to the bass lines in songs like "when i Come aRound" and "basket Case" - Mike Dirnt is a talent. He has talented powers as a good bass player. He may be not as good as say Flea, Justin Chancelor or les clay Pool, but he is good. Billie Joe has the knack of writing good guitar riffs too - so orgasmic, some of them. Like Burn out and chump. Vocals he is good to. So pass for the riffs. they always Made good riffs and went down the hill on 21st ***tery Break down. Some people copalain about fillers - fillers on "Sassafras Roots" or "In the end" which i saldy learned is not a Linkinpark cover. they are fast one minute songs like good old punk should bee. not technical, just emulation of fugazi and minor threat.
the album also impacted me as a childhood person. this is an album that made me truly appreciate the punk music and how to *** radio songs because thye sucked. this was the first album i liked that my friend woulds be rediculed me for later on for mychild hood. in elementary school. *** off and die was a song i sang when people piss me off, having a blast was for my angry days and even longview for when i wanted to grow up faster like billie joe. me and my parents would rally against parental advisory stickers with the dokie album in general. We never acoomplished much - and our school still did not tolerate profanity (***ing jerks). With all the big four 1994 punk releases - i would Have to rank them like this:
1. The Offspring - Smash
2. Green Day - Dookie
3. Bad Religion - Stranger Than Fiction
4. NoFX - Punk in Drublic
That is chapter III - next up i tackle the controversial release of Insomniac - which is either my favoirte or least favorite Green day album. Guess which one it is.
