Despite being almost 900 reviews
in, I have yet to formally review even one of my six Green Day albums. Right around the time I first started the blog in 2009 I was listening to “21st
Century Breakdown” and wrote an off-the-cuff review but it was
before I officially started this crazy journey so it doesn’t really count.
Anyway, practice time is over –
here we go.
Disc 885 is….Warning
Artist: Green Day
Year of Release: 2000
What’s up with the Cover? The band walks around looking
for trouble. Billie Joe might actually be looking for loose change, based on
his posture.
How I Came To Know It: I saw a music video for the song
“Minority”. I hadn’t given the band
much thought over the years, but I liked their sound, and I liked their new song
enough that I took a chance on my first Green Day album.
How It Stacks Up: I have six Green Day albums. I like them all,
but “Minority” will always hold a special place in my heart as my first. Good
enough to be #1? Probably not, but it might end up there by the end. For now, since
it is the first skater to finish the long program, I’ll put it second and give
another record a chance to beat it out.
Ratings: 4 stars
I always
feel that “Warning” gets short shrift among Green Day albums, sandwiched as it
is between 1997’s “Nimrod” which has their most famous song (“Good Riddance”) and the critical and
commercial success of 2004’s “American Idiot.” For all that I love this record,
which has a lot of songs that should’ve been classics, and few – if any –
clunkers.
The
trademark power and energy of a Green Day album is in full display, but this
album definitely strays more into a mainstream pop sound than what came before
and after. If you want Green Day to be a punk band (they’re not) this would
have disappointed you. I just want a band to play good music, and “Warning” more
than qualifies.
Long-time
readers will know my penchant for sparser production decisions, and “Warning”
is the sparsest of the six Green Day albums in my collection. The band has
always had great melodies and “Warning” lets those shine. Also, Tre Cool’s
drumming is solid and powerful, giving every song the thump it needs.
The
album also has a Celtic edge to it which had me thinking of the Dropkick
Murphys in places, particularly songs like “Hold
On” and “Macy’s Day Parade,”
which are two of my favourites. Make no mistake though, this record remains a
rock record, and Billie Joe’s vocals are as tough and scratchy as ever. If you
can hear these songs played equally well on banjo or mandolin that just means
they have solid ‘bones’ to their structure. Good songs work in any genre.
The opening
(and title) track gets things going with a nice rolling chord progression that
never really sits down. If ever a song walked you down the road, this is it, as
the boys deliver at least one punk sensibility: questioning authority.
The
album then gets a bit heavier, with pounding rock anthems “Blood, Sex and Booze” and “Church
on Sunday” which respectively woo a dominatrix and a church girl, albeit
with notably different approaches.
“Castaway” and “Deadbeat Holiday” are two of the record’s stronger tracks, which
both rock hard with hooks that seem so effortless it is like the songs have
been around forever. “Castaway” has a
throwback feel to seventies punk (without ever truly being punk) and “Deadbeat Holiday” is an anthem for doing
very little and reveling in the indolence of it all. The juxtaposition of the
song’s celebratory tune and the angry resignation of the lyrics work well.
If it
seems I’m a bit too taken with this record, I can only say a big part of music
is when you encounter it. This album came into my life when I was 30 and not
sure about what I wanted out of life (spoiler: I’m still not sure, but it
bothers me less these days). I had dyed my hair blonde, bought a convertible
and changed jobs and was generally feeling rebellious.
Against
that backdrop, the rock anthem “Minority”
really hit home, with its theme of iconoclasm and individuality. It didn’t hurt
that it had a kick ass guitar tag starting it off, and a tune that was full of
energy and easy to sing along to.
The album
ends with the anti-consumerism song, “Macy’s
Day Parade.” On a record that doesn’t get enough street cred, “Macy’s Day Parade” is the song that is
treated the worst. Driven by a basic acoustic guitar strum it shows off Billie
Joe’s vocals beautifully. If “Good
Riddance” is Green Day’s classic break-up song with a girl, then “Macy’s Day Parade” is their classic break
up song with everything else. At least this song should’ve been a classic, and I like to
think that out there in the world there are other Green Day fans who enjoy it
as a deep cut as much as I do.
“Warning”
is a solid record, and if it isn’t as hard hitting as much of Green Day’s other
work, it is no less solid musically, and maybe even a little more heartfelt
along the way.
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