Green Day "Dookie" (1994) - got it
The band signed to a major label after their second album “Kerplunk”
attracted attention from a number of labels and put the group at the
centre of a minor bidding war. This move away from independent release
led to some of their punk fans labelling them “sellouts”. I find that a
bit odd really because I don’t entirely view Green Day as a pure punk
band to begin with. It’s kind of like, if punk is a shot of espresso, Green Day are a
cappuccino. You get a taste and a bit of a zing, but not the full hit.
The group produce pop-punk, in places it delves into jazzy territory, with the
bass-driven "Longview"; there's more 'pure' punk with "In the End"; and an almost
early-Beatles vibe (but with more distortion) in "Pulling Teeth".
Loud guitars and vocal harmonies abound throughout, with singer Billie
Joe Armstrong affecting a sneery vocal that almost sounds like he's
doing a British accent to give it a bit more of a Sex Pistols vibe or
something.
While the band would arguably go through a period of being more focussed
around Armstrong, this sounds like a band effort, with Mike Dirnt's
bass often being boosted in the mix to shove it in your face. Even hit
"When I come around", Dirnt isn't just following the guitar line, he's
weaving in and out of it with busy basslines.
Drummer Tre Cool is also given plenty of space to shine, whether it's
his jazzy shuffle on Longview, his speedy snare rolls and flanges on
album opener "Burnout"
or his bouncing, almost Cuban interlude in the middle of "In the End"
(the album also closes with a secret track penned and performed by
Cool).
It's not 'really' punk, but I like it.
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