Green Day: Dookie
When Kurt Cobain took his own life in April 1994, it was feared that the mainstream recognition of alternative rock music had been struck a death-blow. Certainly, the industry was never the same again, but Green Day were one of the first bands to make a mark on the post-Nirvana world of rock. Dookie was their major label debut, and is packed wall-to-wall with memorable songs. Labelled, somewhat wrongly, as ’skate punk’, Dookie owes as much to the likes of the Who and the Ramones as their Californian contempararies such as NOFX and Rancid. The short, catchy songs are definitely in the punk style, with lyrics concerning everyday issues, held together with simple but effective melodies. Longview is an eloquent description of couch potato boredom, while Welcome to Paradise (rerecorded and a little more polished than the original Kerplunk! version) is a song any newcomer to university or college could relate to.
Although the guitar riffs are simple power chords, Billie-Joe Armstrong’s songwriting skills and vocals more than make up for this, as do Mike Dirnt’s twangy basslines and Tre Cool’s powerful, spot-on drumming. It’s a simple formula, imitated many times over (and that means you, Blink 182), but it never gets boring during the full duration of the album. One last thing: if you patiently wait a couple of minutes after the last credited song F.O.D., you will be rewarded with the bonus track All by Myself, a hilarious acoustic number. It’s a quirky way to end a brilliant record.
In Summary
A foot-tapping classic and essential listening for fans of 90s rock. Three power chords have never sounded so good!
Tracklisting
- Burnout
- Having a Blast
- Chump
- Longview
- Welcome to Paradise
- Pulling Teeth
- Basket Case
- She
- Sassafras Roots
- When I Come Around
- Coming Clean
- Emenius Sleepus
- In the End
- F.O.D.
- All By Myself (hidden track)
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