Genre: Punk Rock
Rumoured to get their name from sweet Mary Jane because of the fondness towards it, the three Piece Punk Rock Band from California formed in 1987. The experimental and raw sound of Green Day is showed perfectly within the album! The sound is so progressive and putting forward so many influences to create this unique sound from surely the likes of The Ramones, Black Sabbath, Sex Pistols and loads of others. The Green Day sound is something special in its own right with the whole band getting a say in the song and the iconic bass riffs of Mike Dirnt which highlighted a instruments that can usually shy away behind the guitar. Green Day don't do that which I love, they're outspoken!
The album Dookie became a huge commercial worldwide seller in 1994 becoming their third studio album. To me this album is right up their with the likes of Nevermind and their success and impact within the 90's. The album is just so consistent with all the punk rock you can need with a hard hitting sound for a three piece band. The name Dookie comes from diarrhoea and the symptoms they were suffering while on tour because of all the junk food they were eating.
Billie Joe Armstrong - Frontman/Singer/Guitarist - Mike Dirnt - Bassist - Tre Cool - Drummer
Artwork
The artwork presents as if Green Day have just dropped this bomb shell of a record. The artwork depicts bombs being dropped on a city filled with civilians. Meaning must surely mean that Green Day have finely woken East Bay, San Francisco up, and the world with being noticed in the media with the success of their promotional single that was released. Thats the impression I get, or it could be one of the band taking a crap and exploding the city in a humorous way!
Track Listing
Track 1 - Burnout
Just the free roaming within the band is just awesome for a first track, if your a starting band and want to know how it's done. Like this. The band is well orchestrated to show off their talents perfectly with their instruments and the powerful gripping vocals of Billie! Meaning of this song can relate to any teenage or any person never wanting to grow up, being immature forever!
Track 2 - Having A Blast
Very strong song meaning that talks about a man committing suicide and killing civilians around him, well thats the impression I get. But also could have many meanings like having so much going on and pressures to do anything to get rid of them maybe even costing your reputation. The song is very catchy when you hit the chorus and the beat flows with personal lyrics that you could afflict with your own personal affections. The song is moderately heavy and has awesome guitar and nice breakdowns towards the end where the band knows when to halt their instruments before starting again.
Track 3 - Chump
Obviously a song that shows you hate a specific someone because they've pissed you off. A subject that surely everyone can relate too with someone if your own life. The solo is very experimental and very band orientated with just a erupt ending that slowly introduces the next song, a very nice flowing transistion. This song was written out of jealously of a ex-girlfriend that had found a new boyfriend and was written about him.
Track 4 - Longview
Iconic Bass Riff to begin the song that speaks about boredom, masturbation, drinking, smoking and lounging about. A very relatable song to a youthful teenager that appeals as a complete lonely loser and does nothing in his life. The bass riff was inspired through LSD and we can all thank Mike for sharing that with us! He also states that he can't actually remember how good it was when he first did it, so this was the best he can remember on the track. True to the punk style this was Green Days longest song on the record so far.
Track 5 - Welcome To Paradise
The song was inspired from a slum the band used to live in and wasn't the friendliest of places, infested with thugs, gangs, drug dealers and other punk rockers. The riff was created by the drummer Tre Cool and drums by Billie as this was tradition in the early days of Green Day when they were starting out swapping and sharing roles. The start of the guitar introducing the power chords has such a flow to it and the lyrics are easily relatable to the rock sound.
Track 6 - Pulling Teeth
The song is very comical in the way the stereotypical roles are reversed with the woman beating the man. The song has a inside joke because Tre Cool was sent to the hospital fight with his girlfriend running around but then tripping over and breaking both his elbows. Billie laughed all the way to the hospital he recalls and said he has to write a song about it, which he did. The song is very strong from the rockers and has such a stop start feel to it which I enjoy. The song is made simple and nothing too experimental here and is just an easy relaxing punk song to listen too.
Track 7 - Basket Case
This is the song that got them noticed within the media. The verse getting introduced straight away, Without this track many of the songs on this album probably wouldn't of got picked up on. Very outspoken and in your face song that just eventually explodes on you. During this time Billie was having mental problems at the time and was inspired using a hospital mental institute within the music video. This song is about the tipping point where your about to go crazy and all of us can surely relate to it, to people who have suffered with anxiety issues. Having panic attacks and waking up in the middle of the night and freaking out. Basket Case means someone who is unstable and in others words useless.
Track 8 - She
Bass riff intro! With Billie sensitive vocals to open up the song. This is talking about a girl who doesn't know what to do with their life but yet everyone is telling her what to do, yet she's determined to take her own path. It was written about Billies girlfriend with who he is still together to this day!
Track 9 - Sassafras Roots
Sassafras is the main ingredients in your beer! The song is about being with someone and wasting time together something I'm sure everyones done and been an unproductive sloth. Such a great rock song for a stereotypical teenager because it's pretty much what you do.
Track 10 - When I Come Around
Basically the meaning within the song can show that your not ready for the next step in this relationship. He did break up with his girlfriend for a while but then realised the mistake he made and got back with her. (Adrienne Nesser) Such a awesome song that caught the eye of the media!
Track 11 - Coming Clean
Having the independence and becoming your own person. Even if it was not their perfect idolising way they though you'd turn out like. This song is rumoured to be inspired from a homosexual man and being afraid to come out of the closet. The song has groundbreaking start to open up the vocals of Billie that then pulsate into a flowing rock song.
Track 12 - Emenius Sleepus
Awesome guitar riff to open up the song that involves simple power chords but yet has such a melodic flow and punk rock sound to it. Song meaning maybe from a friend he recently lost in the years and reuniting but then finding out things have changed completely to how he remembered of them. Or could be about himself and that the mistakes he's made just makes him sick. Probably my favourite song of the album which is a tough to make from all these great tracks so far!
Track 13 - In The End
This maybe be about people who care about their own image and convenience. Dating people so they have someone to look good with. Song is very quick and fast to get out of the way with, but yet has a very unique heavy structure within the song. Very fast with the lyrics Billie has. The beat having such a flowing melodic structure.
Track 14 - F.O.D
Fuck Off & Die if you wanna know the letters, this is the first acoustic song to end the album. This is a part of your life where you just wanna be alone and associating yourself as alienated from everything. Appealing to a teenager who can associate with this that can't stand being around someone. The song has two parts within the song. The quiet to then the loud and plugged in side! The structure of the song is perfect with your calm at first but then you explode within the anger of a moment because you can't take anymore. Towards the end their is a song from Tre Cool titled "All By Myself." Acoustic guitar song that sounds comical which I'm sure is how they were suppose to interpret the sound. Very quick album and I'm sure you won't get bored easily with this album.
Total Time 39:38
Live Performances
Band are still together and tour to this day! I saw the band in a intimate tent a Reading, they appeared as special guests and the festival didn't know they were coming till the very last minute! They know how to put on an amazing show. Billie has a famous toilet paper/water pistol that he shoots into the crowd and occasionally gets a rocker to come on stage and play his guitar! The stage presence they give off is extraordinary and the band are still going strong to this day! A very powerful band that have inspired many artists in todays music from this Dookie album!
Merchandise
I'm not sure what merchandise the band gave out on their Dookie tour. But I'm assuming the album artwork logo would of been printed on the front on a black top with all the tour dates that were announced on the back. If anyone can put forward any information on shirts during the tour, it would be very helpful! But anyway lush design and a message directed towards the youth of being yourself and fight to what you believe in with a punk rock attitude.
Rating
10/10! I just love this album. It's so punk rock and if you don't like tongue and cheek rock then it's probably not for. It's just so fun this album and is humorous with the topics they explored within this one album!
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