My First Album - Blink 182 - Enema of the State

I remember my first time like it was yesterday. It was the summer of 1999 when it all went down. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut had just been released and I already celebrated my birthday a few weeks prior. This was about the same time I moved into a new city and started getting an allowance. After saving up three weeks allowance at $5 a week I had enough money to buy my very first CD, Enema of the State by Blink 182.

I was definitely the last of all my friends to buy the album, but I appreciated the album just as much. The infamous cover with the attractive blonde nurse pulling down her blue glove was an image every teenage male knew in 1999. Almost every guy I knew, including yours truly, had a crush on the model known simply as Janine. Years later I would learn her real name was Janine Marie Lindemulder,  an ex-wife of Jesse James and an adult film actress, but I digress.

It was a warm, sunny June day when I walked to Target. Yes, I actually walked like a normal kid unlike some spoiled children today. The Target by my best friend’s house was known to have a relaxed purchase policy for CDs that contained a Parental Advisory sticker. Our walk took my friend Danny and I about 30 minutes.

Once we arrived I immediately went for the entertainment section and found the CD. It was $13.99 and I couldn’t have been happier. That day I learned a very important lesson, it’s all about confidence. As I brought my CD up to the twentysomething cashier in the garden section, she looked at me and said, “Late night, come home.” It took me a second before I replied, “Work sucks, I know” and she gave me a big smile. What were the chances the cashier would also be a Blink 182 fan and that she would quote “All the Small Things” to me?

Needless to say both Danny and I enjoyed rocking out to Blink 182 that afternoon. Green Day may have been the first band I fell in love with, but Enema of the State was the first album I personally bought with my own money. I managed to smuggle the album back home and played it several times before I lost it. Years later, I found my copy, now extremely scratched up, but I still cherished it just as much when I first bought the album. Enema of the State will always bring me great memories. When Blink 182 released their eponymous album in 2003, my interest in the band had passed long before their hiatus in 2005. However, at the time I always regretted not being able to see them live.

During my senior year of high school I was listening to a rock radio station when the DJ said, “Here’s an oldie, but a goodie…Blink 182’s ‘All The Small Things.’” I couldn’t believe it. Did a modern day rock DJ really say that about a song that’s only eight years old? Still, I sang along for 2:48 minutes and couldn’t have been happier. My joy for Blink 182 resurfaced and I became an even bigger fan in college thanks to my friend Billy, who is arguably the biggest Blink 182 fan I know (Sorry, Malcolm).

When Blink 182 reunited and I saw them on tour for the first time in 2009, I told people it was for pure nostalgia. I lied. By that time I was beyond stoked and my passion for the band had been reignited. I have now seen the band several times and can’t wait to see them again. There are certain bands, no matter how old I get, I will always have a place for them in my life and Blink 182 is one of them. Their music still holds up.

Now every time I listen to Enema of the State, the album still sounds fresh to me. It’s one of those albums that defined my youth and taste in music. Right now the song “What’s My Age Again?” really resonates with me, maybe it’s because I’m 23, but I believe it’s just an awesome song about growing up. Even songs like “Adam’s Song,” “The Party Song,” “Anthem,” and of course, “All The Small Things” all hold up. Sure maybe not all of you are “feeling this” pick, but to me it’s “obvious” and will always be a band that keeps me “up all night.”


--Brownstone

The First Album I Ever Bought - Green Day; Dookie by Penfold

Admittedly a good chunk of time has elapsed since I made my first music purchase.  It was the spring of 1994.  I was still years away from obtaining my driver’s license, and perhaps more importantly my music fandom was still in its infancy.  Don’t get me wrong waveriders.  I’ve always loved music, but during that time period I had other things on my plate that sucked up much more of my free time; namely school and computer games.  However, the February release of Green Day’s Dookie apparently caused a shift in my priorities.  I used the word apparently because to be totally honest, I’m not sure what motivated me to actually make this purchase.  I don’t remember having any friends at the time who owned the album (no peer pressure), and I don’t believe I was listening to a lot of alternative music on the radio yet (still stuck on the parent-approved oldies).  Maybe it was fate?  We’ll never know.

Long story short, I managed to persuade my father to drive me down to the local Wallmart.  I seem to recall that it was a nice, sunny day outside.  When we arrived at the store, he accompanied me inside to the electronics department.  I picked out the cassette (for those that don’t know a cassette is a tape based medium that once upon a time was the most technologically advanced form of music storage), took it to the cashier, and paid out a chunk of my hard-earned allowance monies.  The album was officially mine.  Yes!!!  It was time to return home, and this is where the story gets good.

Skip ahead to when my father and I are back in the car.  Hastily, I’ve torn away the plastic wrap encapsulating the cassette.  Wanting a closer look at the captivating album art I’ve removed the liner notes (on reflection I’m not sure if ‘liner notes’ is the proper term since we’re talking about cassettes, but it’s all I’ve got right now).  Yep.  Intricately drawn cover art with tons of characters running around.  Nice.  On an inner page is a photo of Ernie from Sesame Street crowd surfing.  Very Nice!  But wait…what’s that on the other side?   It appeared to be song lyrics.  I began to read them, and that was when the trouble started.  Golly gee I thought.  There sure are a lot of cuss words in those lyrics.  Not only that, but there were also drug references and depictions of violence.  ‘This could be problematic’ said a tinny little voice inside my naïve mind.  Also, I can’t be sure, but I wouldn’t doubt that most of the color had quickly drained from my face.  What had I just bought?  Moments later, the worst possible scenario unfolded…

“Hey son, why don’t we listen to that new music of yours?”

Oh no!?!?  Must think quickly, must think quickly!  If my dad heard any of this music he would have turned the car around, drove straight back to the store, and forced me to return my new tape.  That wasn’t going to happen, but what could I say?  I’ve always been honest to a fault, so there was no way I could spin a convincing yarn my father would buy.  What if I just stretched the truth a little bit?

“That’s okay Dad.  I’d rather wait until we get home to listen to my new tape.”

That’s right…home.  Where a pair of headphones would ensure I was the only person hearing this new music.  And guess what?  My ploy worked!  Quick thinking had saved the day.  But that’s not all that happened.  There was something else.  Something important in my personal evolution.  At that moment, a storyteller was born.

Now let’s get down to business.  Story time is fine and dandy, but all of you waveriders out there are really here to find out about new and exciting music.  With that in mind, I’ll get to the matter at hand.  You probably haven’t heard about them, but there is an energetic trio of musicians operating out of Berkeley, California.  They go by the name Green Day and I have a feeling based on their first major label album, Dookie, that these guys might have a future in this business.  Just a feeling mind you.  I could be wrong, but let me explain myself.

Waveriders, I like punk rock.  Yes I do, and I’m not afraid to say it.  I know that there hasn’t been a really popular punk band on the radio or MTV in the past few years, but I believe that the time is right for some quality act to revive interest in punk rock with the youth today.  Grunge is good, but there has to be something else out there to add a little variety to the current musical landscape of the 1990s.  Maybe not a pure punk rock band that sounds like a carbon copy of originators like The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, The Buzzcocks, etc., but a band that builds upon punk’s solid foundation and adds a wrinkle or two.  Perhaps this band could hold onto a lot of the punk snarl but add more pop sensibilities to the mix.  Well folks, that band has arrived.  That band is Green Day.

Dookie is a fourteen song monster of an album!  Seriously, it’s frightening!  It may be the single most infectious collection of music that anyone will hear this entire calendar year.  The first single off the album, “Longview”, is already a massive hit.  And why shouldn’t it be?  You’ve got Mike Dirnt’s extremely memorable bass line and Billie Joe Armstrong’s edgy lyrics coupled with massive choruses boasting ultra-crunchy guitar and explosive drums.   Actually based on the ridiculous strength of all the songs available, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find this album still charting in 1995 or beyond. 

It’s anybody’s guess what the next single will be, but my money is on “Welcome To Paradise”.  This song is all about power.  It’s in your face immediately with muscular guitar riffs, but what really floors me is the out of control locomotive drumming.  One second everything seems normal and the next Tre Cool seems to have grown another couple of appendages for use on lightning quick drum fills.  Awesome!  Another strong contender for the next single has to be “Basket Case”.  The hook on this song is so fantastic I guarantee you won’t be able to get it out of your head for weeks on end.  Pop-punk indeed!  Lastly, if the powers that be at Reprise Records really want to reel in every young person possible, they will release the song “When I Come Around”.  Trust me Reprise Records.  This is a modern day alternative anthem waiting to happen!

Waveriders, punk rock may have taken a break from the limelight in the dark days of the late eighties/early nineties, but rest assured that it’s back thanks to Green Day.  No it’s not your parents’ punk rock.  Green Day is a little poppier, a little more refined, but still bursting at the seams with aggression and attitude to spare.  The musical landscape is about to change.  Pick up a copy of Dookie and be a part of the revolution!

--Penfold

The Subways - Young For Eternity

 

“Yeah, well, they may be superstars but they sold out,” she stared at me with agitation in her voice. 

We were at a coffee shop in Berkeley. I glanced up at her from my organic blend and said, “So, what if Green Day went commercial?  They’re a great band with great songwriting.  Now, their music is just more accessible.  What’s wrong with that?  They’ve made a ton of money in the process.  Why should you be so angry about it?”  I stirred the cream, dropped in two packets of Sweet ‘n Low, looked down at the paper cup and took a sip. Still too hot.

She became vociferous, “What do you mean! The stuff is now musical dreck.  It is pablum as sweet as that no calorie quasi-cup of coffee in front of you.  Green Day stood for something.  They were defiant with a message.  They went from being masters of punk to Kings of cash. They lost me in the process.  I’m sure many of their early fans feel the same way and it makes me angry.  I want the real band back - not the FM radio imitation.”  She waited a beat or two.  I thought her throbbing cartoid arteries were going to explode.

I decided to deflect the anger.  “There are other bands that have stayed true to their punk roots.  Why don’t you follow one of them?”  She took a bite of her blueberry scone and did a virtual spit take.  Scone crumbs covered the table.  Her eyes bulged out.  She screamed, “What others?  There are no others.  When Green Day split for cash and stardom there was no one that good.  The whole scene imploded.  I mean, after that, who was there to follow?”  She gulped her  caramel machiatto and quickly downed a cube of scone droppings.

“What about The Subways?” I said.  She looked at me and replied, “BART sucks but if you want we can take it from Rockridge into the city.”  “No, I mean the band called ‘The Subways’.  They’ve stayed true to their punk roots.  Is there a reason you don’t follow them?”  I asked.  She looked at me with a blank stare and replied  “Never heard of them.” I did my virtual spit take as I accidentally overturned a container of half and half on the table.  We both pushed back and stood up to avoid the white waterfall off the edge.  A worker came over with a sponge, mop and rag and immediately cleaned up the table, chairs and floor.

“They’ve got three albums out now, I think - Young for Eternity, All or Nothing and Money & Celebrity. But, if you haven’t heard of them you really should start off with Young for Eternity.  It is their debut album and contains a numerologically significant thirteen tracks, one of which is ‘hidden’.  All of it is written by the band’s guitarist and vocalist Billy Lunn.” I sat back down, took another sip of my coffee and felt the clammy cool of a damp seat wick through the crotch of my jeans.

She grabbed a handful of paper napkins and dried her seat thoroughly before she sat down.  I remained uncomfortable.  She looked at me and said “Are they good like early Green Day?”  I grabbed my smartphone, fired up the music application and loaded the album Young for Eternity. “Here, plug in your headphones and listen.  We’re done here.  Why don’t we just walk down to BART?” I suggested and she agreed.

We grabbed our coffees and she donned her headphones.  She listened intently to the first two or three tracks, then I lost her.  She started hopping, almost head-bashing her way down Telegraph.  By the end of the album she was amped.  She took off the headphones as we reached the BART station.  She handed me my phone and I said, “Well, what do you think?”  She replied, “You’re right. I don’t miss early Green Day anymore.  But, before we get on the train can we go down to Rasputin’s?  There are three albums that I’ve just got to buy.“

- Old School

The Bloody Hollies - Yours Until the Bitter End

 

"Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned."

I sat uncomfortably in the confessional.  Beyond the wood and iron door, night fell about the cathedral.  No parishioners walked the pews.  A lone janitor mopped the floors in silent circles.  Candles burned in a solemn stare of remorse as the crucified form of Jesus stared down at me.  A mix of mercy and condemnation in his eyes.

I'm not Catholic, but my transgression was so great I had no other choice. To save my music-loving soul, I needed confession.

"Yes, my son," the priest's disembodied voice returned.  "Tell me your sin."

I was uncomfortable not being able to look into the eyes of my redeemer.  Unable to judge the response in his pupils as I opened up my soul and let my sins pour out.  I wanted to gauge the look of shock and horror in his gaze as I spoke.  As if it would give me a hint as to the penance I faced.  But no.  Just a gated wall separated us.  I could see his darkened, silhouetted form, like an angry apparition.  My judge.  My jury.

"I have committed the cardinal sin of a music writer," I began, my voice catching in my throat. "I have prejudged a band.  Condemned them before I even listened to them."

I heard the priest swallow hard.  "Go on."

"The band is The Bloody Hollies and for reasons I can't quite understand, I wanted to hate them.  I'd heard so much about them, I wanted to dismiss them.  I wanted to stand tall on my perch of righteous musical prejudice and reign down my disgust upon them.  I wanted it so much, I almost could taste my indignation.  I nearly deleted the album before I'd even heard it."

"I see.  But instead, you played it?"

"Yes, I did. God, yes I did!  And suddenly all my preconceived notions were flung out the door.  The world made new sense to me.  Here I thought The Bloody Hollies was another bunch of preening pretenders, another in the long line of bandwagon-jumpers following the trail set by the White Stripes.  Poseurs with a cool name, mining the same bluesy-punk vein.   Fad-flipping pop-punk wannabes with no real balls or chops."

"And they weren't?"

"Hell, no!" (maybe I shouldn't have said that to the priest). "I'm here today to tell you that The Bloody Hollies are the real deal.  Killer rock n roll!  Pure punk thrash and dirt mixed with tainted garage griminess and unadulterated rock passion.  And there's more than that.  These kids know how to play.  Sure the songs might be simple, but they're moved along with fine chops and a drummer that pounds the skins harder than I'd get pounded in the UFC ring.

"But it doesn't stop there.  Mixed in with their rough and raw garage punk are influences of pure classic rock.  Riff that the Kinks would love.  And they got massive pop smarts, and I don't mean Blink 182 or Green Day pop-punk.  Real punk energy with killer choruses, retro-bluesy swagger, and hooks fucking galore driving their punk ditties.  (perhaps I shouldn't have said fuck either.) This is one of my favorite albums of the year."

The priest said nothing.  I could hear his breathing.

"I'm serious father.  You gotta hear some of these killer cuts like "So Grey So Green."  They rage.   I mean they positively rage!  And the vocals!  Oh, my God, don't get me started on the vocals.  This is everything that I love in punkified rock.  Passion. Pure passion baby. The singer strains and reaches and lets his vocal chords groan and screech as he blasts it out.  I can't get enough of it!"

I heard the priest's breathing hasten.  His lips started smacking.  I knew he could feel the passion of The Bloody Hollies music just from my words.  I yanked the mp3 boombox out of my backpack and hit play.  "Dead Letter," raged out, its organ and marching drum intro filling the cathedral.  I saw the janitor drop his mop and look my way.  Suddenly the guitar part kicked in, charging and terrorizing like the best of the Replacements.  Then the song motored into that stuttering breakdown before the chorus.  Drums pounding like revelation.  Bass attacking like the parting of the Red Sea.   I felt the whole confessional shudder under the might of those 3-chord riffs. The priest was swept up in the passion.  I could see his silhouette bouncing in the chanber next to mine.

"Dirty Sex" blasted out next, it's simple, muted southern rock guitar intro exploding into a punkified fury of adrenaline and teenage hormones.   Like the Black Crowes amped up on a case of Red Bull after a fist-fight with the Stooges.

"And then I learned that this was their 5th album.  And still they bring this much passion to their music.  And the surprises, like the use of a violin on one song.  A slide guitar on another.  I can't stop listening . . . "

But I never finished.  The shuddering of the confessional heightened until the walls started to shake apart.  As The Bloody Hollies ripped into the nightmare-terror-cum-prog-epic punk adventure of "Good Night Sleep Tight" the whole thing fell apart.  The confessional walls shattered to the ground. The ceiling collapsed around me.  And there, standing amid the rubble was the priest.  Or pogoing amid the rubble would be a better way to describe it.  His collar ripped off, the priest leaped onto the heap of lumber and iron, his air guitar blaring away with the rumbling riff as the song transformed into the garage-metal terror of "I Dream of Bees."

The priest reached into my backpack and ripped out my vinyl copy of Yours Until the End. (yes, the download was so good I had to run out and buy the vinyl.   I suggest you do the same.)  The priest stood there, staring at my album, holding it tightly in his hands, preciously, as if it was a lost artifact.  When The Bloody Hollies dropped into a vague Clash-like, reggae-infused punk assault of "Leave that Woman Alone" the priest let out a wallop of a primal yell, ripped the sleeves off his white button-down shirt, whipped his hair into a quick Mohawk, and jumped from the rubble and ran off into the night.

Taking my vinyl Yours Until the Bitter End with him.

I'm still trying to track him down.

--Racer

Green Day - Awesome As Fuck

Rarely does an album title ever perfectly capture how well an album truly is and Green Day’s latest album Awesome As F**k (the band’s fifth live album) does just that. Even as their song “Fashion Victim” (from their album Warning) says, “What’s in a name?” Green Day knows how to make an awesome album with a killer title. Ever since I could remember I have always been a huge fan of Green Day. Strike that. Since 1994, when I first heard Dookie, I have been a huge Green Day fan. For the past decade I have received the strangest looks from people when I proclaim this. Usually, there is some kind of remark along the lines like “How could you support those ‘Anti-Americans’?” or “Why would you support a band that ‘sold out’?” To those naysayers I simply say, “I will always remain a faithful fan through thick and thin because I truly love Green Day. Besides how many bands do you know can say they have made two iconic albums in two different centuries (Dookie and American Idiot)?”

Since my introduction to following bands/music I have noticed an unusual trend amongst music fans or rather I have actually paid attention for the first time. Most individuals are “casual music fans” and only listen to bands that are “hot at the moment.” Only the true and diehard fans follow a band when they appear/disappear from the limelight and never give up on them. I can honestly trace back the moment when I first heard Green Day. It was in Mrs. Jones’ third grade class at Grace Brethren Elementary School and my classmate Chad introduced me to the awesomeness that is Green Day. Thank you Chad, wherever you are.

Over the years I have loved discussing my affection and admiration for Green Day. While at concerts I will usually interact with other fans discussing their past albums, side projects (such as the Foxboro Hot Tubes) and describe how we were first introduced to the band. After a while I noticed a pattern amongst the “older fans,” who were  introduced to Green Day prior to American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown, which I like to call the Dookie situation. The reason I call it the Dookie situation is because most diehard Green Day fans categorize people into two categories: 1) Fans of Green Day before Dookie and 2) Fans of Green Day after Dookie. Basically, their argument is always “Were you a fan before or after they found mainstream success?” My counterargument has and will always be, “I discovered Green Day because of that album. What’s wrong with that?” That’s usually fine, but if they have an attitude I add, “Excuse me if I was only in the third grade when it came out and weren’t able to check them out in the East Bay in the early 1990s.” Luckily, that has rarely happened.

Still, my passion runs deep for Green Day. As a matter of fact I plan on attending American Idiot, their musical once it opens in Los Angeles Spring 2012 with some fellow diehard Green Day fans. When Rock Band released the Green Day videogame I immediately marked my calendar and rushed out and bought it the morning of its release. Needless to say I’m a fan regardless how old I get.

Awesome As F**k is what a live album should be: fun, fresh and fantastic. As the title even alludes to its f**king awesome and the album immediately drops you into that concert environment. The last two times I saw Green Day was during the first leg of the 21st Century Breakdown tour with their final show at The Forum and during “New Years” at L.A. Live near the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Both times, they sounded fantastic, but the “New Years” gig was even more amazing. At that show, they primarily played their old stuff from Kerplunk, Insomniac, 39/Smooth and a handful of “current songs” from American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown (maybe three or so during a 90 minute set). The raw energy they infused the audience with at each show created two great memories for this Green Day fan.

That same energy can be seen in their latest effort Awesome As F**k. The album kicks off with “21st Century Breakdown,” the titular track from their platinum selling studio album, and for the first few seconds all you hear and feel is the crowd going wild. There is nothing more exhilarating than an audience picking up your intensity and getting your blood pumping. Immediately I was brought back into that environment as though I was at the concert. That’s when you know a live album is great- it brings you into the concert.

The intensity continues to build throughout the track and even more enthusiasm erupts when the explosions go off before Billie Joe Armstrong starts singing. Once Armstrong belts out the lyrics, it’s nonstop fun. The very first time I listened to this album I had goosebumps all over my body. Around the 2:20 mark, you hear Tre Cool’s awesome drumming in the background as Armstrong riles up the crowd before the crowd’s intensity blows up. Then a minute later all hell breaks loose and the energy goes up a whole another notch. That’s what a great band does- pumps up its crowd’s energy to the max and then some.

Where “21st Century Breakdown” leaves off “Know Your Enemy” picks up. These first two tracks highlight the raw energy of Green Day fans much like the KISS Army on the KISS album Alive! and Cheap Trick’s Cheap Trick at Budokan. This irresistible live track makes you want to clap and scream along with as though you were there.

Much like their last album, “East Jesus Nowhere” is my favorite track on Awesome As F**k. Armstrong illustrates what a fun, fantastic frontman he truly is by getting the entire crowd involved with repeating the intro. Once the guitars and drums kick in, “East Jesus Nowhere” highlights how talented Green Day is with creating catchy, energetic and effective songs filled with messages.

With lyrics like, “A fire burns today/ Of blasphemy and genocide/The sirens of decay/Will infiltrate the faith fanatics” it’s no surprise Green Day has been successful for over 20 years. Still, my favorite part of the song is when the audience sings the part, “Don't test me (Pause)/ Second guess me (Pause) /Protest me” by themselves. Overall, a fantastic live version worth checking out.

The song smoothly transitions to one of the most popular and enduring songs from American Idiot, “Holiday.” It’s so flawless, much like a concert, that for a few seconds you forget it’s a whole new song. For almost the past decade, this politically-charged song has inspired, infuriated and increased awareness for many people around the world. Most people tend to forget the only musicians who openly condemned and criticized President George W. Bush’s actions with the War in Iraq from the very beginning were Green Day and the Dixie Chicks. This song still sounds fresh and effective almost a decade later. Hearing the audience shout back “Amen” is intense and inspiring, mostly due to Dublin’s unbelievable energy. Every time I hear this song I can’t help, but get excited. This live track just adds to my enjoyment even more, especially when the crowd sings along to “Zieg Heil to the President Gasman/Bombs away is your punishment/Pulverize the Eiffel Towers/Who criticize your government.”

The more relaxed “¡Viva La Gloria!” follows and shows the softer side of Green Day for a few tender moments before blasting off to the hard sound we have been accustomed to for their entire career. Much like their previous live album Bullet in a Bible, Green Day’s Awesome As F**k primarily focuses on songs from the previous album (21st Century Breakdown features six songs), but do include some awesome tracks from their back catalog.

At the tail end of “¡Viva La Gloria!” around 4:03, Billie Joe Armstrong announces to a Dallas crowd, “We are going to play a brand new song,” which the crowd rejoices to before Armstrong adds, “It ain’t that brand new.” The song transitions unnoticeably (from Dallas to Phoenix) with “Cigarettes and Valentines” officially beginning with Armstrong saying, “This song is called ‘Cigarettes and Valentines.’ Let’s Go!” Surprisingly, there is a good amount of fans who already know some of the lyrics and it makes you wonder what could have been?

For those unfamiliar with what I am getting at, let me give you some insight into Green Day history. Green Day was following up their album Warning with an album called Cigarettes and Valentines in 2003. Near the end of their sessions, the master recordings for the twentysomething tracks were stolen and the band was left with two options:  rerecord everything or start from scratch. Green Day chose the latter and history was made. The band recorded the rock opera American Idiot and created one of the most iconic albums thus far in the 21st Century. Even my Baby Boomer parents know who Green Day is because of American Idiot. I heard “Cigarettes and Valentines” for the very first time because of this live album and it’s exactly what I want in a Green Day song.

The classic Dookie song, “Burnout” has become a staple at shows and you can see why. Everyone from Billie Joe Armstrong, Tre Cool, Mike Dirt, the rest of the touring band (Jason White, Jason Freese, Jeff Matika) and the crowd’s excitement fuels the intensity of an already splendid song. Even when you see Green Day live, it’s nice they enthusiastically still play their classic songs that gained them national exposure. They follow up with an oldie from their debut album 39/Smooth, “Going to Pasalacqua.”  Like most live albums, this one keeps giving with another rare track, “J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva)," from the movie soundtrack Angus and besides the aforementioned soundtrack was only featured on the greatest hits album International Superhits! These gems supplement this stellar album, which proves even superstars like Green Day aren’t afraid to play their back catalog and still love playing their classics.

“You guys want to hear some more old shit or what?” Billie Joe Armstrong says before opening the track “Who Wrote Holden Caulfield?” and adds after strumming a few notes, “This song is my favorite song from Kerplunk by the way.” Armstrong’s energy and enthusiasm pumps me up every time I listen to this part of the album. Much like attending one of their shows, Green Day keeps you entertained and somehow builds upon your excitement with each subsequent song. The album Insomniac is finally represented with “Geek Stink Breath” and like the previous five songs, a classic song will always be great no matter what.

Then it really gets crazy with “When I Come Around.” Besides “Basket Case” (my all time favorite Green Day song), “When I Come Around” is definitely in my top three songs from Green Day. Once again, they deliver another amazing live version and you can’t help, but sing along. However, my only complaint about this entire album is the Berlin audience’s lack of enthusiasm and knowledge of the lyrics to this Green Day classic. At times, you can’t even hear them sing the lyrics, which is disappointing.

Luckily, Brisbane’s audience picks up the pieces and gives great enthusiasm for “She.” Three of Green Day’s most popular recent songs “21 Guns,” “American Idiot,” and “Wake Me Up When September Ends” follow. Like everything preceding these tracks, Green Day remains full of fun and energy after playing these songs essentially nonstop for the past seven years. Hearing the entire audience sing the opening chorus, “Don't want to be an American Idiot/Don't want a nation under the new media/And can you hear the sound of hysteria?/The subliminal mind fuck America” is beyond amazing. It honestly doesn’t get any better than that.

The standard edition of the album closes with “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),” which feels like the perfect bookend to Awesome As F**k. As the lyrics suggest I “had the time of my life” enjoying this album. If that’s not enough, the album includes a DVD with concert footage from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Talk about an extra hour of awesomeness! Awesome As F**k is easily one of my favorite albums of the year and in my opinion the best live album of 2011! I wish more albums were filled with so many goodies.

--Brownstone