Green Day is a Trio of Punk rock'n'roll California N formed in 1988 and composed of the guitarist and singer Billie Joe Armstrong, of the bass player Mike Dirnt and beater Tré Cool. In the beginning, the Groupe belongs to the punk scene with Berkeley in California. They accumulate the concerts and sign a contract with the independent label Lookout! Records. Their second album Kerplunk draws the attention, and thus they sign with the major label Reprise again Records in 1993. It is then that they create the album Dookie into 1994 which gains an immense success: the group becoming thus (at the time) " the greatest group of the monde". The group, with others such as Rancid and The Offspring, is also credited to have started again the commercial interest with punk in the whole world, influencing groups like Blink-182, Sum 41 and Good Charlotte. The group continues with the albums Insomniac , Nimrod and Warning between 1995 and 2000. These albums do not reach the business success of Dookie , but are sold all the same relatively well. In 2004, the group leaves the album American Idiot , which becomes a business success and critical, popularizing the group with a new generation.

Green Day sold more than 60 million albums in the whole world, including 22 million with the the United States. They also collected many prices, including three Grammy Awards for Dookie , American Idiot and the song Boulevard Off Broken Dreams .

History

Modest beginnings

At the 12 years age, Tré Cool becomes member of the group The Lookouts. Their album quickly draws the attention and the Tré young person starts to occur with the club Punk of Berkeley in California, 924 Gilman Street. On their side, Armstrong (17 years) and Dirnt (17 years) form the group Sweet Children in 1989, with Armstrong with the song and with the Guitare and Dirnt with the low and the chorus S. They start to play in 1988 with the Rod' S Hickory Pit with Rodeo in California. In 1989, “Sweet Children” re-elect “Green Day” according to one day last has to smoke of grass (“green day”). They quickly add Al Sobrante (born John Kiftmeyer, battery) to the group and seek a contract for a recording.

Thanks to their first rounds in the United States in 1988 and 1989, the group signs a contract this same year with Lookout! Records, the label Punk held by the leader of the group The Lookouts, Lawrence Livermore. They consequently leave occasion their first maxis 1,000 Hours , Slappy and 39/Smooth in 1990, with songs treating mainly love. Lawrence Livemore describes one of their Concert S like worthy of a concert of the " Beatles playing Shea Stadium ". The following year (1991), they produce the album 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours , a compilation of their 3 maxis. Al Sobrante then leaves suddenly the group to leave to the Université, and Tré Cool is engaged as temporary substitute. When Armstrong and Dirnt realize that Al Sobrante does not intend to be a member of the group, it is replaced definitively by Tré Cool.

They turn over then in studio to produce their second album, Kerplunk , in 1992, which sells 50.000 copies in the United States, which is regarded as much for a punk album independent of the time. This draws the attention of Reprise again Records, and a series of rounds in residence and in Europe later, the group signs with Reprise again in April 1993, leaving Lookout! in a friendly way.

Dookie and success

The signature for Reprise again makes circulate many criticisms among the fans the punk one who show the group of treason towards their old the punk scene independent one. Armstrong will declare later that it " could not return to the punk scene, which it becomes the greatest largest failure or succès". He is as considered as this difficult and brutal rejection will influence the career of the group in the years post- Dookie .

It is thus that in February 1994, and recorded in only 3 weeks, that they leave their first album at Reprise: Dookie . During the year 1994, the many passages on MTV of the Video S of the individual Longview and Basket Puts make album and group a success, and that starts again the punk rock'n'roll in the United States with the assistance of the albums Smash of The Offspring, … And Out Like The Wolves of Rancid, Stranger Than Fiction of Bad Religion and Punk in Drublic of NOFX. Dookie has such a popularity that propels the sales of their preceding album Kerplunk , which passes Disque of platinum to the United States. Dookie covers subjects like the Anxiété ( Basket Puts ), the Masturbation and the Ennui ( Longview ), the Amour and the Jalousie ( Pulling Teeth , Chump ), the Bisexualité ( Coming Clean ) or the past of the group ( Welcome To Paradise ). With regard to the title of the album, the group wanted to name it Liquid Dookie (" Excrement liquide") at the beginning, but that appeared too obscene; and it is thus that they kept Dookie .

During the summer 1994, Green Day joined the list of the groups on the festivals of Lollapalooza and Woodstock in 1994. During the concert of Green Day with Woodstock is held a great mud battle between the members of the group and the public, which explodes the Notoriété group, and instigates the sales of the album. For the anecdote, the bass player Mike Dirnt loses teeth and breaks an arm in the fray, being made plate by an security guard which had confused it with a person of the public. The individual last When I As Around assistance the album has to be sold has 10 million specimens (Disque of diamond) in the United States and more than 15 million in the world. Three of five the individual drawn ones from Dookie reach the first place in the charts ( Longview , Basket Puts , When I Like Around ) whereas Welcome To Paradise reaches the 7th place and She reaches 5th. The album in itself reached the 2nd place, but to date remains the album of punk rock'n'roll more sold history. Dookie will obtain also a Grammy Award (" Alternate Best Music Performance") and good the critical will collect. The magazine Rolling Stone class the album with the 193e place in its list of the 500 best albums of the history and All Music Guides described Dookie like " the punk stellar part modern one that much imitated but that nobody has dépassé". Moreover, much of groups will state to be influenced by the album, of which Sum 41, Blink-182, New Found Glory, Good Charlotte, Simple plan, Yellowcard and Something Corporate.

Insomniac

In 1995, they record individual called J.A.R. (drawn from the band its of the film Angus ) which directly reaches the first place on the charts with the US one. They enchainenent with the album Insomniac which appears with the autumn of 1995. According to the group, the album reflects the Fatigue and the anxiety which reigns within the group because of their too many concerts, and it would be for that which Insomniac watch a sound darker than its predecessor. They cover subjects like the Drogue ( Geek Stink Breath , Brain Stew ), the anxiety ( Panic Song ), the Aliénation ( Westbound Sign ), as well as an attack intended for their old punk scene which had rejected them following the " commercial" Dookie , in the song 86 . The album is sold to 2 million specimens to the the United States and it reaches the 2nd place in the charts thanks to individual the Geek Stink Breath , Walking Contradiction , Stuck With Me and especially Brain Stew/Jaded . They use a work of art entitled " God told Me To Skin You Alive" of Winston Smith for the small pocket of the album and entitle the album according to a declaration of this same Smith. They will then suddenly cancel a round in concerts in Europe due to excessive tiredness, preferring to devote itself to the writing of a new album.

Nimrod

In 1997, their third major album, Nimrod , leaves. The album differs from their other albums by an important preoccupation with an experimentation. One indeed finds there elements of Ska, a song of Surf music, a Instrumental and a Ballade; in addition to other more traditional songs. Nimrod will reach the 10th place in the charts with Hitchin' has Ride , Redundant , Nice Guys Finish Last as well as the ballade Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) . This song illustrates the last episode of the popular series Seinfeld viewed by tens of million, and remains still today, contestably, the most known song of Green Day of the general public. But, in spite of the success of Good Riddance (Time Off Your Life) , the album does not reach the success discounted with only 2 million discs sold in the United States. The group makes then a pause to spend time with their new families.

Warning and other projects

It is thus that in 2000 leaves Warning . The sound of this album deviates still more of that of Nimrod , presenting a rather positive sound and showing a development in the musical maturity of the group. This is accommodated with a mixed reaction of the fans who were accustomed to the punk pop sound of Dookie , Insomniac and Nimrod . In the same way, the album is fairly accommodated by criticisms, receiving from 3/5 stars on behalf of Rolling Stone, but all the same 4,5/5 stars on behalf of All Music Guide. Largest hit of Warning is the song Minority (the other individual ones being Warning , Waiting and Macy' S Day Parade ) but, although innovating, the album does not reach the statute of Disque of platinum in the United States for the first time in the career of the group, and Warning is declared a commercial Fiasco. This ditch on the level of the sales leads many people has to question the future of Green Day, and a decline in popularity is followed from there.

In 2001, Reprise again leaves the best-of International Superhits! and International Supervideos! gathering the individual ones ( International Superhits! ) and vidéos ( International Supervideos! ) of the group since Dookie . One often interprets these exits like an attempt at Reprise again for récussiter the sales of Green Day and to compensate for the commercial failure of Warning . This same year, Green Day raid 8 Californian Music Awards for Warning . In 2002 leaves Shenanigans , a CD taking again the faces B the individual ones. During this period without " truth album" , the group takes part in rounds whose in particular Pop Disaster Tour with Blink-182 which makes it possible to start again the popularity of the group a little and to obtain good criticisms in concert, a field or the group excels.

In 2003, whereas Green Day is in studio writing Cigarettes And Valentines (the judicious album to succeed has Warning ), the cassettes of the album are flights and the group decides to start again a new whole Opus (what will succeed has American Idiot ). During this time, a group New Wave appears under the name of The Network and records the album Money Money 2020 . This group seems to be Green Day, the resemblances vocal and physical few doubts as for the bond Green Day/The Network leave.

Idiotic American and found popularity

After the " fiasco" from Warning , the exit of the new album is very awaited, the doubt reigning on the musical direction which the group would take. Therefore, in 2004, the group leaves the album American Idiot . This album quasi-unanimement is quasi-unanimement regarded as their more ambitious, since it is about a Opéra-rock (the album tells a history, that of the Jesus off Suburbia), which comprises two songs reaching the 9 minutes ( Jesus off Suburbia , Homecoming ). Through the character of J.O.S. (Jesus Off Suburbia), the album wants to reflect the situation in which American according to the group live, and the subjects of the album are thus varied (rebellion, Dépression, drug, love, Joie, Rage…). It is as interesting to note as the group drops a little its punk roots in slower songs like Boulevard Off Broken Dreams , Are We The Waiting , or Wake Me Up When September Ends . American Idiot meets a vast business success (the album sells more than 250.000 copies in its first week) like an album politically engaged against the President of the the United States George W. Bush, " the american idiot". This engagement Politique is particularly clear in the first individual American Idiot , which reaches with the 1e place of the charts. This success is followed, still better, by Boulevard Off Broken Dreams which remains a 16 week old record to the 1e place of the Hit-parade; the individual last are Holiday and Wake Me Up When September Ends which respectively reach the 1e and the 2nd place. The album receives very good criticisms and reached the 1e place of the charts in one week, which makes it possible Green Day to become again an rock group among most popular and recognized. In 2005, it is the dedication for the group which raid great number of prices at the time of the Cérémonie S. It gains 7 MTV Video Music Awards for the songs American Idiot and Boulevard off Broken Dreams and a Grammy Award for the " better album rock" year. The album will be sold finally to 5 million specimens in the United States and almost 15 million in the world, becoming the album more sold year 2005.

Their first live CD/DVD, Bullet in has Bible , leaves in November 2005 and contains most of the concert given to Milton Keynes in England in June of the same year, which Green Day will play in front of more than 130 ' 000 people in two days. The DVD also contains interviews and scenes in backstage. In 2006, the group is of return in studio but they continue to gain prices of which in particular one 3rd Grammy Award (Better song for Boulevard off Broken Dreams ).

Period post- Idiotic American

At the end of 2006, Green Day collaborates with the famous group Irish U2 to take again the title The Saints are Coming of the Scottish rock group The Skids. The fruit of the sales goes directly to " Music Rising" the goal is to help with the rebuilding of the stricken region by the hurricane Katrina.

In addition, Green Day joins NRDC (National Resources Council Defense), a American Organization of defense of the Environnement, for the setting on line of a Web site, Greendaynrdc.com, intended to promote the protection of planet. Green Day interprets then the song Working Class Hero (a resumption of the song of John Lennon) to be mobilized against the Guerre with the Darfur; and also the Generic of the first Film of the Simpson, in which the group appears.

With regard to the exit of the next album, Billie Joe Armstrong declared, during a discussion with the magazine Rolling Stone, to have written approximately 45 songs with the piano, but which it was still necessary of time so that it " apprécie" what it does.

Green Day took part in " My Night At The Grammy' s" who was diffused on CBS on November 30th, 2007. 25 another artist were there. Green Day arrived first with American Idiot.

Members

Permanent members

Additional musicians

Former members

Discography

One finds also The Balad Of Wilhelm Fink on compilation Short Music for Short People, like Favorite Sound on compilation Rock Against Bush (Vol.2).

External bonds

  • Official site of Green Day

Sources

Simple: Green Day

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