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When we watched the Simpsons movie in school once everyone turned round and looked at me when green day died to see what my reaction was

I feel like an outcast for not being an audiophile and paying attention to technical details when I enjoy music. I will say that although I have come to love the epicness of 21CB (formerly 21CL), I think it could have used some trimming of songs, and the lyrics sometimes sound forced in terms of how serious and deep they are. I listened to Breakdown in my car for the past two days, and about 3/4 through I start thinking, "Ok this seems a bit long." A few songs should have been cut. That plus the lyrics is while AI will always trump 21CB IMO. AI has complex lyrics but also feels very personal and relatable. Sometimes I feel like I'm being lectured to during 21CB. Also, it's incredible how good the lyrics to Nimrod. are ESPECIALLY since they were written kind of last minute in the studio. Really cool.

As much as I love Breakdown, there are holes. Comparing it to Nimrod. in a lineup: Production Nimrod.: Crisp and clear. The guitars are nice and wet with just the right amount of distortion, the bass isn't too high in the mix but still plenty audible, and the drums have the most kick of any Green Day album. When experimental instruments (strings, horns etc.) are incorporated, they avoid sounding overly out of place or cheesy. 21CB: The Wall of Sound techniques for the guitars are fabulous. String sections are sweeping and epic, and the broken-down feel of the piano bits works well. Bass is nonexistent, drums lack the kick they have in previous albums. Compression is a bitch. Music Nimrod.: Contains some of the band's absolute best work. It's a blast of energy—nearly all of the songs are short and punchy, but they avoid sounding similar despite the three-chord format. "Hitchin' a Ride" and "Good Riddance" are obviously two of the most distinctive songs they've done. Experimentation is a huge factor, livening it up hugely compared to its predecessors. 21CB: Much of it is totally epic, but objectively several songs (KYE, Christian's Inferno [much as it pains me to say that], LOTAG/Murder City) are bland and nothing we haven't heard before. These weak links lack the energy and fun that even Nimrod.'s weaker tracks, with the possible exception of "Nice Guys Finish Last" and the definite exception of "Last Ride In", possess. Mike's bass lines are sorely missed. Experimentation is again a huge factor and is wildly successful. Lyrics Nimrod.: Nary a weak link here. Despite the fact that Billie wrote most of the lyrics in studio, I can't think of a single poorly written song on the album besides "Take Back", which I half-maintain is deliberately crappy. "Good Riddance" may be, in its simplicity, the best songwriting Billie's ever done. Humorous wordplay is everywhere. 21CB: The incredibly strong (EJN, the title track, Before the Lobotomy, etc.) is interspersed among the mixed (RHS, Murder City) and the downright bad (KYE). Billie's usual sense of humor is notably absent. Vocals Nimrod.: They're not as polished as they'd grow to be, but already are losing their snotty nasal tone and becoming stronger. What's more, they work perfectly for the album's content. 21CB: Technically the best Billie's ever done, but occasional obvious pitch-shifting and frequent too-high vocal filters dampen my enthusiasm. Overall, they're both fantastic records, and both in my top five Green Day albums. But I think Nimrod. is the single strongest thing they've put out in terms of knocking each category out of the park.

I study graphic design so we have to analyse other designers work, like logos/posters/typography etc. So I can't help noticing flaws in stuff I see

Great find! (Tried to get it w/o watermarks but no luck. *cries*) It's by photographer Scott McDermott of "Billy Joe Armstrong" according to his site. Here it is in a larger size, as well as another photo:

oh wait.... after reading this you'll laugh to your greatest extent. i was talking about "On The Wagon", not ROTTING!!

He does feel like he's "rotting" after all. The vocals fit the lyrics and mood of the song I'd say. Interesting dark little number, I really like how different it is.

whaaaat? Rottings fucking beautiful, being a slow song doesn't make it boring.

Who doesn't love Simpsons? They are much better than Family Guy.

Nah that would give it more importance than it deserves. It's alright to comment if a mention of it comes up and is posted here (I doubt this small discussion is going to go on for pages and pages, looks like it's pretty much over to me), and if a bigger piece of news relating to it came up we'd have a thread for it, but we don't need a whole thread just for speculating about it when it's a private matter and there's nothing of substance to discuss.

I can't figure out if you are really a troll or just acting like one

Oh yes, I agree. I just hate how there's a dynamic on here of the "OMG HE'S RELAPSED!" people and the "HOW DARE YOU SPEAK OF IT" people. I just wish there was a happy medium, y'know? We can talk about it without everyone having a shit fit. I'd never claim to have a clue what's going on in that brain of his, nor do I care, as long as he's happy, his family's fine and the band is still together and touring on occasion.

Doleful Lions ‏@DolefulLions Me (fishing hat), Bob (EN shirt) & Green Day in 1990, played a skate park in Grand Haven MI. #tbt #throwbackthursday

Some more by photographer Scott McDermott:

This sounds like we need the full strength of GDA to find this.

I don't know, I saw it on instagram and also on tumblr, but I haven't seen the source from where it is.

And for Lazy Bones too, high up with minor chords. It's a well-worn trick, but is good if it's done well.

I love how dark the vocals at lyrics are in Rotting, yet the guitar riff and general sound of the guitar in the beginning is so cheerful. A really interesting contrast.

That instagram piece was written by GDC user melissawebster

ok so one "boring" song makes the entire album terrible?

Vocals do.

20 Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About the Warped Tour There has been a no-fireworks rule at Warped ever since Green Day's security guy blew off his fingers. http://diffuser.fm/warped-tour-facts/

I actually kind of agree with you here. I think Green Day was stylistically at the top of their form when they were experimenting with different musical genres back in the Nimrod and the Warning era. I don't know - I just feel that there's something lacking a bit when they basically try to stick to one form of music. They're way better when they go beyond their limits. As much as I like Insomniac and 21CB, I think that in those eras they were trying to more or less stick to the pattern they had established in the preceding albums (Dookie and AI respectively), which kinda limited and restrained them. The funny thing is, it's kinda proof that there are times when stuff made up on-the-spot can be better than those which were fully thought out. Overpreparation and overthinking can spoil.

No way. "Rotting" is just so damn boring.

5 Pump Up Songs Athletes Use, And You Should Too (Part 1) 1. Jason Hammel, Pitcher for the Chicago Cubs – “Basket Case” by Green Day “Basket Case” by Green Day is the song Jason Hammel enters the game to. He chose the song because it “has a good kick, a good bounce and good energy.” http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/06/20/5-pump-up-songs-athletes-use-and-you-should-too-part-1/ Mike Dirnt Has the Best Instagram Account Ever http://www.huffingtonpost.com/melissa-webster/why-mike-dirnt-of-green-d_b_5513266.html

Isn't there a topic for Billie's issues? It would be great if discussion took place there.

I'm pretty much in agreement with the vast majority of that. On a technical level Nimrod is undoubtedly a fantastic album. Generally speaking the production is razor sharp, but I find Nice Guys Finish Last and Hitchin' A Ride really let it down in that respect. Personally I rate Breakdown higher in those terms because of how much bigger the arrangements are; I'm a sucker for massive guitar and string arrangements, and I've only listened to the remastered version for the last year or so. The compression on the original release is indeed a massive mark against it. I think both albums have their weak points across the board, but overall I think they're two different beasts. I can't listen to Nimrod in full because I find the wide variety of styles too meandering, and I'm never in the mood to listen to such different songs in one sitting. In contrast, 90% of the time I'll only listen to Breakdown in full because when it's taken as a whole every song seems to step up. Obviously I dislike KYE and Christian's Inferno, but I find them a lot more tolerable in the context of the album. The only thing I can really 100% agree with are that Mike's basslines are sorely missed and have been since Warning.

Breakdown though? Although this is a conversation I'm very keen to have.

Nimrod is probably objectively their best album besides maybe AI.

Well whoever wrote this can kindly fuck off

Beyond lame

Yes, but at the same time there's nothing wrong with discussing the concepts maturely without assuming we know all the answers, because I've never claimed to.

Glad someone else appreciates that song! It's always been one of my favorites, and Mike's backing vocals are wonderful at the end!