¡UNO! Album

[BlackBaboon]

They said themselves that they write their albums thinking more about the live performances. That you don't like ¡Uno! doesn't mean it's a mistake. I agree it's the worst one in the trilogy but I don't think it's a mistake. An album doesn't need to break the charts to be a good album, there are many good albums thatr don't do good in sales e.g. Warning. I also don't understand what your concept of 'progression' is. People's minds don't always elvolve forward. I myself was much more mature 1 or 2 years ago, but I decided to calm down and have more fun so now I'm more reckless. They kinda did the same. They decided they were tired of being that mature and emotional and that they wanted to take a step back with ¡Uno! and ¡Dos! and just make more fun music. I liked it. And I think it does fit with their 'progression'.

Even if they want to be fun or write about their midlife crises they don't have to regress musically or repeat old melodies. Frankly as long as the lyrics feel honest which they don't, that's fine but the music makes the album impossible to get through.

[Homero]

I don't know, I think Uno is awesome, maybe because is the album I most listened to, but it has some amazing songs, altough, I agree that Dos and Tré seem more organized and perhaps better (in terms of "Party album" and "Reflective album").

[PanicAttack!]

When I listen to this album I think to myself that this is the album out of the trilogy that best captures the essence of Green Day, and I think most of us prefere iDOS! and iTRÉ! over it because they lean towards two new sounds, and therefore are more groundbreaking for the band. Few of us want to see the band get stuck in the same drill, but even though iUNO! is probably the weak album of the bunch, it's still an important piece of the puzzle and a strong foundation for the rest of the trilogy. Without it, I don't think neither iDOS! or iTRÉ! would've worked. They would've just been too unfamiliar standing on their own. It's like an anchor. And it does have its gems, and not a single "bad song". I really quite appreciate it for what it is.

[Ritz]

I listened to UNO and it had me going with same intensity and energy.

[anthonyrdrum]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcfVXv0AsMc&feature=youtu.be here is a cover of Nuclear family. I am on drums

[Remy]

I absolutely love this album!! First time I heard it I expected nothing, but was blown away. Thank God they decided to go back to fun songs again. "Oh love" might be one of my favorite Green Day songs ever. Currently very impressed with Tre though (I'm about half-way through it on the first listen), but I suspect Uno will always hold a special place in my Green Day heart, lol.

[BJA_SA]

"I Just want some action, so give me Mike Dirnt" Best lyric on the album

[Liam]

"I Just want some action, so give me Mike Dirnt" Best lyric on the album

Its actually "my turn" not Mike Dirnt

[Remy]

"I Just want some action, so give me Mike Dirnt" Best lyric on the album

Its actually "my turn" not Mike Dirnt

LOL!

[Unholy Sister of Grace]

"I Just want some action, so give me Mike Dirnt" Best lyric on the album

I purposefully hear it that way even though it's not correct no shame.

[DannyDirnt]

Even if they want to be fun or write about their midlife crises they don't have to regress musically or repeat old melodies. Frankly as long as the lyrics feel honest which they don't, that's fine but the music makes the album impossible to get through.

Going back is not always bad. I like it. I like the style of the trilogy more than AI-21st CB. And it's no use critisizing their music for containing a bit of midlife crisis. I don't see how their new lyrics don't feel sincere though. You sound like 'ok but whatever you say I'll hate their new music because they have evolved musically and they no longer write what I want them to'.

[BlackBaboon]

Going back is not always bad. I like it. I like the style of the trilogy more than AI-21st CB. And it's no use critisizing their music for containing a bit of midlife crisis. I don't see how their new lyrics don't feel sincere though. You sound like 'ok but whatever you say I'll hate their new music because they have evolved musically and they no longer write what I want them to'.

There are way too many gimmicky songs that are just attempting to recapture old glory. Stay the Night, Fell for You, Loss of Control, Angel Blue, Fuck Time, and Makeout Party just off the top of my head. On top of that the music isn't even interesting because Uno has been done before by the same band who wrote it. A lot of people don't want to hear the same kind of song over and over again, maybe you do, but one way or another it's a regression, and trying to recapture old glory through regression is always bad. It's why the new lyrics feel so disingenuous. 'Easy cum and go/gonna go it alone/Knock yourself out with a shot of Patron/I wouldn't say I'm straight cause I'm bent out of shape/But now 'til death do we party just before it's too late.' These are a huge, huge, huge step down from what we got even on Dookie, never mind some of the more recent albums. These lyrics would be out of place on any Green Day album, but they feel especially out of place because they follow 21st Century Breakdown.

[FatVince]

First post in a topic for me (my presentation doesn't count)!

I think ¡Uno! is a decent record. It's not the best work the band did but it's fun, catchy and coherent. I'd take this album over 21st Century Breakdown (my least favorite album) any time.

I love the way the band tried to go back to the roots and my favourite songs are Nuclear Family, Loss of Control & Stay the Night. I have a crush for Kill the DJ. The only song I don't like is Carpe Diem.

[Cob]

Uno is a good album because it's solid. In my opinion, it's the first album since Dookie (and Warning, for that matter) that isn't trying to be something bigger than itself. It's an album that is okay with being a simple collection of good pop punk songs, and there are some great instant classics among it. That's why it's a good album. I liken this album to Shenanigans not because the album is sub-par, which it's not, but because Shenanigans is another album they've released that is mostly solid punk pop songs and, more importantly, feels okay being that.

And I think we're all forgetting that this is the first time Green Day has done a straightforward punk album since Insomniac, and even then there are new bits sprinkled in this one (Kill The DJ, Troublemaker, Oh Love). Is it a bit "samey'? Yes, but ultimately that's because it falls victim to it's track-listing and the fact that the band tried to group 37 songs together based on a) sound and b) theme.

I also think that Uno is, in a way, a completely natural progression of the sounds the band discovered on Warning and Nimrod. Take a look at Warning: the band explored the refinements of pop song writing while also taking a look at acoustic pop, folk sounds, and progressive instrumentation. American Idiot was the continuation of this entire process, very natural. 21st Century Breakdown is the continuation of the latter half of Warning: acoustic creativity, folk sounds, and progressive instrumentation; also very natural. And thus Uno becomes the continuation of the former process: the refinements of pop song writing, a natural niche that Uno ultimately fits. It's not a regression, not in the slightest, instead it's the band continuing the simplicity they tried on Warning and expanding on it further. And to me, that's a lot better than taking a stab at making another Dookie, ​and it is very refreshing considering the grandiosity of American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown.

[WhiteTim]

Damn Cob if you ever come to TX drinks are on me

[BlackBaboon]

Uno is a good album because it's solid. In my opinion, it's the first album since Dookie (and Warning, for that matter) that isn't trying to be something bigger than itself. It's an album that is okay with being a simple collection of good pop punk songs, and there are some great instant classics among it. That's why it's a good album. I liken this album to Shenanigans not because the album is sub-par, which it's not, but because Shenanigans is another album they've released that is mostly solid punk pop songs and, more importantly, feels okay being that.

And I think we're all forgetting that this is the first time Green Day has done a straightforward punk album since Insomniac, and even then there are new bits sprinkled in this one (Kill The DJ, Troublemaker, Oh Love). Is it a bit "samey'? Yes, but ultimately that's because it falls victim to it's track-listing and the fact that the band tried to group 37 songs together based on a) sound and b) theme.

I also think that Uno is, in a way, a completely natural progression of the sounds the band discovered on Warning and Nimrod. Take a look at Warning: the band explored the refinements of pop song writing while also taking a look at acoustic pop, folk sounds, and progressive instrumentation. American Idiot was the continuation of this entire process, very natural. 21st Century Breakdown is the continuation of the latter half of Warning: acoustic creativity, folk sounds, and progressive instrumentation; also very natural. And thus Uno becomes the continuation of the former process: the refinements of pop song writing, a natural niche that Uno ultimately fits. It's not a regression, not in the slightest, instead it's the band continuing the simplicity they tried on Warning and expanding on it further. And to me, that's a lot better than taking a stab at making another Dookie, ​and it is very refreshing considering the grandiosity of American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown.

First of all there is no way UNO is the natural progression from warning. Also it is the first time green day has done a simple pop punk record since insomniac. That's exactly why it's a regression. You contradict your own point when you say this. How could it be simple and straight forward like insomniac and be the successor to the much more experimental warning. Kill the dj is really the only track that feels Like they left their comfort zone for. If you enjoy it that's really all that matters but this is not a maturation from any of the last four or five albums.

[Cob]

First of all there is no way UNO is the natural progression from warning. Also it is the first time green day has done a simple pop punk record since insomniac. That's exactly why it's a regression. You contradict your own point when you say this. How could it be simple and straight forward like insomniac and be the successor to the much more experimental warning. Kill the dj is really the only track that feels Like they left their comfort zone for. If you enjoy it that's really all that matters but this is not a maturation from any of the last four or five albums.

I was referring the the structure of the albums when I compared it to Insomniac. As in, both have similar track-listing arrangements and both are straightforward, samey punk records with samples of uniqueness here and there. Now, had they attempted to recapture the sound, negativity, and heavy aggression from Insomniac, then it would be regression. But it does not, they are very different records (in my opinion this is a good thing) and there is no attempt to capture the angst and darkness of that record, or Dookie for that matter.

And in regards to songs like Warning, Church On Sunday, Fashion Victim, Castaway, Deadbeat Holiday, Jackass, and Waiting, to name a few, Uno is a continuation of the simplified pop song writing they explored on Warning. It may not have the same seriousness in subject or be written on 3rd person subjects, but that doesn't necessary mean that the music on Uno is a regression from that, in fact seeing that they explore the "fun" side of these types of songs can very well be considered a continuation of the ideas first presented on Warning. This is even more evident on Tre, although that's another discussion altogether.

That's all I've got to say though, I'm not in the mood for a roundabout right now.

Damn Cob if you ever come to TX drinks are on me

Thanks man, maybe when I'm of age and if I decide to take up drinking.

[WhiteTim]

I was referring the the structure of the albums when I compared it to Insomniac. As in, both have similar track-listing arrangements and both are straightforward, samey punk records with samples of uniqueness here and there. Now, had they attempted to recapture the sound, negativity, and heavy aggression from Insomniac, then it would be regression. But it does not, they are very different records (in my opinion this is a good thing) and there is no attempt to capture the angst and darkness of that record, or Dookie for that matter.

And in regards to songs like Warning, Church On Sunday, Fashion Victim, Castaway, Deadbeat Holiday, Jackass, and Waiting, to name a few, Uno is a continuation of the simplified pop song writing they explored on Warning. It may not have the same seriousness in subject or be written on 3rd person subjects, but that doesn't necessary mean that the music on Uno is a regression from that, in fact seeing that they explore the "fun" side of these types of songs can very well be considered a continuation of the ideas first presented on Warning. This is even more evident on Tre, although that's another discussion altogether.

That's all I've got to say though, I'm not in the mood for a roundabout right now.

Thanks man, maybe when I'm of age and if I decide to take up drinking.

Well it applies to soda or water as well

[Cob]

Well it applies to soda or water as well

I am not a man who would turn down a free Dr. Pepper.

[BJA_SA]

I purposefully hear it that way even though it's not correct no shame.

Its actually "my turn" not Mike Dirnt

I actually thought it was Mike Dirnt. Cause one it sounds like it. And 2, it was a youtube comment. So i guess this post here will go in that thread about lyrics you thought they were but really were something else. Still can make since being Mike Dirnt.

[BlackBaboon]

I was referring the the structure of the albums when I compared it to Insomniac. As in, both have similar track-listing arrangements and both are straightforward, samey punk records with samples of uniqueness here and there. Now, had they attempted to recapture the sound, negativity, and heavy aggression from Insomniac, then it would be regression. But it does not, they are very different records (in my opinion this is a good thing) and there is no attempt to capture the angst and darkness of that record, or Dookie for that matter.

And in regards to songs like Warning, Church On Sunday, Fashion Victim, Castaway, Deadbeat Holiday, Jackass, and Waiting, to name a few, Uno is a continuation of the simplified pop song writing they explored on Warning. It may not have the same seriousness in subject or be written on 3rd person subjects, but that doesn't necessary mean that the music on Uno is a regression from that, in fact seeing that they explore the "fun" side of these types of songs can very well be considered a continuation of the ideas first presented on Warning. This is even more evident on Tre, although that's another discussion altogether.

That's all I've got to say though, I'm not in the mood for a roundabout right now.

One: I don't see anything like Warning, Fashion Victim, Castaway, Deadbeat Holiday, Jackass, or Waiting on Uno. I don't consider Warning to be a simplified pop song at all. Not to mention that they were trying something new on most of those songs, or at least different. The saxophone on Jackass really completed the track. The acoustic interlude in Waiting just makes the track explode. I also refuse to acknowledge Uno as a fun record, at best it's pseudo fun, the songs sound fun but you have to question if they really are. What's Nuclear Family about, the best I can guess is the destruction of someone's nuclear family being compared to a Nuclear Bomb. Stay the Night is essentially a plea for a one night stand. Let Yourself Go is just bitter. Fell for You is a poor attempt to create another masturbation song. Loss of Control is the way an old man thinks kids act and talk when they feel angry, it has no actual punch. Troublemaker is just sad lyrically, I never thought I'd be so disappointed but it sounds like just another out of control party call from an addict hitting on younger women. Sweet 16 is legitimate. It feels true as does Rusty James, but I'm not sure I'd call either truly fun songs. One sounds almost like a eulogy for a long relationship and the other is essentially a defensive attack against old contemporaries who lost their way. The Oh Love video speaks for itself. The sounds of the songs may make this record seem fun and upbeat, but the lyrics are anything but. Which brings us back to the regression once again. It's not that Billie is not allowed to write another masturbation song or try to talk about slamming doorknobs in people's faces, but we have to go back and examine some of his other lyrics that deal with masturbation or anger.

"I heard you're sick

Sucked on that cancer stick

A throbbing tumor and a radiation high

Shit out of luck

And now your time is up

It brings me pleasure just to know you're going to die"

This leads into the infamous Platypus bridge. It is in my opinion the essential Green Day anger song.

Here's the opening to Loss of Control

I'm taking down all my enemies cause they're all so fucking useless

A bunch of shit talking drama queens and they're all filled with excuses

I wanna find me a better scene where it's not the same opinion

I'd rather go to a funeral than into this high school reunion

I'm not even sure I can put the difference into words but if you read both you can just feel the anger in the first, whereas the second just feels flimsy. Your enemies are fucking useless so you're taking them down? What the hell does that even mean? Your enemies are useless? It seems like that line is only there so it can rhyme with excuses. Then I have to compare these lines to "No one loves you and you know it/Don't pretend that you enjoy it or don't care." That emotion is so raw and true. People play the I don't care or I like being the bad guy card all the time to soothe themselves. "April Fools thought you're falling in love but now you're sucking on a doorknob that I slammed in your face/ Life's a cruel crushing bastard crime and you're a stupid motherfucker and you're doing your time." Half of that doesn't even make any sense. Who thought they were falling in love and why did he slam a doorknob in their face. Is it just because he's so angry because the prior lines seem to indicate he just doesn't like the ideals held by his high school classmates. Why do they fall in love? And furthermore what the hell is a cruel crushing bastard crime? It's good alliteration but what the fuck does that mean. I'm hesitant to use the phrase 'needless swearing' in regards to Loss of Control because I know the bridge to the other song I've used, Platypus, is essentially just a string of swear words or dirty curses, but to me that feels much more genuine. It's like Billie's just so angry that he can't think of anything else to say besides a swear word, like when you stub your toe or something. With Loss of Control it feels like instead of using words to show his emotions like he does in the buildup for Platypus he just throws in cuss words because they're supposed to make him sound angry and that type of writing never works.

This same idea works to the disadvantage of Let Yourself Go

Shut your mouth cause you're talking too much and I don't give a damn anyway

You always seem to be stepping in shit and all you really do is complain

It's your lie tell it how you like

Small minds tend to think alike

Shut your mouth cause you're talking too much and I don't give a fuck anyway

When trying to come up with a song to compare to this I decided upon 86.

They're both relatively short lyrically and they both have a repeated chorus so the comparison seemed applicable.

What brings you around?

Did you lose something the last time you were here?

You'll never find it now

It's buried deep with your identity

So stand aside and let the next one pass

Don't let the door kick you in the ass

There's no return from 86

There's no return from 86

There's no return from 86

There's no return from 86

Don't even try

Now in Let Yourself Go I get the vibe that Billie is talking to an uptight person whereas in 86 it sounds like either being kicked out of a club for selling out or having a one night stand.

However, the lyrics in Let Yourself Go are often somewhat contradictory to the main point. If someone is clearly lying to you why do you want them to let themselves go? They already don't care enough to ask for your respect. Small minds tend to think alike? Sure it might be true, but then, is the narrator suggesting that a girl he's with is so dumb that she should just shut up and let him fuck her. If so, I'm sorry but I'm disturbed. If everything Billie does is a little autobiographical then that concerns me. And should a man married for twenty years really be saying things like this anyway. The way I see maturity is not completely dissolving your urges, I would be an idiot to suggest that old men just don't have sexual urges anymore or desire for drugs, but I think the maturity part comes in controlling those urges. Billie has already caved to an addiction which he may or may not have been carrying for a long time. This just doesn't seem like someone who is learning. Meanwhile in 86 we get a very clear point. What are you doing here? Do you just need to get something? Well you aren't going to find it because it's lost just like your identity, so get lost and don't come back because you sold yourself and that's it. It may be tongue in cheek, it may be serious, it may be some of both, but we aren't getting mixed messages and we are getting something of a mature way of describing the situation. I think if this same situation were described on Uno we'd get:

Why the fuck can't I come in here, is it because I don't agree

Well see if I give a shit as I walk off down the street

I don't wanna waste my time with leeches or listen to you talk

Amen I hope you lose again and I just can't wait 'til you're dead

You can't fire me because I quit

You can't fire me because I quit (ad nauseum).

There was this vulnerability in the other records that is just missing on Uno. Self-deprecate a little Billie. Shake off some of the arrogance. Why do you have to be right all the time? Remember Chump? We got both sides. Now we get doorknobs in people's faces and multiple shut ups. We get, I wanna have a one night stand and get drunk on Patron and party all night with no consequences. We get tired cliches (Carpe Diem) over tired instrumentals. When we do get shots at our narrator they feel like middle school journal lines from the proverbial nice guy. You're the princess I'm the fucking clown, I'm a mess and you're a work of art. We never used to get these, oh no I'm so fat, no you're so skinny, oh really, validation type lines. In fact, I would think someone who used those two lines from Fell for You and Angel Blue would be the recipient of the distaste on Let Yourself Go and Loss of Control.

So I don't see this as a progression from Warning. I don't see this as fun. I see this as a failure. Musically, with the exception of Kill the DJ, it's boring. Not a bad song is what I keep hearing, but I hate to tell people, most musicians could make an album of pop punk tunes with not a bad song in the bunch. It's creating a good song that I'm interested in. Use G into C into D then reverse it for a chorus and put some love lines over it. That's a 'good song.' It's going to sound fine melodically. No one is going to cringe at the music and if you just throw some decent lyrics over it, it'll be a hit or miss decent track that people will say 'isn't bad.' The problem is, that's nearly every song on Uno. Not bad. Not bad. Not bad. Not bad. Not bad doesn't cut it for me. If I want not bad I can just record myself on a cell phone. There is far too much great music available to be content with not bad and I think that's the difference between certain evaluations of this trilogy. There are only a few highs, but there aren't many lows. There aren't really bad songs. But it's Green Day, have there really ever been 'bad songs?' You could argue Nightlife is a bad song and Fuck time and I could be persuaded in that direction, but generally, their musical experiments have worked out and they've had their pop punk roots to fall back on. But just having songs that aren't bad is not going to satisfy a lot of people.

[Cob]

Tittysprinkles.

Your interpretations of the lyrics are ridiculous. That's all I can say.

[alaniluau]

There was this vulnerability in the other records that is just missing on Uno. Self-deprecate a little Billie. Shake off some of the arrogance. Why do you have to be right all the time? Remember Chump? We got both sides. Now we get doorknobs in people's faces and multiple shut ups. We get, I wanna have a one night stand and get drunk on Patron and party all night with no consequences. We get tired cliches (Carpe Diem) over tired instrumentals. When we do get shots at our narrator they feel like middle school journal lines from the proverbial nice guy. You're the princess I'm the fucking clown, I'm a mess and you're a work of art. We never used to get these, oh no I'm so fat, no you're so skinny, oh really, validation type lines. In fact, I would think someone who used those two lines from Fell for You and Angel Blue would be the recipient of the distaste on Let Yourself Go and Loss of Control.

This point blew my mind. You're absolutely right, and now I realize why the trilogy has been so unsatisfying for me in terms of lyrics. On past records, I appreciated Billie's Westerbergian style of self-deprecation. When a lyricist becomes vulnerable, we as listeners can't help but identify. The "fuck you, I'm right" attitude on Uno, however, is too self-important for my taste.

[inthehallwaynow]

Fell for You is a poor attempt to create another masturbation song.

what...

[Cob]

what...

Exactly.