Alternative Press reviews ¡TRE!

[Stan Dellone]

This review makes perfect sense, really. I know that's not entirely fair to say without having heard the final installment, but we all know (if only subconsciously for those among us wearing green-colored glasses) that the whole trilogy thus far has been ¡MEH!. Two albums of b-sides, hiding a few magnificent diamonds in the rough. A misfired non-conceptual concept record. Different but not inspired.

Really? 36 songs, and not a clunker in the bunch? Since when is thinking your shit doesn't stink a good quality? When it's the Gallagher brothers, we call it arrogance. When it's Green Day, we call it innovation. Really?

I, for one, am looking forward to a little self-fellatio by playing producer myself and creating the album they I wish they had released by picking and choosing tracks. I say this not as a Green Day hater, but as a die hard fan.

I love Green Day (with a Dookie poster on my wall and every album from Kerpunk to 21CB in my iPod), and I won't let a shitty track list stop me from loving, or loving to listening to, my favorite band.

Sacrilege? Maybe. Give a shit? Me neither.

Who else plans on making their own ¡UNO...DOS...TRÉ! mix when the time comes? Come on... you know you want to.

[WrongWayToSalvation]

This review makes perfect sense, really. I know that's not entirely fair to say without having heard the final installment, but we all know (if only subconsciously for those among us wearing green-colored glasses) that the whole trilogy thus far has been ¡MEH!. Two albums of b-sides, hiding a few magnificent diamonds in the rough. A misfired non-conceptual concept record. Different but not inspired.

Really? 36 songs, and not a clunker in the bunch? Since when is thinking your shit doesn't stink a good quality? When it's the Gallagher brothers, we call it arrogance. When it's Green Day, we call it innovation. Really?

I, for one, am looking forward to a little self-fellatio by playing producer myself and creating the album they I wish they had released by picking and choosing tracks. I say this not as a Green Day hater, but as a die hard fan.

I love Green Day (with a Dookie poster on my wall and every album from Kerpunk to 21CB in my iPod), and I won't let a shitty track list stop me from loving, or loving to listening to, my favorite band.

Sacrilege? Maybe. Give a shit? Me neither.

Who else plans on making their own ¡UNO...DOS...TRÉ! mix when the time comes? Come on... you know you want to.

Well, of course this wasn't going to be anything mindblowing.

That's why it's not a triple album, Green Day isn't an experimental or risk worthy enough band to keep people's interest through 37 songs straight. The idea of this trilogy was risk worthy yes, but the music itself? The music is as safe as it could possibly be. They've never made an album that musically made you think "Wow! That's GREEN DAY?". Only a couple of tracks from iUno! and iDos! sound non Green Day, and the lyrics overall go from terrible to alright . These albums could have strong lyrics, who says fun has to be dumb? Just because these aren't concept albums doesn't mean the lyrics have to suffer. Green Day do obviously care somewhat about what people think, because they've never really alienated anybody with their music. Maybe with their image, but not much with their music. Nothing tests a fanbase's loyalty quite like some alienation.

[tdlyon]

What were the reviews for the other 2 albums of the trilogy?

And 3/5 is not bad, considering this is their 3rd album in 4 months. Some bands get 1/5 for one album.

Both Uno and Dos got 4/5.

[WrongWayToSalvation]

Let's wait to see what the RollingStone review will be. I predict either a 4/5 or a 4.5/5. I also think the LA Times review will be either 3/4 or 3.5/4, based off what they seem to want from Green Day. NME I predict an 7/10 or 8/10. I'm 95% this album will be better received than iUno! and iDos!, though there's really no telling how much more.

Metacritic averages:

iUno! 67/100

iDos! 67/100

iTre! 72/100 to 81/100 (My prediction)

[Stefano Bras]

Oh god... I think you mean seconds, not minutes x'D Would have been awesome though. Imagine a song like JOS with only Mike...

THAT WOULD BE SO AWESOME.

[Stan Dellone]

They've never made an album that musically made you think "Wow! That's GREEN DAY?".

I agree with you for the most part on the trilogy itself. I wasn't expecting a "Wow! That's GREEN DAY?" album. I'd much prefer a "Now THAT'S Green Day!" album. What we have now are three "Oh. That's, uh... That's Green Day, I guess..." albums.

I agree with you that, in large part, they avoided alienation on these new records to their detriment. Didn't American Idiot alienate a ton of fans, and become their crowning achievement? Isn't the acclaimed Warning a drastic step away from the "we'll show you who's punk!" of Insomniac? And now we get the Chinese knock-off of Green Day '94-'00, Stop Drop and Roll Some More!!!, and what sounds like a mish-mash of all of the above.

American Idiot wasn't a paradigm shift in a major, MAJOR way from their earlier stuff. It was just another step up the ladder. 21CB was stopping to look at the view from their new height, and these new records are them catching themselves on a few rungs on the way down as they stumble and fall. I just wanted something new. Not a 100% different band. That's unrealistic and wholly undesirable. Just something worth listening to, that you can be proud of.

And no, not a fucking rap song. The interlude in Holiday is as hip-hop as Green Day should ever go, and that's not very fucking much at all. It's like they were trying to pay lil Wayne back for picking up a guitar, and their response was just as tragic...

Sorry for being so antagonistic. My goldfish died this morning, so I'm a little out of sorts.

[Awesompawsome]

You're allowed an opinion, so am I.

I would voice my opinion but your a mod so oh well

[WrongWayToSalvation]

I agree with you for the most part on the trilogy itself. I wasn't expecting a "Wow! That's GREEN DAY?" album. I'd much prefer a "Now THAT'S Green Day!" album. What we have now are three "Oh. That's, uh... That's Green Day, I guess..." albums.

I agree with you that, in large part, they avoided alienation on these new records to their detriment. Didn't American Idiot alienate a ton of fans, and become their crowning achievement? Isn't the acclaimed Warning a drastic step away from the "we'll show you who's punk!" of Insomniac? And now we get the Chinese knock-off of Green Day '94-'00, Stop Drop and Roll Some More!!!, and what sounds like a mish-mash of all of the above.

American Idiot wasn't a paradigm shift in a major, MAJOR way from their earlier stuff. It was just another step up the ladder. 21CB was stopping to look at the view from their new height, and these new records are them catching themselves on a few rungs on the way down as they stumble and fall. I just wanted something new. Not a 100% different band. That's unrealistic and wholly undesirable. Just something worth listening to, that you can be proud of.

And no, not a fucking rap song. The interlude in Holiday is as hip-hop as Green Day should ever go, and that's not very fucking much at all. It's like they were trying to pay lil Wayne back for picking up a guitar, and their response was just as tragic...

Sorry for being so antagonistic. My goldfish died this morning, so I'm a little out of sorts.

American Idiot alienated a lot of people mainly due to Green Day's image. The skinny jeans and eyeliner became a major turn off to people. I guarantee you that if Green Day looked more like their Warning selves, there wouldn't be anywhere near as much hate out for them.

[Stan Dellone]

American Idiot alienated a lot of people mainly due to Green Day's image. The skinny jeans and eyeliner became a major turn off to people. I guarantee you that if Green Day looked more like their Warning selves, there wouldn't be anywhere near as much hate out for them.

I totally agree that the emo-punk image was, in and of itself, alienating, but that was hardly the only criticism leveled at the album or the band in that era. To marginalize that album, or any previous step forward in their music as a lateral move of image over substance is pretty misguided. Their music changed, not just their wardrobe. That's why the trilogy is a let down. It's PHD thesis in lateral moves.

[Clayish]

Damn, I need this album.

[YoYoFantaFanta]

Does anyone have some clips from Green Day at the Bowery Electric. GDA said they played Missing You, Sex Drugs and Violenece, and 99 Revolutions there.

The Only song on youtube is Rusty James (from there)

Can someone help me?

[Cob]

I can't wait to be able to listen to all 37 songs all the way through, even if they're not supposed to melt together like that.

[Todd]

Does anyone have some clips from Green Day at the Bowery Electric. GDA said they played Missing You, Sex Drugs and Violenece, and 99 Revolutions there.

The Only song on youtube is Rusty James (from there)

Can someone help me?

Nope. If anyone had them, they must be very greedy cause they havent shared unreleased songs for three months. Sorry.

[Cob]

This review makes perfect sense, really. I know that's not entirely fair to say without having heard the final installment, but we all know (if only subconsciously for those among us wearing green-colored glasses) that the whole trilogy thus far has been ¡MEH!.

I respect your opinion, but speak for yourself man. I for one have genuinely enjoyed the trilogy, even as a "die hard fan".

Really? 36 songs, and not a clunker in the bunch? Since when is thinking your shit doesn't stink a good quality? When it's the Gallagher brothers, we call it arrogance. When it's Green Day, we call it innovation. Really?

The difference between the Gallagher brothers and Green Day is that Liam and Noel think they are the best song writers on the planet while Green Day is just releasing a collection of songs that they enjoyed writing, playing, and recording.

[WrongWayToSalvation]

I respect your opinion, but speak for yourself man. I for one have genuinely enjoyed the trilogy, even as a "die hard fan".

The difference between the Gallagher brothers and Green Day is that Liam and Noel think they are the best song writers on the planet while Green Day is just releasing a collection of songs that they enjoyed writing, playing, and recording.

Well, Tre did say the music was "genius" and Mike said people would be "blown away"...

[Cob]

Well, Tre did say the music was "genius" and Mike said people would be "blown away"...

Yeah they did, but they were said in trailers that were released to build hype. They're promoting, it's what you say when you're trying to sell someone your album. The Gallaghers on the other hand say similar things in hindsight, after records have been released in interviews and they always find a way to put down other artists in the process.

[Stan Dellone]

I respect your opinion, but speak for yourself man. I for one have genuinely enjoyed the trilogy, even as a "die hard fan".

I respect your respect. It was more of a rhetorical flourish than an actual belief, and probably a stupid thing to say anyway. I hate very little more than being spoken for, so you're right.

The difference between the Gallagher brothers and Green Day is that Liam and Noel think they are the best song writers on the planet while Green Day is just releasing a collection of songs that they enjoyed writing, playing, and recording.

If so inclined, I could quote for to the high heavens the number of times Green Day have said they're the best band in the world. Not necessarily the same thing as the greatest song writers in the world, but it was an imperfect analogy to begin with, so I'll end it here. I just think it's sad that we seem to expect more of those we deride, and less of those we love.

[Gregorovich]

Who else plans on making their own ¡UNO...DOS...TRÉ! mix when the time comes? Come on... you know you want to.

I plan on doing that, but I'm never going to abandon the trilogy. Like with the band's first two albums - I have to say, there are only a few songs from both which I regularly listen to, but that doesn't mean I don't recognise the album as a whole.

[Cob]

I respect your respect. It was more of a rhetorical flourish than an actual belief, and probably a stupid thing to say anyway. I hate very little more than being spoken for, so you're right.

If so inclined, I could quote for to the high heavens the number of times Green Day have said they're the best band in the world. Not necessarily the same thing as the greatest song writers in the world, but it was an imperfect analogy to begin with, so I'll end it here. I just think it's sad that we seem to expect more of those we deride, and less of those we love.

I see. I have seen the band say jokingly that they were the best band in the world, but I think it depends on the context of when it was said. There are eras were the band was expecting much of itself, eras where many were expecting more of them, eras of self loathing, eras of inflated egos, eras of seriousness etc; and I believe these factors can greatly influence how the band would answer that idea of "best band" and whatnot. Recently however, seeing as they seem to be enjoying themselves more, I seriously doubt they would honestly answer that they thought they were the best band. A good band? maybe. But "the best"? I doubt it. I do know this though, the band will unapologetically say they dislike other bands, although never to point of undermining them like the Oasis boys have tended to.

"I just think it's sad that we seem to expect more of those we deride, and less of those we love." Based on these boards, I would have to disagree. In my opinion, a band's fan base (or anything's, really) has much higher expectations for something than those who are not fans of the band or dislike them; but ultimately it goes both ways and is far from black and white. I digress, and agree to disagree then.

[Stan Dellone]

I see. I have seen the band say jokingly that they were the best band in the world, but I think it depends on the context of when it was said. There are eras were the band was expecting much of itself, eras where many were expecting more of them, eras of self loathing, eras of inflated egos, eras of seriousness etc; and I believe these factors can greatly influence how the band would answer that idea of "best band" and whatnot. Recently however, seeing as they seem to be enjoying themselves more, I seriously doubt they would honestly answer that they thought they were the best band. A good band? maybe. But "the best"? I doubt it. I do know this though, the band will unapologetically say they dislike other bands, although never to point of undermining them like the Oasis boys have tended to.

Green Day are (and hopefully continue to be, post iHeart) a better behaved band than Oasis. Not soft, but not dicks either. Either they mean it when they say they're the best, or they don't. It's up to each of us to decide where the bravado ends for ourselves.

"I just think it's sad that we seem to expect more of those we deride, and less of those we love." Based on these boards, I would have to disagree. In my opinion, a band's fan base (or anything's, really) has much higher expectations for something than those who are not fans of the band or dislike them; but ultimately it goes both ways and is far from black and white. I digress, and agree to disagree then.

This is largely subjective, and maybe rhetoric got the better of me again. But I've seen countless posts in trilogy threads where GDC members literally say they'll like anything Green Day puts out. Those are the ones who admit it, and there are plenty more who don't, but still follow the dogma. I'll certainly admit that there are probably as many, if not more, discerning fans on this board, but to say a bands fan base is a more fertile breeding ground for criticism is something I'll just have to agree to agree to disagree with you on.

[Clayish]

Feelings.

Feelings caught everywhere.

[Jason Fox]

Damn, dude. They just ripped it to shreds. Although, I also didn't completely like how they reviewed iDos!, so... I won't trust it. Maybe when Rolling Stone publishes...

[WrongWayToSalvation]

Damn, dude. They just ripped it to shreds. Although, I also didn't completely like how they reviewed iDos!, so... I won't trust it. Maybe when Rolling Stone publishes...

They gave iDos! an 8/10 though. And he/she didn't shred it. They just said that they thought 8th Avenue Serenade and Drama Queen were weak tracks, that Brutal Love sounds like a Bring It On Home To Me rip off, and that Dirty Rotten Bastards just felt random as hell. The main critism of the album is that it doesn't feel like a unit, its like a Frankenstein monster of songs, it lacks cohesion, like a Greatest Hits album.

A cohesive album is an album that captures where a band is at, and in what direction they're going. iTre! doesn't seems to move in a particular direction, it's all over the place. It can't really be labeled as something like iUno! (Powerpop) and iDos! (Garage).

[gerardsangel4977]

They gave iDos! an 8/10 though. And he/she didn't shred it. They just said that they thought 8th Avenue Serenade and Drama Queen were weak tracks, that Brutal Love sounds like a Bring It On Home To Me rip off, and that Dirty Rotten Bastards just felt random as hell. The main critism of the album is that it doesn't feel like a unit, its like a Frankenstein monster of songs, it lacks cohesion, like a Greatest Hits album.

A cohesive album is an album that captures where a band is at, and in what direction they're going. iTre! doesn't seems to move in a particular direction, it's all over the place. It can't really be labeled as something like iUno! (Powerpop) and iDos! (Garage).

Here is the part where I find myself cautiously disagreeing, though: An album doesn't have to be uniform in sound to be awesome. There's been plenty of classic records that don't fit neatly into one single descriptor (likewise, I can think of some Greatest Hits albums that play rather uniformly).

By this point, everyone should realize Billie Joe Armstrong's admission into rehab in mid-September was not a publicity stunt: Green Day's touring schedule has been postponed indefinitely, iDOS! was released in November with minimal press to back it up and iTRE! had to be bumped up from its original January 2013 release date to try and keep the band's momentum moving while Armstrong was out of the spotlight. It is easy to dig through all three of Green Day's new albums to look for clues regarding Armstrong's alleged drug habit (odds are, you found some on Dos), but Tre is the cleanest, soberest record out of the trilogy. As such, it feels more like leftovers from the first two albums than its own cohesive work.

My thoughts while reading this: "STOP POSTURING AND REVIEW THE DAMN ALBUM ALREADY!!!"

[WrongWayToSalvation]

Here is the part where I find myself cautiously disagreeing, though: An album doesn't have to be uniform in sound to be awesome. There's been plenty of classic records that don't fit neatly into one single descriptor (likewise, I can think of some Greatest Hits albums that play rather uniformly).

My thoughts while reading this: "STOP POSTURING AND REVIEW THE DAMN ALBUM ALREADY!!!" :P/>

I know, albums don't have to be a unit, but cohesiveness is important when creating an album. There's more toward creating a good album than just slapping strong songs together, the tracklisting needs to be well thought out, every track well placed so that the album doesn't get too slow on certain sections, or ends anti-climatically. I think the reviewer is saying that the album just feels random, like the songs were thrown on there with little to no thought with their placement, that some better revision would have helped.