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Who is the best selling punk/rock band ever?


Charlie Boston

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"I want to be stereotyped. I want to be classified." - Suburban Home by The Descendents, a song about the stereotypical monotony of suburban life.

the descendents fuckin rule.

with 98 more to go!

as for green day not being punk: you do have a point, but i still disagree. firstly, nimrod has probably some of green day's heaviest and "punkest" stuff on it. shenanigans mostly consists of b-sides from the dookie-insomniac-nimrod-era. there are still lots of punk influences in their later stuff (for example st. jimmy on AI, murder city on 21stCBD and many trilogy songs). secondly, there are many new pop-punk bands who sound pretty much like green day does on Uno!. check out masked intruder or dead to me for example. thirdly, most music experts do actually consider green day a pop-punk/punk band.

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the descendents fuckin rule.

with 98 more to go!

as for green day not being punk: you do have a point, but i still disagree. firstly, nimrod has probably some of green day's heaviest and "punkest" stuff on it. shenanigans mostly consists of b-sides from the dookie-insomniac-nimrod-era. there are still lots of punk influences in their later stuff (for example st. jimmy on AI, murder city on 21stCBD and many trilogy songs). secondly, there are many new pop-punk bands who sound pretty much like green day does on Uno!. check out masked intruder or dead to me for example. thirdly, most music experts do actually consider green day a pop-punk/punk band.

See, this is what I mean, you know? It's really tricky comparing Green Day to punk bands, mostly because Green Day's style varies and changes so much. Plus, they've had a much longer career than other punk bands.

I wouldn't count AI, 21CB, or the Trilogy in with their punk totals though, because while they ARE punk influenced they don't have as much as that straight-up punk vibe that the earlier records did.

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Actually, The Ramones didn't become popular until their final years and post-breakup stages.

The Sex Pistols were active for three years and only released one studio album. They have an enormous legacy but in terms of album sales, they're definitely not up there with The Clash or The Offspring.

I literally just thought of it after I posted that. It's just with the huge names I assumed huge album sales. Silly me :P

Ceadog's reaction

voy-poder-pisar-callo-taxistas-farmacias

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See, this is what I mean, you know? It's really tricky comparing Green Day to punk bands, mostly because Green Day's style varies and changes so much. Plus, they've had a much longer career than other punk bands.

I wouldn't count AI, 21CB, or the Trilogy in with their punk totals though, because while they ARE punk influenced they don't have as much as that straight-up punk vibe that the earlier records did.

In the same way, I hate whenever pundits try to compare Coldplay or The Killers or any other band to U2 when their work is astonishingly varied. Try playing Running to Stand Still, Vertigo, and Mofo to someone. Then watch their reaction when you tell them it's the same band! :huh: ---> :blink: ---> :shok:

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In the same way, I hate whenever pundits try to compare Coldplay or The Killers or any other band to U2 when their work is astonishingly varied. Try playing Running to Stand Still, Vertigo, and Mofo to someone. Then watch their reaction when you tell them it's the same band! :huh: ---> :blink: ---> :shok:

I compare them in the same way I compare horse dung, human faeces, and rabbit pellets. You can analyse it anyway you like, but at the end of the day, it's all shit.

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I compare them in the same way I compare horse dung, human faeces, and rabbit pellets. You can analyse it anyway you like, but at the end of the day, it's all shit.

Well, aren't you pleasant today. HOW DARE YOU :mad:

And we get mad whenever people call GD "not punk enough" or sellouts.

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I watched a fairly recent documentary about punk and i believe they said whether a debatable punk band or not, they are the most successful statistically. So i can only assume they have sold the most.

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For the people who consider Green Day a punk band then yes they are the biggest band punk has never really been a big selling genre

For just rock period then no not even in top 20

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some people consider nirvana a punk band, and they seem to have sold more records than green day...

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Guest RedStrokes

Would anyone consider RHCP punk, at least just a little?

Nahhhh.. They're fucking badass though.. :toocool:

The clash is my answer

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the descendents fuckin rule.

with 98 more to go!

as for green day not being punk: you do have a point, but i still disagree. firstly, nimrod has probably some of green day's heaviest and "punkest" stuff on it. shenanigans mostly consists of b-sides from the dookie-insomniac-nimrod-era. there are still lots of punk influences in their later stuff (for example st. jimmy on AI, murder city on 21stCBD and many trilogy songs). secondly, there are many new pop-punk bands who sound pretty much like green day does on Uno!. check out masked intruder or dead to me for example. thirdly, most music experts do actually consider green day a pop-punk/punk band.

In that case, are we only going to count The Clash's sales before London Calling....? Or before Sandinista?

I see where they're coming from with the music, but it's really about the identity and personality of the band. Listen to 39/Smooth and listen to UNO. That's the same band, through and through. I don't think they've changed drastically enough for us to say they've switched subgenres.

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In that case, are we only going to count The Clash's sales before London Calling....? Or before Sandinista?

I see where they're coming from with the music, but it's really about the identity and personality of the band. Listen to 39/Smooth and listen to UNO. That's the same band, through and through. I don't think they've changed drastically enough for us to say they've switched subgenres.

I agree. If every song from every album sounds exactly the same, great. It can't be easier to assign a genre. But for truly great bands, diversity is guaranteed, even if it's still that same band behind those different sounds.

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I agree. If every song from every album sounds exactly the same, great. It can't be easier to assign a genre. But for truly great bands, diversity is guaranteed, even if it's still that same band behind those different sounds.

Exactly. You have to remember that the best rock band ever, Spinal Tap, started out as a skiffle group.

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I read something written the day either KYN, 21 Guns, or 21stCB entered the charts that said that they had sold 65 millions records, so I guess since then they have sold around 10 million records, which seems reasonable. 21st Century Breakdown sold 4 million worldwide, 21 Guns was certified platinum in the USA, so thats around 5 million there, + sales of the trilogy, Awesome As Fuck, and sales for 21 Guns in the rest of the world, and the sales for all the singles since then.

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I read something written the day either KYN, 21 Guns, or 21stCB entered the charts that said that they had sold 65 millions records, so I guess since then they have sold around 10 million records, which seems reasonable. 21st Century Breakdown sold 4 million worldwide, 21 Guns was certified platinum in the USA, so thats around 5 million there, + sales of the trilogy, Awesome As Fuck, and sales for 21 Guns in the rest of the world, and the sales for all the singles since then.

Singles sales dont get counted with album sales so minus 21 Guns sales

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Singles sales dont get counted with album sales so minus 21 Guns sales

Yeah, but didn't yahoo announce that they'd sold 75m records last year and it was one of the biggest GD stories of 2012

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Yeah, but didn't yahoo announce that they'd sold 75m records last year and it was one of the biggest GD stories of 2012

I'm not disputing the 75 mil records just that the 21 guns single isnt counted

AI broadway AAF the album box set and the trilogy

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They also had Awesome as Fuck in between.American Idiot must have sold 2 million something in the last 4 years, 21st Cb also the same.The combined sales oftheir older records is around 2 million.So that makes it 1+2+2+2+2(for the combined trilogy),i.e 9 million copies.They sold singles too so that makes it 10 million since 2009.75 million is correct.



some people consider nirvana a punk band, and they seem to have sold more records than green day...

Nirvana is behind GD.Nirvana did not have many studio releases as compared to Green Day and most of their sales were in the 90s.There is a reason Green Day is ahead in the race to the entry to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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They also had Awesome as Fuck in between.American Idiot must have sold 2 million something in the last 4 years, 21st Cb also the same.The combined sales oftheir older records is around 2 million.So that makes it 1+2+2+2+2(for the combined trilogy),i.e 9 million copies.They sold singles too so that makes it 10 million since 2009.75 million is correct.

Nirvana is behind GD.Nirvana did not have many studio releases as compared to Green Day and most of their sales were in the 90s.There is a reason Green Day is ahead in the race to the entry to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Nirvana have also sold 75 according to Wiki. And they will be eligible for the Hall of Fame earlier than Green Day, because they released their first album a year or two before 39/Smooth, making them eligible this year/next year. It has nothing to do with sales and I don't think GD is "ahead in the race" for the Hall of Fame. Both bands are likely to get inducted very quickly but Nirvana, just by virtue of having formed slightly earlier, will get in first.

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Nirvana is behind GD.Nirvana did not have many studio releases as compared to Green Day and most of their sales were in the 90s.There is a reason Green Day is ahead in the race to the entry to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

nevermind has sold more copies than dookie and AI together, just sayin ;)

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They also had Awesome as Fuck in between.American Idiot must have sold 2 million something in the last 4 years, 21st Cb also the same.The combined sales oftheir older records is around 2 million.So that makes it 1+2+2+2+2(for the combined trilogy),i.e 9 million copies.They sold singles too so that makes it 10 million since 2009.75 million is correct.

Nirvana is behind GD.Nirvana did not have many studio releases as compared to Green Day and most of their sales were in the 90s.There is a reason Green Day is ahead in the race to the entry to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Actually your wrong on Nirvana

Nirvana is #81 of the highest selling bands while Green Day is at #88

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Actually your wrong on Nirvana

Nirvana is #81 of the highest selling bands while Green Day is at #88

And where is this list at?

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