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Would you consider 21st Century Breakdown a Half-assed album?


xBlaydeRx

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Let me get this outta the way, 21st century breakdown was the 1st full Green day album I listened to and the one that got me into Them. But after listening to Holiday, and American idiot as a whole, that's when I became a true green day fan and after that,I listened to everything they put out.

Now that I got that outta the way, Yes, 21st breakdown is a great album but there as songs that aren't so great, i feel this album has half Amazingly Mind blowing songs and half not so good songs.

This album could've done without:

Know your enemy

Last of the American girls

Horseshoes and hand grenades(the riff is the only good thing about this song)

Christians inferno

See the light

Static age(while I do like this song, it could've been better) at times, It feels like a filler

American eulogy(idk. I like this song. But could've been so much better) feels like a filler though.

Before the lobotomy would've been on that list had I made this topic years ago but it's grown on me now.

The rest of the songs are Mind Blowing.

I can't help but wonder what the hell happened? Why so many fillers? What the hell have they been doing for 5 years?

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21st Century Breakdown is American Idiot's younger brother who nobody likes

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I honestly think 21stCB was a bit of a copy off of AI the whole concept is sort of the same i mean the story behind the albums are nothing alike but the whole like "concept album" thing is repeated. I myself know nothing about this kind of musical criticism but if you know what im trying to say than good luck to you

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I honestly think 21stCB was a bit of a copy off of AI the whole concept is sort of the same i mean the story behind the albums are nothing alike but the whole like "concept album" thing is repeated. I myself know nothing about this kind of musical criticism but if you know what im trying to say than good luck to you

True, they are both rocks operas but I don't see that as a problem. As long as the music is good then by all means they can do operas as long as they are well alive.

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21CB is definitely sprawling and overlarge, but if given the choice I wouldn't remove a single song. One review I read put it best: it said the album "spirals out of control under the weight of its own heroic glory". 21CB is big, sloppy and ambitious, and it needs its length to make it what it is. A twelve-track 21CB would be more streamlined, but streamlining is exactly what it doesn't need. For better or worse, Billie was trying to sum up the whole of the American condition with the album, and minimalization wouldn't work with that.

Are there quibbles? Certainly. The vocal filters can be annoying. A few songs fall victim to half-assed lyrics. Mike's bass is buried. But most of the lyrics work fabulously--EJN especially is a stunning display of well-aimed lyrical vitriol. Billie's voice is in top form. Vig's production is in a whole other galaxy compared to their previous albums; the variety of instruments and orchestrations is astounding coming from the same band who made Dookie and Insomniac. And in the end it's not at all an AI ripoff--it's not a rock opera, for starters, and while in AI Billie focused on how living in the Bush era affected the teens of that generation and their personal stories, here he pulls back to take a look at America as a whole through personification.

Is it their best album? No, it's bested by AI, Warning and Nimrod, and arguably Insomniac. But it's a damn fine record, and in my opinion their last great one.

Plus, y'know, 21GDC is fucking rad.

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True, they are both rocks operas but I don't see that as a problem. As long as the music is good then by all means they can do operas as long as they are well alive.

yeah I dont care either 21stCBD was great and honestly in my opinion the broadway version of 21 Guns is better then the recorded version but thats only because im a huge sucker for harmonies and shit like that so when i hear group singing it makes me melt lol

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Praxus nailed it. It's a fantastic album. Sure you can consider some tracks fillers, but they're not necessarily meant to work in isolation. When you listen to the album as it's meant to be, ie in full, the filler tracks seem a lot stronger and all add to the vibe of the album. Given the feel of the album that comes from the enormous production, a half hour record wouldn't make sense. It needs to be big. Sure, Christian's Inferno sucks on its own, but then so does The Great Gig In The Sky. Y'know?

Plus it's got some of Green Day's absolute best songs on it, musically, lyrically and vocally. The title track, EJN, Before The Lobotomy, Peacemaker, Little Girl and Restless Heart Syndrome are so musically diverse, powerful, well written and incredibly arranged, while all being wrapped up in Butch Vig's genius production, I don't understand how anyone couldn't consider it top 5.

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Sure, Christian's Inferno sucks on its own, but then so does The Great Gig In The Sky. Y'know?

I would like to point out I'm going to quote this every time this song comes up in Unpopular Opinions. :P Totally agree with everything you said, in all seriousness.

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I would like to point out I'm going to quote this every time this song comes up in Unpopular Opinions. :P Totally agree with everything you said, in all seriousness.

I always hate that song until I have to defend the album, then I can't help it.

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Praxus nailed it. It's a fantastic album. Sure you can consider some tracks fillers, but they're not necessarily meant to work in isolation. When you listen to the album as it's meant to be, ie in full, the filler tracks seem a lot stronger and all add to the vibe of the album. Given the feel of the album that comes from the enormous production, a half hour record wouldn't make sense. It needs to be big. Sure, Christian's Inferno sucks on its own, but then so does The Great Gig In The Sky. Y'know?

Plus it's got some of Green Day's absolute best songs on it, musically, lyrically and vocally. The title track, EJN, Before The Lobotomy, Peacemaker, Little Girl and Restless Heart Syndrome are so musically diverse, powerful, well written and incredibly arranged, while all being wrapped up in Butch Vig's genius production, I don't understand how anyone couldn't consider it top 5.

I do agree with you to some extent. Sure the songs I chose are, IMO, fillers. I'm not saying they should've made the album shorter, I'm saying that the tracks could've been more melodic like the rest of the songs are. This album is definitely in my top 5.

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It's not half assed. There was a lot of pressure on them to follow up American Idiot with another good album, and I actually think they tried too hard with 21stCB.

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I do agree with you to some extent. Sure the songs I chose are, IMO, fillers. I'm not saying they should've made the album shorter, I'm saying that the tracks could've been more melodic like the rest of the songs are. This album is definitely in my top 5.

How can you say you want the tracks you listed to be more melodic when you included The Static Age and American Eulogy? Anyway, there are plenty of melodic tracks to go at, there's nothing wrong with a bit of diversity.

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How can you say you want the tracks you listed to be more melodic when you included The Static Age and American Eulogy? Anyway, there are plenty of melodic tracks to go at, there's nothing wrong with a bit of diversity.

They were listed as my filler tracks. They are ok tracks but nothing compared to the other songs in the album.

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I actually prefer 21st over AI

Easily my no 2 of best GD albums

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Lyrics are shit. Orchestration is fantastic.

I can't even imagine how R♥S would be with good lyrics.

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Umm no. 21stCB is an amazing album. I don't consider any songs listed above filler songs. It's pretty much a perfect album in my books.

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Umm no. 21stCB is an amazing album. I don't consider any songs listed above filler songs. It's pretty much a perfect album in my books.

Glad you find the songs more appealing than I do.

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Lyrics are shit. Orchestration is fantastic.

I can't even imagine how R♥S would be with good lyrics.

I don't think I have ever seen you say anything good about ANY GD album or song...

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I don't think I have ever seen you say anything good about ANY GD album or song...

I just said the orchestration is fantastic.

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I just said the orchestration is fantastic.

Lol ok but I've never seen you say anything good about lyrics it's always "shitty lyrics" do you have a album where you think GD doesn't actually have shitty lyrics

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Lol ok but I've never seen you say anything good about lyrics it's always "shitty lyrics" do you have a album where you think GD doesn't actually have shitty lyrics

The only one I think has bad lyrics overall is 21CBD. Insomniac and Warning probably have the most clever lyrics and 1039 isn't bad for how old they were, they're at least more creative than most teenage love songs. You Can't Fool Me is exceptionally good and mature for their age and it's a damn shame it wasn't on any albums. Kerplunk has its moments as well.

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The only one I think has bad lyrics overall is 21CBD. Insomniac and Warning probably have the most clever lyrics and 1039 isn't bad for how old they were, they're at least more creative than most teenage love songs. You Can't Fool Me is exceptionally good and mature for their age and it's a damn shame it wasn't on any albums. Kerplunk has its moments as well.

Wait you think 1039 has better lyrics than 21st???!!????

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(I do agree about Insomniac and Warning tho)

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Wait you think 1039 has better lyrics than 21st???!!????

In the sense that they were teenagers in one and forty in the other, yes. If I'd heard them both with no knowledge of the band at all I wouldn't. Also the musical quality of 21CBD puts it beyond 1039's musical and lyrical quality anyway.

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I'm shocked to see some people rate 21CB higher than Dookie (judging by the latter's glaring omission in some lists mentioned above). Wouldn't happen in my book :-) Unfortunately this album will, and does, get smeared with 'AI Junior/Lite/the 2nd' because that is exactly how it appears to those not massively 'in' to GD.

I didn't personally connect with this album as other people are saying, despite the fact I get its 'concept' and that it is supposed to be an 'in-depth' album. When I do listen, I find myself two songs further along before realising I'm not properly listening and "hey, what happened to Peacemaker?" y'know.

I also think 'Last of the American Girls' is one of the weakest singles the band has put out - maybe the label wanted it pushed to the public because 'it's accessible enough'? I don't know, but surely there were better choices available?

I do however love the title track, LNOE, The Static Age and b-side Hearts Collide, and the artwork is cool. Plus hearing BJA writing from behind a piano was enjoyable.

Fuck it, I'm going to listen to the album right now and re-discover it!

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Plus hearing BJA writing from behind a piano was enjoyable.

Y'know, I was already wary with Jason Freese being credited in the booklet but after hearing of Tom Kitt's involvement I'm really not sure how much of the piano Billie actually wrote. I hope someone asks him someday.

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