GD's 'Warning'

[Blu]

Green DAy could never produce a shitty album - they have too much integrity, and they're too invested in what they do for that.

What I was hoping to do with this thread was to get people to sit down and think about which songs they like and why - and in the course of 'defending' this album, that's what they've done. I think it's been really interesting to hear people's views, and what the album means to them.

I wanted us to talk more about Green DAy's music, because I respect them more than any other band I've ever known, I love them, and their music is really important to me.

Billie Joe has said how he looks forward to the day when people sit down and geek out over when they made their various musical transitions - I said that I thought 'Warning' is where they made the transition that ultimately led to AI,but no-one has commented on this - everyone got hung up on the punk thing , which I suppose is my own fault for putting it in the topic title!

Anyway - what Mike said - and Mike is always right!

I think Warning was crucial to making American Idiot. In the building blocks their earlier albums seem to have become you can clearly see a strong progression. Without Warning, American Idiot would probably not exist. If it did, then it wouldn't be anywhere near as powerful.

The album itself stands on its own and is a good album, but in its own way. The lyrics and the melodies are more upbeat providing a more hopeful outlook with many of the songs (Hold On, Waiting). Others, like Misery, are dark yet have an upbeat sound to them that makes one think. Then there are classic style songs you just have to keep in your head for entertainment (Deadbeat Holiday, Blood Sex and Booze). They also have the more thought provoking politically charged songs that help show the transition to AI (Minority, Macy's Day Parade, Warning). The other songs can be interpreted at will. Most of the songs on Warning are ones that can make you think if you look at them in certain ways.

[justcause]

Haven't got time right now to consider the scope of the original question, having just posted in the Insomniac thread, (might come back to this later) but can I just say to Justcause - I love your threads, they're thought-provoking, well-written and about the music. Woohoo!

Oh, that's so cool! About the music - that's all I wanna do, and I just love to talk GD music!

If Billie can, for instance, put two months into writing Holiday, I like to give some time to appreciate what he's done as best I can.

'It's all I've got, and I'm giving it to you' !

[ArmatageShanks39]

umm....of course its a goddamn green day cd. i was a little different, but so was everything after insoniac. its mellow, almost every single band in history has changed. the only ones i can think of that havnt are pennywise and ac/dc.....and i get bored of both. i like em, but i dont even buy new cds, cus itll be the exact same thing.

[justcause]

I think Warning was crucial to making American Idiot. In the building blocks their earlier albums seem to have become you can clearly see a strong progression. Without Warning, American Idiot would probably not exist. If it did, then it wouldn't be anywhere near as powerful.

The album itself stands on its own and is a good album, but in its own way. The lyrics and the melodies are more upbeat providing a more hopeful outlook with many of the songs (Hold On, Waiting). Others, like Misery, are dark yet have an upbeat sound to them that makes one think. Then there are classic style songs you just have to keep in your head for entertainment (Deadbeat Holiday, Blood Sex and Booze). They also have the more thought provoking politically charged songs that help show the transition to AI (Minority, Macy's Day Parade, Warning). The other songs can be interpreted at will. Most of the songs on Warning are ones that can make you think if you look at them in certain ways.

It's interesting that you group Minority, Macy's and Warning together - although they're still intensely personal, they all lean towards a view of society as well, totally the roots of AI's politicism.

'Waiting' - and I'm listening to it right now - is such a heart-breaker; the lyric is all hope and bravery, and the big GD theme of destiny, but the music is all vulnerability.

Killer song!

[woven_basketcase]

now where's our music spirit??

Warning was basically an experiment of sounds..

..it was cool.

and compaired all that boy-band pop-girl shit that was comming out around when Warning came out, it was a heaven album.

[Liquid-Dookie]

i heart warning muchly

[pismodiver]

I think Warning was crucial to making American Idiot. In the building blocks their earlier albums seem to have become you can clearly see a strong progression. Without Warning, American Idiot would probably not exist. If it did, then it wouldn't be anywhere near as powerful.

The album itself stands on its own and is a good album, but in its own way. The lyrics and the melodies are more upbeat providing a more hopeful outlook with many of the songs (Hold On, Waiting). Others, like Misery, are dark yet have an upbeat sound to them that makes one think. Then there are classic style songs you just have to keep in your head for entertainment (Deadbeat Holiday, Blood Sex and Booze). They also have the more thought provoking politically charged songs that help show the transition to AI (Minority, Macy's Day Parade, Warning). The other songs can be interpreted at will. Most of the songs on Warning are ones that can make you think if you look at them in certain ways.

I completely agree with this entire post!

For me, as a fan who came to Green Day through AI, I have much more affinity to Warning than Dookie. The musical experimentation on Warning set the stage for AI. Just a few days ago, I was listening to Deadbeat Holiday, and noticed Christmas bells in the rhythm track under the line "Christmas bells in the middle of August, grudges come back to haunt us..." There's stuff like that all over Warning.

As for the old tired punk vs. not punk argument, people have been whining about since Green Day signed with Warner. My answer: Who gives a flying fuck? The question is : Is the music good? Do you like listening to it? People look at me funny when they find out I'm a Green Day fan, because they think I must be too old to like a "band like them." Well AI was the best album I've heard since I bought the Joshua Tree by U2 in 1987, so I don't care what you call it, good music is good music!

[Minna]

What is the point of this? It's been like 6 years since Warning came out, and I love it.

[Blu]

I completely agree with this entire post!

For me, as a fan who came to Green Day through AI, I have much more affinity to Warning than Dookie. The musical experimentation on Warning set the stage for AI. Just a few days ago, I was listening to Deadbeat Holiday, and noticed Christmas bells in the rhythm track under the line "Christmas bells in the middle of August, grudges come back to haunt us..." There's stuff like that all over Warning.

As for the old tired punk vs. not punk argument, people have been whining about since Green Day signed with Warner. My answer: Who gives a flying fuck? The question is : Is the music good? Do you like listening to it? People look at me funny when they find out I'm a Green Day fan, because they think I must be too old to like a "band like them." Well AI was the best album I've heard since I bought the Joshua Tree by U2 in 1987, so I don't care what you call it, good music is good music!

I'm an AI fan. I like all the albums almost equally. Good music is good music. The 'punk' debate is old. I try to avoid it most of the time. The hidden stuff in Warning is the stuff that draws you back. As is similar to AI, you have to listen to it a million times to get everything out of it, and even at a million and one, you still don't have everything.

It's interesting that you group Minority, Macy's and Warning together - although they're still intensely personal, they all lean towards a view of society as well, totally the roots of AI's politicism.

'Waiting' - and I'm listening to it right now - is such a heart-breaker; the lyric is all hope and bravery, and the big GD theme of destiny, but the music is all vulnerability.

Killer song!

I group those three because they are the ones that talk about society and politics and things that go along with those topics. It's a broad area. Without those songs, AI would have had a much harder transition. Everyone would have looked at it like 'what the heck? Where did the old Green Day go?' when it wouldn't be the guys that changed. Those songs set the path for what so many of us now love. AI is a masterpeice and much credit would have to go to Warning and the political songs that sprouted in it.

[starbucksfreak]

warning fuckin owns and thats that

[Damnitgirlie]

I can't choose a favorite GD album, but Warning would definately be in the running.

I don't think it was weak in any way.

The only way a band survives is through evolution and progression. If you continue to be redundant you may keep a few hard core fans, but for the most part you will lose alot of listeners because they have already heard what you have to offer.

You have to follow your creative urges. Making music is about creating something new, not just reworking the same old crap, and all really talented artists stretch their boundries and explore other ideas. Its not so much choice as compulsion.

For me, THAT is when music is exciting!

[sarah?]

i love warning! i listening to it now! like sure, some songs may be a bit off, but the songs you named arent the only beauts on there! i played misery for my friends, and they loved it! i think thats the best song on the album! its just so refreshing. i mean everyone has their own opinion, and u have a rite to express yours, as do it

[39smoooth]

Along with Nimrod,Warning got me into Green Day,

Therefore its obviously fantastic

[IzButt]

I love Warning, it's such an underrated album and it's one of my favorite Green Day albums. I could relate so well to all of the lyrics from Warning(with the exception of Blood Sex and Booze XD still one of my favorite songs though). I love how different it sounds from anything they had ever done before.

This will probably sound REALLY cheesy but the lyrics for the song Minority inspired me to be different from anyone else as an artist and my views on things. In fact the entire album gave me that feeling. That song kinda hit me as a song for being an individual and not join everybody else's trends and everything else; to be original and not care what others thought of you. Which was exactly what I needed when I was in my late elementary/Jr High years when everyone joined things and you had to do this or buy that or act like this to be some cool kid or have a lot of friends. This album as far as it sounding and relating to the lyrics had hit home for me more than any other album I had ever listen to. It was like a musical handbook for me through a few of my school years(and it still is). To make my experience with Warning even cheesier than it sounds, I remember listening to Church on Sunday, Misery, and Hold On after finding out my crush(and best friend) was moving. He had a new girlfriend and because of it he didn't want to talk to me anymore at all. Because 'it'd be akward for his girfriend' or some other stupid thing he said.

And I listen to Church on Sunday the most out of any other Green Day song <3

I was so unbelievably happy when I noticed a few songs off of 21st century Breakdown sounded like something from the Warning era. Which is one of the reasons why I love the new album.

[Guest]

I has the warning love =]

[Katarina.]

Oeh, old thread xD

I have to say Nimrod's my favorite album, and that one together with Warning got me into Green Day, and I love them!

(Lol, I first heard GD when AI came out, but in that whole era I like listened the most to Nimrod and Warning, and began to listen more to AI around 2007 xD)

[Eirik]

Wow, that's one hell of a bump.

But, fricken awesome album....

[forget_me_nots]

Warning is an incredible album! C'mon! Warning, Minority, Misery, Church on Sunday, Blood, Sex, and Booze, Deadbeat Holiday, Macy's Day Parade, Waiting, Hold On.......this is a beautiful album and IS ultimate Green Day no matter how different it is. It's been said: they had to grow up sometime. People complained when they changed, but can you imagine how they'd act if they didn't change? They'd tell them to grow up! I this album.

[Fulano]

I hate the Warning album.

i love some songs, but this is a worst combinations of good songs on the wrong place and the wrong time.

It's not punk.

It's far from truly punk rock.

[Joey]

I'm sure they went into the studio trying to make a punk CD.

[Peace and Rainbows]

I has the warning love =]

With you right there, it's extremly rootzy and that's why i like it

[Fulano]

I'm sure they went into the studio trying to make a punk CD.

[valeria carci]

no.

[Jack96]

I dont mind Warning its not a bad album but its really on Green day standards its terrible

[xVanessa86x]

Warning was a great album, the song wasn't too bad actually I'm just upset because now when I want to listen to it skips But you can't beat Blood, Sex and Booze, Deadbeat Holiday, Fashion Victim, Hold On and so on! I think they sounded so much different then what we heard during the Nimrod and Insomniac days. It was just disappointing that they didn't make more songs on that CD. I must say I love Warning almost as much as i love Insomniac