American Idiot - Is it the greatest album of all time? if not, what is?

[San Miguel]

For me, American Idiot is the greatest album of all time, and by a long way.

Over seven years after it's release I still listen to it frequently. I could go on about why I love it, why it is the most complete finished album, and why it is my favourite but given this is a Green Day forum I probably don't need to convince anyone it's so good!

So the question is - does anyone feel there are other albums that are better? or at least any other albums that can compete with it?

I think AI is a long long way ahead but other albums in my 'top 10' would be;

Nevermind - Nirvana

Thriller - Michael Jackson

This Is War - 30STM

Insomniac - Green Day

Hot Fuss - Killers

(and for a bit of '60s hippy-ness)

Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles

Thought it might be interesting to see how fans rate it against other albums by Green Day and anyone else..?

[KilljoyFromDetroit]

Well, its definatly a really good album and there will probably never be a better concept album, but there are some albums i think are better

Nimrod-Green Day

Enema of the State-Blink 182

Nevermind-Nirvana

1039/SOSH-Green Day

Dookie-Green Day

Everyone has different opinions too, and trust me, anyone whos not a Green Day fan thinks otherwise

[Reep]

^What she said.

I don't even consider AI to be GD's best album, But as far as my Greatest of All Time goes.

Nimrod

Everything La Dispute has released

King of Limbs, In Rainbows - Radiohead

The Photo Album - Death Cab for Cutie

Explosions in the Sky - Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place

Bayani - Blue Scholars

The Thermals - More Parts Per Million

[greendaytone]

I'm completely biased, so i'll say yes it is the best ever.

It's probably not my favourite Green Day album, but from a more global perspective, it is Green Day's greatest.

[Katarina.]

Everyone has different opinions about what's the "Greatest album of all time". What makes an album the "greatest"? I don't really think about it, there are just so many amazing records/records I love.

American Idiot is one of them, but also 21st Century Breakdown and Nimrod (might as well say all GD albums), London Calling by the Clash, Tommy by the Who, Let it Be and Tim by the Replacements, TLE by the Living End..

[Nobody Likes Cam]

I really love AI, it was a big portion of my life when I first bought it, so i'd say it was *one of* the greatest albums of all time.

I would also say

MCR: The Black Parade

blink-182: Enema of the State

Rancid: Out Come the Wolves

The Clash: London Calling

It really depends what factors you are judging by; lyrics, sound, popularity, air-play, etc. AI is a great record, though, I will agree to that!

[Vendy]

Each album is unique and that's why it's great.

[Jacob.]

American Idiot isn't even their best album. To me, it's either Kerplunk! or 1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours. American Idiot is a good album, and it was very successful, but it is very far from the best album ever. I'd say Nevermind and Appetite for Destruction ranker way higher than American Idiot.

[Satan]

i'd say that it's the best album i know. it's not my favorite, but it's the best.

[WestboundSign!]

Everybody has different opinions when it comes to questions like this.

For me, every Green Day album would be the best album ever. They are unique in their very own way.

And those, who don't like Green Day would probably never say that American Idiot is the best album ever.

I think the answer to this question depends on a person's taste.

[DoodleBob]

I think that American Idiot is their greatest album, but it's not my favorite. As for altime, I'm not quite sure.

Other great albums are:

Warning - Green Day (My favorite )

The Black Parade - My Chemical Romance

And I actually really love 'A Fever You Can't Sweat Out' by Panic! At the Disco.

[Alan86]

There are 2 albums I hold above all others and 1 is American Idiot the other is Nevermind. I can't choose which is better and I don't like comparing them cause they are so different. But no, its not the best album of all time

Others that have to be considered, Appetite for Destruction, The Joshua Tree, The Black Album (Metallica)

[Elena]

well, for me it's one of the 2 best albums of all time...

the other album is Thriller by Michael Jackson...it's just awesome and the vid of the song Thriller is the best one ever...

and American Idiot is on No 1 with that album (for me), cos it's also awesome, the songs are great and it tells an awesome story...there's a personal story, it's political and then there's a story through the whole album....it's a punk rock (or alternative) album, but it works with a musical AND a movie...

...oh and i just love the songs even if they didn't have the story behind i'd love that album anyway

some other great albums:

Kerplunk

Warning

Bad - Michael Jackson

[Anja]

To me it is (funny, I'm listening to it right now).

But as said already, it's hard to say what makes an album the "greatest". There's so many albums out there, thousands of which I have never even heard so it's hard to tell whether AI really is the greatest of all time. Personally spoken, it has had a huge effect on my life and that's one reason why to me it is the best.

[Sweet Armataged Chump]

Dookie is easy the best and greatest album ever.

[Guest Charlotte.]

I don't think that you can say "it is the greatest" or "no it isn't", simply because it all comes down to personal preference. Some will say that American Idiot's lyrics makes it stand out from many albums, while others will say that the complexity of other bands' music outweighs that, and so on. There are so many things to consider, and so many albums out there, that I don't think it's possible to give an answer either way.

Personally, I do absolutely love the album but there are many other albums that I love too.

[Sarcasm]

Nirvana - Nevermind

Green Day - American Idiot

MCR - Three Cheers (yep, I find it ten times better than the black parade)

The Beatles - the white album

the last one isn't that great today, but when it came out, it was futuristic.

[Heather.]

I like that many of us agree that it's the "best" but not our favorites. It's like acknowledging that Bohemian Rhapsody is the best song of all time, but not having it be your favorite

Anyway, if we all agree that this is subjective, then we all agree that it is the greatest album of all time.

[mechanicalman]

It's nowhere near the greatest of all time. That would be Abbey Road, followed by Revolver. Then Sgt Pepper, The White Album and Rubber Soul. In that order.

Also if you're talking Green Day then Nimrod and Warning are better albums than American Idiot.

[Laurenn]

American Idiot ties with 1039/SOSH as my opinion of their best album.

Along with:

Three Cheers- MCR

Enema of the State- Blink

A Fever You Can't Sweat Out- P@TD

Avenged Sevenfold- A7X

Nevermind- Nirvana

[Hermione]

For me 21st Century Breakdown and Nimrod are their greatest, swiftly followed by Dookie and American Idiot. It's definitely up there but I don't consider it their absolute greatest. It's certainly made a huge cultural impact though. I suppose it depends how much value you place on it being the greatest music or lyrics you've heard and how much value on how successful it was and what kind of impact it made. Pretty much impossible to be objective about it with so many factors contributing to what makes a 'great' album.

Some more that I'd pick:

Nas - Illmatic

Wu Tang Clan - Enter The Wu Tang

Eminem - The Slim Shady LP

2Pac - Me Against The Word

NWA - Straight Outta Compton

Muse - Origin Of Symmetry

Nirvana - Nevermind

The Beatles- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

[Kayfabe]

There's no such thing as the GOAT in anything at all. Simply because it is, and always will be, too subjective. There will never ever be a unanimous greatest of all time in anything ever.

[Karen.]

For Green Day albums, one of the reasons I think AI is their best is that it has fewer skippable songs than any other album. Even the not so great ones are still great. It is, as they say, all killer, no filler!

I just agree with Mike's assessment as described in BIAB, that when they completed it, they knew it was above anything else they'd ever done.

[burnout409]

Personally it is my favorite album of all time, its an album that basically changed my life, obviously its not everybody's though, other albums that come close in my opinion:

1 all of Green Days albums

2 all of the Replacements albums

3 Underclass Hero and Chuck by sum 41

4 Civilwar by Dillinger Four

5 Lights Out by Sugarcult

[Clayish]

No, American Idiot is not the greatest album of all time. Not even close.

The fact that i see Green Day, Blink 182, My Chemical Romance, and Sum 41 here is a joke.

Best albums of all time : Sgt. Peppers, Dark Side of the Moon, Led Zeppelin IV, The White Album, London Calling.