Heather. Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 Well OF COURSE it's about money, that's what album sales and re-releases are about. But I honestly fail to see this as Green Day being greedy and trying to ring out money from old albums---there's hardly any money in selling albums now anyway, let alone OLD albums (OK, they'll have a shot at cashing in on AI once more if the movie hits big, so that's a valid reason to put that out again censored, to capture a younger audience)... come on, you can accuse them of cashing in with Angry Birds and the Voice and shit like that, but if they censor OLD 90s albums it wouldn't be with the expectations of any great profit.
Hermione Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 Yeah, 'cause another reason is so much more likely for them to go back into older albums and release censored versions. Please enlighten me, because I'd really love to know what the other reason is. I get, though I don't agree, why they would begin censoring their albums now as they move forward into new music. I've heard all the excuses. They're older. They've changed their minds. They had to make concessions with Warner, etc... I get it. I really do. But to go back into older albums and do the same thing??? There's no other reason for that than making money off their most popular work while they can capitalize on the spotlight shining on them right now because of the album trilogy. I can't debate this topic anymore because it disgusts me. Let me just say congratulations to Warner marketing for ruining one of the few great bands left that hadn't completely fallen victim to corporate America. Excellent job guys! You're talking about bootleg videos. That doesn't count. And the official American Idiot video is now censored. There is no official uncensored video of American Idiot now. I don't get how they're ruined. The same uncensored music is still there for us to listen to to our hearts' content. They're still putting out uncensored music, some of which is possibly more explicit than anything they've put out before. A censored version that you'll never buy or listen to also exists. How does that affect you, or the uncensored music that's still just as freely available? YouTube videos get re-uploaded all the time, usually just to update to a better quality one. There's censored and uncensored versions of most of their videos around, so I don't find it particularly shocking that a censored one happened to get uploaded this time. At worst whoever chose the censored one did it so more people would watch it, which is a bit lame if that's the case. But it also could've been because morons were reporting the uncensored one so they picked the censored one for less hassle, or even just because it happened to be the version they came across first. In any event, it wasn't the band who picked it and I'd bet anything they don't even know about it. Not to mention on the very same YouTube channel there's these two videos of American Idiot being sung uncensored! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Yi-LvnM_5M&feature=plcp http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGkclalr4fU&feature=plcp Given that, I'm inclined to believe the lack of uncensored AI video on there is a lot more likely to be an oversight than be part of some kind of Green Day censorship conspiracy. Just because it isn't on there it doesn't mean it doesn't exist, YouTube isn't the be all and end all of everything.
Femme Gauche Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 I don't get how they're ruined. The same uncensored music is still there for us to listen to to our hearts' content. They're still putting out uncensored music, some of which is possibly more explicit than anything they've put out before. A censored version that you'll never buy or listen to also exists. How does that affect you, or the uncensored music that's still just as freely available? YouTube videos get re-uploaded all the time, usually just to update to a better quality one. There's censored and uncensored versions of most of their videos around, so I don't find it particularly shocking that a censored one happened to get uploaded this time. At worst whoever chose the censored one did it so more people would watch it, which is a bit lame if that's the case. But it also could've been because morons were reporting the uncensored one so they picked the censored one for less hassle, or even just because it happened to be the version they came across first. In any event, it wasn't the band who picked it and I'd bet anything they don't even know about it. Not to mention on the very same YouTube channel there's these two videos of American Idiot being sung uncensored! Given that, I'm inclined to believe the lack of uncensored AI video on there is a lot more likely to be an oversight than be part of some kind of Green Day censorship conspiracy. Just because it isn't on there it doesn't mean it doesn't exist, YouTube isn't the be all and end all of everything. Check it out, even his middle finger is clear as day .
BJWolf Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 Have we all forgotten whose music this really is? This is Green Day's music! They write it, they play it, and they can release it however they see fit! If they want to create multiple versions of their own music with some containing the word "fuck" and others that don't, it is totally up to them and no one in the world has a right to tell them how they should or should not write, record, and release their own music. If you prefer the versions with "fucks" in it, then BUY THAT VERSION AND SHUT THE FUCK UP!!! If you would rather have a version that uses different words, then buy that one. It is 100% up to you to pick and chose what you like, so please everyone just do that and stop bitching and whining and acting like the world is coming to an end because you can't stand the fact that Green Day is releasing their music in a manner that you don't approve. They don't owe any of you a damn thing. They are doing what they want to do and whether you like it or not, you still have the option to listen to whatever version you prefer. So please just do everyone a huge favor and listen to the versions you do like.
Bastard of 1967 Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 I find it hysterical (and depressing) that other fans of the very same band that once wrote "question everything, or shut up and be the victim of authority" are now telling those of us who are asking some difficult questions about that band's current direction to just "SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!".
Femme Gauche Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 I find it hysterical (and depressing) that other fans of the very same band that once wrote "question everything, or shut up and be the victim of authority" are now telling those of us who are asking some difficult questions about that band's current direction to just "SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!". The problem here is that we do NOT know what exactly is behind all of this and everything that's being said here is pure speculation. So people are changing opinions about the band without even knowing the whole story. And like Hermione said - there ARE still uncensored videos OF the song available on the same Youtube channel.
BJWolf Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 I find it hysterical (and depressing) that other fans of the very same band that once wrote "question everything, or shut up and be the victim of authority" are now telling those of us who are asking some HARD questions about that same band's current direction to just "SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!". So Green Day is not allowed to create multiple versions of their own songs? Is that really what you're saying? Asking questions is one thing, but accusing Green Day of "selling out" and the record label of "ruining" them all because they want to release two different versions of their albums as opposed to one is just plain retarded. It's their music and they are allowed to write whatever lyrics they want. It doesn't affect your life in any way and it is ridiculous that anybody would be angry with them because they want to release music without cuss words. Oh and btw, all the cussing everyone wants to hear is still available to you so you can listen to whatever version you like as much as you want!
Bastard of 1967 Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 The problem here is that we do NOT know what exactly is behind all of this and everything that's being said here is pure speculation. Speculation? Green Day and their label commissions, stars in, and releases video promoting new album that contains, let's just say a significant amount of skin. R-rated version of that video (since removed from the one online source where it had been briefly available for viewing) contains actual nudity.To further promote the album, Green Day collaborates with Rovio and releases an Angry Birds-themed game playable only on Facebook.And to further further promote the album, Billie all but stops using his Twitter account and he, Mike, and Tre go public on Instagram.Green Day announces that both "clean" and unedited versions of the new albums will be available for purchase.Green Day releases Oh Love EP exclusively through Wal-Mart, a retailer who they publicly singled out and villified as recently as 2009.We have since learned that Wal-Mart will also carry the "clean" version of the U/D/T trilogy. Wal-Mart's online preorder for Uno indicates that only the "Edited" (presumably, clean) version of the album will be available. The "uncensored" version presumably will not be available through that retail channel at all, either with or without a Parental Advisory sticker.Green Day, whether with or without knowledge of what the entity responsible for managing its YouTube channel was doing on its behalf, removed and replaced the original version of its flagship American Idiot video with a "clean" version.Best Buy is now carrying a "clean" version of American Idiot. At least the original version with a parental advisory is still available there for those who prefer to have their tender ears assaulted by the occasional F-bomb. Speculation my ass. The writing's on the wall, and we don't need a fucking press release from Warner to tell us what's really going on here.
Fuzz Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 Alright time for some actual input in this thread besides just a sarcastic image. I honestly don't understand the concerns people have about a clean version of an album coming out. The music in it's original form continues to exist. Yes, Green Day writes lyrics with curse words for a reason. They have meaning and they belong there. But there are many people who also just like listening to the music and having "fuck" and "shit" throughout an album limits the places some people can listen to that music. My niece, 9 years old, loves Green Day. She loves singing songs. We've always gone out of our way of lowering the volume during the curse words, because we don't want her to pick those up and take them to school. To her the music isn't about its message. It's about a catchy tune and she loves to sing. I will be buying her censored versions of the songs so we can listen to Green Day and sing-along. When she's old enough, she can listen to the uncensored version because those still exist. They don't go away just because there's now a clean version. I'll buy the uncensored version for myself, because I appreciate that the words are used for a reason and to me they aren't a big deal. Plus, Green Day's lyrics are the reason I fell in love with this band, so I appreciate the words for what they are. Others don't need to feel the same way. My boss at work likes to have music playing all the time. She has a couple Green Day songs she edited herself because she likes the way they sound. She doesn't care about the meaning, she likes the music and she can get in trouble if someone heard music coming from her office with curse words. People need to stop believing that everyone in the world has to appreciate Green Day for the same reasons. While many of us believe that some of their lyrics should be untouchable because of the depth they have, others don't need to. They can like Green Day because they like their sound and could care less what the words say. For them, or for parents who worry about the language their young kids use, they can get a censored version. While I appreciated the idealism of not allowing a censored version of their music, I also don't really care if they do. In the same way Green Day Rock Band was censored, it didn't matter to me, because I still had the version Green Day wrote and could listen to it the way they intended. They censored it so they could sell it in stores and make more money. That doesn't bother me at all. They are on a major label and they care about sales. That's a good business decision. This isn't the first time Green Day does this. Radio-edits exist for a reason, because they want stations to play their songs so they can sell more copies. Yet, the uncensored version still exists for those who want that. So long as Green Day continues to write the music they feel like writing without concern about the language that's used, I don't care how many versions they put out and where it's being sold. Their music, the true version they envisioned, is still out there for me to experience. That's all I care about.
WhiteTim Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 GD never talked bad bout Wal Mart until the 21st situation i never understood the p.a. sticker (Nimrod has more cussing than 21st has but yet Nimrod carrys no p.a. tag hell Platypus alone has more cussing than all of 21st) and GD was right to block censoring it when wal mart has carried past GD albums... This has nothing to do with them selling out or making money just something they want to do
Bastard of 1967 Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 So long as Green Day continues to write the music they feel like writing without concern about the language that's used, I don't care how many versions they put out and where it's being sold. Their music, the true version they envisioned, is still out there for me to experience. That's all I care about. I appreciate your post, Andres. Kind of like you had to adjust for when your neice is around, we have a soon-to-be 5 year old, yet both my wife and I really enjoy Green Day's music. The rule is that we won't play them in the house -- eventually she'll learn from other contexts what those words are and why it's normally rude to use them. So I do agree that having a "radio friendly" version of the albums would serve a useful purpose. However, let me clarify please: as I see it, more than just muting the F-bombs is going on here. From what we've seen of the marketing steps that have been executed thus far to promote the U/D/T trilogy, a reasonable person can conclude that, in the interest of obtaining a broader distribution for the album series, Green Day is now specifically targeting the tween set in their marketing -- something that they have starkly refused to do in the past. As a parent, I also believe that, F-bomb replacements or not, the adult-themed romantic tragedy that the trilogy is setting itself up to be is simply inappropriate for this type of marketing approach and target audience, and is not likely to sell significantly more albums; instead it will (hem hem) alienate some hard-core fans who (mistakenly?) came to believe that their favorite band was above this tactic. It goes without saying that Green Day has taken great pains over the course of a nearly 25 year career to build and guard an exemplary "do what's right, not what's convenient" public persona, and it's sad to see that they've made some damn sales figures the priority now. After years of being one of those who'd readily speak up to defend the band whenever someone accused Green Day of being sellouts, this feels like a slap in the face.
Heather. Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 I appreciate your post, Andres. Kind of like you had to adjust for when your neice is around, we have a soon-to-be 5 year old, yet both my wife and I really enjoy Green Day's music. The rule is that we won't play them in the house -- eventually she'll learn from other contexts what those words are and why it's normally rude to use them. So I do agree that having a "radio friendly" version of the albums would serve a useful purpose. However, let me clarify please: as I see it, more than just muting the F-bombs is going on here. From what we've seen of the marketing steps that have been executed thus far to promote the U/D/T trilogy, a reasonable person can conclude that, in the interest of obtaining a broader distribution for the album series, Green Day is now specifically targeting the tween set in their marketing -- something that they have starkly refused to do in the past. As a parent, I also believe that, F-bomb replacements or not, the adult-themed romantic tragedy that the trilogy is setting itself up to be is simply inappropriate for this type of marketing approach and target audience, and is not likely to sell significantly more albums; instead it will (hem hem) alienate some hard-core fans who (mistakenly?) came to believe that their favorite band was above this tactic. It goes without saying that Green Day has taken great pains over the course of a nearly 25 year career to build and guard an exemplary "do what's right, not what's convenient" public persona, and it's sad to see that they've now made some damn sales figures the priority now. After years of being one of those who'd readily speak up to defend the band whenever someone accused Green Day of being sellouts, this all comes across as a slap in the face. While I agree that edited versions target mainly the "tween set," that doesn't bother me because we still know that their MUSIC is still based on a "do what's right, not what's convenient." And if making censored versions of these songs is essentially lying to kids because the content remains R-rated even if you remove the curse words, well that's certainly a moral dilemma in and of itself but hardly something Green Day cares about (corrupting youth? fuck yeah, they'd say). Green Day is sitting back and laughing because just like you've said, they've managed to get the dirty content into the hands of kids without their parents knowing it. They're geniuses. That was always what they wanted to do, get their messages across. Remember that interview where Billie said, "The ultimate goal is to exploit youth culture and make a lot of money in the process." He said it as a joke, but he knew it was true, and they've always been masters of exploiting youth culture, so why stop now? They've never been responsible about that. You can call them bad parents but not bad puppeteers.
Fuzz Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 I appreciate your post, Andres. Kind of like you had to adjust for when your neice is around, we have a soon-to-be 5 year old, yet both my wife and I really enjoy Green Day's music. The rule is that we won't play them in the house -- eventually she'll learn from other contexts what those words are and why it's normally rude to use them. So I do agree that having a "radio friendly" version of the albums would serve a useful purpose. However, let me clarify please: as I see it, more than just muting the F-bombs is going on here. From what we've seen of the marketing plan that is being used to promote the U/D/T trilogy, a reasonable person can conclude that, in the interest of obtaining a broader distribution for the album series, Green Day is now specifically targeting the tween set in their marketing -- something that they have starkly refused to do in the past. As a parent, I also believe that, F-bomb replacements or not, the adult-themed romantic tragedy that the trilogy is setting itself up to be is simply inappropriate for this type of marketing approach, and is likely to backfire on the band while (hem hem) alienating some hard-core fans who (mistakenly?) came to believe that their favorite band was above this tactic. It goes without saying that Green Day has taken great pains over the course of a nearly 25 year career to build and guard an exemplary "do what's right, not what's convenient" public persona, and it's sad to see that they've now made some damn sales figures the priority now. You're assuming that albums sales haven't always been a priority for their label, which is a mistake. As I mentioned, they censor radio edits, a major part of the promotion for their album, they censor Rock Band, also a marketing thing. Pretty much any marketing has always been censored because the FCC doesn't allow those words. Green Day continues to write the music they want, and their label decides how to market it. There's a reason every music video played on TV is censored and always has been. This is a problem with the policy and administrations who appoint the FCC head who guides the rules about what is and isn't allowed on our public airwaves. Green Day doesn't make a statement about that by refusing to edit their music, all that happens is they can't get their music out there to promote it and the only people following some as ambitious as a trilogy over 6 months are the people who were interested in Green Day in the first place. Green Day will always be the band that goes on stage and sings their sings exactly how they're intended. That's what real music is to me, that's the stuff I care about. Marketing is business, and all business has a bad-side that we don't agree with. Green Day is on a major label and this is how they're marketing it. At the same time Green Day continues to be out on the road on this pre-tour tour playing these songs exactly how they want to, that's the way the band is marketing it, that's the part they get to have full control over (along with the songwriting itself) and they don't compromise there. At the end of the day, putting out a clean version of these albums has very little effect on how we listen to Green Day. It has no effect on how Green Day write music, how they play music, and how we get to listen to that music. Their label is responsible for trying to make lots of money, whether we like that or not, it's the reality of what the music industry is, and this definitely isn't the first time they're trying to do that. Having Green Day go play at the MTV Awards where they also censor the band while they're playing is (to me) the same exact thing as this. Promotion, targeting an audience. Ultimately it doesn't matter to me.
Femme Gauche Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 Yeah, there is nothing new about them promoting and targeting a particular audience - those are the people who are most open to new music. If they haven't heard Green Day yet, well, they will, and boy are they in for a treat...
burnout409 Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 Who gives a fuck if they are releasing a censored album!!! I don't think Green Day have changed! Its the fucking fans that have changed, constantly arguing with each other and bashing a band they say they like!!! Your arguing about something that will not change and really doesn't matter, no ones is telling you you have to buy the censored one!!!! Its probably not up to the band them self's if they whether they release censored versions etc, but who honestly cares, I doubt they do! All i want is Green Day to keep writing and making albums and playing live shows etc etc and i for one (and at times feel like the only one) who is genuinely dead exited for the UNO DOS TRE and everything that will come with it (singles etc)! Why is their so much hate? Green Day decide to take a new direction or do anything now and some one either doesn't think it sounds enough like Dookie or their selling out! They may never make an album like Dookie again, but who care because, they already released Dookie just listen to that if you wanna hear that sound! And as for selling out, well I'm not even gonna start that argument because its getting far far far to old, and even bringing it up now is selling your self out more than Green Day them self's ever have/will sell out, its the worst and only argument i hear people use against Green Day now and well they clearly couldn't give a fuck if anyone thinks they have sold out or not, I'm sure all they wanna do is make music together for as long as they can and that's all that counts!
Fuzz Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 I don't think Green Day have changed! Its the fucking fans that have changed, constantly arguing with each other and bashing a band they say they like!!! Nope, that's nothing new.
melissawebster Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 Speculation?Green Day and their label commissions, stars in, and releases video promoting new album that contains, let's just say a significant amount of skin. R-rated version of that video (since removed from the one online source where it had been briefly available for viewing) contains actual nudity.To further promote the album, Green Day collaborates with Rovio and releases an Angry Birds-themed game playable only on Facebook.And to further further promote the album, Billie all but stops using his Twitter account and he, Mike, and Tre go public on Instagram.Green Day announces that both "clean" and unedited versions of the new albums will be available for purchase.Green Day releases Oh Love EP exclusively through Wal-Mart, a retailer who they publicly singled out and villified as recently as 2009.We have since learned that Wal-Mart will also carry the "clean" version of the U/D/T trilogy. Wal-Mart's online preorder for Uno indicates that only the "Edited" (presumably, clean) version of the album will be available. The "uncensored" version presumably will not be available through that retail channel at all, either with or without a Parental Advisory sticker.Green Day, whether with or without knowledge of what the entity responsible for managing its YouTube channel was doing on its behalf, removed and replaced the original version of its flagship American Idiot video with a "clean" version.Best Buy is now carrying a "clean" version of American Idiot. At least the original version with a parental advisory is still available there for those who prefer to have their tender ears assaulted by the occasional F-bomb. Speculation my ass. The writing's on the wall, and we don't need a fucking press release from Warner to tell us what's really going on here. Oh wow! Very well-said!
Femme Gauche Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 The fact is, all of this marketing doesn't change the music. It doesn't change what it is or what they are saying, other than a couple of words which, when viewed with the whole songs, don't mean all that much. Whether or not money is a part of that decision does not make it less true that getting these albums, or any of their albums, to a larger audience ultimately brings new fans in, where the message of the music is still powerful (whether or not the message is the reason people listen). It might not be something everyone wants young kids to hear, but I think it's a pretty fucking awesome thing that they can and do. Having a censored version of an album like this is pretty fucking cool actually, because it is like saying "f--- you" to all the people who buy it thinking it is clean just because it doesn't have swear words.
burnout409 Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 Nope, that's nothing new. Possibly not anything new then fair enough, my bad.
Ryan Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 Yeah, not even remotely interested. I'll stick to the real song the way the band originally intended. I know everybody ignored the post the two times I made it previously, but can you say with certainty that the radio edit version of Kill the DJ isn't the way the originally intended it to be? Who's to say that Billie's original intention wasn't to have "someone kill the DJ, someone shoot the DJ" and then decided that "someone kill the DJ, shoot the fucking DJ" was more fun? So, perhaps the radio edit is the way the band originally intended it. Obviously, with songs like Fuck Time, this argument would not be in play.
WhiteTim Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 Thumbs up to burnout couldn't agree more. I like thay none of the albums sound alike. If I want to hear Dookie, then that's what I listen to. It'd be sad if GD was just trying to re-do Dookie 18 years later that'd mean they haven't grown. I can't wait for the trilogy.
Heather. Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 I know everybody ignored the post the two times I made it previously, but can you say with certainty that the radio edit version of Kill the DJ isn't the way the originally intended it to be? Who's to say that Billie's original intention wasn't to have "someone kill the DJ, someone shoot the DJ" and then decided that "someone kill the DJ, shoot the fucking DJ" was more fun? So, perhaps the radio edit is the way the band originally intended it. Obviously, with songs like Fuck Time, this argument would not be in play. Because Billie only knows the word "fuck," and we're lucky if he thinks of another adjective ever lately So in a way the censored versions could be a breath of fresh air, especially if they have more creative replacements I'm completely indifferent to cursing, but sometimes I do wonder if he couldn't have come up with a better word to use in certain situations. Anyway, like Andres said, Green Day (from Billie's mouth) has said that the only things they care about and can control are writing and performance. They obviously have peripheral control over marketing and promo and all that, and huge control over their image, but the only things they have total control over are performance and writing. And I've NEVER seen them compromise in those realms.
WalkingContradictionPL Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 I don't care about the clean version. I know that's just marketing. They are realisng thre records, not one. Warner must gain money, it's clear for me and I know that there must be many different forms of promotion of albums, containing clean versions. I can't call them sellouts, because I'll be then a hipocrite. I'm going to study economy and all students of my uni ale called "slaved of money". For me the most important is music. I'll buy the uncensored version, but when my cousins (11- and 8-year-old girls) would listen to it, I'll find proper for them clean version on you tube.
TheJedi Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 it's so fucking sad that some of you see this as the worlds biggest problem.
Ryan Posted August 30, 2012 Posted August 30, 2012 I'm still in awe that certain people, who will remain nameless because everybody already knows who I'm talking about, refuse to believe that this is all Warner's doing. It is NOT speculation. As somebody with a degree in music business, I can say with 100% certaintly that this is the case. If somebody can show me ANY major label record contract where the label doesn't have control of ALL marketing and distribution after recording is complete, I will give you my life's savings. The same thing goes for the censored version of AI being released. BREAKING NEWS...GREEN DAY DOES NOT OWN THE RIGHT TO THE AMERICAN IDIOT ALBUM. You read that correctly. Green Day has NO say in what Warner does with that album...or any album from Dookie - 21st CB. Even if they leave Warner, Warner still owns everything that Green Day has done with them up to that point.
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