Is Green Day still playing good music?

[Harriet]

Simple doesn't equal bad, so what if they're only using a few chords? Most pop music does the same. There's a finite number of chord progressions, they're bound to crop up more than once. It's all subjective anyway, all I know is I love it whether or not someone has deemed it "good".

[Lemonitsa]

Actually, I find simplicity beautiful and it is not automatically easy or lack of talent. As some wise man said, it is very simple to be happy, but it is very difficult to be simple

[StarKiller]

Well, musically they're definetely not the best band around. As said before, the music itself is just too simple and predictable. It's actually pretty incredible how many songs Billie is able to write in G# ^^ But what's important for me, why Green Day makes good music, is the message. Billie is a very capable lyricist. He made me develop some kind of emotional connection to the songs and the band. I can relate to heaps of songs. They partially defined who I am. So yes, in those terms they still play really good music. But if I want to listen to really different, very well thought and almost virtousic music with amazing rhythm section, epic guitar solos and truly inspiring and thoughtful lyrics, Green Day probably won't be among my choices.

[VisionsofGreenDay115]

I guess this can relate to this thread. But when the fuck did Green Days music HAVE to be political?

This pathetic article written by LA's very own "Todd" is exactly what Im talking about. People are expecting only Green Day to perform like the mindblowing era's of American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown. When I say this I mean that why is it that Green Day is the expected band/artist to take advantage of the 2012 Presidential Election by releasing political music? Is that what respect Punk Rock music has these days? Because if it is, then I'm fucking pissed. There is absolutely no respect towards Green Day in this subject, and with that comes assholes writing articles about how they cannot change and do what they want. That "The band can live in the past, but the fans shouldnt." Im sure every REAL Green Day fan LOVES what the four punk rockers are doing. I sure do. They can do what they want. And here they are saying Rihanna is the greatest thing to walk the planet? Well, you know what "Todd", keep your shitty ass words off the internet and stop criticizing music you feel the need to hate. Do you see us Punks always making derogatory comments toward your music? Well why dont you write over 300 songs and successfully release 12 albums along with that, on top of that have over 65 million records sold. Fuck you writer of LA Times.

Let Yourself Go is beautiful and honestly is the best single released by Green Day SINCE Jesus of Suburbia. That article is the exact meaning of Let Yourself Go. The song has been on repeat for the past two days, sicne its release. It is wonderful, fast-paced, and a big fuck you to people like "Todd". Also, give credit to Oh Love and Kill the DJ. Because its Green Day and I respect everything they do. I pre-ordered Uno the day it was available for pre-order and I am staying home from school just to get it the moment that its delivered to my front door. Green Day, Billie, Mike, Tre, and Jason, keep doing what your doing. Do whatever the fuck you want because thats the only way to live a good life.

Thank You.

P.S. ^This is me letting myself go.

[BilIie Joe Armstrong]

This kind of music isn't about playing so much...I mean, the most important thing is energy. Every punk band plays a few chords and I like it, if i wouldn't - I'd go listening jazz.

Green Day still plays good music at concerts but I think that their records are a bit boring.

[joeysturkeyhead]

The Ramones played the same 3 chords for 20 years and nobody cared about it.

My exact thought, Ramones made some of the simplest songs and no one complains (I love them, don't get me wrong, but not more than Green Day). Simple doesn't mean bad, and Green Day's songs aren't allways simple. And why is it pathetic to play with one finger, these kind of things changes, one time you play with one finger, another time with all. And Mike says about not having many basslines in the two last albums, that he just plays what sounds good for the song. He's got a good point there, it doesn't necessarily make a song better because you fill it with guitar solos, bass solos or drum solos. If you've ever played a ramones song on guitar, you'll realize how the chord progression often is the same, the progression in Blitzkrieg Bop is used in many of their songs, just on different frets.

Many people doesn't know how to read sheet music, that doesn't make you a bad musician, it's not even important to know, it doesn't matter if you can read sheets or tabs. People who says I'm a good musician cause I can read sheets, I'd just say, cool, are you good at this instrument? Or people who considers themselves better bassists cause they play with their fingers, I'd say, cool, but are you playing with your fingers because you like it or cause it looks good? I do both, but for some reason I like pic better cause it's more fun. I just think it feels kinda stiff, playing with your fingers.

Y'know, I like to use Mike quotes;)

[Justin]

First of all, you have to define "good music". What is "good music"? Who decides what is good and why? And if Green Day doesn't write good music, who does?

In my opinion, that's nearly impossible to answer.

I completely agree with this comment. There is no definitive answer to what is good music....

People say that bands like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Queen and Pink Floyd are they greatest bands that ever existed. I can simply say i do not like any one of those bands. In fact i can actually say i despise Queen. Do i think the music is good? how can one answer this? If i thought it was good id enjoy it, but then again so many people enjoy those bands, so to some level it obviously is good music.

[Soroush]

To begin with I need to acknowledge that music is a matter of taste. I like Green day but my sister likes few of their songs and on the other side, my sister likes taylor swift but I like few of hers. this is my taste and it desn't mean that taylor swift songs are bad at all.

Secondly, I'm strongly convinced that AI is really an incredible work of art that will never be repeated. songs like Give me Novocaine, BOBD, Wake me up and Whatsername are not the songs that many artist can do.That album made our expectations higher from Green Day and that's why we get to thesekind of conclusions. But I believe GD is in the right path because if they make another record that sounds like AI then AI will lose its uniqueness.

To me, GD makes good music. I'm not that much fan of garage rock but I'm in love with Uno, and my predictions about Tre is that it's going to be the best of the trilogy

[Dalya]

My answer is YES, cause it sounds much better than JB and 1D

[Justin]

To begin with I need to acknowledge that music is a matter of taste. I like Green day but my sister likes few of their songs and on the other side, my sister likes taylor swift but I like few of hers. this is my taste and it desn't mean that taylor swift songs are bad at all.

I fucking love Taylor Swift! She is amazing!

[Guest]

I've been a GD fan for almost 19 of my 31 years, so there's my answer.

[oscar is a nimrod]

In response to the OP

My completely honest and regretful opinion:

First lets get this out of the way.......I'm sorry to break it to ya but Billie is definitely not one of the greatest guitarists of all time....... anyway......

There is no denying that the songs we have heard from uno, dos and tre are not as good as some previously released albums like dookie or AI but I think that is reasonable if still a bit sad. The lyrical content just doesn't seem to contain the passion and sincerity of their earlier work. As for the Green Day formula of 4-5 power chords per song that is just how they are. You like one band for one kind of music in most cases and when they stray from their formula too much then people get angry. Kill the Dj and the whole Lady cobra thing are interesting but kind of poorly executed IMHO. It's not that I don't like the tracks, it is more to do with the way they did it..... The melody is awesome but for me that isn't enough to be truly great. The lyrics are not clever or humorous. Neither are they satirical or making a statement that I can solidly dicern. (Maybe Billie was trying to say that there is no room for moral religious beliefs in the partying world or something to that effect).

The Green Day that I fell in love with was the one that sung about their real life experiences and social politics (something that many punk bands sometimes neglect). Christie road, Welcome to paradise, Longview, Jesus of Suburbia, Minority, Green Day! Some songs, specifically, "stay the night" have both a great melody, albeit a tried and tested one, and an exciting and relatable message.

(The point made about Justin Bieber using the same chords as The Clash is kind of rediculous really. It's kind of like saying that katie price should not be allowed to use the alphabet to write her biographys because she is too stupid to merit use of the it.)

I still love them and will probably enjoy all of their records a lot but none of the songs have grabbed me and yelled in my face...... THIS IS GOING TO BE THE BEST GREEN DAY ALBUM EVER!

Green Day will contiue to create great new albums for years that people will continue to listen to but I think that they may have released their last Legend with AI.

[Bastard of 1967]

With the upcoming of Uno, Dos and Tré I want to open this debate.

Good topic. I think all that really matters is whether we (as individuals, not a collective) like what they're doing. For me, I tend to be "meh" on most of their 39/Smooth and Kerplunk songs primary due to less-refined songwriting and the production quality (or lack thereof), where others feel that they peaked with those two albums and it's all been downhill since then. It's all a matter of opinion.

As for U/D/T -- I take Rob Cavallo's boast that "there isn't a dud in the bunch" at face value. I do trust the band to know what they like and what they feel comfortable putting out for public consumption, applause, critique, and even ridicule. With 37 songs coming at us blending different musical styles and influences, plus a few like Nightlife and Kill the DJ that explore rhythms and territories that they've never touched before, there's certainly going to be some songs that resonate with each of us more than others. I also think it goes much beyond simply counting the number of chords or the specific chords that are being used/reused -- I agree that there's a finite amount of string and tab combinations you can use, and that after 500+ years of music history everything anyone offers as purportedly "new" would sound like something somebody else has already done before. That's where the other elements of a song come in -- and in Green Day's case, those constants are how tight Mike & Tre are in the rhythm section, where the punctuation hits in the form of a specific note, silence in the music, or a drum fill, or some particularly brilliant lyric that makes you wonder what the hell Billie's getting at THIS time. As for the guitar parts, no, Billie isn't the best guitarist you're going to find out there, but he's good -- and more importantly, consistently good. Then when you add someone with Jason White's talents to the mix the two of 'em are going to sound great together. The solos we're getting on U/D/T are really impressive and refreshing.

Then there's the production quality itself, which is very different than anything they've done before. It's a polished production that still lets the raw feel of the guitars and the amps come through....in the final post-prod and mixing they didn't compress the shit out of everything. You really can hear Mike's bass lines and feel Tre's drum fills, especially when you're listening in headphones. Take Oh Love, for instance -- its beauty is in its quiet minimalism. You hear introspective guitar scratches and Billie's pleading vocals -- just a guy, a guitar, and a small amp -- until the chorus hits, the vocal harmonies unload, and Mike and Tre's accompaniment just explodes all over your eardrums. A lot of people dissed this track when it first came out, but it really has turned out to be a gem (thus the staying power it's had nearly two months after it was first released).

Kill the DJ and now Let Yourself Go have the same kind of production hallmarks, just dressed up differently with different musical styles, lyrical focus, and intent. I'm still making peace with Kill the DJ's repetitiveness and plodding tempo, but Let Yourself Go had me at the first F-bomb. It's St. Jimmyesque punk with a snarky early-90's-Green-Day message and a pounding fury that you can really feel. It also makes me think about my sister, but that's a story for another time.

Finally, I need to discuss lyrical sincerity. Billie has aged, his life has changed, he's got a family, kids, responsibilities, interests, and challenges that he didn't have when he was first getting started in the business. This is being reflected in his music now, particularly since and including 21stCB. I've said elsewhere here that this album series has, I think, opened a bit of an age gap between his older fans and people who are discovering Green Day for the first time. At its core, I think the trilogy will turn out to be an introspective romantic tragedy that deals with some possible responses to midlife crisis, and the cleanup from the destruction that occurs during it. As an (ugh) middle-aged guy myself, I gotta tell you, this kind of shit really is on your mind at this age when it never used to be before -- you know what they say, inside every 40something guy is a 20-year-old going "what the fuck happened!!??" Billie's going through that himself now, so yes, he's writing what he feels and I think he's being genuine about that. Some of us will recognize and appreciate that, others won't, but again that I think comes down to whether and how the music hits you and whether you can find something in it that you personally identify with. I can easily see and understand that this process is going to be easier for some of us than for others.

We can only speculate about what's ahead when Uno and the rest of the albums drop, but from what I've heard of the preview clips and from the live shows so far, Green Day is still on the right track. They're putting out good, solid rock & roll at a time when it's decidedly unfashionable to do so, and I expect my reaction to the various songs to range from tolerance to genuine like to can't get enough of it. Altogether, that's good enough for me.

[Johnny Higher]

The debate is not finish (and maybe it never will be) but I want to say thank you for the messages it's a really really good and interesting talk.

The thing about compare Justin Bieber and The Clash (using the same chords) is not relevant but I thought it was catchy to start the topic ^^

[Soroush]

I fucking love Taylor Swift! She is amazing!

So, Taylor Swift sounds amazing to you, but to me she's just ok. I believe BJ has amazing songwriting abilities, who can deny that?

It's just all about our tastes not the materials because non of us are music experts. We just get to conclusions out of our taste and expectations from GD

[joeysturkeyhead]

What is good, what is bad? A question you can only ask yourself. No one can tell what it is. It's all about taste, some like rap, some like rock, some like it quiet, some like it loud. Only stay true to yourself and your own opinion. Questioning yourself if the music you like really is that good, is stupid.

[GreenDayisAmazing]

To me Green Day's music is amazing. That's why i'm here, to talk and hear about my favorite band!

[Tashidge]

To be honest, it doesn't really matter about chord progressions and whatever. Green Day has found something which fundamentally works for them, and they're going to stick with it while going out and taking risks with their music.

All I know about this, is what other people have already said; I enjoy Green Day's music. I would rather them play simplistic music and be good at it, rather than create overly complicated "masterpiece" and be shit at it.

[oscar is a nimrod]

What is good, what is bad? A question you can only ask yourself. No one can tell what it is. It's all about taste, some like rap, some like rock, some like it quiet, some like it loud. Only stay true to yourself and your own opinion. Questioning yourself if the music you like really is that good, is stupid. People analyse things too much, it's like people in France eating snails, they like it, questioning themselves if it really tastes that good, just eat your goddamn snails and enjoy it! Okay, snails are kinda off-topic, but it's true.

Paedophiles like naked childeren.

Justin Bieber is shit game over.

[Justin]

So, Taylor Swift sounds amazing to you, but to me she's just ok. I believe BJ has amazing songwriting abilities, who can deny that?

It's just all about our tastes not the materials because non of us are music experts. We just get to conclusions out of our taste and expectations from GD

Exactly

[21stcenturyidiot]

Green Day will contiue to create great new albums for years that people will continue to listen to but I think that they may have released their last Legend with AI.

Most bands never reach that level. American Idiot was on a level of its own, and sure they may never recreate that, but most bands never do. The Sex pistols released awful album after awful album after NMTB. Green Day haven't done that, I wouldnt say any of the new stuff was bad, but some of it is excellent. They shouldn't recreate the dookie or idiot again, they shouldn't try and write basket case or Jesus of suburbia again. if queen tried to write Bohemian Rhapsody with every single song they'd have gotten nowhere

[Johnny Higher]

People analyse things too much, it's like people in France eating snails, they like it, questioning themselves if it really tastes that good, just eat your goddamn snails and enjoy it! Okay, snails are kinda off-topic, but it's true.

It's off-topic but because I'm French I have to tell you, here in France 95% of the population don't eat snails, that's fucking disgusting. That's just clichés on the French people.

[Anja]

In regard to the LA Times article: I like to think that Let yourself go was written exactly for these kind of people. "All you really do is complain". It seems whatever Green Day do, there's always gonna be someone to disagree. They don't want them to do another "Kerplunk" and go back to their roots but to write yet another political album just like the last two records. And when they do, they keep complaining. My god, if you don't like the direction this band is going, go listen to another band. I'm sure, Green Day won't mind.

[Sarahnade]

Complexity of a song isn't necessarily what makes it good. I don't think that's any way to measure how good someone's music is.

[BradGreenDay]

OF course they are...

TBH i prefer the music that will be in the trilogy than 21st Century Breakdown and American Idiot..... maybe warning

But they are just changing there sound..... Like when Nimrod was release it dident have the Hardcore sorta punk attitude that previous albums did...

All they are doing is changing there style...