Which version of Welcome to Paradise do you prefer?

[Eva]

Kerplunk, for sure. It's got that dirty, raw sound and it just makes the song sound better to me. And since the song's about living in a shitty kind of place, it makes it sound more personal, in my opinion.

Kerplunk version, without a doubt. That raw sound gets me and to me it matches what the song's about.

We really do share a brain.

[MuricanIDIOT]

I love the raw guitar and bass sound from Kerplunk but the vocals are way better on Dookie so for me Dookie,but if someone got the guitar and bass and drums from Kerplunk and mixed it with just the vocals from Dookie,it would b perfect.

[gd_lover101]

I like the kerplunk one better because the bass is way better and i like when they were in Lookout! better than Reprise

[PanicAttack!]

There's nothing raw about Dookie. It's polished, million dollar budget material. And it does fit on Kerplunk, as he wrote it at a time where it was close to when he was experiencing what he was going through compared to when Dookie came out, he was going through other things. As far as that last statement goes, some people prefer the less polished sound of the song, no one is really arguing which one "sounds" better.

Raw definitely has more than one meaning, plenty of meanings really, it could mean that it got a raw mix in the sense that there wasn't tweaked too much with the master recordings, but it could definitely also mean - and this is what I meant to say - that the performance itself was rawer, harder or perhaps more straight forward and that stands independent of how it was later mixed. I also used it in contrast to "goofy", I'd like to hear a track mixed in a goofy way. But to say that Dookie is more studio polished than Kerplunk! is stating the obvious

[Jimmy the Kid]

He sings at the same pitch on both tracks. It's the tone of his voice you don't like on Kerplunk.

Actually you're wrong. The Kerplunk version is E and the Dookie version is Eb, so he sings half step lower. Nevertheless, his voice's tone is different too.

[Caractériel]

Kerplunk for me. The Dookie version sounds a little too polished, although it's still a great version. I like my music with a bit of a dirty, low-fi sound, and Kerplunk has that rawness throughout the album.

[green day is]

Actually you're wrong. The Kerplunk version is E and the Dookie version is Eb, so he sings half step lower. Nevertheless, his voice's tone is different too.

Wrong, the Kerplunk version is Eb. I just played along with it. Do it yourself.

[DannyDirnt]

Kerplunk. I prefer the rawer and faster sound. I like the Dookie version, but I prefer the Kerplunk one better.

[The Grohl]

Dookie for sure. I think it just sounds better.

[The Grouch is Tracy]

I don't really love either version.......hides face in shame........

[Jimmy the Kid]

Wrong, the Kerplunk version is Eb. I just played along with it. Do it yourself.

And yet you're wrong. Dookie is in Eb, Kerplunk is a mix of E and Eb. You can play Welcome to Paradise from kerplunk in Eb, but if you play the same notes in Dookie's version they will sound half step higher. Since Dookie is in Eb, welcome to paradise from kerplunk is E

[Jon Herroon]

There's something about the kerplunk version that I think is better I'm not quiter sure what though. It might just be that I haven't heard that version as many times. But I like it alot.

[green day is]

And yet you're wrong. Dookie is in Eb, Kerplunk is a mix of E and Eb. You can play Welcome to Paradise from kerplunk in Eb, but if you play the same notes in Dookie's version they will sound half step higher. Since Dookie is in Eb, welcome to paradise from kerplunk is E

If you have your guitar tuned in E standard, it's played like this on both versions

G|-8---8-8-8---8-8-6-6-6-----------|
D|-8---8-8-8---8-8-6-6-6-6---6-6-6-|
A|-6---6-6-6---6-6-4-4-4-6---6-6-6-|
E|-----------------------4---4-4-4-|

They're exactly the same.

Kerplunk isn't a mix of E and Eb that would be fucking retarded, they'd have to retune the guitar in the middle of recording.

[Jimmy the Kid]

If you have your guitar tuned in E standard, it's played like this on both versions

G|-8---8-8-8---8-8-6-6-6-----------|
D|-8---8-8-8---8-8-6-6-6-6---6-6-6-|
A|-6---6-6-6---6-6-4-4-4-6---6-6-6-|
E|-----------------------4---4-4-4-|

They're exactly the same.

Kerplunk isn't a mix of E and Eb that would be fucking retarded, they'd have to retune the guitar in the middle of recording.

I stand corrected, but kerplunk version still sounds a little higher than dookies version, even playing them back to back, like out of tune by 5 or 10%, hence my confusion, I'm sorry

However, your last argument didn't make any sense. Most bands have albuns that have some songs played in other keys. It's not uncommon at all.

[whatshername0303]

Dookie. It's the version that I listen the most because I prefer Billie's voice and the sound of instruments on it.

[green day is]

I stand corrected, but kerplunk version still sounds a little higher than dookies version, even playing them back to back, like out of tune by 5 or 10%, hence my confusion, I'm sorry

However, your last argument didn't make any sense. Most bands have albuns that have some songs played in other keys. It's not uncommon at all.

You wouldn't retune in the middle of a song though.

Dookie only sounds higher because there's more high frequencies in the mix.

[fromdecimateddreams]

I stand corrected, but kerplunk version still sounds a little higher than dookies version, even playing them back to back, like out of tune by 5 or 10%, hence my confusion, I'm sorry

However, your last argument didn't make any sense. Most bands have albuns that have some songs played in other keys. It's not uncommon at all.

I think it's the quality of the recording and settings on the amp/guitar he was using that account for the difference in pitch. I do agree that they sound different, but it's most likely not a key change. It would be pretty tedious to switch between the keys of E and Eb in a single song. (On a guitar, at least.)

[Jimmy the Kid]

You wouldn't retune in the middle of a song though.

Dookie only sounds higher because there's more high frequencies in the mix.

I didn't say I would retune in the middle of a song, please refrain from calling me ignorant (or at least call me directly). As a musician I'm perfecly aware that you won't retune in the middle of the song, unless you want to change the chord or scale from a particular section, and you can achieve that by using a capo.

Wrong, from what I could gather Kerplunk was tuned by ear, so it's not a perfect Eb tuning. I just played the 2 songs back to back, the dookie one is 5 to 10% higher. Kerplunk's version sounds lower because it is lower.

[green day is]

Wrong, from what I could gather Kerplunk was tuned by ear, so it's not a perfect Eb tuning. I just played the 2 songs back to back, the dookie one is 5 to 10% higher. Kerplunk's version sounds lower because it is lower.

You're the second person who's told me that and neither of you have backed it up. There's no fucking way, Billie had been playing for years and they were in a studio where multiple records had been recorded before, they would have had a tuner somewhere. Not to mention that if the guitar is tuned by ear they would have also had to carefully tune the bass to the guitar which is a major pain in the ass (though definitely not impossible).

Also, like I said, I played along to both versions with my perfectly tuned guitar, there's no dissonance.

Did they say it in an interview or something?

[Hermione]

Kerplunk all the way! I happen to know that my first ever post on GDC was about how I prefer the Kerplunk version of Welcome To Paradise because of the cool spooky noises in the instrumental bit and I haven't changed my opinion

The original has a more interesting, rough round the edges, authentic sound that simply compliments the subject matter of the song better. It's about being young and inexperienced living on your own for the first time in a squat full of punks.....the version recorded when they were actually in that situation with all its quirks and imperfections naturally reflects what's being sung about best, you can literally hear the youth, inexperience, excitement and scuzziness described in the lyrics in the sound of the song. The Dookie version sounds tighter and has more power in the music but it's nothing when compared to the perfectly imperfect original, it's technically good but it leaves me cold.

[green day is]

Earlier I said I like the demo best, but didn't post a video, so here it is if you guys wanna hear it.

I'm a major sucker for shit recordings.

[Spoopy Doo]

Kerplunk. I have a think for the raw sound.

[Jimmy the Kid]

You're the second person who's told me that and neither of you have backed it up. There's no fucking way, Billie had been playing for years and they were in a studio where multiple records had been recorded before, they would have had a tuner somewhere. Not to mention that if the guitar is tuned by ear they would have also had to carefully tune the bass to the guitar which is a major pain in the ass (though definitely not impossible).

Also, like I said, I played along to both versions with my perfectly tuned guitar, there's no dissonance.

Did they say it in an interview or something?

I played with my perfecly tuned bass and I got a small dissonance. Tune the bass to the guitar is a pain in the ass? I only tune my bass like that when i rehearse, and It takes me about 40 seconds. Maybe i just have great earing?

I could not find a source but it's said they said that in an interview, and it's perfecly possible. Want examples of "out of tune" records?

Pantera - Cowboys from Hell

The Doors - The Doors (original version only)

Megadeth - Peace Sells... But Who's Buyin'

Metallica - Ride the Lightning

Cowboys from Hell is tuned strangely, like 1/4th below Eb

Peace Sells has the guitar slightly out of tune with the bass

Ride the Lightning is about 1/5th over E

The Doors is out by a small percentage, like 3 or 4% at most

[St. Christian Of Suburbia]

I voted for the Dookie version instantly. I don't like the original version for the same reason I only like one or two songs from their pre-Dookie stuff, it just doesn't sound good to me.

It doesn't surprise me that Dookie is dominating Kerplunk but it kinda did surprise me that so many of the early posts in this thread were pro-Kerplunk. Wasn't expecting that.

[Cruise]

To me the Dookie version sounds much better. The Kerplunk version sounds like Billie couldn't be bothered singing (at stages). It doesn't have the energy.