In 1994, punk rock band Green Day released its third studio album Dookie which has since become one of their most popular and influential albums as well as bringing the band and punk rock music into mainstream popularity and winning them the Grammy award for Best Alternative Music Album in 1995. This is most likely due to the fact that it provided five singles that were all hits including: Basket Case, Longview, When I Come Around, Welcome to Paradise, and She.
Dookie along with most of Green Day's work is not exactly what I would consider traditional punk in terms of sound. Don't get me wrong, much of the riffs and song structures are very much punk but the vocals are far less rage driven and politically charged than the bands from which Green Day derived much of its influence. Instead, there is far more melody and lyrical basis on every day life that the general public can relate to. It really is hard not to like a lot of these songs when so many of them have a lot of energy and drive to them.
Basket Case is one tune that does get a lot of attention from long time fans. Its chord structure basically rips off Canon in D, by Pachelbel, but the way it is done makes it pretty forgivable. Like many of the tracks, it is fast paced, loud, and melodic. It's almost impossible not to find yourself singing along to it at some point or another. Believe me, I've tried not to but I don't think it can be done. Honestly, I never thought a song about panic attacks and anxiety disorders could be this fun. Lo and behold, it has been done.
One song that at least I personally have never seen get much discussion is one of my personal favorites: Pulling Teeth. This tune is a bit more slowed down than most of the tunes on Dookie (except maybe When I Come Around). However, what it lacks in energy and balls to the wall guitar sound it makes up for in pleasant vocal melody. It is so catchy that it has never completely left my head since I first heard it years ago. Again, a song that is about a rather unpleasant topic (in this case an abusive relationship) is fun, catchy, and pleasant to the ear. Green Day really seems to have an uncanny knack for doing such things.
This is one of the few times where I really can't find anything I don't like about an album. Green Day accomplished no small feat by making punk rock more accessible to the general public. Considering the genre's background, it's almost a miracle. Hardcore fans of punk may dislike this fact and not consider Green Day to be real punk, which in a way is understandable. That doesn't change the fact that they were rebellious enough to rebel against a rebellion and do their own thing. I find that to be pretty damn admirable. Get this album if you don't have it already. It deserves a place on your music shelf.
Dookie, by Green Day receives 5 out of 5 stars.
Track List:
1. Burnout
2. Having a Blast
3. Chump
4. Longview
5. Welcome to Paradise
6. Pulling Teeth
7. Basket Case
8. She
9. Sassafras Roots
10. When I Come Around
11. Coming Clean
12. Eeminus Sleepus
13. In the End
14. F.O.D.
Buy the album on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Dookie-Green-Day/dp/B000002MP2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418963821&sr=8-1&keywords=Dookie
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