Green Day - Insomniac

Great Follow-Up!

Green Day has never disappointed me since I first heard Billy Joe sing "Do You have The Time..." I was one of those fans waiting patiently for the released of Insomniac, and I could not have been happier with what I heard. Apparently, they decided to do a heavy punk record as a way to give the middle finger to those who claimed they "sold out" with Dookie. To me, it's just high energy, fun rock and roll. "Geek Stink Breath," "Bab's Uvula Who?," and "Walking Contradiction" are among the best songs Green Day has ever recorded. They will always remind me of a time when depressing grunge music over-rode party rock, and Green Day stepped up to the plate and knocked everything back to where it belonged.

Other albums I bought that sound like this are: Sloopjohnd , Dookie and Too Tough to Die January 3, 2009

No rest for Insomniac!

Green Day, one of the greatest bands of the past 15 years. Their major label debut, Dookie, released in 1994 took the reigns of punk-rock and brought it to a brand new audience who was experiencing it for the first time, and what an awesome experience it was, and still is. One thing about Green Day is that their sound is thrilling and unpredictable, they seem to always take their sound to a new level, leaving the previous elements in place but adding a whole bunch of new ones to make the sound heavier, or faster, or happier, but whatever it is, it's oustanding work. With Dookie, the band rocked with a bit of a lighter tone and many of the songs seemed to connect very well with youth, such as Longview, Basket Case and When I Come Around to name a few. The entire album seemed to flow extremely well and it was relentless with its catchy rhythms and fast, heavy guitar lines. Enter 1995, enter Insomniac! This record is the band's heaviest and hardest work, with many of the songs featuring a very punk oriented sound, while not sacrificing any of the catchy hooks that made Dookie such a success. Insomniac is a severely underrated album in my opinion and I believe it challenges Dookie for Green Day's finest work, but the band has put out such a strong catalog of material that it's hard to choose just one album out of the bunch to crown as their top album. Here is a song by song breakdown of the album.

1. Armatage Shanks 9/10- A very strong lead-off track, this song sets the tone for the rest of the record for sure. Fast and catchy, you'll be singing along in no time.

2. Brat 10/10- A very amusing song about a young man wishing to get his parental inheritance any way possible. Although it's a very short tune, it's so fast and incessantly rhythmic that 1:30 will seem like way less. Great, great tune.

3. Stuck With Me 8.5/10- The first few listens I wasn't sure about this song, but it became one of my favorites after a while. It's a very strong song with a strong rhythm, nice.

4. Geek Stink Breath 10/10- One of my top three tracks on this album. This was a single and had a very memorable video with a young man getting a tooth pulled by a dentist. This track hits like a freight train and is probably their most punk song they've ever released. Highly highly recommend this one.

5. No Pride 9.5/10- Maybe the catchiest song on the album, it's interesting how Longview and Geek Stink Breath are both track 4 on their respective albums and seem to be the heaviest tracks, and Welcome to Paradise and No Pride have a similar relationship of being the catchy catchy tune to follow. Maybe it's just a coincidence. Dig this tune!

6. Bab's Uvula Who 10/10- Another one of my top three. It's so fast and heavy that you can't help but like it. This song is vintage Green Day and really demonstrates their sound well.

7. 86 9.5/10- There's no return to 86! The memorable chorus line talks about Green Day's past and they really don't have too many songs like this one. A very melodic and catchy way for Green Day to go back to their roots.

8. Panic Song 9/10- I really, really like the long intro where a different instrument is added every few seconds. This Green Day song is truly one of a kind, there isn't any other song like it.

9. Stuart and the Ave. 8/10- This is a decent tune for sure, it's not my favorite, but it's still a pretty strong track. The song keeps getting better as it goes.

10. Brain Stew 10/10- Everybody probably knows the 10 note guitar line, and the famous lyrics about Billie Joe's inability to get any shut-eye. This song is just so good, it almost defines the album.

11. Jaded 10/10- Speedy, catchy punk, very fun song to listen to and a great follow-up to Brain Stew.

12. Westbound Sign 8.5/10- Maybe I shouldn't make a judgment about this song because I haven't listened to it enough times to be sure, but I really liked what I heard.

13. Tightwad Hill 9.5/10- A great lead-up to the grand finale. The bridge in the middle of the song is outstanding.

14. Walking Contradiction 10/10- The crowned jewel of Insomniac! Probably the best tune on the album, it will be in your head for hours after just one listen. The lyrics are so cleverly written and the music video is hilarious.

Insomniac is a fantastic album, highly recommended! January 9, 2008

Another slice of goodness

Punk purists love to whine about Green Day, bemoaning the group's "commercial" sound, juvenile lyrics, and general mid-90s chart success. To which I reply: shut the hell up. Green Day's music may not be for the ages, and Billie Joe Armstrong (their guitarist, lead vocalist, and chief songwriter) may not be a genius, but their music is still some of the best stuff to hit the charts in the 90s. Their songs were fun, catchy, soaked in attitude and backhanded humor, with plenty of crunchy power chord hooks and unforgettable choruses. Sure, a few trillion awful bands followed in their wake, but should we really blame these guys for the actions of their imitators? I say, burn your Good Charlotte discs and get back to cranking Green Day.

Insomniac, the group's fourth album (and the follow-up to the deservedly successful Dookie) serves up fourteen gobs of mouthwatering pop-punk goodness. Sure, it's all pretty derivative- Billie Joe has obviously been paying very close attention to his Ramones records- but it sounds fantastic. If this had come out in 1977, we'd all be hailing it as a classic (albeit a somewhat minor one). Sadly, I guess I'm forced to do everybody's hailing for them. It really is a shame: I wish that more people would give a good listen to the snotty bounce of "No Pride," or the rip-roaring (and just plain awesome) putdown that is "Stuart & The Ave." "Armatage Shanks" boasts a hell of a pop hook, and "Brat" sounds just plain bratty. "Stuck With Me" is an instantly memorable outcast anthem, and "Panic Song" features a great tension-and-release structure.

There's just so much fantastic stuff here- if anything, it's better than Dookie. Ignore the negative hype and give it a shot. December 23, 2007

10/10

This cd represents Green Day at a great point in their careers. Perhaps second only to Dookie, this cd rivals Dookie at times with its catchy song after song after song. Every song on this cd is good. Best songs are Geek Stink Breath, Brain Stew, and Walking Contradiction as well as Armatage Shanks. Green Day sounds perhaps more refined here than on Dookie. EVERYONE NEEDS THIS CD, BOTTOM LINE. It is a must must must have for fans of 90s music or Green Day in general. Terrific replay value and it never gets old to listen to. This cd will blow you away how good it is. September 17, 2007

Is it me or isn't this the same set of songs on the last 5 albums?

I liked the first Green Day work - it was original, a bit too punky and whitetrash for me, but decent to listen too. After dropping VERY large money for the last two albums I realized I was buying the same music just repackaged. Even the Live versions on Foot In mouth sound exactly the same. Save your money; either buy one of the first 2-3 albums of theirs or better yet, try something new. April 3, 2007

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