“Do you have the time to listen to me whine” cried a spiky haired American who went by the name of Billie Joe Armstrong. Apparently we did. In fact, in 1994, millions of us did, and the phenomenal success of ‘Dookie’ turned Green Day into household names, and sent punk rock kicking and screaming into the MTV age. Unfortunately ‘Dookie’ also ignited the “sell out” debate, which still rages endlessly to this day.
However, ridiculous debates aside, with ‘Dookie’ Green Day unquestionably produced the definitive punk album of the 90’s. This one album had more of an impact on the evolution of the genre than any other did at the time, or has done since. In 1994 Green Day provided the world with an acceptable alternative to the depressing grunge scene and reaped the benefits. If it wasn’t for ‘Dookie’ we probably wouldn’t be seeing the wealth of punk talent currently doing the rounds. Undoubtedly Green Day were one of the biggest influences on the new generation of bands such as New Found Glory.
The album itself sounds as fresh today as it did back in 1994. To be honest it puts many of the bands that have come since to shame. ‘Dookie’ contains fourteen songs full of energy, humour, emotion and sheer speed. You may well moan that the songs are generally only built around three chords, but to be honest who cares when the songs are this good!
From the opening bursts of raw energy on ‘Burnout’ to the superb tempo change of closing song ‘F.O.D.’, the listener is taken through a journey of what makes punk such a likeable genre. It is rarely said, but is worth pointing out that the album is incredibly well put together. The progression from song to song feels natural. Could you imagine ‘Welcome to Paradise’ anywhere on the album other than following ‘Longview’?
‘Dookie’ is stacked full of bouncy feel-good songs, both serious and humorous. It is worth giving a special mention to ‘Pulling Teeth’ and ‘Sassafras Roots’, tunes that sound refreshingly original amongst a collection of songs as good as those found here. A collection of songs that includes the likes of ‘She’ and ‘When I Come Around’. (And a certain little number that goes by the title of ‘Basket Case’!)
Despite releasing three albums since this, ‘Dookie’ is still the best collection of songs that Green Day have released. It is an album that will always be listened to without the need for the skip button on your stereo. High praise indeed! It is also much more than that. It is the one album on these pages that deserves to be termed a classic, for a number of reasons, and as such is the most essential purchase you could make. If you haven’t yet sampled the delights of this particular release, make sure you do so as soon as possible. You have no idea what you are missing!
Mark
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