Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Green Day Albums- Selling Punk Rock

By Missy Ray

Without a doubt, Green Day album songs will forever be special parts of music history. This band's musical creations have become the dominant tune in the lives of punk rock enthusiasts. This is despite the accusation that this group sold punk as opposed to just playing it for its sake.

The band has probably tasted the most success in the 1990s. Their official formation however is pinned in 1987 when pals Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt came together and formed Sweet Children. The other two original members were Al Sobrante and Sean Hughes. Lookout! Records was the first to discover and take the group under its wing in 1989. This prompted a controversial name change that many fans say is an unconfirmed tribute to marijuana. The band of course, denies this.

The early 90s saw the release of the band's EPs. It took a couple more years for them to come up with their debut album, Dookie, which came out in 1994 under the helm of Reprise Records. This first work soon took diamond status and went so far as to become the Best Alternative Album in the 1995 Grammy Awards.

On the year that they got their first Grammy, the group finished work on Insomniac. Like the first of the Green Day albums, this one was an absolute commercial success but it was not as much as a sensation as the first one. It is possibly because the album carries a darker theme.

Two years after Insomniac, Nimrod was released. Unlike the first two releases, this one featured a seeming style move. Pop, ska and acoustic renditions were notably observed. Not every fan warmed up to the new sound but the album still managed to climb up to number ten in the charts.

It took the group more than two years to release Warning. The album was certified gold and was awarded Outstanding Album in the California Music Awards. These however were a far cry from the standings of the other albums. The lower sales of this third release were thought by many to be a sign of the band's loss of relevance.

Four years later however, the group was able to stage an outstanding comeback with American Idiot. The album stormed the Billboard chart and grabbed the top spot. It was eventually named the Best Rock Album in the Grammy Awards.

The band's most recent release is the chart topping 21st Century Breakdown in 2009. By this time, the members seemed to have recovered their old appeal as the album took platinum status.

It's obvious from all angles that punk rock would not have been so widely accepted if it were not for Green Day album songs. This is despite the fact that they have managed to rake in their fair share of rotten tomatoes. They were once accused of selling out. Other popular bands have also ridiculed what they consider to be the band's falsely orchestrated punk image. Regardless of these negative inputs however, there is no changing the fact that this group has at least earned its right in the annals of commercial music history with millions in album sales.

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