Product Description

The Berkley punk rock trio's follow up to 2000's 'Warning' album. Whereas 'Warning' was the band trying out a more acoustic led introverted approach, 'American Idiot' is a return to the Green Day sound of the early '90s - fast, vitriolic punk rock. The album also includes a deviation from form in the shape of the 9 minute long, five part 'Jesus Of Surburbia'.

Track Listing

1. American Idiot
2. Jesus Of Surburbia
3. Holiday
4. Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
5. Are We The Waiting
6. St Jimmy
7. Give Me Novacaine
8. She's A Rebel
9. Extraordinary Girl
10. Letterbomb
11. Wake Me Up When September Ends
12. Homecoming
13. Whatsername

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #562 in Music
• Released on: 2004-09-20
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics

Amazon.co.uk Review
There's a clenched fist grasping a heart-shaped hand grenade on the cover of American Idiot, a militant mural presumably designed to inform us that Californian punk-pop vets Green Day love America but hate what's becoming of it. Inferences aside, you could argue that American Idiot is a suspect device--a punk concept album/rock opera primed to blow up in the faces of the ruling right-wing American classes but which could just as easily leave splattered egg on the faces of the insurrectionists. The concept is fuzzy (telly-brainwashed teenage runaway falls in with the wrong crowd, something or other happens with drugs, rock and a character called "Whatsername") and the political protestations against the metaphorical Arrnies and Dubyas are mere slapstick custard pies compared with the Dead Kennedys' CIA-bothering debunking of Reaganomics. However, something about American Idiot both excites and rings true whilst simultaneously beggaring belief. Spanning influences from The Who's Tommy to Husker Du's Zen Arcade, American Idiot has the listener living in cliff-hanging fear of an unexpected Richie Blackmore guitar solo or Tarkus-style ELP exposition but actually never strays from Buzzcockian melodiousness or phlegm-drenched rifferama even when things get ridiculous. "Homecoming", for example, is probably the best amalgamation of The Clash, Pink Floyd's The Wall, Millwall football supporters terrace chants, Deep Purple, The Levellers, Bob Mould, UK Subs, Rush, Pete Townsend and The Tubes you'll ever hear. American Idiot could be brave or it could be stupid, but it really can't be ignored. --Kevin Maidment

From the Label
Produced by Rob Cavallo, American Idiot is not only Green Day's most ambitious album to date, but also perhaps one of the most audacious efforts in the history of punk. Centred around two five-part, nine minute epics ("Jesus Of Suburbia" and "Homecoming"), 'American Idiot' is an expansive and intimately crafted concept album, detailing the alienation and disillusionment of the American citizen under Bush's post-War On Terror administration. "Jesus Of Suburbia" sees Green Day crossing genres at will to convey their story, mixing stomping melodic punk with elements of classic American rock, sun-kissed harmonies, a hint of psychedelia and Billie Joe singing plaintively over a lone acoustic. Elsewhere, Green Day's talent for reflective, melancholy sounds is pushed to the forefront with "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" which finds them at their evocative best, and with "Are We The Waiting", possibly the most beautiful song ever to feature an old-school terrace chant. But it's with "When September Ends" that Green Day fully realise their strength at combining the tender with the powerful. The title-track rages with the aggression and infectiousness that typifies the best of the band's prior work, whilst a host of other tracks – including the breakneck punk of "St Jimmy" and the power-pop of "Extraordinary Girl" – remind us exactly why Green Day were so good in the first place.

Customer Reviews

What is wrong with you people?!?
(this a review I worte back in 2005 and only found again recently)

this album rocks. period.

I understand how people can complain about it being more 'pop' than their older albums, with songs like Boulevard, and Wake me up when september ends, but come on, its still full of stuff that rocks! st. jimmy, give me novachaine, american idiot, jesus of suburbia! can you see the lieks of good charlotte doing these songs?

The album itself its amazing. Of course, I don't expect some people to be able to appreciate it for what it is. A story. A political statement. A damned good album.

I just don't like it.
There are so many reasons as to why I find this album so thoroughly objectionable. I'm not going to say it is solely because I think that the band have lost their edge or because I'm a long-time Green Day fan and was disappointed by this album, though both are in some ways true.
I wanted to like this album, I really did. I was so bitterly disappointed when I heard it that I kept playing it, actively trying to find things about it I liked.
It just isn't great. As a teacher, I frequently see pupils wearing American Idiot merchandise and hear some students talk about how great they think Green Day are. This used to frustrate me, though I'd keep it to myself. Then I realised the reality - "their" Green Day, as represented by this album, is not "my" Green Day. I can't complain - I'll always have Dookie, Insomniac, Kerplunk, and Nimrod.
I just hate this album. It's dreadful. Even if it were by a different band, even if I were not judging it on the basis of it's lineage, it's still just dull.

BORING
The first four tracks are good/ok , but then this album gets really boring, all the songs sound the same.

Had to force myself to listen to the whole album , by the end was checking media to see how much there was left to take, as i was hoping it would be over allot sooner, its not playing now thank god!!

will not be listning to this album ever again apart from first track.