themusicaddict's Greatest CDs of All-Time: Green Day's "American Idiot" (Part 1)

Hello,

Driving to work today I listened "American Idiot" on my car stereo, it holds up quite well after 10 years after it's release. It definitely is a classic CD!

The classic Green Day CD "American Idiot" opens with the line "Don't want to be an American idiot" over angry guitars and drums. Remember when this CD came out, many thought this band's time had come and gone. But that was far from the truth and it has turned into a classic. I ignored it for the first few months it was out until I heard "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" at work. It felt like a song that had been written about my life. And I was in a job that I hated, so it seemed perfect for my life at that point.

After hearing "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" that first time I sought out the entire CD. I was pleasantly surprised by how good "American Idiot" was. Although the CD was aimed at teenagers, Billie Joe and the boys were about my age. So although it was aimed at teenagers, the songs could also apply to other age ranges. It seems perfect for an era where the stupidity of corporate America reigns in most of our lives. We have lost much of our humanity and have become a number in eyes of Big Business and Big Government. Just coming today, to a job that I like for the most part, I felt a bit like a drone. Many times my life feels like SSDD.

Thus it's no wonder that "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" appealed to me so much.



Green Day peeked with this CD, but it isn't their only great CD. Both "Dookie" and "21st Century Breakdown" are also excellent CDs. "Uno!", "Dos!" and "Tre!" are perfectly good CDs. Although I do wonder if combining those 3 CDs into 2 would have made for 2 classic CDs? Of course Green Day also went through a garage rock phase when they performed under the name "Foxboro Hot Tubs".

Finally the theatrical feel of "American Idiot" inspired it's own Broadway show, I can't think of another CD that inspired it's own Broadway show. Several musicians' music have been the foundation to create Broadway plays- most notably to me Billy Joel and The Four Seasons. I love the "Idiot" Broadway Cast Recording version of  "American Idiot". I enjoy the way they change some of the songs without harming them. The Broadway edition has a couple of bonus songs. Although the Broadway version of  "American Idiot" is different than the original, both are classics.

Warning this CD and live performances use the f bomb liberally.

Here's the full "American Idiot" CD, thanks to whoever made this video:



And here's the Original Broadway Cast Recording of "American Idiot":



Here's "American Idiot" track by track:

1) "American Idiot":



"American Idiot" (Live)":



2) "Jesus of Suburbia":



"Jesus of Suburbia" (Live) :



3) "Holiday/ Boulevard of Broken Dreams":

"Holiday":



"Holiday" (Broadway Cast Version Live On Letterman):



"Boulevard of Broken Dreams":



On the Broadway Cast album of "American Idiot" here's one of the additional songs. Its located here in the Broadway production and is titled "Favorite Son":



4) "Are We the Waiting/ St. Jimmy"

"Are We the Waiting":



"Are We the Waiting" (Live):



"St. Jimmy":



5) "Give Me Novacaine/ She's A Rebel"

"Give Me Novacaine":



"She's A Rebel":



This blog is full, so I'm going to break it into two blogs.

themusicaddict