Green Day

Warning

A solid outing for the Green Day boys

Review Score:

(8/10)
By now, if you've heard the opinions of many a punk rock fanatic, you'd believe Warning is the album where Green Day turns pop, sells out, and loses both the hardcore edge that propelled their 1994 album Dookie to smash status and, more recently, the genre-expanding innovation on 1997's Nimrod. When Warning debuted in October 2000, it generated a mixed reaction from both critics and the fan base. Its less than stellar reception was mirrored on the sales chart, where it debuted at #4 but quickly bottomed out.

But despite all the bad press, I really enjoy this album. While it rates a notch below Green Day's earlier outings, it's much more cathcy and upbeat than most other punk rock. Granted, Warning doesn't feature much of the high-octane intensity of similar bands like The Offspring, but I think Green Day sounds best in a simple, upbeat setting, the kind that made their 1994 breakout single "Basket Case" a smash. In Warning, the trio mixes it up a little with instruments like mandolins, saxaphones, and acoustic guitars, and the end result is a well-rounded package with plenty of zest and infectious hooks. Here's a track by track rundown:

Warning - 9/10 Great opener, nice use of acoustic guitars
Blood, Sex, and Booze - 9/10 Good guitars and chorus
Church on Sunday - 9.5/10 One of the album's best, upbeat and infectious
Fashion Victim - 8/10
Castaway - 9/10 Very catchy
Misery - 6.5/10 A little too unorthodox for my tastes, but at least they're not resting on their laurels
Deadbeat Holiday - 8.5/10 Great chorus
Jackass - 8/10 Pretty good. I especially like the jazzy portion
Hold On - 7.5/10 Also pretty good, I like the portion with just guitars and percussion
Waiting - 8/10
Minority - 8/10 Doesn't hold up fabulously over the years, but it's still catchy
Macy's Day Parade 9.5/10 A moving, quiet song in the vain of Good Riddance

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