By far this is my favorite Green Day album. It's their oldest released full-length album. The best song is "Disappearing Boy" but I can't say why. I love the melody of the young Billie Joe's voice. I also like "Going to Pasalaqua" for the same reason.

I really enjoy "Why Do You Want Him?" because, unlike what it sounds like, it is about Billie Joe's mother, after his father died. She dated a guy, and well, you have to listen to the song to get my point. Most people would think it is about a girl Billie Joe liked, but it's not. That's another reason I recommend this album to new Green Day fans.

If you like the song "Knowledge," here's a bit of trivia about it:

• It is by a band called Operation Ivy
• Listen to Operation Ivy OR listen to Transplants. Both have Tim Armstrong in them.

The awesome, melodic combination of vocals, guitar, and bass makes this record a very strong Green Day album. Thank you for listening to my ramble.

-- 5 November 2005 (Avalon)

Thank you for your insight, Avalon.

The songs from this Green Day record were the first I heard - not by way of California, but in Berlin. Hubby and I went to Germany for the reunification ceremony in October (Oktober) and stayed with one of my Berlin babies, Dariush.

I met Dariush on a train from Köln to Berlin in 1987. I will put down details later but we shared a common love of punk.

During our stay in Berlin, Hubby, Dariush and I listened to a lot of music together. One of the bands Dariush was really into at the time was Green Day. I remember so well sitting in his beautiful white living room with the awesome stereo in Charlottenburg and he was going on about this really cool band he was into. I had not heard of Green Day before then. I wish he had made me a tape so I wouldn't have wasted the years between 1990 and Dookie when I could have been listening to Green Day.

I got reacquainted with this record during the summer of 2005. Avalon's room is real near my office (I work from home) and every day she played this record (as well as the Green Day in Amsterdam and some MCR) over and over and over. The thing about this record that kept catching my ear was this familiar sound about it. No, it was not me remembering back to 1990 in Berlin. Just this certain familiar sound... What was it???

Then it hit me. Hüsker Dü. Warehouse. Although Zen Arcade is my favorite Hüsker Dü record, Warehouse was a biggie. It's not that this Green Day record sounds just like Warehouse, there are just so many echos from that record.

Anyway, it has been fun playing with the CD, which has some cool features (not sure about this with the downloaded version). There are some old live videos from "back then" as well as a radio show, pictures, and legendary flyers. I found the flyers most amusing because I spent last night posting flyers from the Othermothers. It was amazing to see these relics from both bands.

-- 5 November 2005 (DD)