Its Friday and you know how we like to give away the vinyls so here is a good one for you from one of America's biggest artists - GREEN DAY
email motorcityblog@earthlink.net for your shot to win this vinyl test pressing and poster
The test pressing is of the first of three records being released in through 2013
Get yours ordered now
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Out of all the post-Nirvana alternative bands to break into the pop
mainstream, Green Day were second only to Pearl Jam in terms of influence. At
their core, Green Day were simply punk revivalists who recharged the energy of
speedy, catchy three-chord punk-pop songs. Though their music wasn't
particularly innovative, they brought the sound of late-'70s punk to a new,
younger generation with Dookie, their 1994 major-label debut. Dookie sold over
ten million copies, paving the way for a string of multi-platinum releases that
opened the doors for a flood of American neo-punk, punk metal, and third wave
ska revivalists. More than a decade later, as many of their former
contemporaries settled into retirement, Green Day remained at the forefront of
popular music with albums like the Grammy-winning American Idiot.
Green Day arose from the Northern California underground punk scene.
Childhood friends Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar, vocals) and Mike Dirnt (bass;
born Mike Pritchard) formed their first band, Sweet Children, in Rodeo,
California when they were 14 years old. By 1989, the group had added drummer Al
Sobrante and changed its name to Green Day. That same year, the band
independently released its first EP, 1000 Hours, which was well-received in the
California hardcore punk scene. Soon, the group had signed a contract with the
local independent label Lookout. Green Day's first full album, 1,039/Smoothed
Out Slappy Hour, was released later that year. Shortly after its release, the
band replaced Sobrante with Tre Cool (born Frank Edwin Wright III), who became
the band's permanent drummer.
Throughout the early '90s, Green Day continued to cultivate a cult
following, which only gained strength with the release of their second album,
1992's Kerplunk. The underground success of Kerplunk led to a wave of interest
from major record labels, and the band eventually decided to sign with Reprise.
Dookie, Green Day's major-label debut, was released in the spring of 1994.
Thanks to MTV support for the initial single, "Longview," Dookie became a major
hit. The album continued to gain momentum throughout the summer, with the second
single, "Basket Case," spending five weeks on the top of the American modern
rock charts. At the end of the summer, the band stole the show at Woodstock '94,
which helped the sales of Dookie increase. By the time the fourth single, "When
I Come Around," began its seven-week stay at number one on the modern rock
charts in early 1995, Dookie had sold over five million copies in the U.S.
alone; it would eventually top ten million in America, selling over 15 million
copies internationally. Dookie also won the 1994 Grammy for Best Alternative
Music Performance.
Green Day quickly followed Dookie with Insomniac in the fall of 1995;
during the summer, they hit number one again on the modern rock charts with
"J.A.R.," their contribution to the Angus soundtrack. Insomniac performed well
initially, entering the U.S. charts at number two and selling over two million
copies by the spring of 1996, yet none of its singles -- including the radio
favorite "Brain Stew/Jaded" -- was as popular as those from Dookie. In the
spring of 1996, Green Day abruptly canceled a European tour, claiming
exhaustion. Following the cancellation, the band spent the rest of the year
resting and writing new material before issuing Nimrod in late 1997. Three years
later, their long-awaited follow-up, a refreshingly poppy record titled Warning,
was released. Another long wait preceded 2004's American Idiot, an aggressive
rock opera that became a surprise success -- a chart-topper around the world, a
multi-platinum Grammy winner, and easily the best reviewed album of their
career. Green Day reveled in the album's success, hitting numerous award shows
and performing as part of Live 8 in July 2005. That fall brought the release of
Bullet in a Bible, a concert album that documented the trio's expansive Idiot
live show.
With their popularity and commercial viability restored, Green Day took on
several small projects before returning to the studio. They contributed a cover
of John Lennon's "Working Class Hero" to the charity album Instant Karma,
appeared in The Simpsons Movie, and recorded an entire album of '60s-styled rock
& roll under the alias of Foxboro Hot Tubs. While presenting an award at the
Grammys in early 2009, the band announced the impending release of Green Day's
eighth album, 21st Century Breakdown, which had been recorded with veteran
producer Butch Vig. In May of 2009, 21st Century Breakdown was released, picking
up where American Idiot left off, as another ambitious punk rock opera. The
album was a commercial success, selling over 215,000 copies in its first three
days of sales. In 2009, American Idiot was adapted for the stage, and the
following year, Green Day lent their talents to the original cast recording,
combining a driving score with Broadway vocal arrangements. The band released
the live Awesome as F**k in 2011.
During the summer of 2012, Green Day unveiled their ambitious plans for the
fall and winter: they would release not one but three new albums. The records --
Uno!, Dos!, Tre! -- would appear in September, November, and January 2013,
respectively, with each individual bandmember gracing one of the album covers on
their own. The first, appropriately called Uno!, was preceded by the disco-rock
single "Kill the DJ."
