1994 is famously a year where alt-rock ruled - Many of the best albums released in that year game-changing and inspirational alt-rock classics. Weezer's self titled debut, Nine Inch Nails' 'Downward Spiral' and the album that kicked punk-pop into the mainstream - Green Day's 'Dookie'.
Despite the trio of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool being labelled as sell-outs by a large chunk of their fans for signing to a major label for the release of the album, there is no obvious change in sound from their previous 1991 effort 'Kerplunk', as demonstrated by the explosive first 3 tracks. 'Burnout' opens the album with the message that Armstrong is "Not growing up, just burning out", under power chords and pounding drums that certainly don't sound as exhausted and tired as the narrator. 'Having a Blast' tackles one boy's fantasies of going out in a suicide-bomb where he kills all of his enemies, perfectly demonstrating the frustrated humour that the lyrics hold on every track. This trio is completed with 'Chump', an short angry punk track that is the first of several on the LP to function as a hate-track towards an enemy of the narrator - although in this case the rival hasn't even met the fuming vocalist.
The outro to 'Chump' starts to show glimmers of Mike Dirnt's fantastic bass-work, which is showcased in his best ever bassline on the song that this outo transitions smoothly into - the legendary 'Longview'. Other than having the most well known rock bassline of the 90s other than maybe 'Come as You Are', the song has lyrics musing over masturbation with an explosive, headbanging chorus; pretty much the perfect Green Day song. 'Welcome to Paradise' is a marginally improved version of the 'Kerplunk' song, which would doubtlessly be great for the vast majority of new fans who hadn't heard it before (It's still a great song.), but it doesn't really feel as fresh as the rest of 'Dookie', if only for me personally.
'Pulling Teeth' is a sugary breather between 'Paradise' and before the emblem-of-the-90s itself: 'Basket Case'. This was the song that made Green Day a force to be reckoned with, it was a radio smash in the US and was their first top 10 hit in the UK. Even today, it is still considered by most to be their signature song. With it's instant vocal hook of "Do you have the time... To listen to me whine", and subsequent 3 minutes of accessible pop-punk perfection and with the biggest sing along chorus they created until at least 2005 it's clear to see why it defined it's genre.
'She' manages to avoid being overshadowed through it's quiet verse/ loud chorus dynamic and triumphant backing vocals from Mike Dirnt that even overtake Armstrong's on the hook. 'Sassafras Roots' is a smaller scale track written by Dirnt and is the closest thing to a love song on the album. Then the final monolith of the album, 'When I Come Around', which bursts through it's simple but iconic guitar riff and bassline. In terms of pure melody it's the highlight of the disc and even has a cool little solo. The song was another huge hit, peaking at number 1 of the US Alternative singles chart.
The next 3 songs are short and vicious, showcasing Tre Cool's breathless drumming. 'Coming Clean' is a study on Armstrong's sexual confusion, 'Emenius Sleepus' is one of the aforementioned hate-tracks, as is 'In The End' - the latter also having an awesome moment of instrumental silence that is the musical equivalent of a-car-shooting-off-a-ramp-and-hanging-in-the-air-for-a-second-before-crashing-back-to-the-road-at-breakneck-speed in the chorus. The closing track 'F.O.D' is the most hateful of all the tracks, although it certainly doesn't initially seem like that from it's quiet, acoustic guitar and lyrics that sound like typical sad-but-polite breakup speak BUT THEN the distortion pedal drops and the gang vocals start and Cool's machine gun percussion kicks off, and it ends the album perfectly in an outburst of long held angst. ('All by Myself' is also tacked onto the end and is really quite charming but also a joke song sung in a silly voice by Cool.)
10/10
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