Green Day - Warning (Warning - Green Day)

Member Name: ManUtdBoi

Product:	Warning - Green Day
Date:	29/10/04 (319 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: helped me through hard times GENUINLY, thoughtful lyrics when you REALLY listen, oh almost fogot..... FUN

Disadvantages: -

Whether it be Ciao, Epinions or even Amazon on the odd occasion, you can’t fail to find someone who classes ‘Warning’ as different. Different in that it’s not perceived to be punk enough for some tastes. A gripe, if I had one, would be that there simply isn’t one definition to Green Day’s music, the rock opera concept of ‘American Idiot’, the truly raw punk edge of ‘Insomniac’ or the melodic graceful ‘Warning’, they all portray Green Day in differing light. Each is it’s own progression, progression from the previous that is more than welcome from a band now into their 30’s and happily married. The leaders of the ‘punk’ revolution they may have been, the band that knocked grunge for six they may be, the band that made Dookie they truly are, yet they are also the masters of growing old gracefully. Where Blink 182 hit their 30’s still making the same hopeless rubbish that they’ve produced album after album for years, Billie Joe understood that the progression had to be slow and go as well hidden as possible, and with ‘Warning’ we see the first stage of that progression that has finally resulted in the concept album ‘American Idiot’.

Acoustic work has always been a speciality of the band, beginning with the stunningly beautiful ‘Good Riddance’ in 1997, right up to the equally fascinating ‘Boulevard Of Broken Dreams’, the soon to be released second single from the American Idiot album. The main party piece here is ‘Macy’s Day Parade’, a magnificent acoustic solo from Billie Joe. It seems to talk of, whether from a personal aspect or not, looking back at the past and thinking about all the things you wanted, yet now realise that in fact, you don’t need these things at all, and that your fine as you are. It’s always been a question of mine, over the 9 years since I discovered the band, as to whether certain tracks are personal to the band members in any way, or whether they are simply for the fans to think of from their own personal prospective.

“Give me something that I need
Satisfaction guaranteed to you
What’s the consolation prize ?
Economy sized dreams of hope”

Of course, Warning cannot be reviewed without giving mention to the smash hit gem ‘Minority’. It, unlike Macy’s Day, gives a clear message of not wanting to be like others, of wanting to be in the minority (excuse the pun), of wanting to be different from all the others. Not obeying the rules, not listening to others, effectively living the ’punk’ lifestyle of loneliness and objection to everything you should do. Musically, it’s typical Green Day, stealing hooks from Dookie to produce one of their finest tracks to date, and one that eventually made it’s way onto the ‘International Superhits’ package in 2000. Besides ‘Minority’, there’s the driven Warning, the energetic Deadbeat Holiday and the infectious Castaway (no relation to the Tom Hanks film). Speaking of Deadbeat Holiday, it follows the path layed by tracks such as Welcome To Paradise, in being an up tempo, joy to listen piece of art, and something that only Billie Joe Armstrong could have possibly written.

“Wake up, the house is on fire
And the cat’s caught in the dryer
Philosophy’s a liar when
Your home is your headstone”

‘Warning’ is just that, it comes across as a public service announcement conveying a message of warning to people about certain aspects of life. Ranging from ‘paying the utility’ to crossing police lines, it’s a song more intended for humour than anything serious, something that can be said about the majority of Green Day’s work throughout their careers. ‘Hold On’ and ‘Jackass’ are another couple of pop-punk treats more appropriate for a good laugh than a serious listen, with Hold On being a particular favourite of mine. Something that Green Day have never done, is let me down. You hear people say how bands have helped them through hard times, well for someone that once considered suicide, Green Day were the reason for not doing so. The music may be ‘in the name of fun’, but there is still a message to each and every song that in their own way’s, are very helpful.

“This is a public service announcement
This is only a test
Emergency evacuation protest
May impair your ability to operate machinery
Can’t quite tell just what it means to me
Keep out of reach of children
Don’t talk to strangers
Get your philosophy from a bumper sticker”

Whether it be the punk edged brilliance of Waiting, or the melodic beauty of Macy’s Day Parade, Warning is a 12 track work of art that, personally is one of the best albums of all time, in that it showed progression from one of the greatest bands of all time, and still found the time to be just as good as Dookie, Nimrod et all, if not better. Here’s hoping that 2 years time will bring ‘American Idiot 2’, in the safe knowledge that ‘Warning’ was the first step in the glorious journey of Green Day.

Track Listing

1 - Warning
2 - Blood, Sex and Booze
3 - Church On Sunday
4 - Fashion Victim
5 - Castaway
6 - Misery
7 - Deadbeat Holiday
8 - Hold On
9 - Jackass
10 - Waiting
11 - Minority
12 - Macy’s Day Parade

Thankyou

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