Skip to content
Elly Roberts reviews
Reprise Records
- Released: September 2004
- Rating: 2/10
- Cat.no.: 9362487772
- Warning: Explicit Content (Parental Advisory)
Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar/vocals), Mike Dirnt (bass/vocals) and Tre Cool(drums/vocals) aka Green Day have had huge success with American Idiot.
Five million sales, seven Grammy nominations and three top five singles (mostrecently Boulevard Of Broken Dreams).
So whats the big fuss? I dont know really. Im going to go against all theplaudits. Firstly,it took four years to come up with the goods. The music journosare unanimous in their praise. On first listen they sound like any other currentAmerican outfit. Theyre loud and theres affair share of sloganeering eg.“Dont want a nation under the new mania” American Idiot, along withother angst ridden and tortured lines.
Singing is average: so whats new with punksters? Considered a heavyweightpost-Punk band, theyve gathered a massive following on both side of the pond.Targetted at the pubescent market,they no doubt feed the hormones. As withprevious punkish outings, the repertoire is predictably one-dimensional andthis is no exception.
There are better bands out there(Rily Kiley)doing better things,and moving forwards with out delving into the short shelf-liveof mindless-boogie. Some musical creativity (respite) surfaces withBoulevard, Homecoming and When September Ends, but thats it.
Then theres the trendy expletives, which are unnecessary. Real talent doesntresort to this. Considering the four-year hiatus and all the fuss,this is verydisappointing. Move on lads.
In the final analysis this NOT a classic,and NEVER a masterpiece.
Visit the websites:Green Day.com /Reprise Records.com
The full list of tracks included are :
1. American Idiot
2. Jesus Of Suburbia
3. Holiday
4. Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
5. Are We The Waiting
6. St.Jimmy
7. Give Me Novacaine8. Shes A Rebel
9. Extraordinary Girl
10. Letterbomb
11. Wake Me Up When September Ends
12. Homecoming
13. Whatsername
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.