Retro Album Review: Dookie by Green Day

Well it took way too long to get to this. And I don't really have an excuse beyond just putting it off. Anyway, this is gonna be the first time I review an album I've heard before. In fact, I kinda know this album inside and out. Heard every song multiple times, love 'em all, you get the idea. I know that'll spoil the end rating a bit, but I don't care. Here we go.

1. Burnout

We hit the ground running. Already the production quality is improved from Kerplunk, but it's still familiar. Fast paced, Billie talking about boredom and burnout. Typical Green Day material. But what really kicks this song into a great intro track is the drum solo. It's short, but intense and mind boggling. A great first impression for a great album.

2. Having A Blast

And now we have a song sung from the perspective of a suicide bomber. That's kinda dark, even for this band. I really like the way Billie Joe and Mike harmonize with each other on this song in particular. Instrumentally it's pretty standard stuff for the band, but it at least sounds good. Not one of my favorites, but still awesome.

3. Chump

You thought Burnout was intense? Well this is what really sets the stage. It starts as a hate anthem toward an ex's new partner, and does exceedingly well at that. But it really starts to shine in the last half. The bass and drums build and build until it explodes into all out bombast with the guitar and drums. Tré Cool deserves a ton of props for his work on not just this song, but this album in general. One of my favorites on the album, and from Green Day as a whole.

4. Longview

This is supposed to lead in from the last track, but the transition isn't quite right unfortunately. For some reason it's the only song that's labeled explicit, even though many others contain curses. Anyway, another highlight of the album. The bass and drum work in the verses is especially fantastic and catchy as Billie Joe sings about boredom and masturbation. Seriously. The ultimate stoner anthem. Catchy as hell. One of my favorites.

5. Welcome To Paradise

This song was already on Kerplunk, but here they improved it. There's no real difference in the song structure from what I remember, but the production is improved. As for the song itself, the riffs are intense and it doesn't calm down at any point. The bass solo is incredible, making this an essential part of Green Day's discography.

6. Pulling Teeth

Well I've definitely heard darker-sounding songs about abusive relationships. This is slightly more downtempo and mundane, but still enjoyable in its own right. Like with Having A Blast, Billie Joe and Mike harmonize with each other effectively. Their singing was always the highlight of the song for me. There's also the guitar solo. Nothing special, but still nice.

7. Basket Case

A song about being insane. Pretty standard stuff for a punk band. This one's a staple on alternative radio to this day and it's not hard to see why. It's loud, intense, and pissed. Also the narrative is pretty funny. Seeing a psychiatrist who tells you to go to a prostitute, but even she's sick of your crap. Weird when you think about it. This one doesn't grab me as much as the previous tracks, but it's still great.

8. She

A song about an ex who was essentially a rebel. We would hear more songs in this lane during the American Idiot/21st Century Breakdown era, but for now this is what we got. Pretty standard stuff for Green Day. Though it does start out with just bass and drums, which I do appreciate. I don't think it's particularly special, which is probably why it wasn't released as a single until later, but still a great listen.

9. Sassafras Roots

My brother remembers this song as the Wasting Your Time song, which is appropriate. That's the most prominent lyric and all. It feels like pretty standard stuff, but the basswork throughout is actually really catchy and gives the melody much more backbone. Which I guess it the point of bass to begin with, but it makes it much more interesting. Mike Dirnt is so cool...

10. When I Come Around

Another very famous song from this album. And like the last one, the bass is actually the most interesting part. I remember asking my guitar teacher in high school to help me learn the bassline to this song. I wish I remembered it better. Otherwise, this isn't one of my favorites from this album, but it is an essential listen to rock fans. I will concede that.

11. Coming Clean

A very quick song, only a minute and half, about Billie Joe coming out as bisexual. I admire this song just for that. The structure's very simple and quick, but it does have that guitar solo. I do appreciate when this album has guitar solos, since they're not very frequent. Great song, probably very relatable to many sexually-confused teens.

12. Emenius Sleepus

Also known as "that one song with the huge ass drum solo". Like the last song, it's short and simple in structure, and it's good at what it does, but that drum solo is the icing on the cake. For a filler track, it packs quite the punch.

13. In The End

Nothing like the Linkin Park song. It's another short, fast paced song about burning bridges. So standard Green Day stuff, of course. The instrumental work all around is spectacular, especially during that marching-band inspired breakdown. Does well as a pre-closing track for this album.

14. F.O.D.

Stand for "f*** off and die". So it's pretty much a novelty track. Half acoustic guitar bit, half ripping Green Day track. It's cathartic. It's kinda silly. And it is wonderful. I can think of no better closer to this album. Oh wait...

15. All By Myself

I usually ignore bonus tracks, but eh. This is short enough that I feel justified in talking about it. Tré Cool plays guitar and sings on this. He's all by himself. He's entering a crush's(?) house when they're not around. Kinda creepy. But humerous and over-the-top enough that it warrants a listen.

Final Verdict: Yeah, I love this album a lot. It's familiar enough to 39/Smooth and Kerplunk that it's a natural continuation of their style, but it's enough of an evolution that it doesn't feel like a rehash. Every single one of these songs has stuck with me for years, making this one of my favorite albums of all time. The instrumentals and melodies are fantastic. It's polished and memorable. Still as good as I remember it and then some.

Rating: 10/10
Best songs: Chump, Burnout, Welcome To Paradise, Longview, Emenius Sleepus
Worst songs: N/A (I guess In The End if I had to choose)