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| American Idiot | | Date Created: Feb 26, 2005, 07:00 PM |
 Dr. Reptile promised to review significant CD's that come along rather than just list all of them. The goal is to avoid a bunch of "three star" reviews that are of little value.
This CD will not sit well in certain circles and is definitely not for everyone. It is important in the sense that Dr. Reptile praised the U2 CD, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, late last year as an example of nearly saving mainstream rock 'n roll single handedly. And Dr. Reptile hasn't been a big U2 fan either.
Well Green Day isn't exactly a model rock group either. In fact they're self-acknowledged punks whose adenoidal lead singer and their approach is most reminiscent of the Sex Pistols. And yet they've put out some great stuff, like Good Riddance (Time of Your Life), that has made it to Dr. Reptile's Greatest Hits in past years.
Now comes American Idiot which came out in Sept. of last year and carries an [Explicit lyrics] label. Dr. Reptile couldn't use the title song on the 2004 Greatest Hits
because of an excess of "f words" and such but it's a great rock 'n roll song. After finally hearing the rest of the CD, it's only fair to say that these guys should also be added to the short list of groups still staying together and doing something with mainstream rock. This even if you don't like them.
One bonus though, is that their language and attitude are more punk, diffusely nihilistic, or otherwise unlike the doctrinaire leftist tripe of our oh-so-socially conscious artists like, say, Steve Earle. It's anti-establishment punk stuff, not virulent anti-Bush crap. U2 actually do rather well in this regard too.
So give a hesitant fist in the air to U2 and Greenday for keeping rock on the ventilator and off the dead-and-gone-and-let's-move-on list. |
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