Throughout, he rails at the moribund state of youth culture and his place in it, as bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tre Cool speed up this anger to a frenetic pace. The disses fly every which way--at well-to-doers copping poses ("Brat"), at girlfriends who just don't understand ("Stuart And The Ave."), towards the world at-large ("Panic Song"), and, most of all, at himself. As though aware that his band helped make a sacred lifestyle fashionable, Billie Joe demeans his existence in song after song--unable to even sleep in peace with himself. For the disenfranchised listener, these are the ABCs of self-hate rebellion.
Judging from the catchiness of his songs, this predicament isn't likely to end soon. "Geek Stink Breath," a heavy, mid-tempo rumble in the manner of the Sex Pistols' "Sub-Mission"; "Panic Song," with its frenzied "Pinball Wizard"-like build-up, and the fired-up, pop fury of "All Wound Up," all embody the very principals that make the punk lessons of 1977 so attractive today: simplicity, hooks, a lack of pretension, and a disdain for authority. On INSOMNIAC, Green Day puts those lessons to use yet again--their platinum nightmares are sure to follow.
If Nirvana burst the dam that kept punk rock at bay in the '80s, Green Day--with their third album, DOOKIE--were the first all-consuming flood to hit the charts. Brandishing old school Ramones and Clash riffs, the Berkeley, CA trio made out like bandits, selling nearly ten million albums, scaling mainstream magazine covers and hijacking rock-festival spotlights from established acts. But judging from the lyrical contents of INSOMNIAC, bringing punk to the malls hasn't been a very satisfying experience for singer/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong.
Live Recording
Green Day: Billie Joe Armstrong (vocals, guitar); Mike Dirnt (vocals, bass); Tre Cool (drums).
Spin (12/95, p.63) - Ranked #15 on Spin's list of the `20 Best Albums Of '95.' Spin (12/95, p.118) - 8 - Very Good - "...Rage and release become an infinite loop, spinning faster all the time, old pleasures maniacally revved up to suit what INSOMNIAC and all of us know are `Jaded' times....The Green Day three have never crunched as powerfully....a sustained thrill..." Entertainment Weekly (10/20/95, pp.60-62) - "...like DOOKIE, 14 slices of hearty anarchy, played with a follow-the-boucing-spitball compactness and vigor. The songs are new-generation-punk formula, but there's no denying the band's ear for a hook..." - Rating: B Alternative Press (1/96, p.80) - "...The record's a good 'un....Alongside Elastica, they're probably the best punk band around. Their sense of roots is flawless, their skills sharp, their rock'n'roll instincts finely tuned. They know how to entertain and how to write a catchy, perfect pop song..." Musician (1/96, p.88) - "...another 14 ruthlessly economical, cheerfully alienated punk-pop flag wavers....Green Day...approach every number with its customary last-day-on-earth intensity. All of the hyper-adrenal elements found on the band's breakthrough set remain firmly in place here..."
Unbelievably Awesome! Insomniac is the best Green Day Album next to their American Idiot CD. Every song on the album rocks alot harder than that of Dookie, and it has a darker sound too. This CD was a brilliant move by Green Day. I Love All songs, but the main songs that particularly stand out to me are; " Stuck With Me", " Geek Stink Breath", " No Pride", " Babs Uvula Who?", and " BRAIN STEW". AWESOME Guys! Submitted by Justin (St. Anthony, NL, CA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 1 found this helpful.
Best Green Day Album BY FAR I have loved Green Day from the beginning. I own ALL of their albums, 39 Smooth to American Idiot, and I must say that Insomniac is BY FAR my favorite! The style is very consistent, and its one of those CD's where you can listen to every song and love each one!
Favorite songs: Armatage Shanks, Geek Stink Breath, Babs Uvula Who, Stuart and the Ave, Westbound Sign, Tight Wad Hill, Walking Contradiction
(I can barely pick! They're all amazing!!!!!) Submitted by M. (Orlando) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 1 found this helpful.
Good But Not Great This one is brought down by the overly and unnecessarily negative tone and lyrics. Probably suited to appeal to their teen base at the time and the alternative music scene. How can you honestly come across telling people you are waiting for your mother to die (Brat)? Just very negative in many of the songs and offensive. Sure I like offensive lyrics, but not to the ways this one goes. It is also repetitive and I couldn't play it more than once or twice without getting tired of it. It has some good material but if you want to hear better Green Day, just go get 1039 Smoothed/Kerplunk/Dookie/Nimrod. Then you will see this one does not measure up to their standards. Submitted by Sean (South,NJ) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 2 found this helpful.
GREATEST ALBUM EVER If you love deep bass with rocking sound then this is the green day cd to get.This is my most favorite cd of green day's yet.This cd gets 10 stars instead of 5. Submitted by Travis (oscoda michigan) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
it's album for remind me of the past these songs remind me of 1995-1996 when i'm still a teenager back then. i listen it when i go to study, before sleep, eat, and almost everything(even in the gathering/ jamming) the songs from the album is all i can play that time(even at the battle of the band). so i listen it back now just remember my time. i don't care what the lyrics are. coz it's all about me too at that time. if they can make the same sound as back then(and lyric, maybe would be awesome) even in 1 - 2 songs. okay may the day be greener than ever Submitted by nurul_ali (kota kinabalu, malaysia) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Unbelievably Awesome!
Good But Not Great
it's album for remind me of the past
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