Green Day couldn't have had a blockbuster without Nirvana, but Dookie wound up being nearly as revolutionary as Nevermind, sending a wave of imitators up the charts and setting the tone for the mainstream rock of the mid-'90s. Like Nevermind, this was accidental success, the sound of a promising underground group suddenly hitting its stride just as they got their first professional, big-budget, big-label production. Really, that's where the similarities end, since if Nirvana were indebted to the weirdness of indie rock, Green Day were straight-ahead punk revivalists through and through. They were products of the underground pop scene kept alive by such protagonists as All, yet what they really loved was the original punk, particularly such British punkers as the Jam and Buzzcocks. On their first couple records, they showed promise, but with Dookie, they delivered a record that found Billie Joe Armstrong bursting into full flower as a songwriter, spitting out melodic ravers that could have comfortable sat alongside Singles Going Steady, but infused with an ironic self-loathing popularized by Nirvana, whose clean sound on Nevermind is also emulated here. Where Nirvana had weight, Green Day are deliberately adolescent here, treating nearly everything as joke and having as much fun as snotty punkers should. They demonstrate a bit of depth with "When I Come Around," but that just varies the pace slightly, since the key to this is their flippant, infectious attitude -- something they maintain throughout the record, making Dookie a stellar piece of modern punk that many tried to emulate but nobody bettered. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
One of the few perfect albums. Not a bad song here. (However i did notice they failed to list "All By Myself" a song hidden after F.O.D., which is always good for a laugh)
I love this album. First album I ever owned. I had it on tape. I listened to it over and over and over again. This album still rocks. I love green day.
soto- very great live show, Billie Joe can really sing.. can't play much solo guitar though. He's always been a rhythm guy, and on the newer stuff has a studio musician play, but it's alright because the entertainment value of the main three is so great.
Somehow they make punk-filled music sound more complicated than straight punk. Their drummer is excellent too. I've never seen them live. Anyone who has, please let me know if they do well in concert or not.
best green day album...my dad had the tape and introduced it to me when i was in middle school. my mom used to get mad at me for singing the swear words and obscenities. =)