It is clear why Green Day is labeled as ‘punk rock’ on 90% of their records. Though more eclectic than other punk rock bands, no one listens to ‘Basket Case’ or ‘Longview’ and doesn’t think it was inspired by Ramones decades earlier. Billie Joe Armstrong always liked a good song, and after conquering the world again, it was time to have fun.
Dookie launched the band to global fame in the 1990s, but American Idiot marked a turning point in their career. After the low point of Warning, pressure mounted for them to delve into pop-punk. However, Armstrong refused to settle for merely replicating ‘When I Come Around’.
The band retained its message, and the sudden shift to political pop-punk stopped everyone. After creating their punk rock opera, any band would have a record executive clamoring for three more albums like that. While losing their original producer Rob Cavallo, hiring Butch Vig for 21st Century Breakdown ensured the band’s stability.
Before making their second rock opera, the band formed a new group. Though Foxboro Hottubs began their American Idiot sessions as The Network, their album Stop Drop and Roll was a distinct departure.
While the band crafted their slickest music in their main outfit, this garage rock album sounds as though someone threw it together in a weekend. These songs sound like they came from 1966, with the MC5’s ramshackle energy instead of pop-punk or softheartedness.
Armstrong’s guitar prowess in Green Day enabled him to embody his superstar frontman persona. This was evident in songs like “Ruby Room” and “Alligator,” reminiscent of the styles of Ramones and The Kinks. The latter song is a rewrite of ‘You Really Got Me’.
While the band may not have considered these songs Green Day songs, some of them outperform their next album. “Mother Mary” stands out as a top-tier power-pop song that the 1960s never produced. Meanwhile, “The Pedestrian” feels like the perfect Friday night prelude before heading out.
The album intended to satisfy the band’s retro fix, yet some of its lessons influenced their rock opera. Although the guitars were louder, the band balanced their love of The Beatles on “Last Night on Earth“. They incorporated garage rock elements, such as “Horseshoes and Handgrenades'” slap-in-the-face guitar line.
The band has not released a follow-up to Stop Drop and Roll, but their recent albums have resembled their inferior side projects. Foxboro Hottubs could’ve blended Dos’s strengths with Father of All Motherfuckers’ vibe, avoiding the “trying too hard” dad persona.
Green Day’s recent work heavily leans on a retro sound, making a Foxboro Hot Tubs revival a good possibility. The garage rock revival may have died out in the 2010s, but Green Day were still masters of making rough-and-tumble rock classics.
