Green Day > Nirvana, Pearl Jam, etc.?

Some great points made on this thread. Kudos especially to the person who talked about wearing out Green Day's "Warning" album. That title track made some of the same points as the political songs on "American Idiot," but in a more subtle way. Besides being a great song (and album), "Warning" was a signal that Green Day was "maturing" (there's that word again) from songs like "Longview," etc.

Regarding the above comparisons to Pearl Jam, all of the bands Buck mentions had influence on rock music in their own way. And, in my mind, Pearl Jam is right with them, because their 1990s albums influenced a ton of bands, just like Steely Dan and the Cure were very influential in the 1970s and 1980s.

I could quibble with the White Stripes, but we all have our favorites (any other Matthew Sweet or Supergrass fans out there?).

Bottom line is Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Beck and a handful of other 1990s acts all changed music for the better, and were innovators. Many of the "alternative" rock bands that came later -- I'm looking at you, Nickelback -- were simply pale imitations.

 

As I go through my CDs to burn them into iTunes, I got to Pearl Jam's Vs.

Holy hell has that album aged poorly. I think I only burned three songs off of it.

 

I'm torn over this.

The easy choice would be Green Day over Pearl Jam, given my love for tight, catchy pop songs, not to mention a group that can take a page from The Jam/Buzzcocks and create something completely their own.

But regardless of how much I love Green Day, 99 percent of their songs leave me hollow.

"Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)" was contrived from the start, and it only got worse when it rose up the charts and became a graduation staple. The American Idiot album, while excellent as a whole, seemed like a forced message with all the anti-Bush stuff. Sorry, but I don't buy an angry Billie Joe Armstrong.

If I had to guess, the only Green Day songs that resonate are "Macy's Day Parade" and "Wake Me Up When September Ends." Everything else is good punk/pop ... and since 2004, three guys trying way too hard to be important/the next U2.

While I listen to Green Day more than Pearl Jam, the latter is the better band.

Maybe it's because they stayed true to who they are. Maybe it's because they've always been a must-see live act. Heck, maybe solely because of Eddie Vedder's voice -- the power, the emotion, the intimacy, as if he's in the room singing to you.

Pearl Jam, for reasons I can't truly explain, feel important. I can't say the same for Green Day, or any other band, Nirvana aside, of that era.

 

I think I agree with every word of this post.

I do like Green Day to an extent -- make no mistake -- but they don't feel as "important" as the other bands mentioned here. That is a good way to put it.

They don't really have that gravitas.

 

It is pointless of me to even respond to this post, given that music is so subjective. I don't even know why I'm doing it. Seriously, somebody please stop me. But ...

Are you kidding me? That album is great from start to finish. They played a shit-ton of songs from that album on the last tour, and they held up great.

 

Ha! I saw Supergrass four times in 2000 ... opening for, of all bands, Pearl Jam. I liked them.

 

Pearl Jam sucks ass. Eddie Vedder takes being pompous and humorless to such levels that I'm surprised Mojo Nixon didn't come out with "Eddie Vedder Must Die." And, yes, I hold them directly responsible for even worse overwrought shit like Creed. I agree with you, Bubs -- some of the stuff sounded good in its time, but it now sounds as dated as Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds did when "Ten" came out.

Nirvana and Green Day has this in common -- they ripped off unknown old punks (sorry to be a grouchy one) like 60s bands ripped off unknown old bluesmen, although at least Kurt Cobain copped to it. Their success was less about introducing new musical styles as the world finally being ready to hear punk-type sounds. (If you want to hear everything Green Day is about, find the Zero Boys' 1981 album "Vicious Circle.")

However, I will give both bands credit for trying to stretch themselves in some ways. Green Day is becoming like this generation's AC/DC -- playing the same song, and playing it well. They do some longer, more political stuff, but generally they know how to find a good groove and stick to it. It's hard to dislike, and I've come around a little more on them. I'm not sure where Nirvana would have gone had Cobain lived, but I will say even though I think side two of "Nevermind" is pretty spotty, and "In Utero" was Steve Albini's practice for making Bush sound like it had balls, Nirvana's quality still way trumps anything the Foo Fighters have done.

 

I don't think it's fair or accurate to say Green Day didn't cop to using the punk/harcore sound.

 

Let me put it this way: Cobain, et al, was far more deferential and outwardly appreciative of his influences (look at all he did for the Melvins) than Green Day ever has.

 

I'm not comparing the two, but you can make the same argument for the Beatles, who started off with I Wanna Hold Your Hand and finished up with Strawberry Fields.

Good bands do change over the years.
Bad bands simply lack the imagination and/or the resolve to do it and regress (Aerosmith anyone?)

 

Gave credit to The Pixies as well (one of my fave bands)

 

And he wasn't shy about being a big REM fan, too.

Plus, their unplugged album included seven covers. I admit I eventually bought a Vaselines and Leadbelly album as a result.