Nimrod

After an *Insomniac* that was basically *Dookie No2* with a better sound, but with far lower peaks -- read *without any song up to the level of "Basket Case', 'Longview', and "Welcome To Paradise"'* -- Green Day found themselves burnt out, cancelling a European tour, and so holed up at the Sunset Marquis Hotel in L.A., where they drank way too much, trashed their rooms, dropped a TV set from there, played pool, and knocked at the door of other hotel guests naked. Rock star routine, I guess. Oh, and they also spent four months recording 30 songs in nearby Conway Recording Studios, more than half of whom would fuel the tracklist of *Nimrod*. On paper, this is a recipe for absolute disaster -- and some of the very disillusioned lyrics indeed suggest Billy Joe Armstrong wasn't exactly in a happy place back then, in spite of some of his usual hilarious one-liners. So the whole endeavor could have easily turned into a bitter experience, where too much money thrown towards a former hype only yields underwhelming results. But, as was often the case with Green Day during their early career, the whole setup ended up offering an unexpected rebirth for the band after they had lost their way to an extent -- the talented Californian act act here revitalizing their punk-pop / punk rock roots into something more varied and yet also -- paradoxically -- more solid and more cohesive overall. There again, no individual song is really up to the level of "Basket Case', 'Longview', and "Welcome To Paradise"' in Green Day's fifth album. But *Nimrod" is one of those LPs where the whole is more than the sum of its individual parts, and there lies its charm. The album opens with two singles, "Nice Guys Finish Last" and "Hitchin' A Ride". Yet it's only a little later that it really hits its stride, with the Byrds-adjacent 'jangle-punk rock' of "Redundant", followed by a terrific and actually very pretty pop-punk song named "Scattered", where Billie Joe pulls off the trick of singing the start of one of the choruses mezzo-voce before giving his all-in right in the middle of it (such a sweet effect!). "Uptight" beats Blink-182 at their own game (Armstrong knows his way around a good earworm that doesn't harbor the smeared make-up of a prostitute, contrary to the overrated Blink). "Haushinka" is graced by a wonderful bridge and an infectious vocal hook ("Now that she's gone...). Adding to this list of assets, *Nimrod* is also the better-sounding record in the whole band's discography, especially for the vocal harmonies and the guitars -- massive and yet always coming off as natural and "organic", instead of artificially inflated. Which, of course, can't hurt. The album is admittedly a patchy affair to an extent. Yey next to the peaks, you don't exactly have valleys. You rather have sandboxes where the band constantly goofs around -- and being stellar musicians, they can goof around in all sorts of styles to boot -- jangle rock as said earlier, but also all-out punk hardcore ("Platypus", "Take Back"), smooth and moody surf-rock instrumental ("Last Ride In"), or harmonica-laden retro rock ("Walking Alone"). The brass-laced, 100% ridiculous ska-punk of "King For A Day" was probably far from necessary, but at this point, towards the very end of the tracklist, the thing is part of the "anything goes" nature of the album. And "King For A Day"'s lyrics about a cross-dressing guy still make it a fun ride, I guess. Speaking of "anything goes", the acoustic-guitar and string-section number of "Good Riddance (The Time Of Your Life)" does maybe not provide that much of a good tune, objectively speaking, but I get that hearing the moving lyrics of this song at the encore of a live setlist must hit all the right buttons for an enthralled audience. So I understand the endearing nature of that one at least. Green Day would then lose their way again, get reborn ONCE MORE as an *American Idiot* that's as culturally iconic as it is essentially an overkill job -- sort of aping The Who's rock operas through a now diluted punk lens -- and then they would get lost *for good" in a sea of artistic irrelevance that's as vast as their commercial success. But I guess that's a story for another time, kiddies... What our *current* story tells us is that *Nimrod* is Green Day's last good *real* punk rock album, even if the band was starting to test different waters from that point on. After all, punk's a spirit first and foremost, right? 3.5/5 for the purposes of this list dedicated to essential albums, rounded up to 4 8.5/10 for more general purposes (5/5 for the musicianship and production values + 3.5/5 for the artistry) ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 103 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 115 (including this one) Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 242 ---- Hey Émile, j'ai répondu sous Demon Days ET ta sélection pour la users list ! 🙂

Of this album I only knew "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" and I was not wrong. Apart from this song it contains not many highlights. I will not call Nimrod a bad album, but Green Day has many better songs and these are all on other albums. This is uninspired songwriting and a meager 6/10 effort.

An overlooked entry in Green Day’s discography, most of the tracks overshadowed by the dominating success of ‘Good Riddance.’ I enjoyed how melodic the band gets on this LP, the feel less punky/in your face and more focused on some straightforward, impactful jams. Did feel a little homogeneous and uninspired at points, so I’m not sure it’s all-time great material – still, I enjoyed this listen a good deal and wouldn’t have given this album a fair shake otherwise.

Honestly they’re just so good don’t be snobby green day is like a nice maccies

Remember when Green Day used to make good albums like this one? Just top drawer pop-punk with a few more little diversions into rock ballads and the odd bit of hardcore. And yes, Good Riddance is overplayed, but a great song is a great song. Brilliant album. Best Tracks: Nice Guys Finish Last; Uptight; Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)

Classic old school Green Day! Perfect.

As it turns out Green Day rules

I got this album when it came out. Love Green Day!

Wow, it's been a fair chunk of time since I've heard this. As far as Green Day go, it's early in their oeuvre, and therefore actually pretty good. I'm surprised at the variety on show. I know that every man and his dog will chunter on about Good Riddance, but for me the stand-out track is Hitchin' A Ride.

One of my favorite Green Day albums

Punk rock, pop-punk, alternative rock. Vinilo.

There's no Green Day album from the 90s that's NOT an instant 5/5 from me. Soundtrack to my youth. There was no cooler band in the mid/late 90s than Green Day to me. While it's not my favorite Green Day album (and Good Riddance has been worn down to the ground, genius that it is notwithstanding), it's so so good. And you didn't ask, but I'll tell you anyway, my favorite Green Day album is Insomniac, with American Idiot a close second.

Album #68 (1001 challenge extended): "Nimrod" by Green Day (1997) "Nimrod" is the fifth studio album by American rock band Green Day. Punk rock, pop-punk and alternative rock are the Wiki-listed genres. The intent of the album was to create a set of stand-alone songs as opposed to a cohesive album. Green Day is Billie Joe Armstrong (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Mike Dirnt (bass, vocals) and Tre Cool (drums, bongos, tambourine). Commercially, the album reached #10 in the US and #11 in the UK. Critically, it had generally positive reviews and was noted for its musical diversity and experimentation. The album opens with fast, hard drums in "Nice Guys Finish Last." Typical Green Day with a melodic bass and guitar slashes. Punk pop with commentary on a world that rewards self-serving behavior. Violins begin "Hitchin' a Ride." The band then goes Stray Cats rockabilly. A harder edge guitar as Billie Joe tries to stay sober. "Redundant" is more in the pop-song mode with the verse/chorus/verse. A little slower and a nice melody. A phased guitar and 60's-style backing vocals. The band delivers a great deep cut and power pop in "Uptight." A heavier bass and nice singing. A memorable ringing guitar chorus. Horns open and are used in fills in "King for a Day." Upbeat with a chanting chorus. Ska-like as Billie Joe sings from the perspective of a cross dresser. Billie Joe wrote "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" in 1993. Violin strings, acoustic guitar and heartfelt. The song is about moving on from a relationship but the song has been used so much in various movies and tv shows, it seems to fit in many situations. I do remember the "ER" scene where the nurse sings this song at the funeral of a kid who died from cancer who said this was his favorite song. The band achieves its mission of creating stand-alone songs with mostly quick two to three-minute long songs. The music varies with their typical punk-pop songs with elements of acoustic folk, rockabilly, 60's pop, power pop and ska. The lyrical themes vary too with comments on the world, fatherhood, addiction, disillusionment of youthful, relationships in trouble, ending relationships, nostalgia and vitriolic barbs at specific people. The songs are mostly melodic and enjoyable. The album just scoots along. So, if not their definitive album, an album worth a listen and a recommendation from me. 4 out of 5

Just the shot of bouncy energy I needed today. Congratulations on finishing Listener #776 and thank you for making my morning a little bit better than it was going to be.

Could not be tighter, cleaner or bouncier. Perfectly fine, crisply enjoyable and generally pleasing to one's ears (rounding up for these reasons, but maybe rounding down because of excessive length). But there's not too much to grab on to, get excited about or expect any resonance (much less pathos) from over time. It could just be that one's insufficiently skateboard-y or tattooed or green haired. And to be clear, they’re nowhere near the Clash or Buzzcocks. They are probably better than Arctic Monkeys (nearest current/recent comp) but one would like to hear them do a version of AM's Mirror Ball record. “Time of Your Life” suggests an unexplored range, while the song with Bosstones-like horns suggest why it wasn’t (or perhaps shouldn’t have been) explored. The cut that sounds like a rip-off of “Toys in the Attic” shows a lack of imagination. Maybe BJA deserves credit for dealing with fame more healthfully than, say, Cobain. Solid choice, recommender. One gets why many dig much more deeply than one does.

Favourite songs: The Grouch, Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life), Hitchin' A Ride, Nice Guys Finish Last, Platypus (I Hate You), Scattered, Jinx, Haushinka, Reject, Prosthetic Head, All The Time, Take Back Least favourite songs: Last Ride In 4/5

So for our Green Day efforts on this journey American Idiot earned a 5/5, Dookie 4/5, and I like Nimrod more than Dookie but perhaps not enough to get top marks. It's really good though and has a lot of my favourite tracks of their on it; Redundant, Haushinka, Worry Rock, Uptight, King for a Day all excellent. It's not a very Green Day-sounding record overall, quite a bit of it lacks their irreverent anarchy and energy, but it does find some introspection and more mature themes and I think that's why it's stood the test of time well. It gets a high 4 therefore, it's not their most outstanding work but it's one of my favourite pieces they've done and the entire thing is regularly on rotation for me.

Such a solid album. Doesn't surpass Dookie for me, but is probably better than American Idiot when they went a little bit poppy. Thought my elementary, middle, and high school graduations were happening simultaneously when Good Riddance came on.

Green Day was huge for me in my formative teen years in the 90s. This was not my top Green Day album, but was pleasantly surprised how immediately all the lyrics to all the songs came to me after not listening to this for easily 25 years. What else can I say, great album for sure.

Not my favorite but a fun time

I was a pretty big Green Day fan years ago, but my familiarity with the stuff between Dookie and American Idiot was mostly whatever was on the greatest hits album (which I recognize a number of the tracks on this album from). Pretty solid entry into their catalog, overall. I read from the Wikipedia that all the songs are disconnected... not really a cohesive theme to the album. And it does fine without it, honestly... it's more Green Day, so if you already like them you'll probably like this too.

I think they are well represented in the book by Dookie and American Idiot. This album is OK. It has a wider range of influences than their older albums, but at the expense of their characteristic sound, or so it seemed at the time. In retrospect it's not really that different. I like it, but it doesn't need to be in the book.

This isn't my favorite Green Day album but it is their most diverse, which is something that is rare with this band. Always enjoyed it, and it has a few of my favorite songs within, including the Stray Cat Strut riff in Hitchin a Ride. The video for Redundant rules, too.

Ehh I thought it was fine. My personal rating: 3.5/5 My rating relative to the list: 3.5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No

4.5

Not one of their best but I still love Green Day. It's a 3.5 but I'll bump it to 4.

Favorite Track: Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Hitchin’ a ride, Scattered, Platypus, Uptight, King for a day

Good oldie, without too many hit singles.

I don't know if the list really needed a third Green Day album, but I sure did. I say this because I used to really dismiss them as just another pop punk band. I knew a handful of singles and never really got interested in them. But I've been a fan of every album I've listened to now. "Nimrod" feels like a more varied and mature outing that sits well between "Dookie" and "American Idiot" in terms of their musical progression and lyrical content. I only knew "Good Ridence" before which I liked ok, but felt it was overplayed. Listening in the context of the album though, I feel renewed appreciation for it. I definitely need more frequent reminders to listen to Green Day and revisit these albums sometime.

Pretty close to a 5/5. I have listened to this a LOT over the years

Good Green Day album!

Solid and smooth pop punk. You can detect some of their earlier edge bubbling underneath the surface.

Sure. Not great by regular standards, but good enough for pop punk standards. Good Riddance has that "coming of age" drip to it that I actually like quite a bit.

Sure, why not. Five songs in, this is every bit of fine, but lacking the gasoline that Dookie had. This approaches a more sanitized radio-friendly pop-punk. All the Time is a solid individual track. Good Riddance is a childhood classic -- remember thinking he was saying "but the Indian was right..." Not at all too shabby. A fun ride that comes nowhere near the highs of Dookie, but still taps a great energy. I'd say this is high 3 territory.

Scattered // King for a Day //

Like American Idiot, but with more swearing and less big hits. Fake pop punk doesn't do much for me and the vocals always sound nasal and annoying. I will begrudgingly give this three stars for not being too awful, but it was a close run decision.

A nice blast of 2-3 minute songs. Nothing to get too immersed in. Good Riddance aside it's a bit short on stand out songs though.

Fair amount of filler in this one

It's interesting, these guys came along so late for me in my own personal musical journey that I've never been able to take them seriously. I generally like this style of music and had they come around earlier I might have been a big fan. As it is, my general feeling is that they are a bit of a caricature, play acting at being edgy post punk, when most of it is an act to sell records. That said, it's not bad, and "Time of Your Life" is a really catchy tune.

I think I've already said whatever I had to say about Green Day's journey from indie, pretty much straight ahead punk to better than average, pretty much alternative rock... this album throws some interesting variety in. It's good, maybe 3.5, a different day I might rate it a four.

Dookie but a bit more dookie. 3 outta 5.

Olisin varmaan nuorempana pitänyt tästä enemmän. Nyt valuu vähän toisesta korvasta sisään ja toisesta ulos. 3/5

A lesser Green Day album but shout out to Time of Your Life for being the graduation song for every single high school in America from 2002-2010

Good Riddence will always be amazing. The rest of the album may need some more listens to really worm themselves in.

I feel like, based on my musical tastes, I should like Green Day but I don't really. I find them kind of annoying. I think it's more of a me problem than a Green Day problem. This was alright though. 3 stars.

yeah im not a big fan

Ägde skivan en gång I tiden. Gjorde mig av med den ganska så kvickt. När jag lyssnar på det här så förstår jag varför.

I have never really liked Green Day. As a person who listened to old-school punk, pop-punk just sounds like watering down the idea of punk. The album shouldn't be 50 minutes long. The songs should have a brevity to it, a punch of the face, you know? And Billy Joe Armstrong's nasal delivery just makes me tune out. So many of the songs feel the same with his delivery. "Good Riddance" feels like it should be on a different album to me, too. Split this into 2 25 minute albums and you got something. It just drags way too much for me. NEXT. Songs like "Take Back" feels more like what punk should be.

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