Green Day - International Supervideos

A great deal has been made of the fact that Green Day spearheaded a punk rock revival in the mid-nineties. Even Green Day themselves have proclaimed the same thing and in so doing, have sold themselves short. To label Green Day as punk is to downplay the fact that these boys, rather than adopt a decades-old movement of youth frustration, captured a voice of a whole new generation of teenagers and gave them something reasonable to shout about. There is no real anger here - just real talent.

There is no doubting Billie Joe Armstrong’s ability as a front man. His sneering, his eyeball rolling and his all-round kookiness offer a vibrancy that is strangely hypnotic. By the end of the disc, he seems almost like the cool rogue uncle that offers you a cigarette whenever you go around to visit. Bassist, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool on drums are excellent in support and as a trio, the band are both energetic and formidable. There is always something oddly exhilarating about a three-piece making so much noise.

The menu navigation for this disc is a cracker. The band performs in silhouette against a stark, white background as an instrumental guitar loop blasts from the speakers. Four icons, each one representing a different Green Day album, appear along the bottom of the screen. Select any icon and a short animation based on the original sleeve artwork leads you into yet another fully animated sub-menu where you can select the appropriate videos featured on that album. It is a stylish presentation and rates highly as an extra in it’s own right. Naturally, you also have the option to play the tracks in chronological order from start to finish.

The collection spans the years from 1994 to 2001 which probably begs the question as to why the band didn’t wait a few more years considering that this greatest hits package weighs in at a modest forty nine minutes. The first track to feature is the band’s first hit, Longview. This sets the pace for the rest of the videos that follow – not only in style but also in setting. Of the fifteen tracks presented, a dozen of them take place in cramped apartments or share-house living rooms (albeit different ones). Either they were under tight budget restrictions or these boys just need to get out more. At any rate, their machine gun style and a tendency to jump around on the furniture creates havoc in such a confined space.

Here’s a real estate tip: Do not lease your apartment out to Green Day...

Also included here is the video for Geek Stink Breath, a clip that was pulled from rotation because of its graphic footage of a bloody root canal surgery. If Green Day was the house that MTV built (which it was), then Geek Stink Breath was the room we weren’t allowed to play in. It seems hypocritical to promote a band as the new uncompromising face of teen rebellion and then censor the output. At any rate, the video is presented here in all its crimson glory.

Highlights include the lively Hitchin’ a Ride, which is possibly Green Day’s finest moment, the poignant Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) and Nice Guys Finish Last, a hilarious spoof on melodramatic sporting documentaries. A surprising, but certainly welcome, inclusion here is the thoughtful Last Wave In, where a haunting surf guitar washes over minimal backing. I don’t surf, but if I did, this is what I would listen to at the end of the day, sitting by a fire on the beach and drinking myself into joyful oblivion.

The earlier videos are only of reasonable quality but improve as the presentation continues (and, I suspect, as the band began to prove themselves financially viable). By the time we reach Waiting at the end of proceedings, the production values have improved noticeably.

Here is the complete track listing...

Presented in 4:3, these film clips aren’t going to appear much different on screen to the way they did the first time you saw them on television. Once again, some of the earlier videos will appear a little grainy but you have my solemn word that the picture quality will improve as we move along. In fact, Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) is of such fine quality that the images appear virtually three-dimensional. Similarly, the colour saturation on tracks like Redundant and Minority are striking to say the least. At any rate, the overall transfer is adequate and is unlikely to impede your viewing pleasure.

As mentioned earlier, the sound quality on Longview leaves a little to be desired but is probably more indicative of the production values at the time rather than a reflection on the quality of the disc itself. As with most compilations of this type, a compact disc version was released in conjunction with the DVD. This disc is presented in stereo and the sound is of CD quality, and as such it makes for a worthwhile purchase despite a reduced song list. As with any disc presented in 2.0 only, the advantage of a superior home sound system can be frustratingly negligible. Let’s face it though, for one rhythm guitarist, one bass player and one drummer, two speakers should do the trick.

A measly web link.

You may not think you are a Green Day fan, but you are likely quite mistaken. It’s more probable that you like this band and just don’t know it yet (I was one of those). Despite a short running time, a lack of extras and some shaky production issues, this collection should serve to remind just what this whole rock and roll thing is supposed to be about – greasy hair, plenty of attitude and a damn good time.