PacManY2J's Full Review: 1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours [Remaster] by Green...
Green Day have been the hottest act in rock ... twice. They led the charge in the revitalization of punk in the U.S. They've released tons of memorable hits, won Grammies, and even put out a rock opera. I think it's safe to say Green Day is pretty huge. But every huge act has to start somewhere.
Green Day's somewhere was late '80s California, and the sound of their early days can be found on 1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours. Released in 1990, this 19 track album is actually a compilation of three earlier EPs - 39/Smooth, Slappy, and 1,000 Hours - as well as one extra track. While this is a more bare bones incarnation of Green Day's sound, the style we would come to love does begin to emerge on this compilation, especially on tracks like "Paper Lanterns." Though the drumming is weak (keep in mind, this is from the pre-Tre Cool era), Billie Joe Armstrong's guitar riffs are simple but energetic, and his vocals are familiar, even if they do lack some of the edge he would develop later on.
Don't expect any massive punk anthems like "Holiday" or "Basketcase." This is Green Day at their most basic. Lyrically, most of the songs deal with love and lack thereof, quite different from the band that would break through with themes of insanity, masturbation, and dynamite. Just about all of the songs are standard punk - fast-paced and catchy but with little variation. Though many songs tend to blend together, Billie Joe shows that even early on, he knew how to craft a decent hook. Songs like "I Was There," "16," and "409 In Your Coffeemaker" provide fun choruses that, while nothing spectacular, are enough to make the songs stand out a bit.
Only a few songs venture completely from the musical formula. The first is "Rest," a slow and dramatic song that slightly resembles a harder version of the Beach Boys' "In My Room." The other is their cover of Operation Ivy's "Knowledge," now a fun moment of crowd interaction at their concerts. While Op Ivy's sub-two-minute original is a blistering blast of punk, Green Day slow it down into an almost reggae-meets-lounge style with a rockabilly bridge and a shout-along chorus. Though I prefer the original, Green Day's is also a fun take on this punk classic.
1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours might lack the production, attitude, and variation of later Green Day albums, but I would still recommend it to fans of the band. It's a wholly enjoyable pop-punk album, and though a lot of songs are similar, there are enough memorable ones to make it worthwhile. It's also cool to hear how the band started and notice the beginnings of classic Green Day taking shape.
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