Stop Drop and Roll!!! comes as an expanded version of the 6-track EP given away on the net last December. These tracks serve as "Side A" of this album, except here the obscure sound bites are absent (they were rather annoying before every track, but I kind of miss the count in followed by "You're doing it fucking wrong!" at the beginning of Highway 1).
Now, another of rock's worst kept secrets has, for quite some time, been Green Day's love of sixties rock music. One of their first recordings was a cover of The Who's My Generation. They later gave a faithful rendition of the Kinks' Tired of Waiting for You. It shouldn't come as a shock, then, that these two bands are paid highest respects on this, a sixties inspired effort all around (right down to the barebones vinyl-themed packaging). The Kinks are more prominently featured in the sound, especially in Alligator, the virtual sequel to You Really Got Me. Red Tide bears close resemblance to Tired of Waiting for You. The Who's moment comes in 27th Avenue Shuffle, first cousin (if not twin brother) to My Generation.
This could have become a problem on the record, as most of the 12 songs bring to mind another song from rock's storied history. But I, for one, let it slide for two reasons. Firstly, the record's finest moments sound more like Green Day than any other band. And it's not just Billie Joe's voice that gives them away; it might feature psychedelic keyboards, but just try to listen to Ruby Room without Hitchin' a Ride coming to mind. Then again, that song reminds me of "Stray Cat Strut", so I guess it all reaches backwards.
Which brings me to the second point. Yes, this album might play like a classic rock mixtape, but it's not like this is the true follow up to American Idiot; let's not take it so seriously. Face it; Green Day are under enormous pressure to follow up that album. That they took some time out to record these songs speaks to an urgent need to blow off some steam and just rock out. Truthfully, they should be applauded for dusting off their record collections and stepping away from the soapbox for a minute.
Not to say that it's all sunshine and lollipops. The lyrical content on Stop Drop and Roll!!!, for the most part, counteracts the shimmery grooves and jangly rhythms. There's an ample dosage of live fast / die young litanies, while other common lyrical threads are escape, loss of control and hopelessness. It's a record that oozes as much frustration as it does fun. But, that's always been Green Day's main strength; the ability to make you feel good with the music, even as Billie Joe tells you that he's miserable. And, a good chunk of the album finds him miserable. About precisely what, we can only hazard to guess, but Green Day's proper follow up to American Idiot has been penciled in for the fall and, with it, one can't help but think that a lot of eyes and ears at Warner are intensely focused in Green Day's direction, hoping for another smash record that could potentially save the music industry (a little far fetched... but just a little).
Can they really be blamed for sidestepping the crushing weight of expectation and having a little fun? At the end of the day, isn't that what music is supposed to be all about? Isn't it possible that, by looking to the past and digging through its treasures, Green Day has shown us all why we fell in love with music in the first place? Call me an overexcited, blithering fanboy if you will, but Stop Drop and Roll!!! just might be a more powerful statement from this band than even American Idiot. At the very least, it's a hell of a lot more fun to listen to.
May 20, 2008 • Jingle Town/Warner
Highlights Mother Mary • Ruby Room • The Pedestrian
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