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Kerplunk (album)

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Kerplunk is the second full-length album by punk rock band Green Day, following their debut album 39/Smooth. It was released on January 17, 1992 via Lookout! Records. The album was their last release on an independent label and the first album to feature their current band lineup, with Tré Cool on drums. The album went on to become one of the bestselling independent albums ever, selling 10,000 units on the day of its release {{citation}}: Empty citation (help).

The album featured 12 tracks, but later releases on CD and cassette also included all four tracks from the Sweet Children EP, among them a cover of The Who's "My Generation". Another notable track on the album is "Welcome to Paradise", which the band would re-record for their next album Dookie.

As of November 2006, Kerplunk has sold 699,001 units in the United States[1], and over 4 million worldwide.

In August 2005, Green Day pulled this album from Lookout! Records, as well as all of their other material released through the label, due to unpaid royalties[2]. It was reissued on CD by Reprise Records - Green Day's label since leaving Lookout! - on January 9, 2007[3]. Note that in Europe, the album was released by Epitaph Europe, and has remained in print. It was reissued on vinyl on March 24, 2009 by Reprise Records, inncluding a reissue of the Sweet Children EP[4].

Album notes

  • The song "80" was written for Billie Joe's then-girlfriend (and now wife) Adrienne; her nickname was "Adie", hence "80".
  • The song "2000 Light Years Away" was later remixed by Dookie producer Rob Cavallo and mixer Jerry Finn and released on Jerky Boys: The Movie soundtrack in 1995. A live version of this song appeared on the UK "Basket Case" single.
  • "Dominated Love Slave" is Green Day's first song to be written by drummer Tré Cool and the first song which he sings and plays guitar on. On live performances of the song Billie Joe would play drums.
  • The title of the song "Who Wrote Holden Caulfield?" refers to Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of J.D. Salinger's 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, which is one of Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong's favorite books. The American punk rock band Screeching Weasel's album How to Make Enemies and Irritate People features a song called "I Wrote Holden Caulfield", on which Mike Dirnt plays bass.
  • "Words I Might Have Ate" is their first song not to feature any electric guitars.
  • The song "My Generation" features a sample from the film Blue Velvet: "Heineken? Fuck that shit!", said by the primary antagonist Frank Booth.
  • The booklet states that the album is "In Memory of Gravy...". Gravy was the name of bassist Mike Dirnt's pet cat that died.
  • The "My Adventure with Green Day" story in the Kerplunk booklet says it was written by "Laurie L." The story is completely fictional and the name Laurie L is actually a tribute to Larry Livermore founder of Lookout! Records. The author originally wrote the story for a punk fanzine, Tales of Blarg!
  • The album booklet thanks Adrienne Nesser, who Billie Joe eventually married.
  • The booklet thanks Jason Relva, whose death would later inspire Mike Dirnt to write "J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva)".
  • On the album's booklet, the band thanks both John Kiffmeyer (the band's original drummer) and Al Sobrante, even though they are actually the same person (Al Sobrante is Kiffmeyer's nickname).
  • The album was the 46th release by Lookout! Records.
  • The album thanks "Brain Stew". Brain Stew is the nickname of James Washburn, a friend of the band; "Brain Stew" would later become a track released on the 1995 album Insomniac.
  • The booklet also thanks Tim Armstrong and his band Operation Ivy.
  • Christie Road is a road in Martinez, California, slightly northeast of Berkeley. It mainly parallels the tracks of the BNSF Railway, hence the train references in the song.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Billie Joe Armstrong, except where noted; all music composed by Green Day.

No.TitleWriterLength
1."2000 Light Years Away"Billie Joe Armstrong2:24
2."One for the Razorbacks"B. J. Armstrong2:30
3."Welcome to Paradise"B. J. Armstrong3:30
4."Christie Road"B. J. Armstrong3:33
5."Private Ale"B. J. Armstrong2:26
6."Dominated Love Slave"Tré Cool1:42
7."One of My Lies"B. J. Armstrong2:19
8."80"B. J. Armstrong3:39
9."Android"B. J. Armstrong3:00
10."No One Knows"B. J. Armstrong3:39
11."Who Wrote Holden Caulfield?"B. J. Armstrong2:44
12."Words I Might Have Ate"B. J. Armstrong2:32
Total length:33:58
CD Edition (Sweet Children EP)
No.TitleWriterLength
13."Sweet Children"B. J. Armstrong1:41
14."Best Thing in Town"B. J. Armstrong, Mike Dirnt2:03
15."Strangeland"B. J. Armstrong2:08
16."My Generation"Pete Townshend2:19

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Early Green Day Discs Getting Major-Label Reissue
  2. ^ Punknews.org | Lookout! downsizes, scales back plans for the future
  3. ^ Amazon.com: Kerplunk: Music: Green Day
  4. ^ Green Day Reissuing 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours and Kerplunk!
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