Early Green Day Albums: 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours and Kerplunk!

Last fall, two of my student workers were listening to Green Day's American Idiot (2004) album while they worked. I hadn't heard any of the songs other than "Wake Me Up When September Ends," so I stopped for a few minutes to listen to another song and chat with the two students. The topic of conversation was obviously Green Day, and I asked them if they had heard any of Green Day's older albums. One of the students looked at me and said "well, Nimrod (1997) was their first album, right?" I managed to compose myself enough to not faint from shock on the spot. The next day, I brought in my copies of 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours (1991) and Kerplunk! (1992) for him to listen to.

1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours and Kerplunk! are effectively Green Day's first two albums, both released on Lookout Records. I say "effectively" because 1,039 is actually the album 39/Smooth (1990) with the 1,000 Hours (1989) and Slappy (1990) EPs, along with a song that Green Day recorded for a compilation. Kerplunk! also includes the Sweet Children EP (Skene! Records, 1990). Despite the technicalities, these are the two albums that I consider Green Day's first two. They're also the two albums that I consider Green Day's best work.

The early 90s were the time frame in which Green Day's sound was the most punk, while still leaning towards their later pop-punk sound. Prior to their first commercial success, Dookie (1994), Green Day had a much grittier sound. Though some of their later albums still feature aspects of this sound, the earliest two albums are where their punk roots are best heard.

1,039, which features Green Day's original drummer, Al Sobrante (John Kiffmeyer), is a collection of generally fast paced songs, with the entire 19 track CD clocking in at less than an hour. The longest song is under four minutes long, and over half of them do not even reach the three minute mark. One of the highlights of the album is Green Day's cover of "Knowledge," a song originally performed by Operation Ivy. Green Day's recording of this song is far more of a pop-punk version of the song, as opposed to Operation Ivy's heavier punk sound. Other particularly memorable songs are "Disappearing Boy," "Why Do You Want Him?," "The Judge's Daughter," and "Rest." The last of these is about the closest Green Day comes to a slow song on this album, with the rest of the songs maintaining a quick pace throughout.

Tre Cool had joined Green Day as their drummer by the time they recorded Kerplunk!, though the last four songs of the CD (the Sweet Children EP) still feature Sobrante on drums. Again, the album is short (under 45 minutes), and the tracks remain under four minutes long. Two songs are even less than two minutes long. This album features an earlier version of "Welcome to Paradise," which later appeared on Dookie. Choosing favorite songs from this CD is even more difficult than choosing favorites from 1,039 - the songs are simply that good. The opening track, "2000 Light Years Away" is a perfect song with which to open, setting up the sound and speed of this album, which also only features a single slow song: "No One Knows." Among the other notable songs, "Dominated Love Slave" is a bizarre track with a very bluegrass sound. "Christie Road " and "One of My Lies" are two other tracks that really stand out for me, and the final track, a cover of "My Generation" (originally by The Who) could almost be the borrowed anthem for the pop-punk kids of the early 90s.

These two earliest Green Day albums are not necessarily the sort of music that everyone would like, or even appreciate. For people who like pop-punk, or are curious about Green Day's early years, they are both worth tracking down. Both CDs are currently out of print, the result of legal difficulties between Green Day and Lookout Records, but it would be very surprising if they are not re-released at some point in the future.