American Idiot is
the seventh studio album by the American rock band Green Day,
released on September 21, 2004, by Reprise Records. As with their previous
four albums, it was produced by Rob Cavallo in collaboration with the
group. Recording sessions for American Idiot took place at
Studio 880 in Oakland and Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood,
both in California, between 2003 and 2004. A concept album, dubbed a
"punk rock
opera" by the band members, American Idiot follows the story
of Jesus of Suburbia, a lower-middle-class American adolescent anti-hero.
The album expresses the disillusionment and dissent of a generation that came
of age in a period shaped by tumultuous events such as 9/11 and
the Iraq War. In order to accomplish this, the band used unconventional
techniques for themselves, including transitions between connected songs and
some long, chaptered, creative compositions presenting the album themes.
American Idiot became
one of the most anticipated releases of 2004. It marked a career comeback for
Green Day, charting in 27 countries, reaching for the first time the top spot
on the Billboard 200 for the group and peaking at number
one in 18 other countries. It has sold over 16 million copies worldwide, making
it the second best-selling album for the band (behind their 1994 major-label
debut, Dookie) and one of the best-selling albums of the decade. It
was later certified 6× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of
America in 2013. The album spawned five successful singles: the
titular track, "American Idiot", "Holiday", "Wake Me
Up When September Ends", "Jesus of Suburbia" and the Grammy
Award for Record of the Year winner "Boulevard of Broken Dreams".
American Idiot was
very well received critically and commercially upon release, and has since been
hailed as one of the greatest albums of all time. It was nominated for Album
of the Year and won the Award for Best Rock Album at the 2005
Grammy Awards. It was also nominated for Best Album at the Europe Music
Awards and the Billboard Music Awards, winning the former. Its
success inspired a Broadway musical, a documentary and a planned feature
film adaptation. Rolling Stone placed it at 225 on their 2012
list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time", and again in 2020, at
248.
THIS COPY: The CD is in Excellent [EX] condition. The book has a couple of small "dings" on the back cover. It is in Very Good Plus [VG+] condition.
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