10 Great Albums You Didn't Understand The First Time

10. Nimrod - Green Day

By the mid-90's, Green Day were known as the poster children for the pop punk genre. The band's meteoric rise with the release of their 1994 blockbuster Dookie brought the brighter side of punk rock to the mainstream world. With the band's followup Insomniac being even more angry than its predecessor, fans were ready for yet another punk juggernaut from these guys.

Once those fans popped in Nimrod, it was certainly a shock to hear the directions the group decided to take. The first single "Hitchin a Ride" had a much more subdued guitar riff and even a violin and jazzy guitar chord to both open and close the song. In fact, the entire album tended to take risks from more metallic cuts like "Take Back" to country tunes on "Walking Alone" and even a full-blown instrumental track on "Last Ride In." And let's not forget the biggest ballad of the era "Good Riddance."

While most fans tore into to the delectable tunes, many fans left this record feeling a bit cold. For many fans, Green Day were always at their best as a lean mean pop punk machine, which was not the MO of this record. Over time though, Nimrod has stood up as one of the more adventurous outings Green Day have ever attempted.