10 Rock Albums You Constantly Have To Defend Loving
2. Green Day: Warning (2000)
When Green Day released Warning at the turn of the century, it was unfairly dismissed as a group losing its way. Green Day was coming off the back of several albums that had failed to capture the same excitement as their major label debut. So can we blame them for trying something new? Billie Joe Armstrong made the bold move of adopting an acoustic guitar, and introducing folk to punk rock - sacrilege.
But this is one fine album. It's not your classic pop punk endeavour, the songs exhibit a far more sophisticated approach to writing. It was less bleak than previous records, but still contained fairly dark subject matters: exploring sadomasochism, the bleaker sides of prostitution, and the turmoil of drug abuse. But everything was smothered with a sarcastic sense of humour. You also had the stirring campfire ballad, Minority: a song celebrating and embracing one's individuality.
Green Day simply got a bad rap for Warning. Those who find pop punk vapid, will be surprised by the depth of this record, and Green Day fans who have previously dismissed it for being too folk-centric, will be surprised at how hard you can play an acoustic guitar .