Disclaimer: I don’t hate the GFB album, I’m just documenting my opinions.
Disclaimer 2: I couldn’t find a good tag to use for this one, so it’s under “ranking.” I bet as the forum gets improved, they’ll add more tags.
God’s Favorite Band is the second Greatest Hits album by Green Day, after International Superhits. In the band’s entire discography, it follows Revolution Radio and is followed by the live album Woodstock 1994.
In this Greatest Hits album, at least one (1) song is here for every studio album released by the band (excluding 39/Smooth, Dos, Tre, and any EPs.), up to Revolution Radio. The tracklist, I feel, has some strong spots… but it has some choices I don’t quite agree with. So… I’ll detail some issues I have with this tracklisting, and maybe you can see what I mean later on down the line.
We can skip 39/Smooth since I don’t quite consider any of the songs here to be Greatest Hits worthy (although we could add Going to Pasalacqua and Dry Ice if you really wanted.), so let’s see what the Kerplunk section has to offer. I actually think it’s cool that we got some Kerplunk representation with the very first song: 2,000 Lightyears Away. It’s nice to start us out like this, although maybe we could go further with 80, I don’t know.
Dookie is totally STACKED. It has 5 fucking songs on here! (Basket Case, Longview, When I Come Around, Welcome to Paradise D, and She) It does make sense, considering that Dookie is one of their biggest albums.
However… I feel like we could’ve done better with less. Yeah, Dookie is good, but did we really need 5 songs on this complation album when there’s room for more songs here? I’d remove She (since I don’t think it nessicarily had to be on this album) and change Welcome to Paradise to the Kerplunk version. (Because that version of WtP isn’t loved enough. I mean, I still prefer the Dookie version- ah, you know what I mean.)
Boom, we now have room for more songs.
Insomniac’s track listing is baffling to me. It contains Brain Stew… just Brain Stew. Doesn’t even have Jaded… the companion to Brain Stew.
Do you know how important Jaded is to Brain Stew??? There’s a reason that every release that has Brain Stew also has Jaded. It’s done everywhere else… except here!!! International Superhits got this correct, so why didn’t the second one do this??? What the fuck???
…Nimrod’s selection is fine.
It has Good Riddance and Hitchin a Ride, which… actually aren’t bad selections. HOWEVER, I can’t help but feel like they could’ve added
M O R E
to the selection. Maybe Nice Guys Finish Last, since that’s popular. Same goes for WARNING, which has Minority and the title track. Again, not bad, but could have more (I’m banking on Waiting and Macy’s Day Parade). Also, fun fact, WARNING and American Idiot are the only albums to have their title tracks. This will be important later.
While I’m still thinking about it, let’s go back to Insomniac for a bit. Sure, our conceptual reworking of GFB has Jaded now, but technically, since Brain Stew and Jaded are the same song, there’s still technically one song. But what else could we add? We could add Geek Stink Breath (since that was Insomniac’s lead single), Stuck with Me (since that one is just a banger in general) or maybe even a deep cut like- 86, I don’t know. Remember that one?
Again, American Idiot is STACKED. It contains its title track, Holiday, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, and WMUWSE. Although like last time, I think we could do with less… however, I cannot think of a good way to remove things. So, we go to the next strat… condensing! Holiday and BoBD are fade-in songs so… yep. They’re a part of the same track now. You’re welcome.
Now it’s time for 21st Century Breakdown… and this one makes me MAD.
It contains a total of TWO songs… 21 Guns, which is a given…
and…
KNOW.
YOUR FUCKING.
ENEMY.
Like, why??? I get 21 Guns… but Know Your Enemy???
What about Viva La Gloria?
Or The Static Age?
Or Restless Heart Syndrome?
Or American Eulogy?
Or East Jesus Nowhere?
OR PEACEMAKER?
OR THE FUCKING TITLE TRACK??? WHY IS KNOW YOUR ENEMY HERE, BUT THE TITLE TRACK ISN’T???
Yeah, 21stCB sucks, remove KYE, add in the Title Track (and maybe RHS) and we’re good. Boom, instant fix.
UNO is interesting, because like Insomniac, it only has one song. This time however, I’m not really mad, just… confused. It only has Oh Love, which… ok? I mean, it’s good and all, but not greatest hits worthy.
Billie, I know you aren’t really happy with the trilogy nowadays, but couldn’t you have at least added Let Yourself Go and Kill the DJ to finish the singles? You don’t even need to add anything from the other two trilogy members, just add those two and I’m happy.
Lastly, it’s Revolution Radio time, and this one is… actually good? Yep, I didn’t think we’d make that part, but it is. It contains Bang Bang and Still Breathing, and it even comes with a new composition of Ordinary World with country singer Miranda Lambert. It’s not all too good-sounding, but at least it’s cool that it’s there. Again though, I feel like more could’ve been added. I’d nominate the title track, and maybe Say Goodbye.
That’s basically all my thoughts for this album. This album also contains a new song called Back in the USA, and it’s an unbelievable banger, go listen to it. Thanks for reading this really long thread, and keep in mind that I don’t hate this album.
(Billie, if you’re reading this, make sure the next time you release a greatest hits, you combine Brain Stew and Jaded together. Also you have a really good singing voice.)
