| Insomniac | |||||
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| Studio album by Green Day | |||||
| Released | October 10 1995 | ||||
| Recorded | April–June 1995 | ||||
| Genre | Punk rock | ||||
| Length | 32:55 | ||||
| Label | Reprise | ||||
| Producer | Green Day, Rob Cavallo | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| Green Day chronology | |||||
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Insomniac is the fourth studio album from the punk rock band Green Day. It was released in 1995 on the Reprise Records label. Though it reached #2 in the U.S. and went double Platinum, Insomniac did not have the sales endurance of its predecessor, Dookie, largely due to its slightly darker lyrical tone and more abrasive sound. Though many consider Insomniac to be more consistent than Dookie, it did not feature a well-known hit single akin to "Longview" or "Basket Case" from Dookie or "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" from Nimrod. Before the name 'Insomniac', the band considered the naming the album 'Tight Wad Hill' (after the thirteenth track of the album). After visiting collage artist Winston Smith for the album cover, Billie Joe Armstrong asked him how he managed to make such intricate pieces in such short times. Smith answered, "It's easy for me. I am an insomniac."[1] Insomniac has sold 2 million units in the United States as of August 2006.[2] It is Green Day's third biggest selling album after Dookie and American Idiot. It is sometimes compared to Seattle grunge band Nirvana's third and final album, In Utero. Nirvana brokethrough with Nevermind and then followed it up with a more challenging release, designed to eliminate some of the audience. Green Day's Insomniac is a similar situation. Dookie made the band big huge multi-platinum superstars, and Insomniac saw the band venture into a less radio friendly more abrasive sound.
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Fanfare
Insomniac is a major favorite amongst Green Day fans and is noted for having a slightly darker tone than Dookie. Unlike the other Green Day albums on the Reprise label this album did not feature a number one hit on the Modern Rock Tracks chart (although "J.A.R." hit number one and was meant for the album but was not included). American Idiot and Dookie each had three. Nimrod. also did not feature a number one hit, but featured arguably the band's biggest commercial hit, "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)."
Track listing
All tracks by Billie Joe Armstrong (lyrics) and Green Day (music), except where noted.
- "Armatage Shanks" – 2:17
- "Brat" – 1:43
- "Stuck With Me" – 2:16
- "Geek Stink Breath" – 2:15
- "No Pride" – 2:20
- "Bab's Uvula Who?" – 2:07
- "86" – 2:48
- "Panic Song" (Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, Green Day) – 3:35
- "Stuart and the Ave." – 2:04
- "Brain Stew" – 3:13
- "Jaded" – 1:31
- "Westbound Sign" – 2:13
- "Tight Wad Hill" – 2:01
- "Walking Contradiction" – 2:31
Singles
- Geek Stink Breath – first single (1995)
- Brain Stew/Jaded – second single (1995)
- Stuck With Me – second single UK (1995)
- Walking Contradiction – third single (1995)
B-sides
- I Want to Be on TV. – a cover of the punk band Fang
- Don't Wanna Fall In Love
- You Lied
- Do Da Da – the song that should have been named Stuck With Me
- Good Riddance – the original version of the popular Green Day song
- J.A.R. – featured on the soundtrack for the movie Angus
Trivia
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- When Billie Joe was asked what his biggest regret was he responded "That we didn't name Insomniac 'Jesus Christ Supermarket'".
- The collage on the album cover was created by Winston Smith [1] and is called God Told Me to Skin You Alive. Smith knew Tré Cool from Green Day's time at Lookout! Records and told Tré that if he ever needed album artwork that he should call him.
- The cover art contains an image (the dentist) that was originally used in a collage featured in the inside cover art of Dead Kennedys' album Plastic Surgery Disasters.
- The cover art also features images of a naked woman, 3 fairies, a skull, and several other ghostly faces in the flames.
- There are three skulls on the entire album cover and back; one for each member of Green Day. One of the skulls requires you to view the piece at an angle. The hidden skull is taken from Hans Holbein's 1533 painting 'The Ambassadors'.
- The title, "Babs' Uvula Who?" comes from a 1976 SNL sketch with Gilda Radner and Chevy Chase. [3]
- Green Day's version of the arrangement slightly differs from the original, with the woman holding Billie Joe's original blue Stratocaster instead of an acoustic guitar.
- The intro to Panic Song is often played in between Brain Stew and Jaded at live performances.
Personnel
- Billie Joe Armstrong – vocals, guitars
- Mike Dirnt – bass, backing vocals
- Tré Cool – drums
Production
- Producers: Green Day, Rob Cavallo
- Engineer: Kevin Army
- Mixer: Jerry Finn
- Second Engineers: Richard Huredia, Bernd Burgdorf
- Cover design: Winston Smith
- Drum tech: Mike "Sack" Fasano
- Guitar tech: Mr. C Steffes
- Project coordination: Cheryl Jenets
References
- ^ http://www.winstonsmith.com/gallery/book2/big/insomniac.html
- ^ Copies sold at Richard De la font agency
- ^ SNL Transcripts: Elliot Gould: 05/29/76: Babs' Uvula http://snltranscripts.jt.org/75/75vuvula.phtml
