DodgingCars

I like all 3 of them. Green Day being my favorite. I actually bought Kerplunk a few months before Dookie came out and really liked their music. When they became big a few people I knew decided that it was cool to hate them but I remained a loyal fan. I own every album of theirs. In my opinion though Kerplunk and 1000 slappy hours are in no way superior to Dookie. The band has grown tremendously over the years.

Blink 182. I saw them back when they were still called Blink. I didn't think much of them. When they started getting radio play I liked a few of their songs. I ended up buying Dude Ranch and really liked the album. I'm not a big fan of their newer stuff, but all in all I still think they're a fun band.

Sum 41. I originally saw them OPEN for a band called Flogging Molly. Saw them twice on that same "tour". I thought they were a really good live band. When they started getting radio play my girlfriend (just friend at the time) really liked them and bought their album. Between the 2 of us, we own all 3 of their albums and enjoy them all. We saw they them play about a year ago and they still put on a good show. These guys are really talented (they can play!) in my opinion.

And.. I don't see how "Does this Look Infected" sounds ANYTHING like Papa Roach or P.O.D.???? It's still a pop-punk album but definately has a harder edge (threw in some "metal".)

DodgingCars

Really, I didn't think their later albums sounded exactly like Dookie??? Especially their last one (Warning).

Adam Tyner

Much less poppy, much less melodic, vocals devolve to little more than atonal screaming, horrendously repetitive... Bah. I hate it. Little on the album strikes me as punk/pop-punk at all.

I didn't mean that Sum 41 sounds like those other bands specifically, but at least to me, it's more along those mallcore lines than their previous albums.

Johnny Zhivago

Don't hate em' but they do nothing for me in the slightest... I don't care much for suburban poser punk.

DodgingCars

Hell Song
Over My Head
My Direction
All Messed Up

The rest of the album just sounds like melodic punk mixed with a bit of rock. Something you might expect from bands like Offspring, NOFX, etc.

Adam Tyner

Well, I guess we disagree then. I'm a big NOFX fan, as are a bunch of my friends out here, and none of us can stand the new Sum 41 album. If you dig it, then good for you. Whatever.

DodgingCars

Suburban poser punk?

Suburban... like Descendents, black flag, Social Distortion, etc. etc. etc. etc. ???

Poser punk... why? What makes you "REAL"? Green Day has been in the punk scene since like 1987 (as a band) and I'm sure Billy Joe was in the scene much longer than that. They grew up in the Easy Bay punk scene (Gilman Street, Operation Ivy, etc.). Whether their sound is very "punk" is certainly up for debate though I certainly don't see a big difference between what they were doing and bands like the Ramones, The Vibrators, The Buzzcocks etc. were doing.

DodgingCars

Yeah. It's all cool. I like their previous two albums better. But I do like the new one.

And BTW. I own like 5 NOFX albums..

slymer

Green Day are head and shoulders above the other two. Great songwriters.

Blink has some catchy tunes, and they seem to be funny guys in concert. I don't think they really take themselves too seriously. I remember seeing them live in SOMA years ago, when they only had a demo out. They packed the house back then even.

Sum 41, I'm not that into thier stuff, but thier Iron Maiden style music video/parody is hilarious.

Jason

You can't possibly be comparing Blink 182 to Black Flag?

DodgingCars

I wasn't, but I certainly don't see a problem with it. I was comparing the fact that they were both from the suburbs. I guess you missed that.

MaudlinHarold

I don't like Sum 41
I could live without Blink 182 (though Enema of the State is catchy)
Never fell in love with Green Day... UNTIL... Warning. I gotta say it's probably the Sgt. Pepper of modern punk (90s - present). They play with musical styles, hidden homages (anyone else here Petula Clark's "Downtown" hidden on the disc?) and throws only a few punk bones (the hollow title cut). One of my favorite discs of 2001. And yes, I'm ashamed

C-Mart

Sorry, I know that their newer stuff has evolved from their original stuff, but I just never felt the urge to get anything after Dookie.

-CM-

dgmayor

That is what's so great about opinions, we're all entitled to our own, and we can agree to disagree

RevLiver

I'm with the original poster, I despise all three of them. But then, I despise most of what gets played on the radio these days.

tor_greg

Warning is a great album, it's nice to see that their sound matures with each one.

El Scorcho

at how every thread like this seems to devolve into the never-ending "what is punk?" discussion.

My two cents -- You have to take these bands for what they're worth. Not a single one of them every claimed to be music geniuses, nor have they ever tried to be groundbreaking. Their music is far from complex, their chord progressions are simple, and their lyrics are juvenile at best. If you try not to expect more than this from their records, you'll be pleased. If you're expecting Bob Dylan-esque breakthrough music, you're going to be disappointed 110 times out of 100.

Green Day: Love em. From 1039 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours all the way up to Warning. Every record has a new sound. Dookie is a classic album.

Blink 182: This band has two forms. There is the pre-Travis Barker era (Buddha, Cheshire Cat, Dude Ranch) and then there is the Travis Barker era (Enema of the State, Take Off Your Pants..). Pre-Travis era was less pop, more rock and was some pretty good stuff. The Travis era is more pop and MTV power pop than anything. Not bad, but certainly not the best. The Boxcar Racer CD is actually better than anything Blink has done with Travis on skins.

Sum 41: Fun-to-listen-to CDs but man do those guys suck live. I rarely leave shows early but the last time I saw them I was out the door after 5 songs. These guys try way too hard to be different and its apparent in both their music and their performances/style. However, they have never professed to be anything different so you can't really fault them.

DodgingCars

Really? I've seen them live 3 times and have never been disappointed. In fact, I always thought they were a good live band. I wonder if we've just had different experiences or if its different opinions.

And, as for Green Day.. I'd say their later albums lyrics were much more mature and meaningful. You can really tell they've grown up with their music.

El Scorcho

I saw Sum 41 on their last tour with umm.. Reel Big Fish? Unwritten Law? Hell I go to too many shows now days, I can't remember who plays with who.

Anyhoo, I saw them at the best sounding venue in Portland so it wasn't the venue. They just sounded awful. Played awful, backup vocals were awful, and Derryck was obviously trying way too hard to cast off his pseudo-punk image. I had seen them a while ago shortly after 1/2 Hr. of Power came out and they were different back then, and in a better way. Bands just seem more enjoyable when they're still in the "trying to make it" stage than the "we've made it, now lets overdo it trying to impress people" stage.

DodgingCars

The first two times I saw them was pre-Fat Lip on the radio. They were opening for Flogging Molly.

The third time I saw them was at the Glass House in Pomona with Gob. That was the first time I'd seen them after they "made it" and I still thought they put on a good show. 100x better than the last Millencollin show I saw. That show was boring.

El Scorcho

DC, did you go see the Ataris on their last tour through town?

DodgingCars

No. I actually haven't been to a show in awhile.

I'm going to see Jimmy Eat World and Taking Back Sunday on the 17th though. They're playing the Wiltern and I have floor tix. Hope its good.

Jepthah

I don't care for any of them particularly, but I have to interject and say that Green Day is clearly a superior and more evolved band than the other two. They earned their chops and can construct actual SONGS.

El Scorcho

Ahh, go check em out in April when they tour through California. One Man Army is opening for them.

I had all access passes for their shows in Oregon in December and it was a blast. Learned a lot about life on the road for a small-but-hopefully-getting-larger band, the trials and tribulations of the recording studio, etc. Plus I got s***faced with the band for a couple nights, lol.

My next show is Alkaline Trio on Feb 1.

DodgingCars

I might. I really like One Man Army. I have 2 of their albums and plan on buying their latest release. I actually don't own any Ataris, but I think they're pretty good.