Green Day — American Idiot

It's been a long time in the making and those over 20 saw it coming a mile away. Green Day's earliest albums paid homage to the likes of The Clash and The Ramones, but there was always a deeper adoration of classic, windmill-inducing rock aching to rise to the surface.

Enter American Idiot, the album where that influence finally breaks through.

Many will call this Green Day’s statement about America's political struggles, but those who truly understand what these SoCal pop-punkers are about will instantly recognize this concept album as a blatant tribute to The Who's epic movements Tommy and Quadrophenia. From the endless operatic segues and chorusless tunes to the returning characters and thematic elements, this reeks (positively, of course) of Pete Townshend.

As powerful and catchy as it is deep and experimental, the only hesitation is seeing if today's ADD-ing youth will stick around long enough to catch the drift.

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