There's a clenched fist grasping a heart-shaped hand grenade on the cover of American Idiot, a militant mural presumably designed to inform us that Californian punk-pop vets Green Day love America but hate what's becoming of it. Inferences aside, you could argue that American Idiot is a suspect device--a punk concept album/rock opera primed to blow up in the faces of the ruling right-wing American classes but which could just as easily leave splattered egg on the faces of the insurrectionists. The concept is fuzzy (telly-brainwashed teenage runaway falls in with the wrong crowd, something or other happens with drugs, rock and a character called "Whatsername") and the political protestations against the metaphorical Arrnies and Dubyas are mere slapstick custard pies compared with the Dead Kennedys' CIA-bothering debunking of Reaganomics. However, something about American Idiot both excites and rings true whilst simultaneously beggaring belief. Spanning influences from The Who's Tommy to Husker Du's Zen Arcade, American Idiot has the listener living in cliff-hanging fear of an unexpected Richie Blackmore guitar solo or Tarkus-style ELP exposition but actually never strays from Buzzcockian melodiousness or phlegm-drenched rifferama even when things get ridiculous. "Homecoming", for example, is probably the best amalgamation of The Clash, Pink Floyd's The Wall, Millwall football supporters terrace chants, Deep Purple, The Levellers, Bob Mould, UK Subs, Rush, Pete Townsend and The Tubes you'll ever hear. American Idiot could be brave or it could be stupid, but it really can't be ignored. --Kevin Maidment

(this a review I worte back in 2005 and only found again recently)

this album rocks. period.

I understand how people can complain about it being more 'pop' than their older albums, with songs like Boulevard, and Wake me up when september ends, but come on, its still full of stuff that rocks! st. jimmy, give me novachaine, american idiot, jesus of suburbia! can you see the lieks of good charlotte doing these songs?

The album itself its amazing. Of course, I don't expect some people to be able to appreciate it for what it is. A story. A political statement. A damned good album.

There are so many reasons as to why I find this album so thoroughly objectionable. I'm not going to say it is solely because I think that the band have lost their edge or because I'm a long-time Green Day fan and was disappointed by this album, though both are in some ways true.
I wanted to like this album, I really did. I was so bitterly disappointed when I heard it that I kept playing it, actively trying to find things about it I liked.
It just isn't great. As a teacher, I frequently see pupils wearing American Idiot merchandise and hear some students talk about how great they think Green Day are. This used to frustrate me, though I'd keep it to myself. Then I realised the reality - "their" Green Day, as represented by this album, is not "my" Green Day. I can't complain - I'll always have Dookie, Insomniac, Kerplunk, and Nimrod.
I just hate this album. It's dreadful. Even if it were by a different band, even if I were not judging it on the basis of it's lineage, it's still just dull.

The first four tracks are good/ok , but then this album gets really boring, all the songs sound the same.

Had to force myself to listen to the whole album , by the end was checking media to see how much there was left to take, as i was hoping it would be over allot sooner, its not playing now thank god!!

will not be listning to this album ever again apart from first track.

Above the likes of Metallica, Kid Rock, System of a Down and many others Green Day triumphs in releasing simply the greatest rock album of the past 10 years. This mixes political satire with a thoughtful and powerful message of how we all must band together as a society. This is very anti-establishment and as Green Day have stated publicly very anti-War on Terror. They live up to their "punk" label in my eyes as they spread the word of anti-establishment and not believing everything you're told or buying into this media frenzy and this notion of celebrity. Some people will always criticise a successful band such as Green Day, but the fact is they make music that makes us think, and personally I see nothing wrong with that.

One of the best songs on the album is Jesus of Suburbia, for a number of different reasons. It is not just a song but more of a story about, well... a Jesus of Suburbia which is simply believed to be the saviour of the rebels of society. The song runs just over 9 minutes long which lead to it being cut down for radio air play. It's literally a short story told in song and it's told in 5 parts.

I. "Jesus of Suburbia"
II. "City of the Damned"
III. "I Don't Care"
IV. "Dearly Beloved"
V. "Tales of another Broken Home"

The story is about Jimmy who is the saviour and also known as Saint Jimmy which we see in the video for the song.

The most special thing about this album is that is seems to follow an entire story and focuses around this Jimmy character. It's something that is unprecedented in any album I've ever heard and yet seems to go unnoticed by many people.

My Top 5 are

Jesus of Suburbia
Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Holiday
American Idiot
Wake Me up When September Ends

Buy this album, you won't be disappointed

The worst thing about this album is the title, nothing wrong with being political but it seems a little clumsy, and the lyrics of the title track are unsophisticated.

That said:-
Even the weakest songs are good enough to sing along to. Even the overblown pretentious "rock operas" at start and end do not seem too long. It's hard to pick out stand out tracks, because there are 7 or 8 of them. While I can appreciate long term Green Day fans being concerned at the change of direction, I have listened to 90s Green Day in passing and it is not a patch on this, though maybe I should give it another try.

Yes it is mainstream, yes it is hardly original, but it is brilliant. Anyone bored of the nerdish, self aware pop emanating from both sides of the Atlantic at the moment should try this.