39/Smooth

Background and recording

Following a shared interest in music, and the creation of original material, guitarists Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt formed a band. After going through another name, they stuck with Sweet Children; Armstrong and Dirnt worked security at punk club 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, California. John Kiffmeyer, also known as "Al Sobrante", drummer of Gilman performers Isocracy, was invited to play with them. He helped refine Sweet Children's sound, and taught them a work ethic of recording music as cheaply and quickly as possible. Sweet Children played their first Gilman show in November 1988, where they accumulated a fan base; after the departure of bassist Sean Hughes, Dirnt moved to bass. During a house party, Sweet Children were brought to the attention of Larry Livermore, who operated Lookout Records, which was originally planned to only release material from Livermore's band the Lookouts.

Livermore subsequently signed Sweet Children following a show with the Lookouts. The record deal made the members of Sweet Children realize that they needed a new name, ultimately choosing Green Day. They played their last show under the old moniker on April 1, 1989, at Gilman for a benefit show. That same month, the 1,000 Hours EP was released through on seven-inch vinyl. Livermore commented that due to the poppy nature of the release that it would be difficult to sell to record buyers, taking around six months for the EP to start attracting attention from the public. Author Ben Myers wrote in Green Day: American Idiots & The New Punk Explosion (2006) that while it did not have a unique musical direction amongst the band's peers, During this time, Armstrong and Dirnt played in other bands, such as Blatz, Corrupted Morals and Crummy Musicians.

Green Day recorded their debut album at Art of Ears Studio in San Francisco, California, Andy Ernst, who previously worked on the 1,000 Hours EP, co-produced the sessions with members of the band. Sessions started on December 29, 1989; Armstrong and Dirnt tracked their vocals at the same time in order to save on both money and time. Myers noted that the members' influences, such as the Buzzcocks, the Clash and the Ramones, "all of whom recorded quickly, and it clearly showed as they applied the same sense of pared-down economy to their own blistering debut." The majority of the album was finished the following day, preceded by guitar parts and vocal harmonies. The album was mixed and completed by January 2, 1990. The sessions cost $675 (), charged to Livermore. John Golden mastered the recordings at K Disc Mastering in Hollywood, California Prior to the album coming out, Livermore wanted to issue another single to build hype. Subsequently, the band went back to Art of Ears and recorded four songs in a few hours, which became the Slappy (1990) EP.

Composition

The main lyrical theme of 39/Smooth revolves around unrequited love and longing for desire, which appeared in "At the Library with Waba Sé Wasca", "Disappearing Boy" and "The Judge's Daughter". While "I Was There" and "16" are about reminiscing on youth, which Gaar suggested that these were interesting declarations from the band as the members themselves were still young. Musically, 39/Smooth has been tagged as punk rock, pop-punk, skate punk, and power pop. He also highlighted the sound of the Buzzcocks and Hüsker Dü as points of comparison,

With album opener "At the Library with Waba Sé Wasca", Allyson Johnson of The Young Folks said the band presented the Southern Californian sound that managed to "both fit them in the scene while allowing them to stand out ..." She added that it displayed the formula for which they would continue to use throughout their career: "The gritty and buzzsaw sounding guitars only make for a more immediate, satisfying star." Armstrong said "Don't Leave Me" was about an occasion in the seventh grade where a girl had broken up with him. "I Was There" has lyrics written by Kiffmeyer; Jack Holly of The Young Folks said Armstrong can be heard recounting locations him and his bandmates had visited and individuals they have encountered in their brief run as a band.

Release

Promotion and packaging

In February 1990, Armstrong dropped out of high school shortly prior to the release of their debut album, Around this time, as Dirnt and Kiffmeyer focused on working and education, a tour for the band spanning 45 dates across the US was scheduled.{{#tag:ref|Myers said the 1990 US tour was booked by Armstrong, issued on the vinyl and cassette formats. As Lookout Records did not have enough funds for promotion, word of mouth about 39/Smooth spread from the small amount of reviews it earned in zines.

When the members of Green Day were wrapping up the production of the album, the word "smooth" was in frequent rotation, and they wanted to use it in the title. It was during this time that Alen, Armstrong's oldest sibling, had turned 39, which they jokingly wanted to use it in the name as well as they were unsure if they would get the chance to make another album. The album was eventually titled 39/Smooth. The cover of 39/Smooth, which was designed by Jesse Michaels of Operation Ivy, depicts a black-and-white image of a woman in a cemetery. Out of all of the band's albums, Myers remarked that its monochrome and somber nature made it stand out as the "least Green Day-looking" cover. Aaron Cometbus, editor of the Cometbus zine, created some additional artwork for the sleeve; Myers said his "recognizable pen-and-ink style came to define the band's early works and nicely complemented the content within." The back of the sleeve featured three photographs, shot by Murray Bowles, of Green Day performing at Gilman. Accompanying the images were cartoon illustrations, done by Michaels, which included keys, safety pins, a matchbox and faces of monsters. A martini glass can also be seen, which Gaar said was a comment on the no-alcohol policy enforced at Gilman. The lyric sheet included in the sleeve included an alleged letter from major label I.R.S. Records, who claimed to have an interest in the band, saying they were best act from the Bay Area since the emergence of the Dead Kennedys. In addition to this was two response letters, one from Kiffmeyer and other from Livermore; Gaar said the I.R.S. letter was forged as the result of Kiffmeyer having located some stationery belonging to the label from a trash receptacle. Around two years after the album's release, Livermore received threatening letters from I.R.S. for the incident, and apologized to them.

US tour and related events

To assist the release of 39/Smooth, Green Day appeared at several Gilman gigs, some that served as benefit shows for Lookout or fanzines in the area, namely Cometbus. The day after Dirnt graduated from that high school, the band embarked on the aforementioned 45-date US tour.|group="nb"}} It started on June 19, 1990, on the West Coast, going up to Canada, before returning to the US, from where they journeyed to the East Coast, travelling to Florida, moving to the Midwest and ending in California.|group="nb"}}

They played in a variety of punk clubs, house parties and bars, with crowd sizes varying from 50 people to 500. Venues that scheduled the band received contracts from them with two requests – that nourishment and accommodation was prioritized over money, and did ask for a minimum of $100 if there was enough to spare, though stipulated this was not a requirement. The band stated on the contracts the places "do not have to give us any of these things, of course we don't have to tune before we play either." To aid their income, they bought inexpensive shirts from local business, which were then printed with their band logo and promptly put on sale at the gigs. They also gave a discount to attendees to bring their own shirts to the shows for printing.

Though the tour was seen as a success by the band, Kiffmeyer did not want to go through the hassle of such an endeavor again and instead enrolled in Humboldt State College in Arcata, California later in the year. He did not outright tell them that he was departing. Armstrong was surprised by this as he only found out through Cometbus. Afterwards, Armstrong was unsure if he wanted to continue the band. Dave EC of Filth and the Wynona Riders joined Green Day, though left after a few weeks. Armstrong remembered Tré Cool and learned that he was free. Cool had been playing with the Lookouts since he was 12. At age 16, Cool was a regular of the Gilman scene, going to parties and playing with various acts. Through this, he became familiar with Armstrong and Dirnt. Cool ultimately joined Green Day in late 1990.

The later CD release of 39/Smooth featured tracks from the two prior EPs, in addition to I Want to Be Alone, which was previously released on a Flipside magazine various artist compilation in 1990. This version was retitled 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours, which omitted the letters from Kiffmeyer, Livermore and I.R.S., and included the 1,000 Hours and Slappy EPs. In late 2005, citing a royalty dispute, the band took control of their Lookout Records-era releases, including 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours, second studio album Kerplunk (1991), and the 1,000 Hours and Slappy EPs. "Going to Pasalacqua" was pressed on a seven-inch vinyl record, with "Road to Acceptance" and "Disappearing Boy" as the B-sides, as part of the Ultimate Collectors 7" Vinyl Singles Box Set (2009) collection. In the lead up to the Green Day: Rock Band (2010) video game, Cool said that while the master tapes for 39/Smooth still exist, the process to digitize them would destroy the tape given their age.

Reception

39/Smooth was met with acclaim within the local community and on a national level due to Lookout Records' outreach.

Some critics praised the songwriting found on 39/Smooth. Spitz and Gaar said the writing had positively evolved from 1,000 Hours, with the former praising the lyrics,

A few reviews focused on the individual aspects of the band members. Robbins and Neugebauer complimented Armstrong for his "well-mannered lyrics - hopeful, uncertain, self-conscious", which "manage only mild psychic discomfort ... and romantic tension rather than any rebellious insurgence." Raggett remarked that Dirnt was "no slouch himself, providing good backing vocals when needed for harmony ..." Robbins and Neugebauer said Dirnt and Kiffmeyer push "the songs along, and Billie Joe sings them earnestly, without the contrived English accent he would later affect. A very tentative start." Raggett highlighted Kiffmeyer for the "most prominent performance throughout" the album, while Shipley thought he was not "quite a force of nature like Tre Cool, but he has similar instincts on how to keep the tempos brisk and the drum fills splashy."

Others were more negative of 39/Smooth, with some only highlighting a single track. AllMusic reviewer Ned Raggett said it "isn't a truly great album in the first place. It's not bad, by any means ... It's just little more than a fun punk-pop album with some entertaining metallic flash here and there," akin to a multitude of albums created in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Finn White for IGN found it to be lackluster, lamenting that the tracks were dissimilar from one another, though clarified that as it shows the band at their "least refined, ... therein lies its charm and primary appeal." For Kerrang!, writer Ian Winwood said upon hearing the album in the present day, it comes across as a "collection rich in promise but lacking in real-time impact." Ira Robbins and Delvin Neugebauer of Trouser Press said the album was a "relatively tame power-pop affair. Although plucky and brash, the music is too timid to even flirt with punk intensity levels." Winwood, reviewing for BBC Music, also highlighted "Going to Pasalacqua", Marc Hogan of PopMatters singled out "I Was There" as a songwriting achievement.

Prior to the release of Green Day's major label debut, Dookie (1994), 39/Smooth had sold 75,000 copies. Lookout Records' operations director Chris Appelgren said the joint efforts of 39/Smooth and Kerplunk boosted sales of other albums in the label's catalog. In 1995, 39/Smooth peaked at number five on the US Billboard Top Pop Catalog Albums chart; Kerplunk appeared in the same listing, topping the chart. and number 11 by Spin. Jaret Reddick of Bowling for Soup,

Track listing

Personnel

Personnel per sleeve.

Green Day

• Billie Joe Armstrong – lead vocals, guitar
• Mike Dirnt – bass, backing vocals
• John Kiffmeyer – drums

Production

• Green Day – producer
• Andy Ernst – engineer, producer
• John Golden – mastering

Artwork

• Susie Grant – front cover photo
• Murray Bowles – back cover photos
• Jesse Michaels – design, art

Charts

Notes

References

Citations

Sources

References

1. Myers 2006, pp. 24–25, 27
2. Spitz 2010, p. 16
3. Spitz 2010, p. 35
4. Spitz 2010, p. 43
5. Myers 2006, p. 43
6. Gaar 2006, p. 30
7. Spitz 2010, p. 49
8. Spitz 2010, pp. 51, 52
9. Spitz 2010, p. 63
10. Spitz 2010, p. 64
11. Myers, who also mentioned the track, said the name originated from a comment spoken by ''[[Sesame Street]]'' character [[Ernie (Sesame Street)
12. Gaar 2006, p. 32
13. Myers 2006, p. 53
14. Myers 2006, p. 52
15. Myers 2006, p. 51
16. Gaar 2006, p. 31
17. Operation Ivy]] on May 28, 1989, at Gilman.Spitz 2010, p. 62
18. Gaar 2006, p. 35
19. around Christmas 1989 when recording time was inexpensive.Spitz 2010, p. 65
20. Gaar 2006, pp. 31, 35
21. Myers 2006, p. 58
22. Gaar 2006, p. 36
23. Myers 2006, p. 60
24. Myers said the songs merged the band members' overt adoration of [[Pop music. pop]] [[Hook (music). hooks]] by British acts from the 1960s, topped by the "regionalized intonation of British punk's strongest voices."Myers 2006, pp. 60–61
25. Rivadavia, Eduardo. (April 13, 2020). "How Green Day 'Accidentally' Launched A Legendary Career With 1990's Unassuming Punk Rock Primer, 39/Smooth". [[Discogs]].
26. (October 13, 2021). "Celebrating 30 years with Green Day". The Young Folks.
27. Gaar 2006, p. 39
28. Gaar said it was a broad retrospective view of "one's past — torn between wanting it to last, but ultimately choosing to look ahead toward tomorrow."Gaar 2006, p. 44
29. {{#tag:ref. Spitz compared the introspective nature of "I Was There" to that of "[[In My Life]]" (1965) by [[the Beatles]], which Green Day leaned into for later songs in their career, such as "[[Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)]]" (1997), "[[Waiting (Green Day song)
30. in order to focus exclusively on Green Day.Spitz 2010, p. 46
31. Duran, Anagricel. (April 19, 2023). "Green Day celebrate '39/Smooth' anniversary with never-before-seen video from 1990". [[NME]].
32. Gaar 2006, p. 40
33. Myers 2006, p. 61
34. One show also included a May 1990 performance at Pinole Valley High School, who were hosting local acts for [[List of food days
35. {{#tag:ref
36. Spitz 2010, p. 67
37. Myers 2006, p. 63
38. Spitz 2010, p. 70
39. Gaar 2006, p. 43
40. Myers 2006, p. 68
41. Spitz 2010, pp. 70–71
42. Spitz 2010, p. 52
43. Spitz 2010, pp. 55–56
44. Spitz 2010, p. 56
45. Myers 2006, pp. 67, 68
46. Gaar 2006, pp. 36–37
47. Gaar 2006, p. 37
48. Green Day. (1991). "1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours". [[Lookout Records]].
49. Spitz 2010, p. 180
50. Green Day. (2009). "Ultimate Collectors 7" Vinyl Singles Box Set". [[Reprise Records]].
51. Helgeson, Matt. (May 6, 2010). "Green Day's Tre Cool Talks About Green Day: Rock Band, Future DLC".
52. Raggett, Ned. "39/Smooth - Green Day / Album". [[AllMusic]].
53. Larkin, Colin. (2011). "The Encyclopedia of Popular Music". [[Omnibus Press]].
54. Williams 1991, p. 29
55. Spitz 2010, p. 66
56. Lawrence, Alistair. (February 2, 2024). "Every single Green Day album ranked from worst to best". [[Metal Hammer.
57. "Green Day". [[Trouser Press]].
58. Shipley, Al. (January 17, 2024). "Every Green Day Album, Ranked". [[Spin (magazine).
59. White, Finn. (May 12, 2009). "Green Day: Worst to Best". [[IGN]].
60. Winwood, Ian. "Green Day: The Inside Story Of Their Debut Album, 39/Smooth". [[Kerrang!]].
61. Winwood, Ian. (2011). "Green Day 39/Smooth; Kerplunk Review". [[BBC Music]].
62. Hogan, Marc. (March 11, 2004). "Green Day 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours". [[PopMatters]].
63. Morris 1994, p. 119
64. Carter, Emily. (July 22, 2020). "Green Day: Every album ranked from worst to best". Kerrang!.
65. Various artists. (2003). "A Different Shade of Green: A Green Day Tribute". Skunk-Ape Records.
66. and [[Brett Gurewitz]] of Bad Religion, expressed admiration for the album, with the latter saying that whenever bands came to his studio, they also hyped up the release.Spitz 2010, pp. 66–67
67. Green Day. (1990). "39/Smooth". Lookout Records.
68. White ed. 1995, p. 57