Billie Joe Armstrong Reveals Green Day’s Most Underrated Album

Green Day is one of the most instantly recognized names in alternative rock history. Perhaps that’s why the band was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.

Beginning with their classic breakthrough album Dookie, the band dominated during a 10-year span between 1994 and 2004, releasing iconic, hit-filled albums like Insomniac, Nimrod, Warning, and their crowning achievement American Idiot—essentially a punk rock opera, the first of its kind.

But not every band in Green Day’s discography received the same level of reverence. Billy Joel Armstong, the trio’s frontman, confessed recently that some of the band’s best efforts have been overlooked.

When asked about which of the band’s albums are most neglected, Armstong didn’t hesitate to name one album that he feels is too often overlooked.

“Underrated… I think probably Revolution Radio, I’m going to say,” Armstrong revealed in an exclusive interview with ScreenRant‘s Owen Danoff. “Yeah, either that one or maybe the trilogy. I think it could be up there. But yeah, I think that it’s always kind of the lesser-knowns, but I think that they age really well.”

Released in 2016, Revolution Radio followed the cumbersome trilogy of ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, and ¡Tré!, which were all released in the fall of 2012, and overwhelmed fans with too much new material at once. During the rollout of those albums, the band was forced to take a hiatus as Armstrong checked himself into a rehab center.

Revolution Radio was an attempt to get back on track. It was essentially a back-to-basics record—no heady concepts—just a return to form. It includes plenty of quality tracks, including “Still Breathing,” “Bang Bang,” and the title track, but the album didn’t sell well or generate much cultural impact, even though reviews were mostly favorable.

A Reappraisal Of The Trilogy

Revolution Radio’s Place In Green Day’s Story

The trilogy records (¡Uno!,¡Dos!,¡Tré!) were released in rapid-fire succession in 2012, leaving fans and critics divided. It may have been overkill. That’s a lot of pop-punk to digest.Many considered the trilogy project too expansive and variable in quality, particularly in comparison to Green Day’s more focused LPs likeDookieandAmerican Idiot.

Still, Armstong believes the albums are worth revisiting. Songs like “Kill the DJ,” “Stray Heart,” and “Oh Love” are excellent cuts and the albums, in general, show the band experimenting with different styles, which should be of interest to serious fans.

While not every track is a winner, Armstong’s comments suggest that the trilogy is a work that’s worth checking out. Sometimes time changes the way albums are perceived.