Bullet In A Bible

Green Day

Reprise, 2005

http://www.greenday.com

REVIEW BY: Mark Phillips

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 01/23/2006

While searching through the January sales for that elusive bargain, I came across Bullet In A Bible, the latest offering from American punk rockers Green Day -- the ones who've dominated the airwaves with the singles from their last studio album, American Idiot. That album had impressed me, though admittedly I am not the biggest fan of a lot of their material.

Bullet In A Bible is Green Day's attempt at producing the sort of epic live album that would elevate them to a higher status in the music spectrum outside of their studio offerings, and it just about succeeds. It also offers great value, as the audio CD of the band's gig in the Milton Keynes Bowl in England is accompanied by a live DVD of the aforementioned concert.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

In terms of sound, this album is astounding. It has obviously been mixed -- something that some critics see as a bad thing when it comes to live albums -- but with results like this nobody can really complain. As you listen through the album, you just get a constant urge to turn up the volume again and again. The only real complaint in terms of the sound is that many of the teenage girls in the crowd scream back at their idols, and the constant shrieks get on one's nerves after a little while, nowhere moreso than as Billie Joe Armstrong plays the intimate and emotional "Good Riddance," which is semi-destroyed by the high-pitched screaming of the fans. However, even thousands of screaming kids cannot take away from the brilliance of this album.

Green Day's performance in Bullet In A Bible is also second to none. They start by offering some of the ever-popular tracks from American Idiot, such as "St. Jimmy" and "Holiday," before blaring out some of their older songs -- "Longview" and "Basket Case," for example -- which are arguably the highlights of the album.

The DVD, which accompanies the CD, is fairly good too, offering a front of house ticket to what seems like one of the best live shows ever. The sound on the DVD is equal in quality to the CD (unfortunately, it also has the mind-tearing shrieking).

My main complaint while watching the band rock out is that there is an interview with the band in between songs, taking away from the flow of the gig. Another downside is that those fans expecting to be able to watch the music videos of Green Day's American Idiot singles are out of luck, with the only extra on offer being a photo album.

All in all, though, this is a package that will not disappoint anybody.

Rating: B+

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