Almost as much as Blonde on Blonde, the Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bullocks stunned me.  My first reaction was:  what is this noise?  Then I played it again.  And again.  Hard to put it in context, but the radio was filled with bloated prog-rock from the previous generation.  These guys were loud and angry.  It was a hurricane of fresh air and a peek at where things were going.

I must have a couple of these albums left.  Ok.  It was mid-2000s.  Had survived the dot-com crash and here comes Mr Bush with his 9/11 and his wars.   I just kept thinking that the young people of America are getting screwed, but are too naive to realize it.  Along comes American Idiot, and I realized the kids were going to be ok.  The country would see lots more wreckage before it was all over, but at least there was some hope for the future.

I realized immediately that these guys have made a 1970s style Rock Opera, like Tommy or Jesus Christ Superstar!  I never figured out why the whole Concept Album thing died out, but I was glad to see it make at least a small comeback.  And who would have figured Green Day to rise to the occasion?

I remember playing this one over and over again at summer backyard BBQs with friends and neighbors.  I don’t think any of them picked up on it.