Earlier this year, Green Day reached into its archives for a pair of limited-edition vinyl singles released exclusively through Oakland Coffee, an organic java brewery founded by the band in 2015 in Oakland, California (where else?). The singles presented four tracks recorded in 1994 for BBC Radio One, none of which had been previously available in commercial form. Now, that quartet of tunes will be joined by an additional dozen on Reprise Records' December 10 release of Green Day's BBC Sessions on both CD and vinyl as well as digital formats.
The sixteen tracks on BBC Sessions were recorded by Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tre Cool at the BBC's Maida Vale Studios in west London where numerous legends of rock (including The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and David Bowie) had all performed. The 1994 session (comprising the Dookie trio of "She," "When I Come Around," and "Basket Case," plus Kerplunk's "2000 Light Years Away") is joined by sessions from 1996 ("Geek Stink Breath," "Brain Stew/Jaded," "Walking Contradiction," and "Stuck with Me," all off Insomniac), 1998 (Nimrod selections "Hitchin' a Ride," "Nice Guys Finish Last," "Prosthetic Head," and "Redundant"), and 2001 (Warning's "Castaway," "Church on Sunday," "Minority," and "Waiting"). These live-in-the-studio performances captured the unbridled energy of the band at its peak.
All told, BBC Sessions offers a solid overview of the music made by the rock trio between 1994-2001, covering all of their albums during that period. BBC presenter Steve Lamacq hosted all of the sessions; he has written new liner notes for this release. Care to sample Green Day's BBC Sessions? "2000 Light Years Away" and "Basket Case" are both currently streaming. Look for the complete album on CD, double LP vinyl (black for standard retailers; "milky clear" white for indie retailers; and blue and pink available directly from the band), and download/streaming from Reprise on December 10. You'll find the track listing and pre-order links below!
Green Day, BBC Sessions (Reprise, 2021)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP Black Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP Milky Clear Vinyl: Your Local Record Shop
2LP Blue and Pink Vinyl: Green Day Official Store
- She
- When I Come Around
- Basket Case
- 2000 Light Years Away
- Geek Stink Breath
- Brain Stew/Jaded
- Walking Contradiction
- Stuck with Me
- Hitchin' a Ride
- Nice Guys Finish Last
- Prosthetic Head
- Redundant
- Castaway
- Church on Sunday
- Minority
- Waiting
Tracks 1 and 4 released on Oakland Coffee single OC 001, 2021; Tracks 2-3 released on Oakland Coffee single OC 002, 2021. All other tracks previously unreleased
All tracks recorded live for BBC's The Evening Show with Steve Lamacq
- Tracks 1-4 recorded 6/8/1994
- Tracks 5-8 recorded 3/11/1996
- Tracks 9-12 recorded 2/2/1998
- Tracks 13-16 recorded 8/28/2001
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