1,000 Hours is the debut extended play (EP) by American rock band Green Day, released in April 1989 through Lookout Records. Through a shared interest in music, school friends Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt formed the band Sweet Children. With the addition of drummer John Kiffmeyer, they played at the local punk club 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, California, where they started attracting a following. After playing a show with the Lookouts, one of their members, Larry Livermore, signed Sweet Children to his label Lookout Records. They co-produced their debut EP, 1,000 Hours, with Andy Ernst at the Art of Ears Studio in San Francisco, California, in early 1989.

Critics praised the production quality of the 1,000 Hours EP. Before its release, Sweet Children changed their name to Green Day, which Livermore said would make it difficult to shift copies of the EP. They played their last show as Sweet Children in April 1989, and played their first show as Green Day in May 1989, supporting Operation Ivy at Gilman. They subsequently played a show in July 1989 with Necromancy, before the members participated in other bands. 1,000 Hours was later included in the 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours (1991) compilation alongside their other early releases.

Background

Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt became school friends in 1983. After a shared interest in music, and learning that Armstrong played guitar, Dirnt himself got a guitar. With Armstrong taking to writing his own material, the pair started a band. Sean Hughes played with them on bass; he joined for fun, while Armstrong was serious about creating music. Though they had other members, Raj Punjabi was the most frequent drummer in the line-up. They went through several names before sticking with Sweet Children. Armstrong and Dirnt worked security at punk club 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, California, a position they used to analyse the various punk bands that performed there. Despite having jobs at the venue, they were unable to play there as Sweet Children as owner Tim Yohannan did not think the band sounded punk enough. One day, they invited John Kiffmeyer, drummer of Gilman performers Isocracy, to jam with them. Kiffmeyer helped refine their sound, and give them a work ethic of recording music as cheaply and quickly as possible, in homage to the acts that influenced them, such the Buzzcocks and Ramones. Further inspiration was drawn from bands that performed at Gilman, where Armstrong mostly saw shows. Sweet Children played their first show at Gilman in November 1988, supporting Neurosis. They started gaining a following at Gilman in addition to playing house parties. During this time, Hughes left and Dirnt moved to the bass role. The latter latched on to the instrument quicker than he did guitar, practicing it at school during break periods and lunchtime.

Signing and recording

During one house party, Sweet Children were brought to the attention of Larry Livermore, who operated the local zine Lookout. Lookout Records spun off from the publication, though originally planned to only release material from Livermore's band the Lookouts. Sometime later, he signed Sweet Children after they played a show with the Lookouts. Livermore was confident before they ended the first track of their set that he wanted to make an album with them. Sweet Children recorded their debut EP, 1,000 Hours, at the Art of Ears Studio in San Francisco, California, in early 1989. Andy Ernst co-produced the proceedings with the band; he worked with fellow Lookout act Corrupted Morals prior to the session. Reportedly recorded in seven hours, the songs were done live with a few overdubs added afterwards.

Composition and lyrics

thumb|right|alt=Three men on a stage playing instruments|Gaar said listeners, who might be unaware of the style of Sweet Children, could infer influences from [[the Romantics.]]

The sound of 1,000 Hours was described as up-tempo power pop by Gaar, The songs, as he writes, are sung near "breathlessly, as if Billie Joe wants to hurry through the numbers before losing his nerve in confessing his love ..." Livermore theorized that one reason for altering their name was that there was a band with the similar-sounding name of Sweet Baby,

1,000 Hours EP released in April 1989 through Lookout Records on seven-inch vinyl. Gaar suggested that the extra credits alluded to back cover, which had Armstrong wearing a baseball cap on backwards and Dirnt hanging off a railing upside as his hair reaches the floor below. The second pressing of the EP included a lyric sheet, offering credits for the songs. They then supported Necromancy for a show in Davis, California, 50 miles away from where they were located. Around this time, Armstrong and Dirnt were preoccupied with appearing in other bands: Blatz and Corrupted Morals for the former, and Crummy Musicians for the latter.

Critics latched on to the production of EP. Raggett focused on "how polished, even downright professional, everything sounds ... clearly recorded and instantly engaging." 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, and the 1,000 Hours and Slappy (1990) EPs.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Billie Joe Armstrong, except "The One I Want" by Armstrong and Mike Dirnt; all music written by Green Day. and Gaar.

Green Day

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

Production and artwork

  • Andy Ernst — producer
  • Green Day — producer
  • Murray Bowles — photography

Notes

References

Citations

Sources

<!-- This is a licensed stream for the album, which is allowed under Wikipedia polices -->

  • Official stream as part of 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours (tracks 15–18) at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)