39/Smooth is the debut studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on April 13, 1990, by Lookout Records. After finalizing their line-up, the band played frequent shows at the 924 Gilman Street venue, where they started attracting a following and eventually caught the attention of Lookout Records' founder Larry Livermore. Following the release of their debut EP 1,000 Hours (1989) and stints in other bands, Green Day went to Art of Ears Studio, located in San Francisco, California, to record their debut studio album, which was co-produced with Andy Ernst. Sessions started at late December 1989 and ended in January 1990, costing $675. 39/Smooth has been tagged as punk rock, pop-punk and skate punk, with comparisons made to the work of older punk bands the Buzzcocks and the Ramones, as well to contemporaries Crimpshrine and the Lookouts. Written mostly by frontman and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, unrequited love and longing for desire served as the main lyrical topics, while reminiscing on youth appeared in two of the songs. It is the band's only album to feature drummer John Kiffmeyer.
39/Smooth was met with acclaim within Green Day's contemporary community; retrospective reviews praised the songwriting and individual musicianship of each of the band members, while some critics were more negative of the album. In the lead-up to the album's release, Armstrong dropped out of high school, and the members took up odd jobs while Kiffmeyer and bassist Mike Dirnt continued their education. To promote 39/Smooth, the band embarked on a 45-date tour of the United States, which began in June 1990. By its end, Kiffmeyer enrolled in college without notifying the other members, with Armstrong learning of it through a friend.
The album, plus related EPs from the time, were included on the 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours (1991) compilation album, which is often erroneously referred to as the band's debut. By 1994, 39/Smooth had sold 75,000 copies, and in the following year, peaked at number five on the US Billboard Top Pop Catalog Albums chart. Publications have ranked the album towards the lower end of the band's discography, such as number 10 by Kerrang! and Paste and number 11 by Spin.
Background and recording
Following a shared interest in music, and the creation of original material, guitarists Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt formed a band. After going through another name, they stuck with Sweet Children; Armstrong and Dirnt worked security at punk club 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, California. John Kiffmeyer, also known as "Al Sobrante", drummer of Gilman performers Isocracy, was invited to play with them. He helped refine Sweet Children's sound, and taught them a work ethic of recording music as cheaply and quickly as possible. Sweet Children played their first Gilman show in November 1988, where they accumulated a fan base; after the departure of bassist Sean Hughes, Dirnt moved to bass. During a house party, Sweet Children were brought to the attention of Larry Livermore, who operated Lookout Records, which was originally planned to only release material from Livermore's band the Lookouts.
Livermore subsequently signed Sweet Children following a show with the Lookouts. The record deal made the members of Sweet Children realize that they needed a new name, ultimately choosing Green Day. They played their last show under the old moniker on April 1, 1989, at Gilman for a benefit show. That same month, the 1,000 Hours EP was released through on seven-inch vinyl. Livermore commented that due to the poppy nature of the release that it would be difficult to sell to record buyers, taking around six months for the EP to start attracting attention from the public. Author Ben Myers wrote in Green Day: American Idiots & The New Punk Explosion (2006) that while it did not have a unique musical direction amongst the band's peers, During this time, Armstrong and Dirnt played in other bands, such as Blatz, Corrupted Morals and Crummy Musicians.
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Green Day recorded their debut album at Art of Ears Studio in San Francisco, California, Andy Ernst, who previously worked on the 1,000 Hours EP, co-produced the sessions with members of the band. Sessions started on December 29, 1989; Armstrong and Dirnt tracked their vocals at the same time in order to save on both money and time. Myers noted that the members' influences, such as the Buzzcocks, the Clash and the Ramones, "all of whom recorded quickly, and it clearly showed as they applied the same sense of pared-down economy to their own blistering debut." The majority of the album was finished the following day, preceded by guitar parts and vocal harmonies. The album was mixed and completed by January 2, 1990. The sessions cost $675 (), charged to Livermore. John Golden mastered the recordings at K Disc Mastering in Hollywood, California Musically, 39/Smooth has been tagged as punk rock, He also highlighted the sound of the Buzzcocks and Hüsker Dü as points of comparison,<!-- editorial by an established writer, not USERG -->
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With album opener "At the Library with Waba Sé Wasca", Allyson Johnson of The Young Folks said the band presented the Southern Californian sound that managed to "both fit them in the scene while allowing them to stand out ..." She added that it displayed the formula for which they would continue to use throughout their career: "The gritty and buzzsaw sounding guitars only make for a more immediate, satisfying star." Armstrong said "Don't Leave Me" was about an occasion in the seventh grade where a girl had broken up with him. "I Was There" has lyrics written by Kiffmeyer; Jack Holly of The Young Folks said Armstrong can be heard recounting locations him and his bandmates had visited and individuals they have encountered in their brief run as a band.
Release
Promotion and packaging
In February 1990, Armstrong dropped out of high school shortly prior to the release of their debut album, Around this time, as Dirnt and Kiffmeyer focused on working and education, a tour for the band spanning 45 dates across the US was scheduled. It started on June 19, 1990, on the West Coast, going up to Canada, before returning to the US, from where they journeyed to the East Coast, travelling to Florida, moving to the Midwest and ending in California.|group="nb"
They played in a variety of punk clubs, house parties and bars, with crowd sizes varying from 50 people to 500. Venues that scheduled the band received contracts from them with two requests – that nourishment and accommodation was prioritized over money, and did ask for a minimum of $100 if there was enough to spare, though stipulated this was not a requirement. The band stated on the contracts the places "do not have to give us any of these things, of course we don't have to tune before we play either." To aid their income, they bought inexpensive shirts from local business, which were then printed with their band logo and promptly put on sale at the gigs. They also gave a discount to attendees to bring their own shirts to the shows for printing.
Though the tour was seen as a success by the band, Kiffmeyer did not want to go through the hassle of such an endeavor again and instead enrolled in Humboldt State College in Arcata, California later in the year. He did not outright tell them that he was departing. Armstrong was surprised by this as he only found out through <!-- the person, not the publication -->Cometbus. Afterwards, Armstrong was unsure if he wanted to continue the band. Dave EC of Filth and the Wynona Riders joined Green Day, though left after a few weeks. Armstrong remembered Tré Cool and learned that he was free. Cool had been playing with the Lookouts since he was 12. At age 16, Cool was a regular of the Gilman scene, going to parties and playing with various acts. Through this, he became familiar with Armstrong and Dirnt. Cool ultimately joined Green Day in late 1990.
The later CD release of 39/Smooth featured tracks from the two prior EPs, in addition to I Want to Be Alone, which was previously released on a Flipside magazine various artist compilation in 1990. This version was retitled 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours, which omitted the letters from Kiffmeyer, Livermore and I.R.S., and included the 1,000 Hours and Slappy EPs. 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 (1991), and the 1,000 Hours and Slappy EPs. "Going to Pasalacqua" was pressed on a seven-inch vinyl record, with "Road to Acceptance" and "Disappearing Boy" as the B-sides, as part of the Ultimate Collectors 7" Vinyl Singles Box Set (2009) collection. In the lead up to the Green Day: Rock Band (2010) video game, Cool said that while the master tapes for 39/Smooth still exist, the process to digitize them would destroy the tape given their age.
Reception
39/Smooth was met with acclaim within the local community and on a national level due to Lookout Records' outreach.
Some critics praised the songwriting found on 39/Smooth. Spitz and Gaar said the writing had positively evolved from 1,000 Hours, with the former praising the lyrics,
A few reviews focused on the individual aspects of the band members. Robbins and Neugebauer complimented Armstrong for his "well-mannered lyrics - hopeful, uncertain, self-conscious", which "manage only mild psychic discomfort ... and romantic tension rather than any rebellious insurgence." Raggett remarked that Dirnt was "no slouch himself, providing good backing vocals when needed for harmony ..." Raggett highlighted Kiffmeyer for the "most prominent performance throughout" the album,
Others were more negative of 39/Smooth, with some only highlighting a single track. AllMusic reviewer Ned Raggett said it "isn't a truly great album in the first place. It's not bad, by any means ... It's just little more than a fun punk-pop album with some entertaining metallic flash here and there," akin to a multitude of albums created in the late 1980s and early 1990s. For Kerrang!, writer Ian Winwood said upon hearing the album in the present day, it comes across as a "collection rich in promise but lacking in real-time impact." Ira Robbins and Delvin Neugebauer of Trouser Press said the album was a "relatively tame power-pop affair. Although plucky and brash, the music is too timid to even flirt with punk intensity levels." Winwood, reviewing for BBC Music, also highlighted "Going to Pasalacqua", Marc Hogan of PopMatters singled out "I Was There" as a songwriting achievement.
Prior to the release of Green Day's major label debut, Dookie (1994), 39/Smooth had sold 75,000 copies. Lookout Records' operations director Chris Appelgren said the joint efforts of 39/Smooth and Kerplunk boosted sales of other albums in the label's catalog. In 1995, 39/Smooth peaked at number five on the US Billboard Top Pop Catalog Albums chart; Kerplunk appeared in the same listing, topping the chart. and number 11 by Spin. Jaret Reddick of Bowling for Soup,