Billie Joe Armstrong ‘No Fun Mondays’ Review: Signature punk melodies on quarantine covers make for a wholesome listen
The Covid-19 global lockdown has affected the mental health of many but there were a lot of musicians who put the quarantine to good use and dropped fresh music for loyal fans. Out of the many, Green Day frontman, Billie Joe Armstrong also decided to not waste time sitting idle, and here we are, with his fresh project. His new work hits the Internet on November 27, 2020.
However, there is a little twist in the tale. The 48-year-old singer’s new project which is titled ‘No Fun Mondays’ is not really an original but a collection of 14 covers of popular songs from different artistes. If we talk about a full-length album, Green Day had dropped their 13th album titled ‘Father of All…’ in February 2020 which was a follow-up to their 2016 project ‘Revolution Radio.’
For his new project, the lead vocalist of the band made covers during his quarantine which include songs from John Lennon, Billy Bragg and Adam Schlesinger among others. Billie had first announced his quarantine cover album in the first week of October.
Talking about the same in an official statement, the vocalist had earlier said, “While we’ve all been in quarantine I’ve been reflecting on the things that matter the most in my life: family, friends, and, of course, music. I figure if we have to spend this time in isolation at least we can be alone together.” Surprisingly, Billie has already dropped quite a number of songs on the official YouTube channel of Green Day.
Released in the very beginning of the quarantine, Billie Joe dropped the cover of ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’ by Tommy James & the Shondells. Billie covered the 1967 hit number in his bedroom. Since it is a cover, you will, of course, find a lot of similarities but Billie Joe Armstrong also made sure he gives his personal touch with a lot of strong guitar riffs along with polished mixing and mastering.
They also released a video for the same on their official YouTube channel. ‘War Stories’ is the next cover which was originally recorded by the Starjets in 1979. The lyrics of the track go like, “Snow falls and we make our way to frontiers we are sent/ Delay can be dangerous, danger ’til the end/ Back against the wall, Young men heed the call/ Prisoners take control, Soon be going home.”
Except for sounding new because it was electrically mixed, the cover doesn’t have a lot of difference with the original but yes, it does sound wonderful when plugged into the speakers. The animated video is another plus point. Next in the line is ‘Manic Monday’ by The Bangles from the year 1986. Billie Joe also roped in artist Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles which is surely a treat for the listeners.
The original semi pop-rock song gets a little different treatment here with Billie going super hard on the guitar riffs but in the same BPM. The quarantine rendition is surely one of our favorites from the list.
‘Corpus Christi’s cover of San Francisco band The Avengers runs for 3 minutes 27 seconds and is also one of the favorite tracks of Billie Joe, as revealed by himself. We love how the cover of the 1983 hit rock song is a little jumpy which makes us easily transport back to the same era. The solo guitar riffs topped with heavy drum work and minimal vocals are surely a treat to the ears.
With his next cover, Bille Joe tries to pay a heartfelt tribute to the late Adam Schlesinger with his popular track ‘That Thing You Do!’ However, the cover doesn’t sound really different and we rather listen to the original any given day. Next in the queue is a 1996 rock number with a pop twist ‘Amico’ by veteran Italian artiste Don Backy. The quarantine rendition by Billie Joe runs for 2 minutes 27 seconds and the only best part is that he covered the track in Italian which is surely a herculean task to pull off.
‘You Can’t Put Your Arms Round A Memory’ by Johnny Thunders is the next cover in ‘No Fun Mondays.’ The lyrics of the 1978’s popular number go like, “It doesn't pay to try, All the smart boys know why/ It doesn't mean I didn't try, I just never know why, Feel so cold and all alone/ ‘Cause, baby, you're not at home, And when I'm home/ Big deal, I'm still alone.”
This is one song, we thought Billy Joe should have skipped as the original is untouchable with a little country accent and minimal music. Unfortunately, Billie’s cover completely ruins it.
British singer Kim Wilde’s 1981 track ‘Kids in America’ was surely a banger in its days, thanks to its treatment of rock infused with disco. Billie Joe, here, skipped the disco part and it still sounded good for a change. The guitar and the drum work, however, did sound a little boring but the vocals came to the rescue. ‘Not That Way Anymore’ by Shiv Bators is another song Billie Joe picked from the 80’s and we are not complaining.
Not as good as the original, but Billie Joe does succeed in holding our attention till the end of the track. His next in the line is ‘That’s Rock‘N’Roll’ by Eric Carmen who was also in The Raspberries. The cover of the 1975 track runs for 2minutes 57seconds on the clock and the subtle drum work with powerful vocals from Billie Joe does make the song catchy.
Not that the original was less catchy but on a bright sunny day, we would love to plug into this cover. His next cover comes in the form of ‘Gimme Some Truth’ originally crooned by the legendary John Lennon. Thanks to the position the late singer holds, it is difficult to overlook his work with this cover. The protest song has been covered by various artistes in the past and it is better we stick to the original as Bille, to be really honest, does an average job here.
‘Police On My Back’ was originally written and performed by The Equals, Eddy Grant’s beat group from the 60s. And, of course, The Clash nailed it later. Coming a little close to the original, Bille Joe does pull the catchy number with his exceptional guitar work and his outstanding vocals. We love how the song flows till the end. We would recommend you to listen to this quarantine rendition for sure.
Billie Joe also released a cover of Wreckless Eric’s ‘Whole Wide World’ as part of the Amazon Original series in September 2020. The cover of the 1977 track starts on a slow note with raspy vocals paired with sharp guitar riffs, but soon changes its tempo to a hardcore rock song. Billie wraps up ‘No Fun Mondays’ with the cover of ‘A New England’ which runs for 2minutes9seconds.
This catchy number by Billy Bragg from 1983 opens with, “I was twenty-one years when I wrote this song, I'm twenty-two now, but I won't be for long/ People ask when will you grow up to be a man, But all the girls I loved at school/ Are already pushing prams.”
The original reminds us of the teen college movies from the ’80s. Billie hasn’t tried to mimic the original but it also doesn’t sound any exceptional as we have heard similar tracks from the Green Day frontman earlier and we rather pick those than listen to this one. Our verdict for this one would be better stick to the original here.
In a nutshell, Billie Joe Armstrong’s quarantine renditions in ‘No Fun Mondays’ do witness a lot of ups and downs but his signature melodic-punk spin saves the album. We would also love to see a new full-length album from him at the earliest.
‘No Fun Mondays’ will hit the Internet via Reprise/Warner Records and fans can stream the album here. Apart from the digital release, fans can also grab a limited-edition, baby blue vinyl of the album, complete with a glow-in-the-dark cover, through Green Day’s official web store.