| 39/Smooth | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 13, 1990 | |||
| Recorded | December 29, 1989 – January 2, 1990 | |||
| Studio | Art of Ears, San Francisco, California | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 31:12 | |||
| Label | Lookout | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Green Day chronology | ||||
| ||||
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.
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 bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer John Kiffmeyer 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 opted to enroll in college and did not tell 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.