By now we’re all familiar with the cycle. A classic album reaches its 10th, 20th, 30th anniversary and the band in question releases a re-mastered, deluxe edition, box set. Double pack with a photograph, extra track and a tacky badge, and so on. Then they go on tour, and play said album in full.
So props to Green Day for thinking outside the box. Their 1994 album Dookie reaches 30 this year, but rather than go down that same old dull heritage route, they’ve announced that they are going to ‘de-master’ their breakthrough album.
So what is ‘de-mastering? Well, in this case it involves transferring Dookie onto a range of unconventional formats. Like a doorbell. Or a Gameboy cartridge. Or a toothbrush.
The band have teamed up with LA-based art studio BRAIN to deliver their vision. “When an album hits a big milestone like its 30th anniversary, it gets the usual remasters on the usual formats. But ‘Dookie’ isn’t a usual album,” Green Day announced in a statement.
“Instead of smoothing out its edges and tweaking its dynamic ranges, this version of Dookie has been meticulously mangled to fit on formats with uncompromisingly low fidelity, from wax cylinders to answering machines to toothbrushes. The listening experience is unparalleled, sacrificing not only sonic quality, but also convenience, and occasionally entire verses,” it added.
“The result is ‘Dookie Demastered’: the album that exploded the format of punk rock, re-exploded onto 15 obscure, obsolete, and otherwise inconvenient formats, the way it was never meant to be heard.”
You have to admit, there’s a certain kind of brilliance to this. After all, in its original form Dookie was hardly Dark Side Of The Moon. It’s not an album you turn to if you’re out seeking out the sonic cutting edge. It’s a ramalama punk rock album that rejoices in its silliness. So it’s entirely in keeping that you can now buy a Big Mouth Billy Bass (you know, one of those animatronic talking fish) that will play Basket Case.
In all there are 15 different formats for the 15 tracks on the album. BUT numbers are very limited. There are only 10 All By Myself music boxes and only a single toothbrush that plays, well, Pulling Teeth.
To have a chance of purchasing any of the items, fans are advised to go to the Green Day website here and enter a draw. But be quick – it ends 11am tomorrow Eastern Time.
Fans seem to be lapping it up. One the band’s Reddit page one wrote: “This is so f***king funny and I love that they’re doing this.” Another chimed in with: “Probably some of the dumbest sh*t this band has ever put out… I f***king want it.”
