''Sweet Children'' is the third EP by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...

. It was released in August 1990 through

Skene! Records Skene! Records was an American DIY punk rock record label founded in Connecticut in 1988 by Jeff Spiegel, then later based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. An early album release was ''Better Yet Connecticut Hardcore'', featuring bands such as Bug Gulp, ...

. The name of the EP is a reference to the original name of the band.

History

The EP is a collection of some of the band's earliest songs that they were still playing live at the time. It was recorded in two hours on July 5, 1990, at Six Feet Under in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

while the band was on a brief break from their summer tour,Green Day: The Complete History, Guitar Legends
. Retrieved 2009-11-17 and released on seven-inch vinyl. The EP was released on Minneapolis-based indie label

. These were the last recordings drummer

John Kiffmeyer John Kiffmeyer (born July 11, 1969), known professionally as Al Sobrante, is an American cinematographer and retired musician and songwriter. He is best known as the first drummer for the punk rock band Green Day. His stage name is a reference to ...

would contribute to the band. Shortly after the end of the tour, he left the band to attend college. Also of note, "My Generation" features a line from the film '' Blue Velvet'': "

Heineken Heineken Lager Beer ( nl, Heineken Pilsener), or simply Heineken () is a pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 Febr ...

? Fuck that shit!", said by the primary

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist. Etymology The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...

Frank Booth, although it's not the actual audio sample.

Pressings

There are five different pressings of the EP (some limited quantities included two different variations of red vinyl). The first four have been out of print since its inclusion on the CD issue of Green Day's second album '' Kerplunk'' in 1992. Because of this, it has since become a valuable and sought-after item among collectors and Green Day fans alike. The first pressing's cover is a picture of Mike Dirnt's leg during a concert. The second pressing's cover is a black and white picture of a somewhat trashed

Volkswagen Beetle The Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in German (meaning "beetle"), in parts of the English-speaking world the Bug, and known by many other nicknames in other languages—is a two-door, rear-engine economy car, ...

with the caption "What Do You Think Mike..." This rare second pressing, limited to 600 copies as opposed to the first run's respectable 1,500, also featured a handwritten insert, reading "Not a lyrics sheet, so don't get your hopes up". The third pressing is the same as the one above in every way except there is no insert, and the cover, instead of being black and white, is tinted red. The fourth pressing is a reissue, possibly from 1991, for it has a lengthy summary on the back which explains that the songs are also on ''Kerplunk''. The cover is mostly blank, featuring only a picture of children, although at the bottom of the cover it explains that the EP is only a re-release. On March 24, 2009, the EP was back in print as it was included with the vinyl reissue of ''Kerplunk''. It is a reissue of the first pressing. In 1990, on the first day of the EP's release, it sold 493 copies.

Track listing

Personnel

Billie Joe Armstrong Billie Joe Armstrong (born February 17, 1972) is an American musician who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Green Day, which he co-founded with Mike Dirnt in 1987. He is also a guitarist and vocalist for t ...

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, writing *

Mike Dirnt Michael Ryan Pritchard (born May 4, 1972), better known by his stage name Mike Dirnt, is an American rock musician who is the co-founder, bassist, backing and occasional lead vocalist, and former guitarist of Green Day. He has also played in sev ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

, writing ("Best Thing in Town") *

Al Sobrante John Kiffmeyer (born July 11, 1969), known professionally as Al Sobrante, is an American cinematographer and retired musician and songwriter. He is best known as the first drummer for the punk rock band Green Day. His stage name is a reference t ...

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, backing vocals

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sweet Children (Ep) Green Day EPs 1990 EPs Reprise Records EPs Skene! Records EPs sv:Green Day#De tidiga åren