''39/Smooth'' is the debut studio album 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 ...

, released on April 13, 1990, by Lookout Records. It was the band's only album to feature second drummer John Kiffmeyer. Jesse Michaels of

Operation Ivy Operation Ivy was the eighth series of American nuclear tests, coming after '' Tumbler-Snapper'' and before '' Upshot–Knothole''. The two explosions were staged in late 1952 at Enewetak Atoll in the Pacific Proving Ground in the Marshall Is ...

contributed the artwork on the album. The inner sleeve shows handwritten lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong and letters by drummer John Kiffmeyer and Lookout owner Larry Livermore to

I.R.S. Records I.R.S. Records was an American record label founded by Miles Copeland III, Jay Boberg, and Carl Grasso in 1979. I.R.S. produced some of the most popular bands of the 1980s, and was particularly known for issuing records by college rock, new wave ...

, rejecting a fake offer to sign to the label and declaring its loyalty to Lookout (however, the band would later leave the label and move to

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...

). There were no official singles released from the album, although "Going to Pasalacqua" was released as a mock-up single in a Green Day singles box set entitled ''Green Day: Ultimate Collectors''. ''39/Smooth'' was later re-released, along with the band's two previous extended plays ''

1,000 Hours ''1,000 Hours'' is the debut EP by American rock band Green Day. It was released on May 26, 1989, through Lookout Records with the catalog number LK 17. Album information “1,000 Hours” was written by Billie Joe about his best friend's sister ...

'' and ''

Slappy ''Slappy'' is the second EP by American rock band Green Day. It was released in 1990 through Lookout! Records. Upon its release, several different colors of vinyl were available in limited quantities. Billie Joe Armstrong cited the extended play ...

,'' and the song "I Want to Be Alone" (from ''The Big One,'' a compilation album released by Flipside Records in 1990) on the 1991 compilation ''

1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours ''1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours'' is a compilation album comprising early recordings by American rock band Green Day, released October 1, 1991, on Lookout Records. Often erroneously referred to as the band's debut album, the compilation combines ...

,'' which also used the same cover sleeve as ''39/Smooth''.

Release

''39/Smooth'' was released in 1990 and the first few releases were black vinyl. It was later released in green vinyl and only around 800 exist in green. The old pressings of the LP have the old Lookout

Laytonville Laytonville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Mendocino County, California, United States. It is located north-northwest of Willits, at an elevation of . The population was 1,152 at the 2020 census, down from 1,227 at the 2010 census. Geogr ...

address on the back. Following a move from Laytonville to

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...

in 1992, a change was made to the address listed on the jacket. The album was only modestly successful when initially released, selling just short of 3,000 copies for Lookout Records in its first year.Larry Livermore, "Life with Larry," ''Punk Planet,'' whole no. 13 (June–July 1996), pg. 19. While an insignificant sales count for a

major label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produc ...

, this represented a healthy and profitable tally for the fledgling underground label. In the spring of 1994, following the release of '' Dookie,'' Green Day's first major label offering, Lookout's sales of the title reached the 55,000 mark.Larry Livermore, "Life with Larry," ''Maximum Rocknroll,'' whole no. 133 (June 1994), pg. 29. A CD version of the album has not been made, but the LP's contents were later featured on the compilation album ''1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours'', which was released in 1991. The compilation was re-released in a remastered form in 2004. It was re-released on CD on January 9, 2007, by

, the label Green Day has been signed to since leaving Lookout!. Note that in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, the album was already re-released by Epitaph Europe, and has remained in print. It was reissued on vinyl on March 24, 2009, by Reprise in a package containing the original 10-song ''39/Smooth'' LP along with reissues of the ''1,000 Hours'' and ''Slappy'' EPs. No official singles were released from the album, but "Going to Pasalacqua" was released in a Green Day singles box set entitled ''Green Day: Ultimate Collectors''. “Disappearing Boy” was used as the backing track for the “Contests, Demos, Skate Parks” part in

Plan B Plan B typically refers to a contingency plan, a plan devised for an outcome other than in the expected plan. Plan B may also refer to: * Plan B, a brand name of levonorgestrel, an emergency contraception drug Film and television * Plan B En ...

’s 1992 '' Questionable'' video at the height of Plan B’s success.

Reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

rated the album 3 out of 5, commenting that "39/Smooth isn't a truly great album in the first place. It's not bad, by any means, and quite arguably just about everything on it could be transposed with a slight aural tweak here and there to ''Kerplunk'', ''Dookie'', ''Insomniac'' or ''Nimrod'' without anyone batting an eye." Pitchfork said that "It's raw stuff, but even at this point Green Day's records were at least halfway decently recorded, unlike most of their peers' tin-can-and-twine set-ups, and songs like 'At the Library' and 'Don't Leave Me' were downright hummable."

Track listing

Personnel

Green Day * Billie Joe Armstrong –

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 ...

* Mike Dirnt –

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 ...

* John Kiffmeyer –

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 ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

, backing vocals Production *

Andy Ernst Andy "Andro" Ernst is a music producer, engineer, musician, and songwriter from San Francisco. Artists he has worked with include: Green Day, AFI, Sway & King Tech, Rancid, Tiger Army, The Nerve Agents, Malo, Link 80, Screeching Weasel, Swingin ...

–

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

* Green Day – producers * John Golden – mastering * Susie Grant – front cover photo * Jesse Michaels – artwork * Pat Hynes – artwork, graphic design, layout design *

Chris Appelgren Chris Appelgren, also known as Chris Applecore, was owner and president of Lookout! Records from, 1997 when label founder Larry Livermore and partner Patrick Hynes retired, until 2012 when the label folded due to financial troubles and non-payment ...

;

Aaron Cometbus Aaron Elliott (born May 20, 1968), better known as Aaron Cometbus, is an American musician, songwriter, roadie, and magazine editor, best known as the creator of the punk zine ''Cometbus''. Career Born in Berkeley, California, Cometbus started ...

; Rich Gargano; David Hayes – artwork * Murray Bowles; Arica Pelino – photography

References

{{Authority control Green Day albums 1990 debut albums Lookout! Records albums Albums produced by Andy Ernst Reprise Records albums Epitaph Records albums