BBC Sessions

BBC Sessions
Album Information
Release Date	December 10, 2021
Recorded	June 8, 1994-August 28, 2001 at Maida Vale Studios in London, England, U.K.
Genre	Punk rock
Length	48:27
Label	Reprise Records
Format	CD, 12" Vinyl
Awards and Sales
Sales	Unknown
Charts	UK Albums #44
Certification	N/A
Awards	N/A
Discography
Next Album	Nimrod (25th Anniversary Edition)

BBC Sessions is the ninth live album by Green Day.

Background

BBC Sessions features newly mastered live recordings of their songs from their sessions on the Steve Lamacq Show for BBC Radio One at the Maida Vale between June 8, 1994 and August 28, 2001. Every song played during those sessions is included on the album, with the exception of "One of My Lies" and "Scattered" from their 1998 session. The album contains 16 tracks across 4 different sessions, with each session containing 4 tracks. The album cover shows the black and white trio looking at the camera, with with their skin colored in white contrasted to the black background, surrounded by a gray border. The color visible is Billie Joe's tie in blue and his hair in yellow. The band's name is in small white text on the right side with the album title below in pink letters.

To promote the album Green Day released two limited edition EPs through their Oakland Coffee Works website, each containing two songs from the recordings: The BBC Sessions Part 1 on July 4, 2021 and The BBC Sessions Part 2 on September 15, 2021.

Release

A pre-order for BBC Sessions was put up on October 21, 2021. The album was released worldwide on December 10, 2021 through Reprise Records (under exclusive license from BBC) on both CD and 12" vinyl.

Singles

To promote the album Green Day released one song per week on their YouTube channel, starting with "2000 Light Years Away" on October 21, 2021.

Track Listing

All lyrics written by Billie Joe Armstrong; all music composed by Green Day except "2000 Light Years Away" written by Green Day, Jesse Michaels, Rippinz, and Dave EC.

For the cassette version, side A consists of tracks 1-4, side B consists of tracks 5-8, side C consists of tracks 9-12, and side D consists of tracks 13-16.

No.	Title	Date recorded	Length
1.	"She"	June 8, 1994 in London, England, U.K.	2:11
2.	"When I Come Around"	June 8, 1994 in London, England, U.K.	2:52
3.	"Basket Case"	June 8, 1994 in London, England, U.K.	2:56
4.	"2000 Light Years Away"	June 8, 1994 in London, England, U.K.	2:38
5.	"Geek Stink Breath"	November 3, 1996 in London, England, U.K.	2:06
6.	"Brain Stew/Jaded"	November 3, 1996 in London, England, U.K.	4:34
7.	"Walking Contradiction"	November 3, 1996 in London, England, U.K.	2:35
8.	"Stuck with Me"	November 3, 1996 in London, England, U.K.	2:18
9.	"Hitchin' a Ride"	February 12, 1998 in London, England, U.K.	2:50
10.	"Nice Guys Finish Last"	February 12, 1998 in London, England, U.K.	2:57
11.	"Prosthetic Head"	February 12, 1998 in London, England, U.K.	3:33
12.	"Redundant"	February 12, 1998 in London, England, U.K.	3:16
13.	"Castaway"	August 28, 2001 in London, England, U.K.	3:50
14.	"Church on Sunday"	August 28, 2001 in London, England, U.K.	3:13
15.	"Minority"	August 28, 2001 in London, England, U.K.	3:18
16.	"Waiting"	August 28, 2001 in London, England, U.K.	3:20
Total Runtime:			48:27

Critical Reception

Source	Rating
Aggregate scores
Metacritic	84/100
Review scores
AllMusic	4/5 stars
Classic Rock magazine	4/5 stars
Kerrang! magazine	4/5 stars
Mojo magazine	4/5 stars

On Metacritic, BBC Sessions currently hold a rating of 84/100 based on four reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave the album a rating of 4/5 stars stating "Taken together, the BBC Sessions emphasizes both the connective threads and creative evolution of Green Day during the first act of their career, which makes it a worthy historical document in addition to a first-rate live album." Ian Winwood of Kerrang! rated the album 4/5 stars, calling it a "collection of impossibly fluent songs delivered in momentary fashion."

Mojo gave the album a rating of 4/5 stars stating it was "a reminder that Green Day's songwriting is far more nuanced than they're often given credit for". Classic Rock also gave the album a rating 4/5 stars stated "Although there are 16 tracks here from four sessions at the BBC's Maida Vale studios between that date [June 8, 1994] and August 2001, there's something about the four tracks they recorded while riding high on Dookie's success that crackle with extra force." Writing for Ultimate Classic Rock, Gary Graff stated that BBC Sessions is "a welcome adjunct and a study in how consistently strong and exciting the group has been while handling changes - both subtle and dramatic - in its sound."

Billie Joe has stated "oftentimes I think the BBC session recordings are better than the originals."

Charts

Chart (2021-2022)	Peak position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)	79
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)	19
Scottish Albums (OCC)	27
UK Albums (OCC)	44

Personnel

Green Day

• Billie Joe Armstrong – vocals, guitar
• Mike Dirnt – bass, backing vocals
• Tré Cool – drums

Production

• Mita Adhikari - producer on tracks 1-4
• Steve Lamacq - host, liner notes

Artwork

• Alex Tenta - art direction, design
• Marina Chavez - photography

Companies

• Reprise Records - label (under exclusive license)
• BBC - label
• Maida Vale Studios - recording studio
• Warner Music - publishers, distributers
• Green Daze Music - publishers
• Sonopress - manufacturers (CD)
• GZ Media - manufacturers (vinyl)

Gallery

CD Version

Front Cover

Back Cover

Disc

Inside Cover 1

Inside Cover 2

Insert 1

Insert 2

Insert 3

Insert 4

Insert 5

Insert 6

Insert 7

Front Cover (Japanese version)

Back Cover (Japanese version)

Vinyl Version

Front Cover

Back Cover

Disc Side A

Disc Side B

Disc Side C

Disc Side D

Insert 1

Insert 2

Trivia

• These recordings have notoriously been released on many bootlegs over the years.

External Links

• BBC Sessions on Discogs