Green Day to release “Awesome” live album


California punk rock band Green Day surprised fans this Valentine’s Day by releasing a new song recorded live on their world tour last year entitled “Cigarettes and Valentines.”

With an infectious bass line, pounding drums and catchy guitar riffs, this track is actually something the band wrote before the release of 2004’s platinum rock opera American Idiot.

“Cigarettes and Valentines” was part of an entire album that the band recorded around 2003 only to find that all of its tracks had been stolen from the studio. Instead of re-recording everything, they felt they could step out of their comfort zone and try something entirely different from their past repertoire. Hence, American Idiot was born.

The new track certainly seems more reminiscent of Green Day’s older material from the ‘90s, but it still channels their evolution over the years masterfully. “Cigarettes and Valentines” will be one of 17 tracks on the DVD which will be bundled up with a 16 song live album to be released on March 22, 2011.

The tracklists for both options are impressive but also slightly upsetting considering that Green Day was playing sets that spanned over three hours and were made up of 35-42 songs.

Still, this album will transport fans back to the fantastic memories of seeing a revolutionary live band like Green Day and will give music fans who have not had a chance to see the band live a small sampling of their madness.

In the spirit of Green Day’s furiously energetic live shows, the bundle is aptly titled “Awesome as F***” and is available for pre-order now through iTunes and Amazon.