Green Day - American Idiot

Green Day — American Idiot 20th Anniversary One-Step Edition

Because Sound Matters One-Step pressing

192/24 files from the original master tape

Mastered for vinyl by Levi Seitz at Blackbelt Studios

Limited to 3,000 numbered copies

One-Step plating and pressing on 180-gram high-definition vinyl at RTI

Stoughton Printing Old Style tip-on jacket with original artwork

Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, rated 248/500 in 2020!

Green Day unleashed a tempest of sonic brilliance with their magnum opus, American Idiot. The year is 2004, and Green Day, fresh from a period of relative quiet, is about to ignite a revolution. Enter American Idiot, a high-octane, politically-charged punk opera that smashed through norms with electrifying fervor.

Fueled by lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong's fervent dissatisfaction with the political climate and a palpable desire to shake up the status quo, this album emerges as a blistering critique of American society and its media circus. The album follows the story of Jesus of Suburbia, a lower-middle class American adolescent anti-hero. The band used unconventional techniques for themselves, including transitions between connected songs and some long, chaptered, creative compositions presenting the album themes.

American Idiot became one of the most anticipated releases of 2004. It marked a career comeback for Green Day, charting in 27 countries, reaching for the first time the top spot on the Billboard 200 for the group and peaking at No. 1 in 18 other countries. It has sold more than 23 million copies worldwide, making it the second best-selling album for the band (behind their 1994 major-label debut, Dookie) and one of the best-selling albums of the decade and all time. It was later certified 6× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2013. The album spawned five successful singles: the titular track, "American Idiot," "Holiday," "Wake Me Up When September Ends," "Jesus of Suburbia" and the Grammy Award for Record of the Year winner "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."

Hailed as one of the greatest albums of all time, American Idiot was nominated for Album of the Year and won the award for Best Rock Album at the 2005 Grammy Awards.

Because Sound Matters' meticulous One-Step process creates the definitive sounding audiophile version of Green Day's American Idiot. This 20th Anniversary One-Step Edition is strictly limited to 3,000 copies and is housed in a top-quality foil-stamped uniquely designed numbered slipcase. The enclosed gatefold double LP features a Stoughton Printing Old-Style double gatefold tip-on jacket with original artwork.

Because Sound Matters One-Step Details
Audio Source: 192/24 files From Original Master Tapes
Vinyl Compound: Neotech VR900-D2 180-gram High-Definition Vinyl
Vinyl Mastering: Levi Seitz at Blackbelt Studios
One-Step Process: Dorin Sauerbier at RecordTechnology, Inc.
Pressing: Record Technology, Inc.
Packaging & Print: Stoughton Printing Company
Process Notes For This Release:

American Idiot was recorded in the digital domain and mixed to analog tape. Those original flat master tapes were then carefully transferred to 192/24 wav files that ended up being the audio source for the One-Step pressing.

We used Neotech VR900-D2 180-gram vinyl compound which is the same as what is known as Super Vinyl — the best in the world.

Levi Seitz at Blackbelt Mastering (Linkin Park,Metallica, Pearl Jam, Beyonce etc) cut the multiple sets of lacquers required. Being a massive Green Day fan himself — Levi already knew every little sound on this iconic album.

Dorin Sauerbier at Record Technology, Inc (RTI) has been plating records for decades and is considered the best in the world — he also has done more One-Step processing than anybody. This is a vital step in the process to ultimately delivering the absolute best sounding version of American Idiot ever.

RTI did the pressing — using the exact pressing machine used for so many Mobile Fidelity One-Step releases.

Our slipcases, "Old Style" tip-on original art jackets, and inserts were printed by the world renowned Stoughton Printing Company.