In 1994, three Bay Area punks were busy selling 10 million copies of an album named after pooh. Here we are 15 years later and Green Day is once again the biggest band in America, only this time their success isn't due to songs about getting high in their mom's basement, but because of their second political rock opera. Go figure.

The ambitious format allows Billie Joe Armstrong to take the music anywhere he wants go. Though the majority of the record is driven by Green Day's signature bratty punk, there is plenty of room within the 18 tracks and three acts for a bit of everything -- including all of the sappiness that comes along with the legitimate theater. ("Viva La Gloria" would make a great addition to Elton John's catalog and "Last Night On Earth" could be a hit on adult contemporary radio.)

Whatever the style, Green Day pulls it off masterfully. They grab your attention and hold it for 66 minutes as protagonists Christian and Gloria fight against the trappings of modern America. Hooray for Green Day for making an album that makes people listen cover to cover.