Green Day released their first hits collection in 2001, just prior to opening up a wildly successful second act with 2004's
American Idiot.
Greatest Hits: God's Favorite Band incorporates all the hits from that second act in an album that's just one song longer than the 21-track
International Superhits! God's Favorite Band repeats ten songs from its predecessor and they're all the ones you'd expect: "Longview," "Welcome to Paradise," "Basket Case," "When I Come Around," "She," "Brain Stew," "Hitchin' a Ride," "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)," "Minority," and "Warning." Similarly, the six
Green Day albums since
International Superhits! are represented by the big hits -- "American Idiot," "Holiday," "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," "Wake Me Up When September Ends," "Know Your Enemy" -- with the triple-album
¡Uno!,
¡Dos!,
¡Tré! being dismissed with only one song ("Oh Love"). To this foundation, the band adds two new cuts -- "Back in the USA" and a duet with
Miranda Lambert called "Ordinary World" -- but the real appeal of
God's Favorite Band is how it serves as a testament for the longevity of
Green Day, which is the opposite argument of
International Superhits! That collection still stands as an excellent distillation of
Green Day's frenetic '90s, while this one paints the band as sturdy rock & roll lifers. [
Greatest Hits: God's Favorite Band was also released in a clean version with explicit content removed.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine