Operation Ivy

selected Operation Ivy TShirTS, PosTerS & Prints

Operation Ivy were an influential ska punk band that originated from the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Operation Ivy consisted of frontman Jesse Michaels (vocals), Tim Armstrong (credited as "Lint") (vocals/guitar), Matt Freeman (credited as Matt McCall) (bass/backing vocals), and Dave Mello (Drums/backing vocals). Their name was derived from the Operation Ivy series of nuclear tests; the name was one of many previously abandoned by another Gilman band, Isocracy.

Operation Ivy existed between May of 1987 and May of 1989, as was chronicled in the lyrics of Rancid song "Journey to the End of the East Bay", which appeared on Rancid's ...And Out Come the Wolves: "Started in '87 / Ended in '89 / You got a garage or an amp, man we'll play anytime / It was just the four of us, / Yeah man, the core of us, / Too much attention unavoidably destroyed us".

Operation Ivy's first show was performed on May 16, 1987 in Dave Mello's garage. The next day began a tradition of Operation Ivy performances at the Berkeley ska/punk collective center 924 Gilman Street. Operation Ivy began playing a lot of gigs which led to their almost immediate cult-following. Later in 1987 Operation Ivy made their debut on a Maximum Rock'n'Roll compilation called Turn it Around. In January 1988, Operation Ivy signed to Lookout! Records, and released Hectic, their first E.P., which became one of Lookout!'s strongest sellers. By this time Operation Ivy (along with Crimpshrine and The Mr. T Experience) was one of the most popular Gilman/Berkeley Punk bands. Operation Ivy began getting many gigs and set out on a tour across the United States. By mid-1988 Operation Ivy began selling out larger venues and the pressure to sign to major labels began to rise.

Operation Ivy released Energy on Lookout! Records in May 1989. Operation Ivy broke up the same month, and their last official show was on May 28, 1989. It was also Green Day's first show with the name "Green Day" at Gilman, at what was supposed to have been their release party. Operation Ivy played one more show the following day, mainly for friends and family, in Robert Eggplant's backyard in Pinole, California. In two years, Operation Ivy had performed 185 shows and recorded a total of 28 songs.

The lyrics and tone of Operation Ivy's music portray a youthful desire for social justice and a strong distrust of mainstream or conformist culture.

Green Day did a cover of the Operation Ivy song "Knowledge" on the 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours compilation and have continued to play the song live. Several other artists have covered Operation Ivy songs, many of which are included on Glue Factory Records' 1997 Operation Ivy tribute album, titled Take Warning: The Songs of Operation Ivy. The most notable bands on this tribute are: Reel Big Fish covering "Unity" (track 2), Blue Meanies covering "Yellin' In My Ear" (track 5), Cherry Poppin' Daddies covering "Sound System" (track 6), The Hippos covering "Freeze Up" (track 10) and The Aquabats with a campfire-style cover of "Knowledge" (track 13). Other bands to cover Operation Ivy songs include a rendition of "Healthy Body" by Area-7, "Sound System" by Big D and the Kids Table, "Caution" by No Trigger and more covers of "Knowledge" by both Millencolin and Evergreen Terrace (band). Many local bands from around the country are keeping the spirit of 87' alive, covering Operation Ivy songs. Additionally, it is not uncommon for Rancid to play a few Operation Ivy songs at their shows.

In 1991, two years after Operation Ivy's breakup, Lookout! put together a compilation consisting of the Energy album, the Hectic EP, and songs from compilations. It was released as a complete Operation Ivy discography (sometimes referred to as a re-release of the Energy album). It contains 27 songs, following Operation Ivy's recorded history.

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