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Pennywise

 
Album Review: Pennywise

  • Artist: Pennywise
  • Rating: StarStarStarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: 1991
  • Total Time: 31:22
  • Type: Lyrics are included with the album
  • Genre: Rock

Review

At the heart of punk rock's early-'90s rebirth was a crew of California groups who put out their own fast and tight songs with plenty of influence from Bad Religion. Pennywise's self-titled record was one of the better records of this region and period, and its short and sweet anthems are still a great listen. From the unforgettable "No Reason Why" to the heartfelt ode "Bro Hymn and the theme-song glory of "Pennywise," this is some truly catchy punk rock. The guitars are a constant metallic presence along with high-speed drums and simple but memorable lyrics. This record literally never slows down, instead jumping from track to track and driving faster ahead every second. The music is unrelenting, but that doesn't mean you can't hear and in fact understand every word, a quality that drags the listener further and further in. There are way too many records still coming out that sound similar to this, but not only did this record emerge in 1991, it STILL has more heart than those that try to emulate it. With positive ideals and punk attitudes, this record is both a middle finger in the direction of authority and a call to unity for the disillusioned. Singer Jim Lindberg has a powerful voice, and with plenty of help on backing harmonies, the band is able to be both melodic and aggressive while still being believable. Punk rock isn't brain surgery, but this record helped make Pennywise one of the groups able to bring their message to the mainstream and at least give it a bit more credibility. ~ Peter J. D'Angelo, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Wouldn't It Be Nice (Lyrics) Pennywise Pennywise (2:06)
Rules Pennywise Pennywise (1:25)
The Secret Pennywise Pennywise (3:33)
Living for Today (Lyrics) Pennywise Pennywise (3:07)
Come Out Fighting Pennywise Pennywise (2:16)
Homeless (Lyrics) Pennywise Pennywise (2:09)
Open Door (Lyrics) Pennywise Pennywise (1:40)
Pennywise (Lyrics) Pennywise Pennywise (1:37)
Who's to Blame (Lyrics) Pennywise Pennywise (1:35)
Fun and Games Pennywise Pennywise (2:32)
Kodiak (Lyrics) Pennywise Pennywise (1:46)
Side One (Lyrics) Pennywise Pennywise (2:10)
No Reason Why (Lyrics) Pennywise Pennywise (2:36)
Bro Hymn (Lyrics) Pennywise Pennywise (3:00)

Credits

Pennywise (Arranger), Pennywise (Composer), Pennywise (Group), Pennywise (Main Performer), Fletcher (Guitar), Fred Hidalgo (Cover Design), Fred Hidalgo (Cover Art), Gavin Oglesby (Artwork), Gavin Oglesby (Art Direction)
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Wikipedia: Pennywise (album)
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Pennywise
Studio album by Pennywise
Released October 22, 1991
Recorded 1991 at Westbeach Recorders in Hollywood, California
Genre Punk rock
Length 31:32
Label Epitaph
Producer Pennywise
Professional reviews
Pennywise chronology
Wildcard
(EP)
(1989)
Pennywise
(1991)
A Word from the Wise/Wildcard
(1992)

Pennywise is the self-titled debut album by the punk band Pennywise, released on Epitaph Records on October 22, 1991.

Contents

Writing and production

Writing for the first Pennywise album began around 1989/1990. The band recorded it in 1991 at Westbeach Recorders in Hollywood, California.

Reception

Pennywise was released on October 22, 1991, and was the band's first album distributed via Epitaph Records. This self titled debut made some impact upon its 1991 release, along with Bad Religion's Suffer, helping to re-establish the Southern Californian punk rock scene.[citation needed] The album explores various themes, including ideas of a utopian world in the uplifting opening track, "Wouldn't It Be Nice", and ideas about living every day to the fullest in "Living for Today".

Track listing

All tracks by Pennywise

  1. "Wouldn't It Be Nice" – 2:06
  2. "Rules" – 1:25
  3. "The Secret" – 3:33
  4. "Living for Today" – 3:07
  5. "Come Out Fighting" – 2:16
  6. "Homeless" – 2:09
  7. "Open Door" – 1:40
  8. "Pennywise" – 1:37
  9. "Who's to Blame" – 1:35
  10. "Fun and Games" – 2:32
  11. "Kodiak" – 1:46
  12. "Side One" – 2:10
  13. "No Reason Why" – 2:36
  14. "Bro Hymn" – 3:00

Bonus track (2005 re-issue)

  1. "Psycho 89" - 1:53

Trivia

  • The twelfth track, "Side One", is actually titled as "Unite" on the CD, but not in the booklet or on the back of the cover.
  • The Anaheim Ducks and Philadelphia Flyers use "Bro Hymn", the album's closing track, when the team scores a goal.
  • The fifteenth track, "Psycho 89", is a bonus track that only appeared on the 2005 remastered version of this album. The 1991 original version had just the first fourteen tracks.
  • "Bro Hymn" was also re-recorded on the fourth Pennywise album, 1997's Full Circle, to dedicate to the late Jason Thirsk, who committed suicide in 1996 and also played bass on this album.
  • "Come Out Fighting" is a song with an anti-suicide theme. Ironically, this song was written by Jason Thirsk who later committed suicide in 1996. The Vandals later covered the song in 1997 as a tribute to him.

Personnel


 
 

 

Copyrights:

Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Pennywise (album)" Read more

 

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