The seminal skate punk band Pennywise recorded this album in 1995 – their last record with the original line-up. Their bassist, Jason Matthew Thirsk passed away in 1996 and as a result, the Pennywise vibe changed. The next album was the introspective and dark ‘Full Circle’ but on this, their 4th album they were still carrying on in the Bad Religion mould (the fact that Brett Gurewitz produced it surely cements their status as the carriers of the punk rock righteousness torch). It has since become the soundtrack for countless skateboarding videos and rightly so – it’s fast, passionate and raw, the pure essence of SoCal punk.
The opening track, ‘Peaceful Day’ is anything but calm and docile. A classic Fletcher Dragge pick-slide heralds the usual power chord riffing and a call to arms “Listen up everyone, there’s something wrong†signals a comment on the state of society in 1995. Yhe important thing is that even though this was written mid-90’s it is still poignantly relevant 7 years later. Disaffected youth around America would have related to the sheer sterility of the America that Jim is singing about, and this theme is continued in the next song ‘Waste Of Time.’ Once again, 4 palm muted power chords and a pick slide open this song but it’s the intelligence and passion of the lyrics which differentiate between Pennywise and a hundred other skate punk bands. The pondering, questioning “And now I wonder who’s sky I’m under, is there a heaven waiting for me when I die?†strikes to the heart of the insecurities and worries of millions of free thinking young people wishing to find some kind of belief system which is acceptable to them.
The anthemic ‘Perfect People’ is the song that could have been written by every single ‘alternative’ kid on this planet. With Bryon thrashing out a solid beat (the fact that Raymond Herrera, the Fear Factory drummer warms up for shows by air drumming to Pennywise is a testament to his prowess) and the late great Jason providing the beef to the song, this is not only a rejection of popular culture but a celebration of the skate punk lifestyle of Pennywise. And anyway, who wants to be around people with “Fucked up eyes, stupid grin, perfect people won’t let me in?†A live favourite (Check out “Live At The Key Club†for evidence) for many reasons, not least because it demonstrates Jim’s ability to write pertinent and intelligent lyrics for the jaded cynics of America.
There are some filler songs on this album however, and my one criticism of Pennywise is that they do not change their sound much at all. ‘Searching’, ‘Freebase‘ and ‘Try’ all sound laboured and a bit last minute to be honest. Although, if you live and breathe Pennywise then you’ll love these songs, but they just don’t live up to other tracks on the album, notably ‘Same Old Story’ or ‘Perfect People.’ Having said that, it is probably true that if another band put Searching’ on their album it would be one of the best songs on it – some of these songs are that good.
As mentioned before, ‘Same Old Story’ has been adopted as a skateboarding anthem for the masses. The video is of a nondescript skateboarder just killing time in his hometown, and this is exactly how this song should be listened to – harassing pedestrians* while having this blaring at maximum volume through some beefy headphones. The sheer anger of Jim at how people have tried to pigeon-hole or guide him into one lifestyle or another is evident throughout this song, and it’s my favourite Pennywise song from any album. The monologue just before Fletcher‘s wah-heavy solo could easily be a final diatribe before leaving home and this shows the universality of this song.
With the sleevenotes namechecking a certain Mr de la Rocha for “I Won’t Have It†it doesn’t take a genius to realise that this song is a violent yet desperate plea for an end to racist behaviour and propaganda. This is where the Bad Religion influence becomes most evident. 7 years after ‘Suffer’ another punk band is taking up the gauntlet of protest against hypocrisy and I don’t think it has ever sounded so vital, and must at least be on a par with Fat Mike’s best. the final track on ‘About Time’ is ‘Killing Time’, and it is simply a lament for the loss of a new generation to tv violence and corruption. It’s an honest and personal appeal against the apathy of the video game generation. But if only the millions of zombies around the world could hear this album then perhaps they’d be changed, but one thing is certain – Pennywise will never give up the fight.
However stunning some of the tracks on this album are, it is a shame that there are some pretty duff ones too. The ‘Skip’ button will need to be employed a few times, but there is such a depth of intelligence within the lyrics, and the accessibility of the music means that on a first listen ‘About Time’ can be taken as yet another skate punk offering from Epitaph, yet that misses the point. Jim Lindberg has something to say and he’s going to ram it down your throat until you’re converted to the cause. Open wide and realise how vital this band is.
Ben
*Note: Punktastic does not endorse or encourage the harassment of pedestrians. Unless they get in your way.