Their new stuff is so much better than this. When I play "Land of the Free" right after this it is hard to believe it's the same band. Their sound has drastically improved. Back then they concentrated on vocals way too much. Sort of like a *shivers* pop album. However don't get me wrong this ain't no pop album. They also back then seemed to be concentrating more on how fast their album is more than how good their album is. Their lyrics have drastically improved as well. Not to mention their voices were a lot more "Bad Religion"y in their older work.

A lot of this CD is quite "Unknown Road"ish. My personal favorites are tracks 11-13 because they seem to have the same kind of sound that their newer work has been built off of. Bro Hymn (track 14) has great lyrics. However, It is not the kind of lyrics that Pennywise generally does. But that's a strength not a fault! Instead of social statements about America, poverty, or freedom it has sort of a "friends till the end" theme. The sound is probably the worst on the CD however the lyrics make up for it. Other favorites include "Fun and Games", "Living For Today", and "Wouldn't it Be Nice".

Start of Something Great
Being a Pennywise fan for quite some time now I can say that I have to listened to and own all their cds so i know what I'm talking about when I say this is definetly the best Pennywise cd you can buy. The lyrics are powerful and straight forward giving messages of positive thinking and self-preservance which Pennywise has always been about. Still to this day "Wouldn't it Be Nice" is my favorite Pennywise song. The album is packed full of classics like "The Secret" "No Reason Why" "Fun and Games" "Bro Hymn", the list just goes on because every song on this cd is on the same level of intensity. Musically Pennywise is on the same levwl they are now despite being quite young at the time. Jim's voice is a little young and impresionable, but it doesn't take away from the experience at all. Combined with the speed, musicianship, and lyrics this band set its legacy of greatness early on. So do yourself a favor and pick this one up....

Such a classic!
The years passed and punk-rock music became more angular, less angry, less crunchy but the classics aren't there to disappear, they're there to remember how a certain style of music should be! Pennywise's first album had been copied so many times but never equaled, this fast, furious and energic CD is the best release that had ever been made by epitaph records (Oh you got some other cool stuff also!)!

the best band......
I've always been a BIG pennywise fan, in fact they are my favorite band out there, this is probably one of there best albums....I'm yet to find a drummer who can beat this bands.....

An excellent debut album
Pennywise (1991.) Pennywise's first album.

Through the course of the nineties, punk rock got a huge revival. These new punk bands were playing faster and heavier than their predecessors, and doing a damn good job of it. Unfortunately, a number of these bands lost their way as the decade drew to a close (just look at bands like Blink 182 to see what I mean.) One band that has always stayed true to their stylings is Pennywise. Even with all the changes in music through the course of the nineties, Jim, Fletcher, Byron, and the late Jason stayed true to their roots - a move that has since served them well. In 1991 the punk quartet released its debut album. Read on for my review of it.

Most of the songs on this album follow the same stylings, but each one manages to maintain a sense of individuality when it is compared with the other tracks. These guys had a style of punk rock that was considerably faster and heavier than their peers - one of the reasons I like them so much better than so many other punk bands. Their stylings are almost like a fusion of the Sex Pistols and very early Metallica, making for a very interesting listening experience. Now, I'll discuss a few of the stand-out tracks on the album. Pennywise (the song) is a hard and heavy rocker with a very memorable chorus. The theme of this song is a demonic clown from a horror story. Another very good song featured here is Fun And Games. This is probably the most pop-oriented thing on the album, but that's not saying it's a pop song - it still rocks harder and heavier than most bands of the era. The album closer, Bro Hymn, is one of the band's most popular, and arguably the biggest hit to emerge from the album. This tune got a huge revival when they redid it in the nineties as a tribute to Jason, their bassist who would die after recording several albums with the band. All in all, this album serves up some of the best hard and heavy punk rock out there.

Pennywise is one of those few punk bands that have stayed true to their roots through their entire career. Even with all the changes in the world, they have managed to keep a similar style for nearly a decade and a half - and their stylings have never gotten old, either. If you like punk that rocks hard, Pennywise is for you. And what better place to start your Pennywise experience than with their debut album? Once again, this album is highly recommended.