Pennywise: All Albums Ranked
Pennywise have been a consistent staple of the American punk rock scene since the early 90s, with a bold, direct and high-energy sound. We have undertaken the tricky task of ranking all their albums in order, and picking out some key (and lesser-known) Pennywise tracks. What you do you think? Check out our Spotify playlist, have your say in the comments below, and check out some of our other rankings!
Pennywise have never made a ‘bad’ album, but there are certainly some that just sort of exist, adding little to the catalogue other than simply being another page. ‘From The Ashes’ is arguably the record that has the least staying power, and aside from the excellent ‘God Save the USA’ (which was included in the Fat Mike-curated ‘Rock Against Bush Vol. 1’ compilation in protest against George Bush Jr’s questionable military action in the Middle East) there is little to get excited about.
The first 5 tracks are all decent, if a little Pennywise-by-numbers. Unfortunately, after ‘Salvation’ everything starts to blend into one. The pace remains fast throughout, and no-one can fault the energy, but there is nothing here that Pennywise hadn’t already done 10x better before.
Standout tracks: ‘God Save the USA’, ‘Something to Change’, ‘Salvation’
It may have been released in 2018 but, as the title would suggest, this is a compilation of Pennywise’s very first tracks from the late 80s, combining their two EPs ‘A Word from the Wise’ and ‘Wildcard’. The production is a little rough and ready, but crisp and clear, and highly impressive for debut recordings in the late 80s.
There are a few moments where Jim Lindberg genuinely sounds like a different singer, his voice not yet settling into the commanding mid-range snarl that we know today. ‘Nineteen Eighty Eight’ is a fascinating time capsule that demonstrates just how vital Pennywise were to the ever-expanding American punk scene. ‘Final Chapters’ has remained in the setlist to the present day, with some vibrant ‘Hello Hello’s that showed that Pennywise had a knack for catchy hooks right from the start. ‘Tomorrow’ is blisteringly fast and fun. Meanwhile, the cover of Ben E King’s ‘Stand By Me’ is a curious novelty.
Standout Tracks: ‘Final Chapters’, ‘Tomorrow’
Pennywise were remarkably consistent in releasing a new album every 2 years from 1991, like clockwork. ‘The Fuse’ was the final record in this bi-annual series (‘Reason to Believe’ took over 3 years after this one), and while it didn’t bring many new ideas to the table it had a greater variety and beefier sound than ‘From the Ashes’, with ‘Premeditated Murder’ recalling early Rancid, closing track ‘Lies’ bringing an excellent, mid-paced bounce in the vein of Bad Religion’s ‘Infected’, and ‘Competition Song’ sounding like the best song The Misfits never wrote. ‘Take a Look Around’ could easily have fitted on one of the first 3 Pennywise albums.
It may not be a vital record, but ‘The Fuse’ is much better than its lacklustre success suggested.
Standout tracks: ‘Take a Look Around’, ‘Closer’, ‘Lies’
While ‘Nineteen Eighty Eight’ was a compilation of songs recorded in the late eighties, ‘Yesterdays’ is similar to Descendents’ ‘9th and Walnut’ record, in that it was a modern-day recording of songs from the 80s.
When Jim returned to Pennywise in 2014, rather than making an entirely new record the band decided to record a bunch of songs that had been written soon after the formation of the band but had never been released. As such, we were treated to modern-day production as a way of presenting songs that had the simplicity, youthful energy and fast pace of classics such as ‘Living For Today’ and ‘Fight Till You Die’.
‘Yesterdays’ is a fun album, and proof that Pennywise arrived on the scene fully-formed, with bucketfulls of ideas. There may not be anything as immediately catchy as ‘No Reason Way’ or ‘Unknown Road’, but the overall listening experience is well worth it. Also worth a listen is the final track ‘Band Practice 89’, a boombox recording of the band letting loose in the studio. A fascinating study in nostaglia.
Standout Tracks: ‘Noise Pollution’, ‘Thanksgiving’, ‘Am Oi!’
Listen to track 2, ‘One Reason’ and try not to bang your head. This is Pennywise at their most high-octane, sounding more like Rise Against or Strung Out, and even suggesting a System of a Down influence.
2008 wasn’t exactly a classic year for punk rock in general, and the whole punk scene was trying to find ways to survive in the MySpace era. As such, ‘Reason to Believe’ caused quite a stir when it was released on the short-lived label MySpace Records, with some purists accusing Pennywise of selling out. Whether it related to this, or limited promotion, ‘Reason to Believe’ didn’t do well, and was one of the potential factors that led to Jim’s departure. It is a shame, because this record is seriously impressive.
The production is heavy and powerful, and the songwriting is a further improvement over ‘From the Ashes’ and ‘The Fuse’.
Standout tracks: ‘One Reason’, ‘Affliction’, ‘Faith and Hope’
Pennywise weren’t as articulate, musically adept or melodic as their Epitaph label mates and touring partners Bad Religion, but in 1993 they compensated for this with bluntness and singular energy. ‘Unknown Road’, the follow-up to the self-titled debut, was born in a turbulent time for Pennywise, with Jim Lindberg’s position uncertain behind the microphone (at least two other vocals tried out for the role of frontman during his brief departure from the band). When the band reconvened and tapped back into the spark they had had since the beginning, they sounded fantastic.
‘Homesick’ and the title track have been Pennywise classics for over 35 years, and really it is hard to pick fault with any of ‘Unknown Road’, given its consistent quality.
Standout Tracks: ‘Unknown Road’, ‘Dying to Know’, ‘Homesick’
Pennywise’s debut record wasn’t their first release, given that they already had a decent catalogue of songs from their two 1989 EPs, ‘A Word from the Wise’ and ‘Wildcard’. As such, they had cut their teeth with a multitude of shows around California and had become impressively proficient for a new(ish) band.
Rooted in skate punk culture, ‘Pennywise’ sets out its stall from the outset with the superb ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’, an instant classic. Other standouts are ‘Living For Today’, ‘Pennywise’ (the track, which leaves no doubt that they were named after the Stephen King ‘IT’ clown), ‘No Reason Why’ and the unmistakeable ‘Bro Hymn’.
‘Bro Hymn’ was written about the death of bassist Jason Thirsk's friends Tim Colvin and Carlos Canton (who both died in separate motorcycle accidents), and Tom Nichols (who drowned at Hermosa Beach Pier in 1988). It is a poignant lamentation on loss, and has been a staple in the live set for over 35 years now, and it is amazing just how powerful and emotional the wordless singalong ‘Woah’ chorus sounds.
Many people consider the self-titled album to be Pennywise’s finest, and there is a strong argument for this. Reviewing it now, alongside the other records, it is somewhat patchy at times and there are a few interchangeable tracks (‘Kodiak’, ‘Homeless’).
Standout Tracks: ‘No Reason Why’, ‘Living For Today’, ‘Wouldn’t it be Nice’
Jim Lindberg’s voice is so iconic that it wouldn’t matter who was chosen to replace him - the new vocalist would always be criticised. In reality, Zoli Téglás (from Ignite) was as good a choice as anyone, his energy capturing the essence of Pennywise extremely well.
Zoli has a higher range than Jim, so occasionally it is as if the traditional Pennywise sound has been transposed up a few semitones. Otherwise, all other elements are in place, with some of Fletcher’s catchiest ever guitar riffs (‘All or Nothing’, ‘Stand Strong’ etc). Lyrically, some of the record turns the cheese factor up to 10 (“So let us hear your voice / They said we have a choice”, “Let me hear you say / (Whoa-oh-ho) We want a revolution / One more time in for solutions / Say it again! / (Whoa-oh-ho) We want a revolution / Now's the time for retribution / Say it again, that's right!”) and at times it sounds like a pop punk band playing Pennywise covers, but overall ‘All or Nothing’ is a highly enjoyable, medlodic punk record that is entirely worthy of the Pennywise name.
Standout tracks: ‘All Along’, ‘Waste Another Day’, ‘All or Nothing’
While stylistically similar to its predecessors ‘Unknown Road’ and ‘Pennywise’, ‘About Time’ has an extra layer of excitement of energy, with a vibrant production that is both raw and more polished; and the songs are arguably a step up in quality, with bona fide anthems in ‘Same Old Story’, ‘Peaceful Day’ and ‘Perfect People’.
By Pennywise’s 3rd record, Jim had settled into a vocal range that suited him well. He may not be the most versatile singer, but within his range he is able to convey his lyrical messages in a direct, relatable way. In a similar way to Bad Religion’s ‘No Control’, you can take any single track on ‘About Time’ and it sounds like a punk rock classic, and a perfect time capsule of the Californian sound that was really coming into prominence in the mid-90s, with catchy melodies that were still underground, while Green Day, Rancid and The Offspring were flooding the mainstream.
Standout Tracks: ‘Same Old Story’, ‘Peaceful Day’, ‘Waste of Time’
It is strange to look at setlist.fm and see that Pennywise have only ever played 5 songs from ‘Land of the Free?’ live (‘Fuck Authority’, ‘The World’, ‘My God’, ‘Something Wrong With Me’ and ‘Time Marches On’). Given the quality of the whole record, it comes as quite a surprise that tunes such as ‘Enemy’, ‘Anyone Listening’ and the blistering title track have never made it into the setlist.
Released in June 2001, a few months before the lyrical themes of the record would be brought to worldwide attention with the US response to the 11th September attacks, ‘Land of the Free?’ has a similarly production style to its predecessor ‘Straight Ahead’ - dry, polished, crisp and clear, with drums and guitars front and centre, and none of the raggedness of the performances on ‘Unknown Road’. By the early 2000s, Pennywise were extremely good at what they did.
Standout tracks: ‘Anyone Listening’, ‘Land of the Free?’, ‘The World’
Jim Lindberg’s return was signified initially by the backwards-facing ‘Yesterdays’, but things really took off again with the release of ‘Never Gonna Die’ in 2018 - a record that was fresh, vital and very much focused on the present, not the past.
The opening 4 tracks are easily as good as anything on ‘Straight Ahead’, ‘Full Circle’ and ‘Land of the Free?’, bolstered by powerful production, punchy sound and superb songwriting. From track 5 onwards, ‘Never Gonna Die’ turns more from great to merely good, with fewer memorable moments, but it still rules, and the energy levels in ‘Something New’ and ‘Listen’ put punk bands half of Pennywise’s age to shame.
Standout tracks: ‘Keep Moving On’, ‘American Lies’, ‘Live While You Can’
By 1997, Pennywise were well-established as consistently brilliant, and brilliantly consistent, within the Californian punk rock scene. The self-titled debut, ‘About Time’ and ‘Unknown Road’ all gave them a strong setlist, but it was ‘Full Circle’ that blew Pennywise wide open to a bigger audience, without sacrificing any of their passion and fury.
‘Full Circle’ is largely known for the MTV favourite ‘Society’, with its exhilarating skating video, and the gang-vocal live singalong of ‘Bro Hymn’ at the end of the record which eclipses the original studio version on the self-titled record. Both are excellent, and are some of the best examples of 90s punk rock. Elsewhere, high-speed classics such as ‘Running Out of Time’ and ‘Get a Life’ combine The Offspring and Bad Religion with the metallic precision of Strung Out, and even some thrash metal (minus the solos).
A notable addition to the sound is the presence of some multi-layered backing vocals, which add a new dimension and help make ‘Full Circle’ a fantastically fun album to sing along to.
Standout Tracks: ‘Fight Till You Die’, ‘Running Out of Time’, ‘Did You Really?’
There are a few records in this list that would be worthy contenders for Number 1, which says a lot about Pennywise’s consistency. In our opinion, ‘Straight Ahead’ clinches the title by being the best representation of the Pennywise sound, as well as showcasing several of their best songs (‘Alien’, ‘My Own Country’, ‘Straight Ahead’, ‘Greed’, ‘Can’t Believe It;’, ‘Victim of Reality’ and ‘Badge of Pride'), and having a consistently strong sound without becoming overly repetitive.
Yes, the Pennywise formula is all present and correct. Fletcher’s razor-sharp riffery - check. Non-descript lyrics about society and standing up to authority - check. Fast bpm - check. Super dry production - check. If you don’t like 90s So-Cal punk rock, then step away. But if you want to tear up the pit, break the speed limit, or feel empowered to take responsibility and ownership of your life, then ‘Straight Ahead’ is your soundtrack.
Standout tracks: ‘Can’t Believe It’, ‘Might Be a Dream’, ‘Straight Ahead’
