As a middle schooler Pennywise was one of my first forays into politically oriented punk rock, with Land of the Free? being one of the most prominent albums in my rotation. I spun this specific CD too many times to count on my blue Walkman, and later in high school actually covered “Fuck Authority” with my high school band The Days of Stillness during our garage rock days where we terrorized the suburban Beauchamps community in Cupertino.
Land of the Free? was written on the heels of the political climate in the 90’s. It was a tenuous time in many respects, with the advent of the horror of school shootings (1999), government corruption, organized religion, and the dangers of drug addiction being focal points on the album. Lead vocalist and lyricist Jim Lindberg tore through all these subjects during the runtime, and the end result was Southern California skate punk with a purpose that helped cement Pennywise as a more serious band in the genre.
Two interesting side notes– the band actually held a contest ahead of the album release where three lucky fans who won were able to join the band in the studio and sing backing vocals on the lead single “Fuck Authority”. That very single was also banned from airplay on major radio stations following the attacks of September 11th that struck the World Trade Center in New York City.
Standout Songs: “Fuck Authority”, “My God”, “The World”, “Set Me Free”
