Customer Reviews

Goodbye Ellston Avenue

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're reading this review, you probably already know Pinhead Gunpowder, because it's not likely that they'll be on the radio or touring or anything, thanks to Billie Joe's "other" band. This, in my opinion, is the best Pinhead Gunpowder release, first because I'm a fan of (early) Green Day, and Billie Joe sings the whole damn thing (unlike other Pinhead Gunpowder records), and second because the songs are really catchy. This is a CD you'll play over and over again (to me, the best tracks are #1, #5, #8, & #9). The only disappointment is that most of us will never get to see them play live, because I hear their shows are few, far-between, and pretty secretive. The only reason I didn't give this release five stars is that I prefer street punk bands like Oxymoron, but if you like pop-punk at all, this will quickly become one of your favorites.

For any fan of punk, alternative, or rock- if you don't own this cd- your missing out on something that you- really DON'T want to miss out on! From the awesome mind of Aaron Cometbus and the odd-enough vocals of my favorite singer BJ Armstrong (Green Day) , Pinhead Gunpower really 'Carries the Banner' (band pun) in this, my favorite, PG album, not to mention one of my favortie albums ever. From the first second of the catchy 'Life During Wartime' to the beatiful lyrics of 'Song of my Returning' to the emotional story of 'Brother,' this album fills all of your musical needs in a lean 23 and a half minutes. It's definetly the most well spent elleven dollars of your life. If you like this CD, check out Green Day's 1039 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours for similar tracks and good lyrics from before Billie Joe got all f-word crazy in Dookie , Insomniac, and Nimrod. Two words- BUY THIS CD- wait, thats three words. Oh well!

A must have. But buy vinyl. That's the only way you will fully appreciate this record.

amazing. totally and utterly AMAZING. Green Day's amazing, so why wouldn't PHGP be? exactly! it is amzing! great songs! great guitars! great everything! the lyrics are out-standing. aaron cometbus is an incredible song-writer. this is by far the best Pinhead Gunpowder CD. if you like Green Day, then you'll like PHGP. buy it and i gaurentee you won't regret it!

stand out tracks:
2) without me
3) high matinence
4) backyard flames
5) song of my returning
8) train station
10) brother
13) the great divide (this song is my favorite! i even made a PHGP shirt with the beginning lyrics of this song on it in graphic arts)

Each of Pinhead Gunpowder's releases have had unique qualities in them. This one has a high energy feel to it, it keeps you hopping. I like the fact that Bill wrote "Backyard Flames" and Jason did a few too. Usually Aaron writes most Pinhead Gunpowder music, even though he is a great writer it's nice to get some samplings from the other memebers too. This release is less of the "pop" and more of the "punk" sound. It's a must have for any fan of the SF East Bay sound.

From the first suspiciously "Stuck With Me" riff of "Life During Wartime" to the final crash of "The Great Divide", Goodbye Ellston Avenue tears along through 12 songs of pure punk in around 25 minutes - and for all of those minutes, this album screams 'CATCHY' down your ear until you have to give in and sing along. Its nothing new and I don't think Aaron Cometbus or Billie Joe Armstrong are going to pretend that it is but for sheer quality punk music, look no further.

Wow, I was pleasantly surprised by this album.

This is is solid gold punk rock - not poppy punk rock like some reviewer mentioned, there are some elements of Green Day, but this is very raw; it's goes to the root of punk, just singing and playing - sometimes out of tune! - without being concerned about hits.

It took two or three spins before I appreciated this albums brilliance. Definitely worth it. Buy it, then give it some time, it's very good.

Unfortunately with the style of the songs, they sound too much songs that weren't good enough for Green Day's pop. But it doesn't mean it's bad. You just have to listen to it more to really get it. And unfortunately, it doesn't sound like Aaron Cometbus' band Crimpshrine (far superior to Green Day, who actually plagiarized Crimpshrine) either. It has some really cool, unconventional melodies and some great lyrics that sound just like the Cometbus zine. But please little girls, don't buy this because Billie Joe sings in PG, because his presence is nothing special. It really is Aaron Cometbus that makes the band.

This is the best album ever put out and all of their releases are good but this one standsout as the best. I think that the only thing really missing from this album is Mike's growling vocals that Jason White tries to mimic but it just sounds kind of weak. Best song is "lIFE during wartime"

Not to start a flame war at all, but somebody below me wrote that this record lacks in hooks and beats. That's patently silly. Yes, Aaron's drumming is more textured than that of Tre Cool, but that's part of his charm as a drummer, as well as part of the charm of PG. Hooks? They're here in abundance. "Backyard Flames," "Life During Wartime," "Once More Without Feeling," "Brother," "Work For Food," I mean, the list goes on. True, it's not as immediately poppy as Green Day; which is maybe why I've always enjoyed PG more. Plus, the lyrics on this record are just really, really good. They're like "Cometbus" essays shaped into songs. Really, really incredible stuff. This is one of my favorite records of all time, and I'd recommend it to anybody who loves music and even remotely enjoys pop punk.