Pin Points & Gin Joints

Mighty Mighty Bosstones (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 8, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: CBRA
• ASIN: B002Y5FKM2
• Also Available in: Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,083 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #37 in Music > Alternative Rock > Ska > Ska General

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A suprisingly fresh and exciting album from the Bosstones, December 9, 2009

By 

Ted Logan (Richardson, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pin Points & Gin Joints (Audio CD)

After the success of 1997's "Let's Face It," the Bosstones seem to have lost something crucial, at least for a while. With the hard metal-ish edge gone following 1994's "Question the Answers" and RCA wanting some kind of successful commercial follow-up, 2000's "Pay Attention" was an album without a purpose and was more hit and miss than previous albums had been. 2002's "Jacknife to a Swan" revealed a band that was beginning to tire of themselves, the road, and the weight of their one-time commercial success, a high-energy band suddenly starting to feel the weight of all the "pin points" the title of this album refers to, and despite some high points, it might have been the band's worst disc.

Thus, when they went on hiatus, I think a lot of fans understood. I saw the band in 2001 or 2002, and when Dickey screamed, "We're not a f*in' jukebox" in response to a repeated demand to play "The Impression that I Get," I knew things were coming to an end. As a performer, he'd always drawn from the energy of the crowd, and that day he seemed honestly tired of sweaty teenagers screaming at/with him.

But then in 2007 they returned, at least for one more Throwdown, releasing "Medium Rare," a collection of unpublished music and a few new songs, and suddenly those new songs showed a lot of the old Bosstones, with songs like "Don't Worry Desmond Decker" revealing the smart playful songwriting of their best albums of the 1990s. For old-time fans like me, the unexpected freshness of the new songs was something amazing, something almost like the first time I heard the old fun tracks like "Where'd You Go?" Thus, I was excited when the first new songs ("Graffiti Worth Reading" and "Too Many Stars") were released as teasers for this album and they had something of that new/old energy in them as well.

Having picked up a copy of "Pin Points and Gin Joints" and given it a few listens, I'm pleased to say that old school fans of the Bosstones will find a lot here to like. Many of the songs will have fans singing along before they even complete their first listen-through. The choruses on songs like "You Left Right?" and "The Route that I Took" are almost "Impression"-catchy, and the performances are as good as they've ever been. Dickey's in fine shape, and although there aren't any frantic "Cowboy Coffee"s or even a "Doctor D" here, there are a lot of fine, mature Bosstones songs here, and even the low points, like the fairly listless and unfocused "Not to Me on that Night" and "Wasted Summers," don't demand that you skip through them, though they do represent the longest ignorable block of sound on the album. Thankfully, "Sister Mary" provides a different enough sound that it rescues the album in time for "It Will Be," maybe the best concert song on the album.

It is absolutely a studio album (there's no other way that "Death Valley Vipers" would ignore the act/react crowd interaction calls that could have been developed so well and would have been developed through touring and testing), though, and absolutely an album created by performers who have been making their livings in other ways since the hiatus, but for Bosstones fans, it's a better album than "Jacknife" and absolutely worth picking up.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The boys are back!, July 10, 2010

By 

verbos - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pin Points & Gin Joints (Audio CD)

You'd be pretty hard-pressed to find me rating anything as being perfect, but I couldn't bring myself to give this album any less than 5 stars. Yes, I became a fan of the Bosstones during the "Impression" era, but I subsequently began to explore and enjoy each album, back to the 'Tones beginning, one at a time. I've always had a special place in my music library for the Bosstones, and I was pretty bummed when I heard of the split a few years back.

2000's Pay Attention, easily my least favorite of the Bosstones albums, felt tired, predictable, and just kinda boring. I'm sure a lot had to do with what was going on with the band members at the time, but for the most part it sounded to me that, aside from a few tracks, they pretty much phoned it in. That Bosstones spirit just seemed to be missing...

2002's A Jackknife to a Swan was a pleasant surprise. The energy was back, the spirit was back, and it seemed that the Bosstones had a renewed life in them.

Then in 2003 they went on an indefinite hiatus. Bummer.

In 2007 Medium Rare popped its head up and was a pleasant surprise, but being mostly a collection of B-sides made it, well, feel like a collection of ragtag, somewhat throwaway songs. However, the 3 new Bosstones tracks on that album, in my opinion, showed something very promising. I wanted to hear more.

In comes 2009 with Pin Points and Gin Joints. This is a solid, solid effort from a band that's been around the block a few times and has learned more than a thing or two. I have to admit though, on the first listen, I wasn't blown away. It took a couple of spins before I realized the brilliance of this record. It's easy to digest yet challenging enough to throw a few surprises at you. More importantly, the ska-core may be gone but the edge is still there. In fact, I think it's better than ever. If I had to choose one word to describe these songs it would be "tight". There isn't a single song on here that I look at as filler. Every single one has been crafted with the love of a group of skilled, passionate artists. Every instrument utilized at just the right moment, with just the right amount of control. This album is more than I could have hoped for from a band that no doubt struggled with even bothering to continue in the first place.

If you're a fan of any of the Bosstones past work, do yourself a favor and pick this up. If you aren't blown away by it immediately (like I wasn't) then give it a few spins and you may be surprised at how much you want to, you need to, go back. I couldn't have hoped for anything better from a band that has meant so much to me.

Welcome back boys!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Back in Plaid, January 24, 2010

By 

Cato - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pin Points & Gin Joints (Audio CD)

I've been a Bosstones fan for almost 20 years. From blaring Don't Know How to Party on the bus in high school to unwinding on the way home from the office with Jump Through the Hoops, the Bosstones have been with me through thick and thin. After the dissappointing Pay Attention, I was happy when Jacknife to a Swan came out, although you could tell the band was tired. I was not impressed with Medium Rare (the band sounded tired, recycled, and without direction), and did not have high hopes for this album. Boy, was I pleasantly surprized.

While ska-core fans will not find any Lights Out or Do Something Crazy, this is a solid offering from the Bosstones. Unlike many ska bands that reached the height of popularity in the 90s and are still trying to be relevant, the Bosstones have retained their signature ska-sound and have not dropped their horns for more guitar-driven pop-punk. Their sound has matured a little, but they are still the same old Bosstones. Kudos to them.

Although Pin Points is not their best album and not without some faults, it is darn good and no Bosstones fan can do without. There is definately much more energy too this album than their last few.

Perhaps I can sum up this almbum the best by noting that my wife caught me skanking in the bedroom on my first listen. Get it and enjoy it!