Band : Good Riddance

Album title : Remain In Memory – The Final Show (Santa Cruz, California)

Label : Fat Wreck Chords

Distributor : Sonic Rendezvous

Release date : 17/03/2008

Release : (Live) CD

Most Good Riddance fans will already know that the band no longer exists. They fittingly did their last gig in their hometown Santa Cruz (California, USA) on May 27, last year, after announcing the break-up on April 3 rd ... and since then members of the long-standing successful melodic Hardcore/ Punk band have gone their separate ways.

It all started in 1990, and they released the demo Loaded For Bear demo that very year, immediately making an impact on the scene with their heartfelt lyrics and fast-played Punk Rock. Before signing to Fat Wreck Chords in 1994, the band had their Gidget EP released on the small Little Deputy imprint, and released their 2 nd demo Deco y , which became their first EP on FWC . It was followed up by three of the decades most interesting Melodic Punk Rock albums (1995's For God And Country , 1996's A Comprehensive Guide To Modern Rebellion , and 1998's Ballads From the Revolution ), in between which GR also had a split EP out (in 1996) on Revelation with Ignite . And they closed off the decade with their Operation Phoenix album in 1999. The new millenium was opened with the The Phenomenon Of Craving EP in 2000, followed up by the Symptoms Of A Leveling Spirit album a year later. The same year there was also a split EP with Kill Your Idols on Jade Tree Records . In 2002, GR recorded & released the covers album Covers Up , through the Lorelei imprint. The band's last studio albums would be 2003's Bound By Ties Of Blood And Affection and 2006's My Republic .

Each member of the band (at the moment of their break-up that were singer Russ Rankin , guitarist Luke Pabich , bassist Chuck Platt , and drummer Sean Sellers (past members including drummer Dave Wagenschutz and drummer Dave Raun ) supported animal rights and was either vegetarian or vegan, the band's lyrics varying from political protests and critical analyses of Am eric an society to personal struggles and alienation (from Wikipedia ). All former GR members currently play in new projects: Rankin in Only Crime , Pabich and Sellers in Outlie (the latter also playing with The Real Mackenzies ), and Platt in I Want Out.

The band's musical legacy is simply astounding, for there is not one of their releases which can actually be called bad in any way! The same goes for this live album. Containing 31 songs spanning the band's career (even a couple of the very oldest songs et played here), the album is a second short of being 78 minutes long. Add to that the excellent sound uality in spite of the enthousiast audience which was singing along louder than ever before, and you get the perfect introduction album for any Punk Rock fan whom might nót have heard of Good Riddance before...providing such a person exists. Just in case: surf to myspace.com/goodriddance, where you'll find 4 songs posted (even one off this very album).

Live album, and definitely a "best of"...hah, even a completely different set-list would've provided that!...so no rating! Oh yeah, before I forget...this may not be the last release from the Santa Cruz crew. As it turns out, a group of people the band knows have recorded the final show with different cameras...and if anyone with a decent vision and the means would come forward to produce the live DVD, such an item might still surface. As things are, FWC didn't want to do it, and the former band members aren't in a position with the painstaking work involved with producing & releasing the DVD.

Tony.