All is a punk rock band featuring members of the Descendents. As such, they sound a whole hell of a lot like the Descendents, and quite frankly, the two of them may as well be the same band for all it matters, since people who like one are pretty much destined to like the other.

Biography:

After Milo Aukerman went back to school (to finish his Doctoral thesis in biochemistry I believe), the three other members of the Descendents, Bill Stevenson, Stephen Egerton and Karl Alverez, formed All, recruiting singer Dave Smalley. Around 1988 (after Allroy Sez), Dave left to form his own band, Down By Law, and was replaced by Scott Reynolds. Scott too left (both left on good terms with the band), to form Goodbye Harry and The Pavers. Chad Price, their current singer stepped in around 1993, and seems to be around for the long haul.

All also runs their own studio, the Blasting Studio, affiliated with Owned & Operated Records, where they support the local music scene in Ft. Collins, Colorado (see the Pavers, Tanger, Bill the Welder, Wretch Like Me).

Discography:

Allroy for Prez, 1988 Cruz
Allroy Sez, 1988 Cruz
Allroy's Revenge, 1989 Cruz (a personal fav.)
Allroy Saves, 1990 Cruz
Percolator, 1992 Cruz
Breaking Things, 1993 Cruz
Pummel, 1995 Interscope
Mass Nerder, 1998 Epitaph
s/t, 1999 Owned & Operated
Problematic, 2000 Owned & Operated

All? No, All!

An album released by legendary pop punkers the Descendents in 1987, put out by SST Records. Code: SST 112. ASIN: B000000M1P (US site) B0000577M0 (UK site).*

I'm not going to beat around the bush - this is, arguably, the worst thing the Descendents have ever done. That doesn't mean it's really a bad record, far from it, but it's really nowhere near as good as some of the other classics brought into the world by the coffee obsessed group. Milo Goes to College is ranked alongside Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables and Damaged as one of the best punk records of the 80s. Everything Sucks is arguably the definitive pop punk record, and probably my favourite album of the 90s. Cool to Be You, their latest, is arguably a great third place compared to the above two.

ALL, however, is simply a vaguely average album in a pile of awesomeness. Which is a pity. But then, if you're a true Descendents nut like me you'll probably buy it anyway.

The main problem with this album is that it's what is usually called "experimental". aka, the band became a bit bored with doing what they always do, and decided to try something a little different. There are still some raging along punk songs, but there are also songs drifting dangerously into metal territory, and some which are simply pointless 6 minute meanderings. It's probably worth a listen, but it's not in my CD player anywhere near as much as their other releases are.

Tracks

I'll start off by mentioning the good ones. Album opener (well, the real album opener) Coolidge is a pretty decent song. It's got the usual self deprecation that Milo specialises in, and is probably the most old skool Descendents song on the record.

Van and Cameage are also reasonably good tracks, more of the slow and thoughtful (or as some call it "whiny") kind that the band also do reasonably well. Pep Talk is standard material for the band, but they've done it much better in other places. Jealous of the World (pretty catchy) and Clean Sheets finish up the songs which I really like on this album. Unfortunately, most things after that are distinctly average, or pretty annoying.

First, the "comedy" songs. ALL, a one second power chord/ drum smash, with Milo shouting "ALL!!!" at the top of his voice, seems pretty pointless, as does the No, ALL! "song" a few tracks later. That lasts a whole 4 seconds, and the lyrics are "All? NO, ALL!!!!". Some people think these "songs" are quite tongue in cheek and amusing, but I think they are kind of pointless. The Descendents can do comedy short songs, (eg Weinerschnitzel, My Dad Sucks) but in my opinion the ones on this album aren't that great. But if I thought that was bad, the song All-o-gistics really takes the cake as far as pointlessness goes. It's a 3 minute long rant with no tune, in which Milo talks about how the Bass Master General met up with him - "we had a little snack - and he said drink of this Bonus Cup, it is my blood..." and told him about the All-o-gistics, laws which you must follow to become Allular. If this all sounds like an ass load of idiocy, well, it pretty much is really. The laws were slightly amusing ("Though shalt not commit laundry..") but again, this song doesn't really work for me.

Then we come to the songs which at least mean well, but are still not great. Iceman is basically metal, which just doesn't sound right. Impressions is a random slow meandering which does pick up towards the end, but again might have been best left on the editing room floor. Uranus and Schizophrenia are songs in which nothing seems to happen, but yet they take up to 6 minutes of nothing, and the lyrics are the very definition of "uhh... what?".

Lineup

The band is well known for having members jump in and out, and Bill Stevenson the drummer is technically the only constant member. Milo Aukerman has sung on every Descendents record (at least, all the ones in which they had a singer) but often takes longs hiatuses from the group, at which point other people have stepped in to sing. Milo returning caused the sister band ALL to be brought into existence, as is mentioned above. If naming a band after an album from a band which is almost the same as the first band but not strikes you as a bad idea, I'm with you. But hey.

On this record, the band's lineup is actually the current (2004) one, which is quite impressive. Which means this is the lineup that recorded Everything Sucks also came out with this. Anyone who can explain this, answers on a postcard please.

Verdict

I can't decide what to put here. On the one hand, this is not a great album and could have been so much better, considering which band it's by. On the other, it's got some pretty good songs, and if it was released by some unknown band I would probably consider it a pleasant surprise. If you have a compulsive need to own every Descendents album like me (I'm getting there..) then you'll probably end up buying it, but personally I wouldn't say it's a totally worthwhile purchase for any less than obsessive fans. The best songs from it are on Somery, the compilation album anyway. If you need any further proof that this album isn't great, then check out this: it doesn't have a picture of cartoon Milo on the front. I rest my case.


* - Thanks to OldMiner for suggesting I include ASIN numbers.

Sources:

Owning the album (3 quid from ebay yah boo sucks to you)
Slightlys scary obsessive knowledge of the band.

All (#), a. [OE. al, pl. alle, AS. eal, pl. ealle, Northumbrian alle, akin to D. & OHG. al, Ger. all, Icel. allr. Dan. al, Sw. all, Goth. alls; and perh. to Ir. and Gael. uile, W. oll.]

1.

The whole quantity, extent, duration, amount, quality, or degree of; the whole; the whole number of; any whatever; every; as, all the wheat; all the land; all the year; all the strength; all happiness; all abundance; loss of all power; beyond all doubt; you will see us all (or all of us).

Prove all things: hold fast that which is good. 1 Thess. v. 21.

2.

Any.

[Obs.] "Without all remedy."

Shak.

⇒ When the definite article "the," or a possessive or a demonstrative pronoun, is joined to the noun that all qualifies, all precedes the article or the pronoun; as, all the cattle; all my labor; all his wealth; all our families; all your citizens; all their property; all other joys.

This word, not only in popular language, but in the Scriptures, often signifies, indefinitely, a large portion or number, or a great part. Thus, all the cattle in Egypt died, all Judea and all the region round about Jordan, all men held John as a prophet, are not to be understood in a literal sense, but as including a large part, or very great numbers.

3.

Only; alone; nothing but.

I was born to speak all mirth and no matter. Shak.

All the whole, the whole (emphatically). [Obs.] "All the whole army."

Shak.

 

© Webster 1913.


All, adv.

1.

Wholly; completely; altogether; entirely; quite; very; as, all bedewed; my friend is all for amusement.

"And cheeks all pale."

Byron.

⇒ In the ancient phrases, all too dear, all too much, all so long, etc., this word retains its appropriate sense or becomes intensive.

2.

Even; just.

(Often a mere intensive adjunct.) [Obs. or Poet.]

All as his straying flock he fed. Spenser.

A damsel lay deploring All on a rock reclined. Gay.

All to, ∨ All-to. In such phrases as "all to rent," "all to break," "all-to frozen," etc., which are of frequent occurrence in our old authors, the all and the to have commonly been regarded as forming a compound adverb, equivalent in meaning to entirely, completely, altogether. But the sense of entireness lies wholly in the word all (as it does in "all forlorn," and similar expressions), and the to properly belongs to the following word, being a kind of intensive prefix (orig. meaning asunder and answering to the LG. ter-, HG. zer-). It is frequently to be met with in old books, used without the all. Thus Wyclif says, "The vail of the temple was to rent:" and of Judas, "He was hanged and to-burst the middle:" i. e., burst in two, or asunder. -- All along. See under Along. -- All and some, individually and collectively, one and all. [Obs.] "Displeased all and some." Fairfax. -- All but. (a) Scarcely; not even. [Obs.] Shak. (b) Almost; nearly. "The fine arts were all but proscribed." Macaulay. -- All hollow, entirely, completely; as, to beat any one all hollow. [Low] -- All one, the same thing in effect; that is, wholly the same thing. -- All over, over the whole extent; thoroughly; wholly; as, she is her mother all over. [Colloq.] -- All the better, wholly the better; that is, better by the whole difference. -- All the same, nevertheless. "There they [certain phenomena] remain rooted all the same, whether we recognize them or not." J. C. Shairp. "But Rugby is a very nice place all the same." T. Arnold. -- See also under All, n.

 

© Webster 1913.


All (#), n.

The whole number, quantity, or amount; the entire thing; everything included or concerned; the aggregate; the whole; totality; everything or every person; as, our all is at stake.

Death, as the Psalmist saith, is certain to all. Shak.

All that thou seest is mine. Gen. xxxi. 43.

All is used with of, like a partitive; as, all of a thing, all of us.

After all, after considering everything to the contrary; nevertheless. -- All in all, a phrase which signifies all things to a person, or everything desired; (also adverbially) wholly; altogether.

Thou shalt be all in all, and I in thee, Forever. Milton.

Trust me not at all, or all in all. Tennyson.

-- All in the wind Naut., a phrase denoting that the sails are parallel with the course of the wind, so as to shake. -- All told, all counted; in all. -- And all, and the rest; and everything connected. "Bring our crown and all." Shak. -- At all. (a) In every respect; wholly; thoroughly. [Obs.] "She is a shrew at al(l)." Chaucer. (b) A phrase much used by way of enforcement or emphasis, usually in negative or interrogative sentences, and signifying in any way or respect; in the least degree or to the least extent; in the least; under any circumstances; as, he has no ambition at all; has he any property at all? "Nothing at all. " Shak. "It thy father at all miss me." 1 Sam. xx. 6. -- Over all, everywhere. [Obs.] Chaucer.

All is much used in composition to enlarge the meaning, or add force to a word. In some instances, it is completely incorporated into words, and its final consonant is dropped, as in almighty, already, always: but, in most instances, it is an adverb prefixed to adjectives or participles, but usually with a hyphen, as, all-bountiful, all-glorious, allimportant, all-surrounding, etc. In others it is an adjective; as, allpower, all-giver. Anciently many words, as, alabout, alaground, etc., were compounded with all, which are now written separately.

 

© Webster 1913.


All, conj. [Orig. all, adv., wholly: used with though or if, which being dropped before the subjunctive left all as if in the sense although.]

Although; albeit.

[Obs.]

All they were wondrous loth. Spenser.

 

© Webster 1913.

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