DESCENDENTS
ALL

THE REVIEW

100th review?!
I spent months looking for a significant and valuable piece to talk about, but just when I found the right one, I discovered I arrived too late. Such is life!

So today, we're talking about one of the most likeable and down-to-earth bands.
No one has done it before, so it's up to me to introduce you to "ALL." Not just an album and a parallel project by the same Descendents, but a concept that I'll explain as we go along.

The situation was quite peculiar in 1987 for the group: bassist Karl Alvarez and guitarist Stephen Egerton joined the scene, thus teaming up with veterans Milo Aukerman and Bill Stevenson.
It's been just a year since the "joke album" "Enjoy," caught between recordings of flatulence and authentic songs. It was a flop, let's be honest; it didn't genuinely excite me, and those who know me know I listen to a significant amount of quirky music.
Thus, they needed to bounce back immediately, and why not take inspiration directly from "Enjoy"? Because there was something good in that album, something worthy of their name, tracks like "Get The Time" and "Cheer", not to mention a very amusing cover of "Wendy" by the Beach Boys; but there was also a lot of experimentation in the metal domain, and that's probably where they decided to start over from.

The sound of "ALL," as a result, emerges contaminated and varied, as do the lyrics that talk about life on tour, no longer being "cool," failed relationships, and more.
All the members contributed to the realization of the tracks, demonstrating true teamwork among them.
The honor of opening the dances goes to the eponymous track "All", lasting only 1 second, a sort of "You Suffer" to reiterate this concept, then picked up in the 2 seconds of "No, All!" Want Descendents-style vocal melodies? There's "Clean Sheets". Want Punk with more aggressive riffs? There's "Coolidge" (note the similarity with some of Stevenson's work with Black Flag) and "Iceman". Want a bit of Heavy Metal? There's "Schizophrenia". Want something acoustic? There's "Impressions".
An album capable of pleasing both long-time fans and new waves.

But now we need to talk about "All-O-Gistics", the musical manifesto of this concept devised by Bill Stevenson and his friend Pat McCuistion back in 1980.
A very simple concept based on achieving everything possible, giving your best, and never giving up. Stevenson himself stated how "ALL" could be seen as either the vaguest or the most complete thing there is.
"All-O-Gistics" is one of the coolest tracks the group has ever written: humorously written lyrics yet with many truths told over a "à la Black Flag" musical base, hardcore and very sharp, where Aukerman delivers a sort of lesson, almost a sermon, while a spiritual chant is sung in the background and the others respond unanimously like in a religious service. A must-listen.

The last album from the Californian formation, in fact, as Milo Aukerman will leave the band for a career in biochemistry, only to return in 1995.
A fundamental album, therefore, in its own way.