''Allroy for Prez'' is an
EP by the American
punk rock band
All
All or ALL may refer to:
Language
* All, an indefinite pronoun in English
* All, one of the English determiners
* Allar language (ISO 639-3 code)
* Allative case (abbreviated ALL)
Music
* All (band), an American punk rock band
* ''All'' (All al ...
, released in 1988 through
Cruz Records
Cruz Records was an offshoot record label of SST Records, owned by the Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn. The label was founded in 1987. Its roster consisted mainly of pop punk and grunge bands, along with Ginn's solo records. The label has rema ...
. Released the same year as the band's debut album, ''
Allroy Sez
''Allroy Sez'' is the debut album by the American punk rock band All, released in March 1988 through Cruz Records. Following the departure of singer Milo Aukerman from the Descendents, the remaining members—bassist Karl Alvarez, guitarist Step ...
'', the EP was All's final release with their original singer
Dave Smalley
Dave Smalley is an American musician, best known as the lead singer for the hardcore punk bands DYS, Dag Nasty, and All and as lead singer/guitarist with Down by Law. He is known for his influence on pop punk music and his early contributio ...
.
Background
The EP was recorded in March 1988 at Third Wave Recording in
Torrance, California
Torrance is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the m ...
with
recording engineer
An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...
Richard Andrews, who had worked with the band since 1986.
Guitarist
Stephen Egerton Stephen Egerton may refer to:
* Stephen Egerton (priest) (1555?–1621?), English clergyman
* Stephen Egerton (diplomat) (1932–2006), British Ambassador to Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Italy
*Stephen Egerton (guitarist)
Stephen Patrick O'Reilly (bor ...
served as assistant engineer, while drummer
Bill Stevenson served as
record producer
A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...
.
The recordings were
mixed that August.
Bassist
Karl Alvarez
Karl Matthew Alvarez (born March 10, 1964) is an American bassist and songwriter for both the Descendents and All (band), All, the band that resulted after the Descendents disbanded again in 1987. Alvarez joined the Descendents after the ''Enjoy! ...
illustrated the cover, which features the band's
Allroy character campaigning for
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
, timed to coincide with the
1988 U.S. presidential election
The 1988 United States presidential election was the 51st quadrennial presidential election held on Tuesday, November 8, 1988. The Republican nominee, incumbent Vice President George H. W. Bush, defeated the Democratic nominee, Governor Michael ...
.
The back cover includes "The Allstitution", listing decrees such as "Freedom of
Espresso
Espresso (, ) is a coffee-brewing method of Italian origin, in which a small amount of nearly boiling water (about ) is forced under of pressure through finely-ground coffee beans. Espresso can be made with a wide variety of coffee beans and ...
", "Lower the Unenjoyment Level", and "Allistic Legislation".
''Allroy for Prez'' was released through
Cruz Records
Cruz Records was an offshoot record label of SST Records, owned by the Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn. The label was founded in 1987. Its roster consisted mainly of pop punk and grunge bands, along with Ginn's solo records. The label has rema ...
as a 6-song EP and an 8-song
cassette
Cassette may refer to:
Technology
* Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback
** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in the ...
and
CD, the latter two including the two tracks from the "
Just Perfect
"Just Perfect" is a song by the American punk rock band All, released as a single from their 1988 debut album ''Allroy Sez''. Written by drummer Bill Stevenson, "Just Perfect" was remixed from the original album version for release as a single ...
"
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
released earlier in the year: a
remix
A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...
ed version of "Just Perfect" from the band's debut album, ''Allroy Sez'', and "Wishing Well", which had been recorded during the ''Allroy Sez'' sessions but was not included on the album.
''Allroy for Prez'' was All's last release with their original singer, Dave Smalley, who quit the band after its release because he could not keep up with their busy touring schedule.
"When I quit, it was because I was really burned out", he later recalled. I couldn't cut the touring mustard."
["Bonus Cut". ''Filmage: The Story of Descendents/All''. Event occurs at 19:13.] "I was on the road for nine and a half months in one year, and I remember we were doing laundry and Bill started talking about the next tour. We were gonna get back in two more weeks, and he was already planning the next one and the next recording, and he looked at me and said 'You're not staying, are you?
"We just went out and out and out and out and out and out," remembered Stevenson, "and I just think he did what any smart person would do and moved on."
Smalley went on to found
Down by Law and reunite with his pre-All bands
DYS and
Dag Nasty
Dag Nasty is an American punk rockGreenwald, p. 14. "Ian Mackaye was such a huge Rites of Spring fan that he not only recorded what was to be the band's only album in 1985 and served as a roadie for them while on tour, but his own new band, E ...
. He was replaced in All's lineup by
Scott Reynolds.
Reception
Jack Rabid of
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
gave ''Allroy for Prez'' three and a half stars out of five, calling it "so much better
han ''Allroy Sez''that it makes its predecessor sound stillborn."
He praised "Skin Deep" as "one of the finest songs of this band's first nine years. Whopping hooks, great backing vocals, and even sharp lyrics on plastic people,
L.A.
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
's biggest export. Of the rest, only the jerky instrumental 'Son-O-Qua' is skippable; 'Skin Deep' and the other five tracks clock in with some of the meatiest pop since...well, since the
Descendents
The Descendents are an American punk rock band formed in 1977 in Manhattan Beach, California, by guitarist Frank Navetta, bassist Tony Lombardo and drummer Bill Stevenson. In 1979, they enlisted Stevenson's school friend Milo Aukerman as a s ...
' previous LP."
Track listing
;EP version
;CD and cassette versions
Personnel
;Band
*
Karl Alvarez
Karl Matthew Alvarez (born March 10, 1964) is an American bassist and songwriter for both the Descendents and All (band), All, the band that resulted after the Descendents disbanded again in 1987. Alvarez joined the Descendents after the ''Enjoy! ...
–
bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
, cover drawings
*
Stephen Egerton Stephen Egerton may refer to:
* Stephen Egerton (priest) (1555?–1621?), English clergyman
* Stephen Egerton (diplomat) (1932–2006), British Ambassador to Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Italy
*Stephen Egerton (guitarist)
Stephen Patrick O'Reilly (bor ...
–
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
, assistant
engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...
*
Dave Smalley
Dave Smalley is an American musician, best known as the lead singer for the hardcore punk bands DYS, Dag Nasty, and All and as lead singer/guitarist with Down by Law. He is known for his influence on pop punk music and his early contributio ...
–
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
*
Bill Stevenson –
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
,
producer
;Production
*Richard Andrews – engineer
References
{{Authority control
All (band) EPs
1988 EPs
Cruz Records EPs
Albums produced by Bill Stevenson (musician)