Everything Sucks | ||||
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![]() The album's cover marked the return of the band's Milo character, last used on their 1985 album I Don't Want to Grow Up . | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 24, 1996 | |||
Recorded | June–July 1996 | |||
Studio | The Blasting Room, Fort Collins, Colorado | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 30:35 | |||
Label | Epitaph (E-86481) | |||
Producer | Bill Stevenson, Stephen Egerton | |||
Descendents chronology | ||||
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Singles from Everything Sucks | ||||
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Everything Sucks is the fifth studio album by American punk rock band Descendents, released on September 24, 1996, through Epitaph Records. It was their first album of new studio material since 1987's All , after which singer Milo Aukerman had left the band to pursue a career in biochemistry. The remaining members (bassist Karl Alvarez, guitarist Stephen Egerton, and drummer Bill Stevenson) had changed the band's name to All and released eight albums between 1988 and 1995 with singers Dave Smalley, Scott Reynolds, and Chad Price. When Aukerman decided to return to music the group chose to operate as two acts simultaneously, playing with Aukerman as the Descendents and with Price as All. It is considered a return to the band's angrier hardcore punk such as the Fat EP and Milo Goes to College . [2]
Everything Sucks was the first Descendents release to chart, reaching #132 on the Billboard 200 and #4 on Top Heatseekers, supported by the singles "I'm the One" and "When I Get Old". Aukerman returned to his biochemistry career following the album's supporting tours, reuniting with them again in 2004 for Cool to Be You , and again in 2010 for live performances.
The Descendents formed in 1978 in Manhattan Beach, California, with an initial recording lineup of Tony Lombardo (bass guitar), Frank Navetta (guitar), and Bill Stevenson (drums). Adding singer Milo Aukerman in 1980, the band released three albums over the next six years, weathering several lineup changes (Navetta left the band in 1983 and was replaced by Ray Cooper, and Lombardo left in 1985 and was replaced by Doug Carrion) and a hiatus from 1983 to 1985 while Aukerman attended college and Stevenson joined Black Flag. [5] [6] [7] [8] By September 1986 Aukerman and Stevenson were the only remaining members, and recruited bassist Karl Alvarez and guitarist Stephen Egerton from Salt Lake City to continue the band. This Descendents lineup recorded All in 1987, an album themed around the concept of "All" invented by Stevenson and friend Pat McCuistion in 1980. [7] [9] When Aukerman left the band later that year to pursue a career in biochemistry, Alvarez, Egerton, and Stevenson changed the band's name to All and continued with singers Dave Smalley, Scott Reynolds, and Chad Price. Stevenson stated at the time that he wished to preserve the Descendents as his and Aukerman's project:
Milo has stuck with me for almost nine years now, so I wouldn't exactly feel right about just continuing to call us the Descendents. In a sense that would be kind of like discrediting Milo's nine years worth of effort. It's kind of like, "Let the Descendents be my and Milo's sacred thing," or whatever. Who knows, at some point later on we might decide that we want to get together and record something. [10]
Aukerman occasionally collaborated with All, writing "Just Like Them" for the album Allroy Saves (1990) and singing backing vocals on Breaking Things (1993), as well as filling in at occasional performances when Price would lose his voice. [10] Lombardo also collaborated with All for the 1991 album New Girl, Old Story .
In 1995 Aukerman expressed a desire to return to recording and performing, so the band members decided to work with him as the Descendents while continuing to work with Price as All, in order to "make room for Milo without pushing Chad out." [8] Stevenson explained that the arrangement did not cause any resentment between the two singers: "[I]t's all totally good, it's just that when we are playing, Milo couldn't be All's singer, cause Chad is All's singer. So, we decided that we could be Descendents with Milo, and All with Chad. It's not really a reunion, we've been together the whole time." [8] Aukerman described his decision to rejoin the band as "really just my re-entry into the song writing, I had been away for so long and I just wanted to make music which is what I love to do." [8]
Everything Sucks was recorded in June and July 1996 at The Blasting Room, a studio built and run by Stevenson in Fort Collins, Colorado. [11] Original Descendents members Tony Lombardo and Frank Navetta made appearances on the album: Navetta wrote the song "Doghouse" and both he and Lombardo played on it, marking the first recording by the original Descendents lineup of Aukerman, Lombardo, Navetta, and Stevenson since Milo Goes to College in 1982. [11] Navetta also played on "Eunuch Boy", a song Aukerman and Lombardo had written fifteen years earlier. According to Aukerman: "'Eunuch Boy' is the first song I ever wrote, really. When we formed, Tony Lombardo, the original bass player said, 'Dude, you need to write some songs', and I had never written a song before so I just wrote down some words and brought it to him. He made the music for it." [8] Lombardo also wrote and played on "Gotta", which was left off of the album but released as a B-side on the "When I Get Old" single. Chad Price sang backing vocals on the album, while Stevenson and Egerton produced and engineered it. [11]
All had previously been signed to major label Interscope Records for 1995's Pummel , but were dissatisfied with the experience. [12] Both All and the Descendents signed to Epitaph Records, who released Everything Sucks, the subsequent All albums Mass Nerder (1998) and Problematic (2000), and the All/Descendents double live album Live Plus One (2001). It was rumored that Epitaph would not sign All without getting the Descendents as well, [4] but Stevenson explained that the arrangement was made because Epitaph head Brett Gurewitz would allow both bands to make albums at their discretion:
When we signed with Epitaph it was for both bands. It was a thing of knowing Brett forever, and so I just sat down and said, "Well, we want to make records!" At the time we were leaving Interscope. We weren't happy with Interscope at all. So we sat down and told them we wanted to make both All and Descendents records whenever we want, at our choosing. Brett and I worked out a deal like that, so it was really flexible and we could basically do whatever we wanted. [12]
The Descendents supported Everything Sucks with a series of tours from September 1996 to August 1997 covering the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Europe, touring with Swingin' Utters, The Bouncing Souls, The Suicide Machines, Shades Apart, Guttermouth, Less Than Jake, Handsome, Electric Frankenstein, Social Distortion, Pennywise, H2O, and others. [13] Music videos were filmed for "I'm the One" and "When I Get Old", and both songs were released as singles in Europe. [14] [15] [16] [17]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Christgau's Consumer Guide | ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | C [19] |
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Everything Sucks became the first Descendents release to chart, reaching No. 132 on the Billboard 200 and No. 4 on Top Heatseekers. [22] [23] [24] Ned Raggett of AllMusic remarked: "take this out of its surrounding context and this was and is a prime Descendents album. All the humor and heart-on-sleeve showcasing one could hope for are here [...] anyone dismissing this as just like any other pop-punk around misses the point that these characters helped found it as much as anyone!" [4] Rock critic Robert Christgau, however, merely gave the album a "neither" rating, indicating it as neither impressive nor a dud, which "may impress once or twice with consistent craft or an arresting track or two. Then it won't." [18] [25] In a 2004 biography of the band, Jenny Eliscu, of Rolling Stone , called their reunion "unforgivable" and stated that Everything Sucks "lived up to its name." [26]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Everything Sux" | Stephen Egerton | 1:26 |
2. | "I'm the One" | Karl Alvarez | 2:15 |
3. | "Coffee Mug" | Bill Stevenson (music and lyrics), Egerton (music) | 0:34 |
4. | "Rotting Out" | Milo Aukerman | 1:56 |
5. | "Sick-O-Me" | Egerton, Stevenson | 1:45 |
6. | "Caught" | Alvarez | 1:47 |
7. | "When I Get Old" | Stevenson, Alvarez | 2:27 |
8. | "Doghouse" | Frank Navetta | 1:46 |
9. | "She Loves Me" | Stevenson | 2:33 |
10. | "Hateful Notebook" | Stevenson, Alvarez | 2:22 |
11. | "We" | Aukerman | 2:33 |
12. | "Eunuch Boy" | Aukerman (lyrics), Tony Lombardo (music) | 0:19 |
13. | "This Place" | Aukerman | 1:16 |
14. | "I Won't Let Me" | Alvarez | 3:06 |
15. | "Thank You" "Grand Theme" (hidden track) | Alvarez Egerton | 4:30 |
Total length: | 30:35 |
Per the album liner notes. [11]
Chart (1996) | Peak position |
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US Billboard 200 [27] | 132 |
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [28] | 4 |
Descendents is an American punk rock band formed in 1977 in Manhattan Beach, California, by guitarist Frank Navetta, bassist Tony Lombardo and drummer Bill Stevenson as a power-pop/surf punk band. In 1979, they enlisted Stevenson's school friend Milo Aukerman as a singer, and reappeared as a melodic hardcore punk band, becoming a major player in the hardcore scene developing in Los Angeles at the time. They have released eight studio albums, three live albums, three compilation albums, and four EPs. Since 1986, the band's lineup has consisted of Aukerman, Stevenson, guitarist Stephen Egerton, and bassist Karl Alvarez
ALL is an American punk rock band originally from Los Angeles, currently based in Fort Collins, Colorado. The group was formed by three members of Descendents.
Milo Goes to College is the debut studio album by the American punk rock band Descendents, released on September 4, 1982 through New Alliance Records. Its title refers to singer Milo Aukerman's decision to leave the band to attend college, and its cover illustration introduced a caricature of him that would go on to become the band's mascot. Milo Goes To College was Descendents' last record with founding guitarist Frank Navetta, who quit the band during the hiatus that followed its release.
The Fat EP is an EP by the American punk rock band the Descendents, released in 1981 through New Alliance Records. It was the band's first recording with singer Milo Aukerman and established their presence in the southern California hardcore punk movement, with short, aggressive songs that represented a shift in style from their previous new wave and surf sound. The EP was re-released in later years as part of several compilation albums.
I Don't Want to Grow Up is the second studio album by the American punk rock band the Descendents, released in 1985 through New Alliance Records. It marked the end of a two-year hiatus for the band, during which singer Milo Aukerman had attended college and drummer Bill Stevenson had joined Black Flag. I Don't Want to Grow Up was the first of two albums the Descendents recorded with guitarist Ray Cooper, and their last with original bassist Tony Lombardo, who quit the group because he did not want to go on tour. Though recorded quickly and without much rehearsal time, I Don't Want to Grow Up received positive reviews from critics, who praised its catchy songs, strong melodies, and pop-influenced love songs.
All is the fourth album by the American punk rock band the Descendents, released in 1987 through SST Records. It was the band's first album with bassist Karl Alvarez and guitarist Stephen Egerton, who brought new songwriting ideas to the group. The album is titled after the concept of "All" invented by drummer Bill Stevenson and friend Pat McCuistion in 1980. Based on the goals of achieving "the total extent" and "to not settle for some, to always go for All", the philosophy was the subject of the one-second title track, the two-second "No, All!", and "All-O-Gistics".
Cool to Be You is the sixth studio album by the American punk rock band the Descendents, released on March 23, 2004, through Fat Wreck Chords. It was their first album of new studio material since 1996's Everything Sucks, which had been released through Epitaph Records. Following Everything Sucks, singer Milo Aukerman had returned to his biochemistry career while the other members—bassist Karl Alvarez, guitarist Stephen Egerton, and drummer Bill Stevenson—had continued with their other band All, releasing two more studio albums and a live album through Epitaph between 1998 and 2001 with singer Chad Price. Cool to Be You was recorded with Aukerman in 2002, but its release was delayed until 2004. The band switched from Epitaph to Fat Wreck Chords partly due to the enthusiasm of label head Fat Mike, who cited the Descendents as one of his favorite bands. Cool to Be You became the fourth Descendents release to chart, reaching #143 on the Billboard 200 and #6 amongst independent albums.
'Merican is an EP by the American punk rock band Descendents, released February 10, 2004. It was the band's first release for Fat Wreck Chords and served as a pre-release to their sixth studio album Cool to Be You, released the following month. The EP includes two songs from the album: "Nothing with You" and "'Merican", and three B-sides from the album's sessions: "Here with Me", "I Quit", and the hidden track "Alive". 'Merican marked the first release of new studio material from the Descendents since 1996's Everything Sucks and was their third release ever to chart, peaking at number 29 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart and at number 38 on Top Heatseekers.
Somery is a compilation album by the American punk rock band the Descendents, released in 1991 through SST Records. It compiles songs from their Fat EP (1981) and the albums Milo Goes to College (1982), I Don't Want to Grow Up (1985), Enjoy! (1986), and All (1987).
Frank Navetta was an American musician who was the original guitarist of the punk rock band the Descendents, which he co-founded. He formed the band in Manhattan Beach, California with Dave Nolte in the late 1970s and played on their 1979 debut single, the Fat EP (1981), and their first album, Milo Goes to College (1982). Navetta then quit the band and moved to Oregon to become a fisherman. He collaborated with the Descendents again on the 1996 album Everything Sucks, and prior to his death in 2008 had been working on new material with original Descendents members Bill Stevenson and Tony Lombardo. In 2021, the band released this material on the album 9th & Walnut, which has been critically lauded for Frank's songwriting and playing.
Tony Lombardo is an American musician who was the original bassist in the punk rock band the Descendents. He joined the band in 1979 and played on their debut single, the Fat EP (1981), and the albums Milo Goes to College (1982) and I Don't Want to Grow Up (1985). After leaving the band, he performed in other acts and worked for the United States Postal Service until 2005. He collaborated with the Descendents' successor band, All, writing two songs for their album Allroy's Revenge (1989) and teaming up with them for an album of his own songs, New Girl, Old Story (1991), credited to "TonyAll". He also collaborated with the reunited Descendents on their 1996 album Everything Sucks, and the 2021 album 9th and Walnut.
Live Plus One is a live album by the American punk rock bands All and the Descendents, released in 2001 through Epitaph Records. A double album, it includes one disc by All recorded in 2001 on their Problematic tour, and a second disc by the Descendents recorded in 1996 on their Everything Sucks tour. The two bands are composed of the same musicians—bassist Karl Alvarez, guitarist Stephen Egerton, and drummer Bill Stevenson—but have different lead singers: Chad Price for All and Milo Aukerman for the Descendents. Live Plus One reached #45 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart, making it the only All release and the second Descendents release ever to chart.
"When I Get Old" is a song by the American punk rock band the Descendents, released as the second single from their 1996 album Everything Sucks. The single also includes "Sick-O-Me" from the album and "Gotta", a B-side written by and featuring the band's original bassist Tony Lombardo.
"I'm the One" is a song by the American punk rock band the Descendents, released as the first single from their 1996 album Everything Sucks. The single also includes "Everything Sux" from the album and the B-side tracks "Lucky" and "Shattered Milo" from the album sessions.
Sessions is an EP by the American punk rock band the Descendents, released in 1997 through Sessions Records and consisting of two tracks from the recording of their 1996 album Everything Sucks. "Gotta" was written by and features the band's original bassist Tony Lombardo; it was left off of the album and used as a B-side for the "When I Get Old" single. "Grand Theme" is an instrumental track that was included on the album as a hidden track following "Thank You".
"Ride the Wild" / "It's a Hectic World" is the 1980 debut single by the American punk rock band the Descendents. It was the band's first release and displayed a new wave and surf sound. It was recorded at a time when the band lacked a lead singer, so vocals on the recording were provided by guitarist Frank Navetta and bassist Tony Lombardo. With the addition of singer Milo Aukerman in 1980, the band moved towards a hardcore punk sound. "Ride the Wild" and "It's a Hectic World" were re-released in later years on compilation albums.
The discography of All, an American punk rock band, consists of nine studio albums, one compilation album, two live albums, one EP, six singles, and five music videos.
The discography of the Descendents, a punk rock band formed in Manhattan Beach, California in 1977, consists of eight studio albums, three live albums, three compilation albums, three EPs, several singles, and four music videos.
Filmage: The Story of Descendents/All is a 2013 independent documentary film chronicling the history of the American punk rock bands the Descendents and All. It was written by Matt Riggle, who produced and directed it with Deedle LaCour. The film uses an oral history format, telling the bands' stories through the use of interviews with over 40 subjects, as well as new and archival footage. It stars drummer Bill Stevenson, singer Milo Aukerman, bassist Karl Alvarez, and guitarist Stephen Egerton, and features nearly all past and present members of both bands. Filmage also features numerous musicians who were contemporaries of, worked with, or were influenced by the Descendents and All.
9th & Walnut is the eighth studio album by the American punk rock band the Descendents, released on July 23, 2021, through Epitaph Records. The album is made up of songs written by the band between 1977 and 1980, along with a cover of The Dave Clark Five's "Glad All Over". Only three of the originals had been previously released, with the album featuring re-recordings of "Ride the Wild" and "It's a Hectic World" from the band's first 7", as well as "Like the Way I Know", an outtake from the Milo Goes to College sessions that was eventually released on the 1999 compilation The Blasting Room.
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