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Enjoy!
1986
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Descendents - Enjoy! (Cover Artwork)

Review by: punkpirate17
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Published on October 2nd 2005

The Descendents were on a roll in the early 80's. Fat, Milo Goes to College and I Don't Want to Grow Up were an unprecedented triple threat of nearly flawless punk-pop albums. Unfortunately, they finally dropped the ball with 1986's Enjoy! While it's not a total failure (a bad Descendents album is still better than most bands' best efforts), it fails to even come close to the tour de force of Milo Goes to College or the emotional resonance of I Don't Want to Grow Up.

Fortunately, what's good here is very good. The highlights of Enjoy! are some of the highlights of the band's career, especially their cover of the Beach Boys' "Wendy," which is an awesome example of the Descendents' ability to infuse 80's punk with pop sensibilities and create pure gold. Also worthy of mentioning are the classic self-deprecation of "Sour Grapes" and "Cheer," the metal-punk anthem "Hurtin' Crue" and the 45-second energy blast of "Kids," which recalls the most energetic tracks on the classic Fat EP.

Unfortunately, the rest of the album gets bogged down in misfire experimentation and filler. The title track for example sounds like the band was too enthralled with their own fart noises do write an actual song, and the result is a tuneless and jarring mess. On "Orgofart" they don't even bother with the musical aspect of the recording process, and just fart into the microphone for almost three minutes. Judging from their laughter, it must have been hilarious in the studio, but in this context, it's just boring.

The lowest point, not just on the album but in the Descendents' career, is the inexplicable "Days Are Blood," an 8-minute metal breakdown that goes beyond bad experimentation and into the realm of embarassment. But it represents a phenomenon that was taking place in punk at the time. Bands were growing up and out of the hardcore scene, and were apt to experiment with their sound. Bands like Black Flag, Social Distortion, 7 Seconds and Bad Brains were now playing metal, rockabilly, new wave and funk-metal, respectively. While in some cases it paid off (most notably in the case of Social D), most of the bands' new directions never lived up to the work from their hardcore days. The Descendents rank somewhere in the middle, because while Enjoy! is their worst effort, it still has its share of good material, and the band would redeem themselves with ALL the next year anyway.

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Posted by notfeelingcreative on 2005-10-06 23:32:27

"Is that why she's your former girlfriend? Ha ha ha..."

Well yeah that and her tendency to hit on other dudes right in front of me, and her opinion that the Breeders were the "greatest band that ever lived"!

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, October 5, 2005 at 11:22 PM (EDT)

i agree. liveage is far and away my fav descendents record.

regardless, allroy's revenge owns everything ever.

Posted by housewrecker on 2005-10-05 14:16:01

Nice job on the review. The Descendents/All have always been in my top 5 favorite bands of all time. I agree with you and think this album has some of their best and worst songs. However, since the Descendents (and All) were/are such a good live band, I prefer to just listen to Liveage and Hallraker as sort of greatest hits records. The new Descendents live record is great too (especially hearing Milo sing a Chad tune), but I still think Hallraker and Liveage are what's it's all about to me...

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, October 5, 2005 at 12:01 PM (EDT)

Enjoy is pretty damn good, and it ain't their worst.

Posted by lushj on 2005-10-05 11:59:01

Is that why she's your former girlfriend? Ha ha ha...

Posted by notfeelingcreative on 2005-10-04 22:56:22

why did I tell that pointless story?

Posted by notfeelingcreative on 2005-10-04 22:55:44

"These guys sound a lot like ALL.

Thats funny I took my (former) girlfriend to see ALL a few years back, after the show she was like "Why did they play all those Descendents covers?

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, October 3, 2005 at 9:40 PM (EDT)

Get The Time is one of my all-time favorite Descendents songs.

Anyway I think this is a good album.. there are definitely parts that they could have left out (like Orgofart), but its still better than 95% of the other stuff put it out there.
It certainly deserves more than 2.5 stars....

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, October 3, 2005 at 7:38 PM (EDT)

Anyone who wasn't in the room when The Ramones played their first show you are not Tr00 punx.

People who aren't 50 or older get out of punx!11111111111111111111111111111111111111omg

Posted by gypsymazzurco on 2005-10-03 15:41:33

nice to see a sort of objective non-5 star review in the classics for a change.

Posted by 8dollarclarinetsolo on 2005-10-03 15:21:49

no shit? ive never seen that video, but the song rules

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, October 3, 2005 at 1:30 PM (EDT)

in other news, vh1 classic played ALL's "dot" video last night on the alternative. i was pretty fuckin impressed.

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, October 3, 2005 at 10:00 AM (EDT)

i realized this album is especially significant to me because i bought it one night alone with lifetime's hello bastards and dag nasty's can i say/wig out at denko's (back when they were issued on the same cd). hello bastards would become my all-time favorite album and can i say/wig out is very high on that list. enjoy always ended up being the more laughable purchase from that great music night, but i still dig it.

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, October 3, 2005 at 2:00 AM (EDT)
My Score:

"first, this should of been reviewed a long fucking time ago. way before this site was ever thought up. second you suck at reviews. sorry, its the truth. before reviewing why dont you find out a little bit about the album and why some of it was recorded. you sound like a little kid hearing this record for the first time in 2005. thats fucked!"

Yeah buddy we're not all aging punkers who have researched every "big" punk band's records. I for one am 21 and have never heard this album before, so it was informative to me, thats what these classic reviews are for you jackass, to keep the new scene kids in line with the classics. Maybe you should have reviewed it if you're such an expert. End rant.

-Not-To-Regret

Posted by stevejonestherealbones on 2005-10-02 22:32:28

"Superdude is funny."

his comments like these are funny.

i didnt really like his letters to bands though. but these ones are gold usually

- jones the bones

- stevejones8770@yahoo.com

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 2, 2005 at 9:03 PM (EDT)

FAT is a bad release.

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 2, 2005 at 8:48 PM (EDT)

Superdude is funny.

Posted by Anchors on 2005-10-02 18:50:05

shit i wish i could get away with farting into a mic for three minutes and being called one of the best punk bands of all time

Honestly dude, do you know anything about music?

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 2, 2005 at 5:40 PM (EDT)

The Descendents are great, but yes, this is their worst CD by far!!!!

Posted by ElVaquero on 2005-10-02 16:55:29

The only Descendents album not actually worth buying.

Posted by BrandonSideleau on 2005-10-02 16:51:55
My Score:

Black Flag & Bad Brains material lived up to and (in SOME ways) surpassed their earlier material. Not to say that the early stuff wasn't just as amazing.

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 2, 2005 at 2:15 PM (EDT)

If The Descendents were to fight ALL in a rubber band snapping battle, who would win? And if the front man wasn't the last one standing what band would the other surviving member claim?
-Dante

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 2, 2005 at 1:40 PM (EDT)
My Score:

7 great songs, 2 decent songs, 3 awful songs.

score is for ALLROY'S REVENGE.

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 2, 2005 at 1:06 PM (EDT)

"Bands were growing up and out of the hardcore scene, and were apt to experiment with their sound. Bands like Black Flag, Social Distortion, 7 Seconds and Bad Brains were now playing metal, rockabilly, new wave and funk-metal, respectively. While in some cases it paid off (most notably in the case of Social D), most of the bands' new directions never lived up to the work from their hardcore days."

Pretty good review... and that comment was a good one !

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 2, 2005 at 12:24 PM (EDT)

first, this should of been reviewed a long fucking time ago. way before this site was ever thought up. second you suck at reviews. sorry, its the truth. before reviewing why dont you find out a little bit about the album and why some of it was recorded. you sound like a little kid hearing this record for the first time in 2005. thats fucked!

Posted by SoupIsGoodFood on 2005-10-02 11:49:29
My Score:

shit i wish i could get away with farting into a mic for three minutes and being called one of the best punk bands of all time

You never wrote "Hope" or "Clean Sheets".

Posted by superdude on 2005-10-02 10:34:40

This review was pretty good, but here's how I would make it better:
1. When you have guests over do you put this album up on the bathroom wall next to the toilet when you run our of toilet paper?

2. It won't work you know. When they reach for it they'll realize that it's just a cd cover and you might end up with a broken cd or it could fall in the toilet. Not worth it.

3. So their singer is that cartoon Milo guy? Is that like the Gorillaz?

4. These guys sound a lot like ALL.

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 2, 2005 at 7:47 AM (EDT)

The descendents worst.

--Trav.

Posted by localh on 2005-10-02 06:10:40

Best Songs ever I'm not a loser and Sour Grapes.
I kinda thought 'merican sounded like bad religion somehow

Posted by lushj on 2005-10-02 04:20:09

P.S.- Re: the song "Enjoy" being about smelling farts, this IS the same band who wrote "Pervert" and "No Fat Beaver"... I queefed, enjoy/sniff, my ass, while I, pass gas!

Posted by lushj on 2005-10-02 04:16:01
My Score:

When I originally bought this, it was on cassette and I tried to return it because I thought it was a mistake- the songs on the cover don't match the songs on the tape. Whaddya want, I was fooled by the old "fake song on the cover" schtick!

My favorite tune on this is probably "Sour Grapes" although the Beach Boys cover is perfect for the Descendents. "Kids" and "Hurtin Crue" are fast & great, and "Get The Time" and "Cheer" could be mid-tempo out-takes from "I Don't Want To Grow Up". I like "Green" and "Days Are Blood" too, but that may be just because when I hear this record I think of summer down the shore rockin' out to this album when I was 16.

This is a really good review, though I think it's a lot better record than the reviewer thinks. God knows it's head and shoulders above "All". "Enjoy" has the Descendents jumping all over the place before settling into the call-it-in mid-tempo "All" and the call-it-in mid-tempo ALL. It's irrational, but I still hate ALL just because they're not the DESCENDENTS.

Posted by TheOneTrueBill on 2005-10-02 03:42:42

Yeah, I don't have this but I'm not real eager to get it. I have ALL and I don't really think it's all that great.

Posted by kenjamin on 2005-10-02 02:51:29

solid review. Just thought i'd let you know because i've never heard this.

Posted by theundergroundscene on 2005-10-02 02:33:37

shit i wish i could get away with farting into a mic for three minutes and being called one of the best punk bands of all time

Posted by 8dollarclarinetsolo on 2005-10-02 01:54:53

and i really liked this review, i never thought about all those other punk bands experimenting around this time, thats a good point, but in no way forgives the terribleness of days are blood, or either orgofart track

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 2, 2005 at 1:54 AM (EDT)

Basically, if you take half of "Enjoy" and half of "All" (the Descendents record), you have one good solid record.

Posted by 8dollarclarinetsolo on 2005-10-02 01:52:53
My Score:

im a huge descendents fan, but i agree that they were probably getting too good at their instruments, there are many pointless songs on this record, but cheer, kids, enjoy, wendy and a couple others are real good. this would be the same thing that happened with the all record, it has a couple killers but mostly sucks. and if im not mistaken it came out in 89, not the year after enjoy/?

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 2, 2005 at 1:46 AM (EDT)

This album completely sucks. These guys were getting too good at their instruments, I think... They wanted to push the boundaries, but they overextended themselves and created this unholy mess. Total crap and definitely not worth the inflated price tag.

-Will

Posted by gladimnotemo on 2005-10-02 01:40:08
My Score:

I really can't get into the Descendents for some reason. They are a really mood specific band - if it's not feeling good, it's completely bland.

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 2, 2005 at 1:36 AM (EDT)

The Strung Out / Bane / Comeback Kid show @ the Metropolis in Montreal was uber FASTASTIC!!

Posted by greenerton on 2005-10-02 01:33:20
My Score:

I'd give it a 7. While it's definitely their worst album, it still does have some of my favorite Descendents songs ever. Plus hey, it's the Descendents. And the bad tracks aren't THAT bad, they're just "out there". Though "Days Are Blood" is one weird-ass song.

Good review, though.