ALL

ALL: PercolaterPercolater (1992)
Cruz

Reviewer Rating: 3.5

User Rating:

Contributed by: shaneShane
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on April 4th 2002Wow.... 10 years! Has it really been that long? Back then in Australia, I was just a spotty faced teen getting bombarded with Guns N Roses cock rock and 10 minute Kirk Hammett guitar solos... (pssst....I still have my Appetite For Destruction and Master Of Puppets albums....but ssshhhh.....

Wow....

10 years!

Has it really been that long?

Back then in Australia, I was just a spotty faced teen getting bombarded with Guns N Roses cock rock and 10 minute Kirk Hammett guitar solos...

(pssst....I still have my Appetite For Destruction and Master Of Puppets albums....but ssshhhh....don't tell anyone :))

Around about that time, this odd little piece of music happened to be passed on to me on a crappy, tinny sounding audio tape....

And after all these years, I STILL maintain that this, my first ALL experience, is an "odd little piece of music".

Honestly, I wasn't too impressed on first listen....Instrumentals??.....bizarre spoken tracks??.....about bugs?? Remember this was 1992, the net was still a baby not fit for use by average people, and you REALLY had to go searching and find an indie music store to get alternative music (well, in Australia anyway).

Suffice to say....I wasn't used to this.

Anyway....after a few listens....this album really started to grow on me.....Scott's sweet vocals and harmonies kicked in....and finally....I got it.

At its core this is pure speed pop....but with that twist that I later came to understand was inherent with any All/Descendents release.

"Charligan" opens things with an instrumental foot tapper....."Nothin'", "Dot" and "Minute" are 3 of the albums more straightforward quality pop songs.

"Missouri 63" is an odd enjoyable little number.

Lyrically, "Empty" and "Egg Timer" have real punch (something desperately lacking at the time), but musically they seem just a little flat to me.

"Hotplate" had me checking the tape to make sure that I hadn't taped ZZ Top over the top by accident, and "Breathe" ends the album with style, in an almost ballad like fashion with one of the most melancholy tracks on the album.

Overall, this is enjoyable quirky pop. Good stuff.

(Also worth noting, Percolater is the last appearance on lead Vocals of Scott Reynolds on an ALL lp)

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

Anonymous (August 10, 2003)

I love it when people try to say "The Descendents are better than ALL" and vice versa. THEY'RE THE SAME DAMNED BAND!!!! I mean, come on! "You wouldn't see Milo singing a song like 'Pretty Little Girl'". This uninformed individual obviously hasn't heard much from The Descendents outside of "Milo Goes to College" and "Everything Sucks", because there is a large number of 'dents tunes simiilar to "Pretty Little Girl" and the like.

Anonymous (November 12, 2002)

all is way better. im sorry, but milo isnt the god everyone makes him out to be. hes a singer. no more. he didnt write most of the descendent's songs anyways. so stop the hailing.

Anonymous (April 5, 2002)

I actually prefer all to the descendents. So there...

Eyeball_kid (April 5, 2002)

ALL are good, but they are not better than Descendents. You would never catch Milo singing that twisted nursery rhyme 'Pretty Little Girl'. I feel ill just talking about it. I haven't even heard this album, i apologise for taking up this space.

Unconcerned (April 4, 2002)

If you like Scott's vocals definitely check out the Pavers. They are amazing (scott's new band).

wow someone reviewing semi-decent music for a change... what's this site coming to?

Anonymous (April 4, 2002)

3rd best ALL album (Allroy's Revenge and Pummel being the best). Dot and Nothin' are amazing songs. What I love about ALL albums is that there is just a ton of variety in the types of songs, it keeps you interested from start to finish. They challenge their fans. And every song is amazing. More proof that ALL are better than the Descendents.