I Don't Want to Grow Up

I Don't Want to Grow Up
Studio album by the Descendents
Released 1985
Recorded April 1985 at Music Lab in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Genre Punk rock
Length 28:53
Label New Alliance
Producer Bill Stevenson, David Tarling
Descendents chronology
Milo Goes to College
(1982)		 I Don't Want to Grow Up
(1985)		 Bonus Fat
(1985)

I Don't Want to Grow Up is the second album by the Manhattan Beach, California-based 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.

Contents

Background

The Descendents' 1982 album Milo Goes to College had been so named because singer Milo Aukerman was departing the band to study biology at the University of California, San Diego.[1] The band continued performing for a time with Ray Cooper on vocals, who then switched to rhythm guitar, and occasionally with Aukerman when he would make return visits to Los Angeles.[1][2][3] At the same time, drummer Bill Stevenson had also joined Black Flag, intending to be in both bands at once but soon finding it too difficult due to Black Flag's touring and recording schedule:[4]

The band had time off so I spent like two years with Black Flag. I got in over my head. When I joined Flag I had every intention of doing both bands but it was physically impossible. Flag had all this stuff in progress, so I put Descendents on hold.[5]

With Aukerman in college and Stevenson in Black Flag, the Descendents went on hiatus from 1983 to 1985.[1][2][3] During this time lead guitarist Frank Navetta burned all of his equipment and moved to Oregon, while Cooper and bassist Tony Lombardo performed as the Ascendants.[2][3][6] In 1985 Stevenson left Black Flag and he, Aukerman, Cooper, and Lombardo reconvened as the Descendents for I Don't Want to Grow Up, recorded that April at Music Lab studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California with producer and engineer David Tarling and published by New Alliance Records.[7][8][9] Lombardo was unable to tour with the band due to his job with the United States Postal Service, and was replaced by Doug Carrion, who performed on their three tours in support of I Don't Want to Grow Up as well as on the subsequent album Enjoy![2][3][4][6]

In 1987 New Alliance was sold to SST Records, who re-released I Don't Want to Grow Up on cassette and compact disc.

Reception

Ned Raggett of Allmusic gave I Don't Want to Grow Up four stars out of five, saying that "When the four want to be straight up and perfectly poppy, they can and do with smashing success, with surprisingly mature, emotional lyrics and playing that doesn't rely on all-speed all the time."[10] In a 2004 biography of the band, Jenny Eliscu of Rolling Stone commented that the album "featured the most singable tunes the band had ever written. 'Good Good Things,' 'In Love This Way,' and 'Can't Go Back' were positively sunny by Descendents standards; the Beach Boys-gone-punk vibe was an obvious precursor to Weezer. The real advance was their ability to give strong melodies to thrash songs: 'My World' and 'Silly Girl' border on heavy metal but leave out the goofy excess and include way more self-pity."[11]

Track listing

[8]

Side A
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Descendents"   lyrics: Milo Aukerman, Ray Cooper, Tony Lombardo, Bill Stevenson; music: Lombardo 1:42
2. "I Don't Want to Grow Up"   Lombardo 1:19
3. "Pervert"   lyrics: Aukerman; music: Lombardo 1:45
4. "Rockstar"   lyrics: Frank Navetta; music: Lombardo 0:35
5. "No FB"   Aukerman 0:33
6. "Can't Go Back"   Stevenson 1:43
7. "GCF"   Lombardo 1:57
8. "My World"   Aukerman 3:27
9. "Theme"   Lombardo 2:12
Side B
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Silly Girl"   Stevenson 2:21
2. "In Love This Way"   Aukerman 2:30
3. "Christmas Vacation"   lyrics: Aukerman; music: Stevenson 2:36
4. "Good Good Things"   Stevenson 2:19
5. "Ace"   Stevenson 3:54
Total length:
 28:53

Personnel

[8][9]

Band

Production

References

  1. ^ a b c "Interviews". descendentsonline.com. Descendents. http://www.descendentsonline.com/archive/interviews/. Retrieved 2010-02-03. 
  2. ^ a b c d (1998) "All/Descendents Family Shrub" [CD bookelt]. Album notes for All by All. Fort Collins, Colorado: Owned & Operated Records (O&O 007-2).
  3. ^ a b c d "All/Descendents Family Shrub". descendentsonline.com. Descendents. 1996. http://www.descendentsonline.com/archive/gnusletters/pages/1996fall-b-norb.htm. Retrieved 2010-02-07. 
  4. ^ a b Stevenson, Bill (1989). Album notes for Hallraker: Live! by Descendents [CD liner]. Lawndale, California: SST Records (SST CD 205).
  5. ^ Blush, Steven (2001). American Hardcore: A Tribal History. Los Angeles: Feral House. p. 80. ISBN 0-9229-15-71-7. 
  6. ^ a b "F.A.Q.". descendentsonline.com. Descendents. http://www.descendentsonline.com/faq/. Retrieved 2010-02-03. 
  7. ^ Blush, p. 310.
  8. ^ a b c (1987) Album notes for I Don't Want to Grow Up by Descendents [CD liner]. Lawndale, California: SST Records (SST CD 143).
  9. ^ a b (1991) Album notes for Somery by Descendents [CD liner]. Lawndale, California: SST Records (SST CD 259).
  10. ^ Raggett, Ned. "Review: I Don't Want to Grow Up". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r5541. Retrieved 2010-02-07. 
  11. ^ Eliscu, Jenny (2004). "Descendents Biography". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/descendents/biography. Retrieved 2010-02-14. 
Descendents
Studio albums
Milo Goes to College • I Don't Want to Grow Up • Enjoy! • All • Everything Sucks • Cool to Be You
Live albums
Compilation albums
EPs
Singles
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