Descendents' Legendary Liveage! Reissued
Descendents' Liveage! Reissues Document Their High-Energy 1987 'FinALL' Tour and Live Best-Of Sound
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Key Points
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The Liveage! release is specifically being marketed as an “LP black vinyl” edition by Alternative Press (Shop).
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Bill Stevenson is the credited source for the explanation that Liveage! functions as “a sort of best-of compilation and document of their raw, high energy live show.”
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BrooklynVegan is also selling All as a CD release, in addition to vinyl formats.
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BrooklynVegan is marketing an additional colored-vinyl variation of All labeled “Boo-berry” vinyl.
Org Music is reissuing two key Descendents records from 1987 — the studio album *All* and the live document *Liveage!* — with new vinyl and CD editions dropping August 14, according to antimusic.com. The campaign marks roughly 40 years since the band's pivotal "FinALL" tour, which ended with frontman Milo Aukerman leaving to pursue graduate studies in biochemistry.
*Liveage!* was recorded July 13, 1987, at First Avenue in Minneapolis during the 50-day "FinALL" tour. Bill Stevenson describes it as "a sort of best-of compilation and document of their raw, high energy live show," according to Alternative Press. The set includes fan favorites like "I'm Not a Loser," "Silly Girl," and "Coolidge."
The 1987 Lineup That Changed the Band's Sound
*All* was the fourth studio album from the Southern California punk band and arrived in June 1987 via SST Records. It introduced two new members: bassist Karl Alvarez and guitarist Stephen Egerton, both previously from the Utah band Massacre Guys. Their arrival pushed the band toward more melodic, complex songwriting, according to Punk News.
Stevenson has credited Egerton with bringing "nasty chords" that became a band trademark. The new lineup wrote more democratically, giving *All* a richer sound than earlier records. The album's title came from a concept Stevenson co-created with friend Pat McCuistion. They defined "ALL" as achieving "total extent" — doing everything to its fullest, according to Alternative Press.
A Final Tour Before Milo Left for College
Aukerman had committed to leaving the band after the tour to study molecular biology and biochemistry at UC San Diego. That made every show on the "FinALL" tour feel like a goodbye. The band played roughly 50 dates before effectively disbanding in August 1987.
After Aukerman left, the remaining members immediately formed a new band called ALL, named after the album. They brought in singer Dave Smalley to fill the role. The *Liveage!* recording from Minneapolis — captured just weeks before the breakup — preserves what that final lineup sounded like at full speed, according to Alternative Press.
Limited Pressings and Exclusive Formats Drive the Reissue Campaign
Several retailers are offering exclusive variants. Alternative Press is selling a standard black vinyl edition of *Liveage!* at $25.99, according to Alternative Press. The most limited pressing of *All* is a Blue & Silver vinyl edition capped at just 300 copies, also available through the Alternative Press shop.
BrooklynVegan is offering its own exclusive colored-vinyl version of *All* called "Boo-berry" vinyl, plus a "Punk Note" edition styled after Blue Note jazz records. BrooklynVegan is also selling *All* as a CD — one of the few formats that gives non-vinyl buyers an entry point into the reissue campaign, according to Punk News.
Org Music Reissues Reflect a Catalog Reclaimed
The reissue campaign is Org Music's opening move in a broader Descendents catalog push. For years, the original recordings sat with SST Records. The band has since reclaimed their master recordings, and Stevenson views the reissues as a way to keep control of the group's legacy, according to antimusic.com.
Both *All* and *Liveage!* are due August 14. For collectors, the 300-copy Blue & Silver pressing of *All* is the headline item. For everyone else, the black vinyl and CD editions offer a clean, accessible way to own two records that helped define pop-punk in the late 1980s.
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