"Just Perfect" is a song by the American punk rock band All, released as a single from their 1988 debut album Allroy Sez. Written by drummer Bill Stevenson, "Just Perfect" was remixed from the original album version for release as a single.[1] The B-side track "Wishing Well", written by singer Dave Smalley, is from the Allroy Sez recording sessions but was not included on the album.[1] Both tracks were later included on the compact disc release of All's following EP, Allroy for Prez (1988).
| "Just Perfect" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Left to right on the cover: Stephen Egerton, Dave Smalley, Karl Alvarez, and Bill Stevenson having sand poured on them by a loader. | ||||
| Single by All | ||||
| from the album Allroy Sez | ||||
| B-side | "Wishing Well" | |||
| Released | 1988 | |||
| Recorded | November–December 1987 at Third Wave Recording, Torrance, California | |||
| Genre | Punk rock | |||
| Length | 5:58 | |||
| Label | Cruz (CRZ-003) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Bill Stevenson | |||
| Producer(s) | Bill Stevenson, Richard Andrews | |||
| All singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
Recording
editBoth songs on the single were recorded during the Allroy Sez sessions in November and December 1987 at Third Wave Recording in Torrance, California, with Stevenson and Richard Andrews acting as record producers.[1] Smalley later recalled that Stevenson was demanding and meticulous in the recording of "Just Perfect":
I had to sing "Just Perfect" for like four hours in the studio until he got the take he wanted. I said "Dude, I’m really hungry. Let’s take a little break and I’ll come back to it." He comes back with this big Snickers bar, tapes it to the other side of the glass and says "When you’re done you can have it!" I’m like "Oh my god, are you fucking kidding me? Alright, fucking push play."[2]
A live recording of "Just Perfect" was later released on All's 1990 live album Trailblazer, sung by Smalley's successor Scott Reynolds.[3][4] The studio version of "Just Perfect" was later remixed by Stevenson, Egerton, and Jason Livermore for All's best-of compilation album All (1999).[5][6]
Reception
editReviewing the single, critic Jack Rabid called "Just Perfect" the best song from Allroy Sez and compared it to the band's previous work as the Descendents (the Descendents had changed their name to All when singer Milo Aukerman left the band in 1987): "Even without Milo, they seem legit if they can keep pouring out tunes as special as this one that compare favorably with their older incarnation/name's terrific body of work going back almost a decade."[7]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Just Perfect" (remix) | Bill Stevenson | 2:58 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wishing Well" | Dave Smalley | 3:00 |
| Total length: | 5:58 | ||
Personnel
edit- Band[1]
- Karl Alvarez – bass guitar, back cover drawing
- Stephen Egerton – guitar
- Dave Smalley – vocals
- Bill Stevenson – drums, producer
- Production[1]
- Richard Andrews – producer
- Matt Rector – cover photograph
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Just Perfect (album sleeve). All. Long Beach, California: Cruz Records. 1988. CRZ-003.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ LaCour, Deedle (Director); Riggle, Matt (Director) (2013). Filmage: The Story of Descendents/All (DVD). Manchester: Rogue Elephant Pictures. Event occurs at 42:00.
- ^ "Trailblazer". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
- ^ Salmon, Jeremy. "Live Plus One". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
- ^ "All". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
- ^ All (CD liner). All. Fort Collins, Colorado: Owned & Operated Recordings. 1999. CO&O-007.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Rabid, Jack. "Review: "Just Perfect"". Allmusic. Retrieved 2015-02-18.