Allroy Sez is the debut album by the American punk rock band All, released in March 1988 through Cruz Records.
Following the departure of singer Milo Aukerman from the Descendents, the remaining members—bassist Karl Alvarez, guitarist Stephen Egerton, and drummer Bill Stevenson—recruited singer Dave Smalley and changed the name of the band to All, which was both the title of the Descendents' 1987 album and a philosophical concept invented by Stevenson and friend Pat McCuistion in 1980.
"[9] Smalley, formerly of the Boston-based hardcore punk band DYS and Washington, D.C.–based Dag Nasty, had been attending school in Israel on a scholarship.
"[9] Guitarist Stephen Egerton recalled that he, Stevenson, and bassist Karl Alvarez "were very much in the swing of a very heavy-duty practice regimen.
[7][12][13] The restaurant's eponymous proprietor, Alfredo Carrilo, thanked the band by hanging a plaque in the dining area with their picture, a menu, the song's lyrics, and a note of appreciation.
[7][14] "Allthymn" elaborates on the "All" concept, with lyrics "Don't mistake ALL for love or hate / It's not like any other mental state / It's the total extent, when nothing else remains / The utmost possible of possible gains".
"[15] Twelve guests sang backing vocals on the album, including Aukerman, Alvarez's brother Mike, Dez Cadena of Black Flag and the DC3, Bob Fitzer of Saccharine Trust, and three members of The Last: Joe Nolte, Mike Nolte, and David Nazworthy.
[17] Allroy was created by Alvarez, based on a caricature he had drawn of Egerton for the Descendents' 1987 "FinALL" tour posters.
A single was released for "Just Perfect" with the B-side "Wishing Well", which had been recorded during the Allroy Sez sessions but was not included on the album.
[21] Mike Gitter of Rip magazine said that with Allroy Sez, the band's "previously segregated pop and discordant extremes achieve unique cohesiveness.
"[22] He praised Stevenson's songwriting, compared Smalley's singing to "a younger Roger Daltrey", and said "Alvarez and Egerton emerge stronger players than contributions with the Descendents or their previous outfit the Massacre Guys would reveal [...] All's debut effort achieves a unique culmination of Descendents' development and growth to date while hinting at a great deal more.
"[22] Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Mike Boehm remarked that "with its sharp production, newly prominent harmonies and catchy melodies, mostly in the service of love songs, Allroy Sez is probably the kind of album most Descendents/ALL fans want, Stevenson said, and it is the best-selling record the band has done.
"[13] Campbell's colleague Jack Rabid, however, opined that the album "was OK but way short of the Descendents/All's standards", saying that their EP Allroy for Prez, released later the same year, "is so much better that it makes its predecessor sound stillborn.