All By Myself [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Rikk Agnew (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 21, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 1982
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Frontier Records
• ASIN: B00007FE2S
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #350,534 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Snarkily titled after Eric Carmen's '70s solo hit but thankfully not featuring a cover of that song, Agnew's solo debut actually lives up to its title completely, as he plays every instrument on the record, creating a great one-man band sound (with the help of Adolescents producer Thom Wilson) as a result. Possessed of a good mid-range punk voice -- no sneering or bellowing, not really singing but not just talking over the songs either -- he creates the same basic rush he brought to his early stints in the Adolescents and the faster Christian Death songs he worked on, but with a slightly poppier bent at points that perfectly balances sass and strength, while not being afraid to experiment from time to time either (as the lengthy album closer "Section 8" shows). "Everyday," the one track Agnew cowrote with someone else (his brother and fellow Adolescents veteran Frank), is a great example of this, with its gentler pace, tight arrangement that lets some space into the playing, and Agnew's actual singing, which succeeds in a slightly winsome way. The leadoff track is yet another Orange County punk classic from Agnew's pen, "OC Life," specifically naming some particularly crap cities worthy of contempt, and from there he's off relentlessly detailing some particularly screwed up lives and problems with a withering eye. More than most who have worked in punk, Agnew can capture a careful empathy when at his best, backed up with memorable music to boot (the fragile keyboard arrangement that fills out the sound on the remarkable character study "10" is particularly lovely touch). "Surfside" sneaks in a surf riff (but of course!) into its otherwise trebly and tense look back at a destructive, unsettled past, a smart way of combining nostalgia with a questioning bent, another fine moment on a generally fine record. ~ Ned Raggett, Rovi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars me love agnew, October 24, 2003

By 

Tamerlane (THE MISSISSIPPI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All By Myself (Audio CD)

ME LOVE RIKK AGNEW. ME THINK THE AGNEW GOOD! ME WANT JOIN CULT THE AGNEW IN!!

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars but try to find it with the adolescents album....., October 7, 2003

By 

brandon hopewell (riverside, ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All By Myself (Audio CD)

not worth the price here, unless you cant find that doulble album. its the blue adolescents one and is added on to the end. thats the way to go....