Customer Reviews

Milo Goes to College

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I initially wasn't going to write a review on this album since it's legacy speaks for itself... but after seeing another review here where someone ignorantly slagged this album without backing up their diatribe with anything substantial, I just had to jump in and state the obvious... THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST AMERICAN PUNK ROCK RECORDS OF ALL TIME.

The proof is in the pudding... listen for yourself! I mean... maybe if you grew up listening to Aztec Camera then of course you're probably gonna hate this, but I grew up listening to this album.

Short, sweet, simple, and raw is how some of us like it.

When I first purchased the vinyl LP back in 1982, I was already well versed with much of what had come previous by such bands as Black Flag, Necros, MDC, Minor Threat, Negative Approach, SSD, etc...

In the early 80's, hardcore punk was raw, frenetic, angry, and urgent.

I remember my first impression after listening to this album was that the descendents were perhaps the boldest band during that time. They didn't write songs about how much they hated Reagan or about unity or how much they hated the cops. They wrote songs about unrequitted love and the pressures of being a teen in the suburbs. Not the usual hardcore agenda at all.

I went to see them in the fall of 1984 when they came to my town. Again I was floored by their sheer bravado because they looked like 4 nerds!!! But when they took the stage and sang songs such as "Myage" and "Jean is Dead", the entire club nearly came crashing down as the dancefloor became one huge violent whirlpoor of swinging fists and stomping combat boots.

The music is raw and passionate, full of yearning. The kind of desperate yearning other aching hearts will surely recognize as undiluted soul seeking truth.

Many people regard the descendents as the fathers of modern day punk/brat rock. I disagree. The descendents were the real thing and they stand head and shoulders above all those who would follow decades later, and "Milo Goes to College" is their shining moment in the sun.

First off, I can't stand people who don't like punk and yet insist on writing a review about a punk album just so they can bash the hell out of it, call it "generic", "uninspiried", and "unoriginal" (and any other empty rhetoric you can think of), and feel better about themselves. This is punk. If you don't like punk, then you won't like this, so why bother commenting on it. I don't comment on death metal albums because I don't like death metal. Let punk be already.

With that out of the way, this album is absolutley brilliant. It is a precursor to pop-punk, but make no mistake (as the kid below me did), this does not sound like the "very crappy generic" punk garbage you hear on the radio nowadays. The riffs are fast and edgy, but not as abrasive and harsh as a lot of hardcore bands from the 80s (i.e. Husker Du, Minor Threat, although I like them a lot too). Milo's voice is perfect for the music, and his lyrics, while they seem simple, are actually quite unique and incredible. Songs like "Suburban Home", "Parents", "I'm Not a Loser", and "Bikeage" are all excellent social commentaries about suburban environments, class struggles, and drug addictions. These guys sing about what they know, and they do it well. They didn't sing so they could get on MTV, like all those terrible "punk" bands do today. They're genuinely angst-filled and anger-driven, and should be praised for their musical honesty.

Lastly, yes the song titles have the suffix -age in them and "I'm Not a Punk" and "I'm Not a Loser" do sound like similar titles, but did it ever occur to you, fellow reviewer below, that this was done intentionally, maybe to give the album a sense of unity and continuity. There is such a thing as a theme on a music album, you know, it doesn't exist exclusively in literature. This album isn't overrated. In fact, I think it's underappreciated. Only 80s punk fans and people from SoCal really know about the Descendents, which is just a shame. It's some of the best punk ever made, no question about it. If you like this, get "Everything Sucks" and "I Don't Want to Grow Up".

I own "Everything Sucks" and "Cool to be You", both of which I enjoy. Supposedly, this album is legendary and I figured I owe it to myself to check out this early piece of music.

Legendary? Id have to agree. I love albums like this, that dont sound "proper". They seem to have more passion, energy, heart, and geniune feeling. And look at the copyright date...1982. My goodness, I was born in 1982. John Cougar was tearing up airwaves with "Jack and Diane" (great song, by the way), Reagan (RIP) was America's #1 citizen, and "E.T." won Best Picture. Geez, Metallica was barely off the ground. And the punk movement had shifted to the West Coast, as well as D.C., and the music became fused with a more hardcore sound (Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, Black Flag). Then out of nowhere comes this band of whiny, snotty kids singing about girls, food, and life in suburbia, which is a little far from life on 53rd and 3rd. And thus, "pop" punk became known to the world.

This album is buzzing with so much energy its hard to contain. If you leave the room to use the bathroom or get a popsicle, youll miss an entire song. Speaking of songs, these are some great cuts. I can listen to this this all the way through. Its short but wholesome. My personal favorites are "Hope", "Myage", "Catalina", "Im Not a Punk", "I Wanna Be a Bear", "Im Not a Loser, "Marriage" and the splendid "Bikeage". Dont allow yourself to skip any of the other tracks, though, because you would be missing out.

Now, I know a lot of people will be turned off by the sound quality and super simple songs and lyrics, but the punk movement was about that, rock and roll stripped down and sped up. I may be living in the past, but would you honestly rather listen to overproduced pop punk bands like Simple Plan who are so NOT punk or listen to a band that is one of the reasons Simple Plan even exists. Make the right choice...you will not regret it.

This is one of the best examples of 80's punk music.
It's raw, fast, snotty, silly, angst ridden music, for and by, sububan rejects.
The guitar is a raw and savage downstroke attack. The bass and drums keep the music tight and melodic. And the vocals; Milo Auckerman is the best punk singer of all time, his raspy and melodic style of singing captures a full range of emotions, from rage to frustration, to heartbreak. But no, it's not EMO, it's punk rock, the way it should be done.

This CD is INCREDIBLE!!! I am only 15 and i can tell that these guys rock. Though some idiots may call them posers of Blink 182 and Less Than Jake (Hello dude, they weren't even a band yet!!! Read the release date!!!!) Descendents were the ones who started pop-punk music. Oh yeah, and Hope is the coolest song ever.
Just buy it.

...there is an easy way to beat the shortness of this release. Milo Goes To College is a great record. As a CD it is way too short. Solution...purchase another Descendents CD, Two Things At Once. That will give you this classic platter & Bonus Fat(featuring their first single). Milo Goes To College came out in 1982. Is it dated? Yes. Is it outdated? Not at all!

The Descendents weren't suave, hip, macho, sexy or vicious. They were funny, witty & believable. They had the market cornered when it came to the awkwardness and frustration of adolescence. Milo Aukerman had/has a very unique voice that was absolutely perfect for the tone and mood of this band. When you hear Milo sing, it takes but a moment to realize that it could only be Milo. Lyrically on Milo Goes To College, the Descendents weren't about drugs, booze or Anarchy & chaos...they were into girls- and it usually wasn't going well in that department. MGTC is a wonderful, driving, generally melodic testament to youth and vigor. For a young, disillusioned listener, this record was impossible not to identify with(same story with I Don't Want To Grow Up). The Milo Goes To College Descendents were: Milo(vocals), Bill Stevenson(drums), Frank Navetta(guitar), Tony Lombardo(bass). Stevenson also spent a good bit of time in the 80's with Black Flag. They were not the first pop-punk band, though they may well have been the best. The Buzzcocks were certainly ahead of the Descendents(chronologically). If you buy Two Things At Once you get Milo Goes To College & Bonus Fat(my dad sucks/mr. bass/I like food/hey, hey/weinerschnitzel/global probing/ride the wild/it's a hectic world). The songs Suburban Home & Hope are the Decscendents in a nutshell...them at their very best in a classic sense. Other highlights include Bikeage, Marriage, Catalina, Parents, etc.

Buy this. Buy Somery. Buy I Don't Want To Grow Up. Buy Everything Sucks...well, you get the idea. And believe me when I say that these guys were doing the Emo-thing when it certainly wasn't cool. You could say that they are the reason it's cool. This album is the foundation of the legendary status they have deservedly won. They are flawless live...enjoy!

This is my second favorite punk album, my favorite being the Circle Jerks Group Sex. I hate how everyone is so closed minded about music. There's "goth" people who only listen to Marilyn Manson and Slipknot. Then there is the people who only listen to rap. Then there's those kids that think there punk because they listen to The Casualties which is a good band but the kids think that punk is how you dress and how you have your hair. It isn't its how you think, how you feel. This is real punk rock.
Favorite songs: "I Wanna Be A Bear", "I'm Not A Loser", and "Catalina". I strongly recomend this album to anyone who likes punk rock.

Milo and company hit you with there blend of punk rock, that ranges from energetic riff's to sappier riff's, which boldly make the Descendents, the Descendents. Clearly, what sets 'Milo Goes to College' a part from the wave of the punk genre is there non-political, fun approach, which no other band has been able to succesfully pull off like this band has. But don't worry, this is in no way a toned-down or a sub-par punk rock album, the crudeness is still here, and corporate america will surely be offended by some of the not-so-politcally-correct lyrics. This is essential to any punk rock collection, as is most of the other Descendents records.

A good album, seems a little less polished sound than "Everything Sucks", but this may just be the 10-year difference in sound. The Descendents have proven themselves to be pioneers of this style, and their influence on bands such as Weezer is clearly seen on this album. And in response to the person who wrote "They are the worst and are posers of Less Than Jake and Blink182.", How could they have been copying Less than Jake and Blink182, when the Descendents precede them? Great to listen to, only minor gripe is that the album is too short, at only 22 minutes. I recommend picking up "Two things at Once" instead, which combines this classic album with "Bonus Fat", and giving us all a little more Descendents for our money.