Somery

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Somery is a compilation album by the Descendents, released on July 16, 1991, by SST Records. It gathers tracks from their early releases: the Fat EP (1981), Milo Goes to College (1982), I Don't Want to Grow Up (1985), Enjoy! (1986), and All (1987).

After SST bought New Alliance and reissued older material, lead singer Milo Aukerman left in 1987 to study biochemistry. The remaining members—Karl Alvarez, Stephen Egerton, and Bill Stevenson—continued as All, releasing three albums on SST’s Cruz Records between 1988 and 1991 with different singers. SST also issued two Descendents live albums, Liveage! (1987) and Hallraker: Live! (1989). Stevenson did the cover art for Somery and Egerton created the graphics. The Descendents would later reunite with Aukerman in 1995 to record Everything Sucks. Stevenson later said Somery sold more than any of their other albums, helping new fans discover the band.

Critics praised the collection. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave it 4.5 stars, calling it a useful retrospective despite missing a few great songs. Mike DaRonco wished “Pep Talk” from All had been included. Robert Christgau gave it an A−, and Rolling Stone’s Jenny Eliscu called Somery a must-have with a strong mix of goofy hardcore and catchier rockers.