"Dot" is a song by the American punk rock band All, written by singer Scott Reynolds and released as a single and music video from the band's 1992 album Percolater. The single also includes the song "Can't Say", written by bassist Karl Alvarez and drummer Bill Stevenson, and a cover version of "A Boy Named Sue", a 1969 song written by Shel Silverstein and made famous by Johnny Cash.
| "Dot" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by All | ||||
| from the album Percolater | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | 1992 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Punk rock | |||
| Length | 6:19 | |||
| Label | Cruz (CRZ-024) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Scott Reynolds | |||
| Producer(s) | Bill Stevenson, Stephen Egerton | |||
| All singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio sample | ||||
Background edit
"Dot" was recorded with the rest of Percolater at Chapman Recording Studios in Kansas City, Missouri and at Nightingale Studio in Nashville, Tennessee.[1] Stevenson and guitarist Stephen Egerton served as record producers and additional recording engineers.[1] The recordings were mixed by John Hampton at Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee.[1] "Can't Say" and "A Boy Named Sue" were also recorded during the Percolater sessions but were left off of the album.[1] "Dot" was released through Cruz Records in 1992 as a 10-inch single, cassette single, and CD single.
The music video for "Dot" shows the band members performing the song on a set made to resemble the interior of a house, with Reynolds using various props related to the song's lyrics such as a telescope, telephone, and mirror. Stevenson did not think "Dot" was the strongest choice of song for a music video. Reynolds later recalled that "When we went to record the 'Dot' video, it was really apparent that Bill was dissatisfied. He wasn't happy".[2] "At that point I was idealizing we would put our foot forward visually with a song that maybe had more of an eighth note drive to it," said Stevenson, "but on that record I didn't have really any good songs, so it's like 'Okay, a lot of lip from you, Stevenson. Where's your good song?' And it's like 'I don’t have any.'"[2]
Reception edit
Deborah Orr of CMJ New Music Report said "'Dot' is classic All, whizzy and boiling over with happy punk sentiments."[3] Mike DaRonco of Allmusic focused his comments on the single's others songs, saying "'Can't Say' has the same heartfelt lyrics and all-around goofiness that All are known for. But what makes the single worthwhile is their rendition of Johnny Cash's 'A Boy Named Sue': just listening to the normally high-pitched voice of Scott Reynolds trying to do his best Man in Black imitation is a scream."[4]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dot" | Scott Reynolds | 2:00 |
| 2. | "A Boy Named Sue" (originally performed by Shel Silverstein) | Shel Silverstein | 2:16 |
| 3. | "Can't Say" | Karl Alvarez (music and lyrics), Bill Stevenson (music) | 2:03 |
| Total length: | 6:19 | ||
Personnel edit
- Band[1]
- Karl Alvarez – bass guitar
- Stephen Egerton – guitar, additional engineering, producer
- Scott Reynolds – vocals
- Bill Stevenson – drums, additional engineering, producer
- Production[1]
- E – additional engineering
- Erik Flettrich – additional engineering
- John Hampton – mixing engineer
- Rich Hanson – additional engineering
- G.E. Teel – additional engineering
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f Dot (CD liner). All. Long Beach, California: Cruz Records. 1992. CRZ CD 024.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b LaCour, Deedle (Director); Riggle, Matt (Director) (2013). Filmage: The Story of Descendents/All (DVD). Manchester: Rogue Elephant Pictures. Event occurs at 49:20.
- ^ Orr, Deborah (May 22, 1992). "Review: All – Percolater". allcentral.com. CMJ New Music Report. Archived from the original on July 17, 2001. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
- ^ DaRonco, Mike. "Review: Dot". Allmusic. Retrieved March 14, 2015.