The Adolescents formed in Fullerton, California in January 1980; the original lineup consisted of singer Tony Reflex, bassist Steve Soto, guitarists Frank Agnew and John O'Donovan, and drummer Peter Pan.[1] They recorded several demos, two of which—"Who Is Who" and "Wrecking Crew"—were later released on BYO Records' inaugural release Someone Got Their Head Kicked In! (1982).[2] O'Donovan and Pan left the band that June and were replaced, respectively, by Agnew's older brother Rikk Agnew and by Casey Royer.[1] This lineup recorded the song "Amoeba" for the Rodney on the ROQ compilation (Posh Boy Records, 1980) as well as the band's first album, Adolescents, released in April 1981 through Frontier Records.[1] Rikk Agnew left the group and was briefly replaced by Pat Smear, then by Steve Roberts; this lineup recorded the Welcome to Reality EP, but broke up two months before its October 1981 release through Frontier.[1]
The Adolescents lineup reunited in 1986 and began working on a new album, but Frank Agnew and Royer left before recording began.[1] They were replaced, respectively, by Agnew's younger brother Alfie Agnew and Sandy Hansen for the band's second album, Brats in Battalions, which was recorded in the summer of 1986 and released August 1987 through SOS Records.[1] Alfie Agnew left the band in late 1986 and was replaced by Dan Colburn, but by the end of 1987 both Reflex and Colburn quit the group.[1] Frank Agnew rejoined Soto, Hansen, and Rikk Agnew for one more album as the Adolescents, 1988's Balboa Fun*Zone (released through Triple X Records), before the group broke up again in April 1989.[3] A live album, Live 1981 & 1986, was released in 1989 by Triple X, and the Adolescents lineup briefly reunited once again for live performances; a December 1989 show in Los Angeles was recorded and later released as Return to the Black Hole (Amsterdamned Records, 1997).
The Adolescents lineup once again reunited in 2001, but Royer soon left and was replaced by Derek O'Brien. The band began writing new material and recorded a live album and concert film, Live at the House of Blues (2004), part of Kung Fu Records' The Show Must Go Off! series. Rikk Agnew left, and the lineup of Reflex, Soto, O'Brien, and Frank Agnew recorded the Adolescents' reunion album, OC Confidential, released in 2005 through Finger Records. That year also saw the release of The Complete Demos 1980–1986 through Frontier Records, a compilation of the band's earliest demo recordings. More lineup changes took place over the next several years; since 2008, Reflex and Soto have been the Adolescents' sole constant members and primary songwriters, and the band has released four more studio albums through German label Concrete Jungle Records. 2011's The Fastest Kid Alive included drummer Armando Del Rio and guitarists Mike McKnight and Joe Harrison. Harrison was then replaced by Dan Root, and the band released the American Dogs in Europe EP (2012) and 2013's Presumed Insolent. Del Rio was replaced by Mike Cambra and McKnight by Leroy Merlin prior to 2014's La Vendetta..., and Merlin was replaced by Ian Taylor for 2016's Manifest Density. The band released their ninth album, Cropduster, on July 20, 2018. This marked the final album with founding member and bassist Steve Soto who died on June 27, 2018. On October 23, 2020, the band released their tenth album, Russian Spider Dump. It was the band's first album without Soto, who was replaced by Leftöver Crack's Brad Logan.[4] The band released their eleventh album, Caesar Salad Days, on July 14, 2023.
The following Adolescents songs were released on compilation albums. This is not an exhaustive list; songs that were first released on the band's albums, EPs, or singles are not included.
^ abStern, Mark; Shawn Stern; Jamie Stern (2009). "Discography". Let Them Know: The Story of Youth Brigade and BYO Records (box set). various artists. Los Angeles: BYO Records. pp. 94–99. BYO 125.
