Brats in Battalions

The Adolescents had broken up in August 1981, two months before the release of their Welcome to Reality EP. Guitarist Rikk Agnew, who had left the band earlier that year after the release of their debut album, Adolescents, joined the gothic rock band Christian Death, playing on their 1982 album Only Theatre of Pain, and released a solo album, All by Myself (1982). Singer Tony Brandenburg formed a new band, the Abandoned, who released one album, Killed by Faith (1985). "Casey wanted to keep D.I. going, and I lost interest", said Frank. The new Adolescents lineup entered Advanced Media Systems in Orange, California in the summer of 1986 to record their new album, co-produced by the band members and Gordon R. Cox. In addition to "The Liar" and "Peasant Song", they recorded five new songs: "Brats in Battalions", "I Love You", "Skate Babylon", "Marching with the Reich", and "She Wolf". They also rewrote one of the band's early songs, "Do the Eddie"—a joke song from a July 1980 demo tape written about Eddie Joseph of the band Eddie and the Subtitles, who had engineered the demo and subsequently became the band's manager—as "Do the Freddy". The remainder of the album consisted of new recordings of all three songs from the Adolescents' 1981 EP Welcome to Reality ("Welcome to Reality", "Losing Battle", and "Things Start Moving"), and cover versions of the traditional folk song "The House of the Rising Sun" and the Stooges' "I Got a Right". Mike McKnight played additional guitar parts on "The Liar"; he would go on to join Soto and Hanson in their post-Adolescents band Joyride during the early 1990s, and join the re-formed Adolescents from 2008 to 2013, playing on the albums The Fastest Kid Alive (2011) and Presumed Insolent (2013). Brandenburg came up with the concept for Brats in Battalions' cover art, a photograph of young boys holding various firearms. Cover Kids (from Left to Right) Jim Edlund, Jason Shad, Bill Verkamp, Kenny Wetzel, Aaron Calvert, Jim Getz. Picture taken at Rio Vista Park in Anaheim, California. ==Release and reception==

After completing the album, the Adolescents toured through much of the second half of 1986. ==Legacy==

Brats in Battalions was the Adolescents' last album with Brandenburg during the 1980s; both he and Colburn left the band by the end of 1987. ==Track listing==

Writing credits adapted from the album's liner notes. ==Personnel==

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. ;Band • Tony Montana – lead vocals, producer, front cover concept • Rikk Agnew – guitar, backing vocals, producer • Steve Soto – bass guitar, backing vocals, producer • Dan Colburn – guitar • Sandy Hanson – drums, producer • Alfie Agnew – guitar, backing vocals, producer ;Additional musicians • Mike McKnight – additional guitar on "The Liar" • Vince Meghrouni – harmonica on "The House of the Rising Sun" ;Production • Gordon R. Cox – record producer • Bob Brown – recording engineer • Mike Sessa – recording engineer • Eddie Schreyer – audio mastering ;Artwork • Chris Fuhrer – front cover and insert photographs • Steve Martinez – art direction ==References==