By 1986, the band were onto their ninth studio album, Dreamtime, and had added a horn section to the live presentation. Although there had been demand for a new live album for some time, contractual obligations to their former record label EMI had prevented them from releasing any live recordings of their earlier material until 1987, making All Live and All of the Night their first live album to be released since 1979's Live (X Cert).[4]
The concerts from which tracks were taken, span the period from April 1985 to August 1987. The live recording of "All Day and All of the Night" was dropped in favour of a "live" version specially recorded in the studio, as the true live recording was not considered to be up to the desired quality for this album.[5]
In a retrospective review, AllMusic's Alex Ogg gave the album three stars out of five, writing, "While not as good as Live (X Cert), the Stranglers' live album it bookends, this does have some things to recommend it. First, it was recorded a decade down the line and was able to draw from a wellspring of generally excellent material. Secondly, at this stage in their career, the Stranglers remained just about relevant, and were still a robust live act." Ira Robbins of Trouser Press wrote, "Despite their recent wimpo work, onstage — banging out such classics as "London Lady," "Nice 'n' Sleazy" and "No More Heroes" with a horn section — they can convincingly revive the grungy electric power we used to know and love. ... fortunately, these concert renditions improve on the songs, providing them with a little context."[9]
Japanese bonus tracks recorded at: The Palais des Sports, Orléans, 28 April 1985 (tracks 14, 15); The Reading Festival, 30 August 1987 (track 16); Alexandra Palace, London, 11 August 1990 (tracks 17-19).
