The Offspring

I've got to say that I am not compelled to buy a lot of CDs. I usually pick and choose only the tracks I like and get them through services like amazon. I heard a friend's copy, and I didn't like it at first. However, I wanted to listen to it again, and it grew on me. Now, I love it.

Here's something I can't say about a lot of albums: I listen to ALL of the tracks. It's amazing for me to like half of an album's tracks, but the whole disc is amazing. I have done this probably with more Offspring albums than any other band.

Look, this is a great album from a great PUNK band. Look, if a a band worries about how punk their album is, then they are not punk. It's the essence of not caring that makes a band punk. And look, if you want protest listen to Stuff is Messed Up. Punk or not this is an amazing album. I love classic Offspring, but this is a nice changeup.

Alright, Offspring's been around for awhile. I've heard their stuff. Do I really want another album? This was my dilemma. For some reason this album seemed more like a must-have. I heard "Kristy.." and it sounded different, maybe an evolution?

So I bought Rise and Fall and when I started listening to it I would swear some of these songs could come straight off of "Smash". And you know what? I didn't care. My head told me "Trust in you" sounded exactly like "Smash" (the song) but my heart said "I'm not a trendy ***hole!" and I turned it up. The nostalgia factor was huge for me here, suddenly I was back in high school in my basement rocking out to Offspring while playing Road Rash on my Genesis with my buddy. And the album kept on rockin.

That doesn't mean this is all old stuff. Production value is high, and there's about 3 songs that are a different style that throw a little modern variety in there (similar to Green Day's American Idiot). I am definitely not a genre nut ("I only like punk!") so I was happy to have a glimpse of Offspring's "softer" side.

Bottom line: If you like Offspring, you'll like this album.

I'm used to having mixed reactions to The Offspring, but this strikes me as a very strong outing for them. The lyrics are much more pointed than blunt on my favorite 5 tracks and the music is a very clean and cathartic sonic assault. I don't recommend the whole album, but...

"Rise and Fall" is one of those odd tracks that is so flawless that it's almost not even there because it glosses by with such form and elegance. It's very smooth and I like it a lot.

"Half-Truism" explodes over the top as a joyously spiteful retro power-ballad. Goes well as an absurdist chaser after "Gone Away."

"Trust in You" is an interesting character study track of the sort of person who has more scorn than common sense. It's surprisingly well crafted and driven.

"Nothingtown" seems to be the teenage gotta-leave-town angst response to The Killers "Read My Mind" with a bucket of ice-cold reality dumped over its head but trying to maintain a bit of hope regardless. The (out-of-place) doo-wop-iness of this track is comparable to, but nowhere as extreme as, TISM's "Greg! The Stop Sign!"

That said, "You're Gonna Go Far Kid" is far and away the best track in the batch. Some people complain that it's ear candy, but it's far too well written to be just that. It's a track about how dangerous competent rabble-rousers are and it's stunningly lucid. It's a fabulous piece of work. But maybe I'm biased in favor of the subject matter -- I judge debate tournaments for fun.

I have no idea where all these reviews calling this album "over produced" come from. This is the product of a tight, skillful band who have matured since they started over two decades ago. I found every track listenable, none seemed out of place, poorly done, or re-hashed. I think the negative reviews may come from the positive outlook of the album. Frankly, I get tired of listening to negative ideas all the time. This album seems to come from the perspective of "hey, life is good, even when bad things happen". It talks of being proud of what you do, even when what you are doing is not popular, or safe.
While none of the songs on this album are my "favorite song", I like every song on this album, and several are outstanding.

ok, listen up folks, im a huge punk rock fan and every time i tell people who really know me that i like the offspring they are shocked, they always say i wouldnt have guessed you liked them, i always use them as an example of a punk band that yes did sell out but not completely, i always buy their new albums and hate all the singles, they seemed to have perfect this formula of writing 3 to 4 radio songs per album to make the record companies happy and keep the rest of the album full of good quality hard hitting punk songs, unlike other bands like blink or afi that completely dont sound the same with any of their new stuff. This so called greatest hits is more like a collection of all their worst songs and is the least representative of what most of their music sounds like. I like to make myself my own greatest hits albums from bands i like, the offspring one i made has 24 tracks on it, the only ones from that are the same as this one are kids arent right, gotta get away, self esteem, and gone away and i have all their albums to choose from. I'll gladly send you my version if you like.

Have it. Love it. Saves me a lot of money and time on shopping around.

Hey kids, if you need to stay awake, don't take speed, just listen to this CD, 'cause it will get you there. Musically, I would call Offspring first cousins to GreenDay and Blink 182. Their rock is simple, hard and tight, with a little Hispanic inflection on some tracks. But I would also say that their songs are more developed than GreenDay's (until "American Idiot", anyway) and harder and louder than Blink 182's. Some of their lyrics are hilarious, especially in "Come Out And Play (Keep 'Em Separated), "Pretty Fly (Give it to me, baby!") and "Why Don't You Get a Job". For a serious tune, "Gone Away" is one of my favorite rock ballads. It is genuinely moving, and it still rocks. Offspring's secret weapon is the lead singer, Dexter Holland. I don't know how he can sing that high and that loud, but his voice is recognizable a mile away. All in all, if you like high-energy rock which is not weighted down with self-importance, you can't go wrong (or to sleep) with this collection.

I tried banging my head against concrete and sniffing glue and noxious fumes to kill off the parts of my brain that was aware of bands like The Clash, The Sex Pistols, The Damned, and The Jam, but it still didn't work. What other "punk" bands do I need to destroy all memories of in order to finally appreciate The Offspring?

I got really into the Offspring over the summer and quick had to have a collection of their highlights. On this it delivered. This CD lived up to my expectations and I really do love it but for hardcore fans in need of a true definative collection, I can definately see how it's just not enough...anyway for the casual fan whose recently become obsessed, buy it. It probably has what you're looking for and more.

When I heard "Come Out and Play" in the middle 1990s bands like Nirvana, Silverchair and The Presidents of the United States of America were testing the faith I had as a child in commercial radio but was rapidly losing. At first, I thought the song was by an Australian band (whose name I will not mention) I had read about but never heard (later a familiar tale for me) and it was only after I had really come to detest the Offspring that I realised "Come Out and Play" had been thier first hit single.

During the 1990s I had a stereotyped image of "alternative" music as loud, tuneless noise whose critical praise I could never grasp (not at the time did I care). If you want to keep that image, the Offspring is exactly the band to hear. Their songs, all along, tend towards the inanely catchy at the expense of the slightest substance, in exactly the same manner as bands like Slade and Gary Glitter did in the early 1970s for audiences who could not resist a song like "Rock and Roll" or "Cum on Feel Tha Noize".

If anything, the Offspring were sillier than those terrible glam bands, and though their sound was harder and more emotional the manner in which their songs would hit one's brain with a terrible aftertaste is quite unlike most previous pop music. The awful tunelessness and lack of harmony can be seen on "Why Don't You Get A Job", which could be a rewrite of the justly deplored "Breakfast at Tiffany's" from a few years before. When they really move close to metal on "Have You Ever", Dexter Holland sounds as if he is straining to be heard, whist "Staring at the Sun" is just a terrible punk pop number. The way in which Dexter Holland uses obscenities as humour makes a band who pay with a self-conscious childishness that no doubt appeals to the many angry young kids in American and even Australian cities. It does not, however, detract from the fact that self-conscious childishness makes for the worst possible music because it clearly shows the musicians involved feel only on the shallowest possible emotional level. The Offspring like the spoilt childish person I have always been owing to autistic problems - only they will not even try to discuss their problems with a sympathetic counsellor and instead make a living out of acting this role. The problems the Offspring sing about are not deep or even personal, but relate to hated Others who become criticised without reason or feeling.

The Offspring, despite their history on an independent label, sound on radio like a band manufactured for children to prevent them from growing up. Anyone with a serious interest in music will know that strategy is the worst possible one to make music that can be easily listened to or remembered.

Americana by The Offspring is a good album but not as clever as Smash. The Offspring mix silly punk songs with deep rock tracks. Pretty Fly for a White Guy, She's Got Issues, Feelings, and The Kids Aren't Alright are the standouts. Ok album but could've been stronger. Like the album cover though!

I have had a large background in music, and I rate albums based on how good they sound as a whole, not because an album has one or two great songs. I'm going to basically give you my rating of each individual song, minus the first track because it's literally 10 seconds long.

1. (no review)
2. Well... this is a really crappy way to start an album. There are way to many "falllllllllling"'s in this song. It's like they ran out of material to use for lyrics, so they replaced any interesting lyrics by rehashing the same word over and over. But don't worry, that's a minor complaint on my part. What really killed the song was how unoriginal it sounds all together. They aren't breaking any new ground, this kind of song has been done a million times before. This gets 1 star.
3. I'm not sure about anyone else out there, but this song has an incredibly similar theme to the one preceding it. Sure it's fast, but speed can't save a train wreck of a song. There really isn't any point in listening to it again once you've heard it the first time. This also gets 1 star.
4. Here's the single best song this album has to offer. Not much to say here that hasn't already been said. This was the album's hit, and it's worth giving multiple listens. I'd recommend buying this single instead of the whole album, but this still gets 5 stars.
5. And... back to the crap. Dex is really overusing the meaningless screaming on this album, it seems. At least there's harmony in it, but it doesn't save the song. Still gets 1 star.
6. Hardcore cover of an old song that everyone knows... and they butchered it. This is a disgrace, just skip it for the love of god. I'd rank it lower, but unfortunately it gets 1 star.
7. This is my personal favorite for the album. The lyrics are a bit iffy in some sections of the song, but it's a solid piece of music that all guys can relate to. Everyone ends up dating that one girl that we find it is completely insane. Come to think of it, it goes the other way too. 5 stars.
8. I know a lot of people liked this song, but I really don't see why. It's decent, but nothing exceptional. I'll give it 3 stars.
9. This sounds similar to most of the other songs on the album, aside from being painful to listen to. I thought that the lyrics couldn't get any more uninspired... I was wrong. This gets 1 star.
10. I think I lost a few IQ points listening to this crap. It sounds like something the band put together last minute to extend the album's length. I dunno why they'd do that, considering it's only a two minute song anyway. It's the same theme they've been using since their first album, and it's been overused by far. My minimum rating is 1 star, so I have to give this song that.
11. This is actually a pretty funny song, and I find myself singing the first line from time to time. "My friend's got a girlfriend and he hates that bitch..." Anyway, I'll give this 3 stars just because it's an amusing little song that is decently memorable.
12. I have to say that this is above average. The bass line at the beginning is really catchy, and my favorite part of the song. The worst part is the chorus, but the good thing is that they didn't overdo it as much as everything else on the album. This song manages to stand out, so I'm giving it 4 stars.
13. Ah I see. THIS was the song put in to fill space. Don't even listen to it. Just stop the album after Americana so you can end with a good song. Trust me, you'll thank me later. This pointless song gets what it deserves: 1 star.

I averaged every song's rating together and came up with my rating of the album overall. Buy the three or four decent songs on Itunes, but don't waste your money on the whole thing.

It's 2008 now and I was blown away by The Offspring's latest, Rise and Fall Rage and Grace, which was to me, their highest-quality CD to date, featuring possibly the band's best ever ratio of hits to misses; there's not a bad song on the disc.

But what started me off with this band was Americana, almost a decade ago. Ah, 1998. The Offspring's final CD to be released before the music industry essentially died with Napster, back in the days when groups like The Offspring could actually sell millions. I've listened to and liked/loved all The Offspring's CD's (with the exception of self-titled, which I'll get to eventually,) but there's still something about this CD that makes it, in its own way, stand out as being the band's most ambitious, energetic, and yet also most memorable CD.

What's so cool about this CD is that it's, in a way, a concept record, with the main theme of the CD being "The American Dream," as hit home on the song Americana, and throughout the CD, themes like crime, drugs, trendy wannabe's, hatred, death, being abused by 'the man', greed, etc...are all spread throughout the CD. The final 2 tracks, Americana and Pay the Man, are easily the strongest The Offspring's ever ended a CD too, as it's absolutely epic.

But it's not a dark CD. It has its share of dark songs but much of the CD features such a high energy level that it's just a fun listen. It's a great mix of light and dark and while there are some songs here that are perfectly played by mass audiences (Pretty Fly, She's Got Issues, Why Don't You Get A Job, etc) the CD also contains heavy stuff like No Brakes, The End of the Line, The Kids Aren't Alright, Americana, Pay the Man, and Have You Ever that are just as fast as The Offspring's ever been, which is why...yes, the CD was popular, but it's really no different than past CDs the band's made, it sounds like a much higher-energy version of Ixnay.

There are a couple songs on here that I hate (Feelings and Why Don't you Get a Job,) but everything else on here's all pretty great stuff. Musically the Offspring's best is Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace, but somehow, Americana still stands out as being "The Offspring's most memorable," and I'm not sure why that is. I guess because it features just the right amount of experimentation and tried-and-true, it's got a killer song list, it's full of energy, it's got a message and a theme, and it flows VERY well. It also captures its time PERFECTLY...and it was also a good deal of fans' first exposure to what would become our favorite band, The Offspring.

My favorite Offspring CD's in order (as of now, excluding the self-titled, which I'll get to hearing eventually) are...

*Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace (Best)
*Americana (2nd best, SO close. Easily the band's most memorable, however)
*Ixnay on the Hombre
*Ignition
*Splinter
*Conspiracy of One
*Smash (I don't care what everyone says, I just really don't like this CD. Not sure why, I keep trying to get into it, for some reason it just doesn't click with me.)

I loved this album. I would have given it a 4.5 if I could have. I can't give it a 5 just because of Why Don't You Get a Job. That song is awful. If you got rid of that song then this would be a 5 star album. Every song on this album is good, or even perhaps great except for that song. My personal favorites are The Kids Aren't Alright and Americana, but I also loved Have You Ever, Staring At The Sun as well as Pay the Man. These were all great tracks. I wish The Offspring still put out tracks like these. All I can say is this is a definite buy for any Offspring fan and possibly a buy for fans looking for good punk rock music.

I'm giving all five stars to "Gone Away," because it's that good. At the 1:25 mark:

Leaving flowers on your grave, to show that I still care
Black roses and Hail Marys
Can't bring back what's taken from me
I reach to the sky and call out your name
And if I could change
I would...

I live for this kind of song, and the scorpion-sting guitar licks that punctuate the verse make it every bit as good as any "Guitar-Driven-Anguished-Poet" song you will ever hear.

Might not be the most helpful review I've written, but it's honest. This song is amazing.

CD was new (as described). Shipping took a little bit - but - I received it by Christmas - which was GREAT!

This is a really good Offspring Album (not as good as Smash, but not many albums are). I think most of the songs are really catchy and good. Cool to Hate is my favorite/most fun song on the album, and Gone Away is a just a great song plain and simple.

Sometimes I forget how much I really liked The Offspring when I was younger, but whenever they come on my Ipod, I remember all the good times I have had to their music.

I've been listening to the Offspring for about eight years now, but for some reason I never picked this one up until recently. It hasn't yet grown on me like Smash or even Conspiracy of One, but it has some great tracks, many of which are really funny.

I rate the tracks with all other Offspring songs in mind.

Disclaimer: 5/5 - Really hilarious and clever intro, probably the best of any of the Offspring albums, if not a little over the top...

The Meaning of Life: 4.5/5 - Great energetic opener, what you would expect, but not quite as powerful as Americana's "Have You Ever" and Smash's "Nitro".

Mota: 3/5 - This has one of those great little high-powerchord intro riffs that the Offspring are known for, and it really sets a good mood for this faced-paced satirical song. But not one of my favorite off the album, probably because the chorus isn't as cool as the verse.

Me & My Old Lady: 4.5/5 - Longest song ont he album, Really catchy riff and verse rhythm, and the brief lead guitar melody near the beginning is a nice difference from other songs. I think this songs "she aint no ball and chain" was probably influenced by the Social Distortion song, but maybe not...

Cool To Hate: 5/5 - Just an awesome well-paced song, the lyrics are brilliant. Probably the most memorable track from the album. I only wish I hated this song, so I could be cool

Leave It Behind: 4/5 - A good short and fast follow-up to that last song. The opening riff makes me think of "Genocide".

Gone Away: 5/5 - Really not a typical-sounding Offspring song; The intro and verse vocals sound more like they are off a grunge or alternative rock album. The chorus is very memorable, too. This rates as one of the Offspring's best slower songs.

I Choose: 3.5/5 - Hahaha, the first 1.5 seconds of this always throw me off because it sounds like that Van Halen song "Unchained". The main riff and rhythm of this song are cool, but I just don't like the vocals on this song. I'm sure others might strongly disagree with me. Though it does have a nice solo about midway through.

Intermission: 5/5 - Ahhhhhh....

All I Want: 5/5 - So the guitar parts aren't quite as interesting as other songs on the album, but this quick song has an awesome vocal melody.

Way Down the Line: 4/5 - Song about how kids turn out just like their parents. Has one of those Offspring choruses similar to One Fine Day or Walla Walla.

Don't Pick It Up: 4/5 - I like how this song almost sounds like its gonna be serious at the start. This is the obligatory ska-punk-sounding song on the album and its pretty funny.

Amazed: 3.5/5 - Not-typical-Offspring in a similar way as "Gone Away". If you've listened to the Conspiracy album, the chorus sounds similar to "Vultures", but a little better. I think the main thing I don't like about the song is its placement after "Don't Pick it Up". The guitar is pretty unspectacular compared with other songs on Ixnay except for the interesting little lead melody at the beginning.

Change the World: 4/5 - Starts with that mysterious interesting guitar riff that ended the song "Smash" on the previous album. I like how it builds off of that with drums, 2nd guitar etc. This song always reminds me of that song "Revolution" by the Beatles.

I should add that I don't really listen to any punk, mostly classic rock, progressive and instrumental rock, and some metal. But the Offspring is a great band with diverse albums I love to listen to straight through. it never gets dull, it never gets old. If you're just getting into their music, definitely go for something like Smash first instead of the newest albums; but if you have that one already, Ixnay is an excellent choice, as is Ignition or Americana.

The only thing to say about this album is that you have to listen to it to judge it. It is honest rock and straightforward in what it wants to be, just fun music to listen to. No pretense to be political correct and nowhere complicated musical compositions, but somehow you can hear the boys enjoying themselves. So should we, life is not so complicated after all.

This CD embodies the 90's, with a mix of songs that will leave any rock music lover in awe of offspring. too bad they couldn't follow up this CD with anything of the same caliber (although some later songs are good, they don't really compare).
But this CD is a must-have in any rock collection.

The 1994 album "Samsh" marked the band's last release on the small label called Epitaph. Later the band would move on to the much bigger label Columbia and their popularity would increase dramatically. The line up involved is the classic one with Dexter Holland on vocals/rhythm guitar, Noodles on rhythm/lead guitar, Gerg K. on bass, and Ron Welty on drums. Thom Wilson was the producer and it is the highest selling album on an independent label still up to this day! For me, this is a punk classic that sounded great when I bought it in late '96 but it seems to get better and better with age!

A spoken intro "Time To Relax" lasts for about twenty five seconds before the first proper track "Nitro (Youth Energy)" begins. It's a perfect example of the band's trademark sound with power chords, Dexter's melodic tribal oooh chants, and a speed metal-like tempo. It also happens to be one of the album's best. There are three songs that were released as singles and are played on radio: "Come Out And Play" with its surf-rock inspired eastern riff dealing with school violence, "Self-Esteem" is about a "sucker with no self-esteem" in Holland's own words and "Gotta Get Away" with lyrics supposedly dealing with the pressure Holland felt about recording/completing the album on time. All three have what for Offspring are rather slow tempos.
Most of the songs here feature the more typical fast tempo with lyrical themes that range from insane driving ("Bad Habits") to political/social protest ("It'll Be A Long Time" and "Not The One"). "So Alone" is a one-minute hard core number while "What Happened To You" is an excellent alternative-ska composition with a short and sweet melodic solo in the middle. One of my favorites! In "Something To Believe In" the band uses a more metal based rhythm guitar attack but listen carefully in the middle of "Genocide" for a surf-rock influenced palm-muted two note riffing. Kind of similar to the surf-rock classic "Pipeline"! After the end, the narrator heard on the album's intro says "Hmm... I especially enjoyed that one... Let's see what's next!
The title cut shouldn't be overlooked since it is a gem! I liked the part in the middle where a different chord sequence is played with a repeating palm-muted riff! The chorus is really catchy as well! After its conclusion you'll hear the same voice heard on the intro saying goodbye to you. The main riff in "Genocide" (this time palm-muted) played on top of a percussion pattern from Welty follows. But wait! After a long silence you can hear the band jam to the eastern melody in "Come Out And Play"! Too bad it only lasts for a minute, I wish it was longer! Rounding out the tune stack is the cover "Killboy Powerhead" originally written by the punk group The Didjits.

If you like punk rock with speed/trash metal inspired tempos, then add this to your collection, you won't regret it!
Thanks for taking the time to read!
Later...

3 1/2

Though its power-chorded repetitions can wear thin, one must admit that this marks another peak for punk-pop which only may fall second to Green Day's Dookie.

Smash by Offspring was a great album for its time. I used to listen to this cd when I was in junior high, the sound is very nostalgic for me. The songs released Gotta Get Away, Self-Esteem, and Come Out and Play still hold up but the rest of the songs fall flat. Smash brings back a lot of great memories, but this album isn't perfect.

This album should never receiver anything less than 5 stars and people who score it less are those that just go against the grain for the sake of doing it.

Let me just say first hand that this album does have some key songs in the overall progression of the band (Million Miles Away, Dammit I Changed Again); anyone who's only heard Original Prankster and Want You Bad has definitely not heard the real album.

This is a fair album, with some very good Offspring songs; but my big problem with it is that it almost completely looses steam by the end, which is disappointing considering that the first 6 songs seemed to promise an album on a much larger scale then it actually was. The last four tracks are very forgettable, and I thought the title track was a very inadaquate(jeez, how do you spell that) closer for this album; especially after Pay the Man, Change the World, and Smash as previous closers, the title track here without a doubt sends us off with a very low-key feeling. With the closers I'd previously mentioned, they really ended the album with a bang and with confetti; Conspiracy of One ends with more of a feeling of "okay, we're done".

I really like songs 2-9, they make for a 5 star album; the rest, unfortunately, would make up for an album of much lesser value.

Awesome CD by The Offspring, anyone who appreciates good music should buy this CD. One Fine Day is probably the best weekend anthem I have ever heard in punk form.

I think their best albums are Smash, this one, and Splinter. This album has two annoying joke written-just-for-the-radio songs (Original Prankster and Want You Bad), that I usually skip, but the rest of the album is good to great. My favorite songs on the album are Million Miles Away and Living in Chaos. Come Out Swinging is fast and rocks, a good start to the album. Denial Revisited does not sound like Offspring at all, but I still like it, and Vultures sounds like a Nirvana song. It's kind of eerie listening to Conspiracy of One, (about terror groups attacking superpowers) the final track, and knowing that about a year later 9/11 happened. Special Delivery is creepy, written from the point of view of a psychotic stalker. Reminds me of Bad Habit and Beheaded, other songs where Dexter is singing from the point of view of someone who's nuts. And One Fine Day is hilarious and has a guitar riff that reminds me of Green Acres. Another note of interest to some is that this album has the least amount of swear words of any of their albums (and no f-words).

Kinda cool and kinda juvenile cover art sum up this 2000 pop punk release as the Offspring prove to any doubters that they can indeed keep on rollin' with their simple plan of attack that saves itself from being utterly disposable by at least being a good plan. Highlights here are the hit singles especially Original Prankster which is perhaps the best example of why this band are so successful despite having no discernable reason to exist. With bouncy melodies and a good dollop of sense of humour the band plays to the inner thirteen year old in their audience.

With production values that are good while not actually being noticeable for any reason the band has here put in some extra value with the presence of some CD rom material and it's good to see that even a band like Offspring who sell millions will still make sure they are releasing worthy product in terms of bells and whistles. The booklet is full of mildly amusing cartoon caricatures - in the spirit of, say, Helloween. And lyrics to the whole deal are also included.

In addition my copy has what is termed a bonus track - Huck It which was apparently from a movie of the same name. Don't recall it getting too many academy awards but hey, for fans this is probably a reasonably nifty little curio.

All up this is an album you can put on and by the end not remember a darn thing about it except that, oh yeah, it has that Original Prankster song on it.

Thanks they shipped it so Fast and the Quality is Awesome Not Opened Still stealed Just the way I like it Keep up the Good Work!

This CD embodies the 90's, with a mix of songs that will leave any rock music lover in awe of offspring. too bad they couldn't follow up this CD with anything of the same caliber (although some later songs are good, they don't really compare).
But this CD is a must-have in any rock collection.

The 1994 album "Samsh" marked the band's last release on the small label called Epitaph. Later the band would move on to the much bigger label Columbia and their popularity would increase dramatically. The line up involved is the classic one with Dexter Holland on vocals/rhythm guitar, Noodles on rhythm/lead guitar, Gerg K. on bass, and Ron Welty on drums. Thom Wilson was the producer and it is the highest selling album on an independent label still up to this day! For me, this is a punk classic that sounded great when I bought it in late '96 but it seems to get better and better with age!

A spoken intro "Time To Relax" lasts for about twenty five seconds before the first proper track "Nitro (Youth Energy)" begins. It's a perfect example of the band's trademark sound with power chords, Dexter's melodic tribal oooh chants, and a speed metal-like tempo. It also happens to be one of the album's best. There are three songs that were released as singles and are played on radio: "Come Out And Play" with its surf-rock inspired eastern riff dealing with school violence, "Self-Esteem" is about a "sucker with no self-esteem" in Holland's own words and "Gotta Get Away" with lyrics supposedly dealing with the pressure Holland felt about recording/completing the album on time. All three have what for Offspring are rather slow tempos.
Most of the songs here feature the more typical fast tempo with lyrical themes that range from insane driving ("Bad Habits") to political/social protest ("It'll Be A Long Time" and "Not The One"). "So Alone" is a one-minute hard core number while "What Happened To You" is an excellent alternative-ska composition with a short and sweet melodic solo in the middle. One of my favorites! In "Something To Believe In" the band uses a more metal based rhythm guitar attack but listen carefully in the middle of "Genocide" for a surf-rock influenced palm-muted two note riffing. Kind of similar to the surf-rock classic "Pipeline"! After the end, the narrator heard on the album's intro says "Hmm... I especially enjoyed that one... Let's see what's next!
The title cut shouldn't be overlooked since it is a gem! I liked the part in the middle where a different chord sequence is played with a repeating palm-muted riff! The chorus is really catchy as well! After its conclusion you'll hear the same voice heard on the intro saying goodbye to you. The main riff in "Genocide" (this time palm-muted) played on top of a percussion pattern from Welty follows. But wait! After a long silence you can hear the band jam to the eastern melody in "Come Out And Play"! Too bad it only lasts for a minute, I wish it was longer! Rounding out the tune stack is the cover "Killboy Powerhead" originally written by the punk group The Didjits.

If you like punk rock with speed/trash metal inspired tempos, then add this to your collection, you won't regret it!
Thanks for taking the time to read!
Later...

3 1/2

Though its power-chorded repetitions can wear thin, one must admit that this marks another peak for punk-pop which only may fall second to Green Day's Dookie.

Smash by Offspring was a great album for its time. I used to listen to this cd when I was in junior high, the sound is very nostalgic for me. The songs released Gotta Get Away, Self-Esteem, and Come Out and Play still hold up but the rest of the songs fall flat. Smash brings back a lot of great memories, but this album isn't perfect.

This album should never receiver anything less than 5 stars and people who score it less are those that just go against the grain for the sake of doing it.

I finally got around to buying a copy of Ignition, 15 years after release, picking up a used CD at a virtual steal here. This ranks as good as or better than the later more popular Offspring efforts and I think Ignition includes more outstanding tracks than the others with the possible exception of Smash.

I guess I'm the type of Offspring fan that several old-school Offspring fans love to hate; I didn't discover this band until Pretty Fly For a White Guy but I purchased Americana and loved it and The Offspring's easily one of the best bands I've ever been a fan of. I went back and have listened to all their CD's many times, (the exception being their self-titled debut and, until now, Ignition) and CD after CD they always amaze. Some have held up better than others but they've never released a CD without at least some excellent tracks on there and Ignition, it turns out, was no exception.

Despite the common consensus, I didn't like Smash that much. I didn't find the subjects of the songs all that interesting, I didn't think musically it was all that great, I only liked a couple tracks off of it, and it's just not one that I played all that much. After hearing some song samples of Ignition online (now that the CD's been digitally re-mastered) I decided to check it out, and it sounds SO much better now than it ever did, the digital re-mastering makes all the instruments and Dexter's vocals crystal clear, and I'm really starting to consider picking up the re-mastered Smash and giving it a shot.

But back to Ignition. This was released at a time when the band was not famous, when they were underground and indie and it's a fairly different sound than what they have now. In general songs are much more about energy than melody, and the instruments overall have a much rawer and less-produced sound.

But I disagree with some who say that this CD had would have had no commercial appeal...songs like Get It Right sound like they could easily be featured on some of the Offspring's newer CD's, as does the excellent Dirty Magic and the energetic Hypodermic and the closing Forever and a Day. (Easily my 4 favorites on the CD) But those looking for familiar Offspring should stop there because everything else on the CD's vastly different.

Session, (which the band's just recently started to play live again,) with its drum solo and high energy, is the perfect example of the sound to expect on the CD. It's fun and catchy but not necessarily bogging itself down with a melody.

We Are One goes on a bit too long but it's another cool song with a unique sound and a very "punk" message. Same for Kick Him When He's Down, which sounds unlike anything I've heard from the Offspring.

Forever and a Day's a great song to end the album, reminds me of some of the stuff off Ixnay. Again sounds very different from other stuff the band's done and lacking a well-defined chorus but again, it's all about the energy. GREAT guitar solo, too. Excellent lyrics.

Other songs on the CD retain a distinctly "punk" sound to them, songs like No Hero and LAPD, which are just heavy and with no "melody" to speak of, just anger. But these are good songs too, in their own way. Not ones I see myself listening to over and over again once the novelty wears off but it's interesting to see the sound this band once had.

Not every song on this CD's a winner. I thought Burn It Up featured both a corny delivery by Dexter and also pretty lame subject matter. I just can't seem to get into Nothing From Something, and despite great instrumentals, Take It Like A Man just feels a bit aimless and not all that interesting. (Although I can already tell there's a possibility that I might get into this a bit more with some listens down the road.)

But this is easily a CD that's worth listening for Offspring fans. While not quite as accessible as the stuff that followed, I think the re-mastering helps a lot, and while the songs on here may not reach the heights of the likes of The Kids Aren't Alright, A Lot Like Me, or Change the World, it's a great CD and any Offspring fan owes it to themselves to pick up this re-mastered copy, it's great stuff and very different and energetic.

In order, my thoughts on the Offspring CD's (except self-titled, which I haven't heard yet) -

Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace (Best)
Americana
Ixnay on the Hombre
Ignition
Splinter
Conspiracy of One
Smash

It's not up there with their best but it's a very good CD and Offspring fans should definitely try it out, it's something very different and an interesting listen.

I remember being young and seeing this CD after sneaking off with my parent's SMASH CD. They just wouldn't let me listen to this CD, which kept upping the appeal, because it was so taboo for my ears allegedly. I'll never forget when I did listen to this CD for the first time though, and it has been in constant rotation in my music library ever since, and that's a VERY LONG 13 years or so. As other posters have stated, there is absolutely NO COMMERCIAL potential for this album, but I think that was the very last thing The Offspring had on their mind at this time. I've always been an avid fan of the Offspring's commentary of the degradation of America, and this is proabably the best example, perfectly following up their debut. There are NO FILLER TRACKS to be found on this CD. I am glad that the Offspring made Ignition and Self Titled, and evolved with their sound. People constantly whine because the Offspring sound nothing like they used to, but let me tell you this; The same people who whine would be the first ones to cry because of the rehash. Dirty Magic would have to be my favorite track, but as far as energy and intensity goes, Hypodermic would have to be my favorite. What makes this album appealing to me? I actually dig the guitar tones from the first two albums, which to me give it a more rock feel, a more heavy metal feel instead of punk. The change of guitar tones over the albums suit them well. I think if Americana had the tone of SMASH, it would've received more praise, because a lot of the subject matter is a return to seemingly familiar subject material, as found in the debut and Ignition. This album got me into figuring out guitar parts and made me the rhythm player I am today. If you've never heard of anything The Offspring has done, give SMASH a shot, not this. If you're into Bad Religion and other bands like that, and want to give the Offspring a shot, you couldn't do much better. In all, a 5 star album to say the least.

Before the Offspring became a household name they produced two albums which includes Ignition which was released in 1993. This is a fan favorite album as it is similar in style to hit album Smash. If you like that album you will probably like this one although it has a little more of an underground punk sound than that album does. I'd recommend it for the song Dirty Magic alone which is an absolute masterpiece, but there are a bunch of quality tracks on this CD.

Best Tracks:
Session
Kick Him When He's Down
Dirty Magic
No Hero
Forever and a Day

The majority of the songs on this album are decent or good. However, the guitars sound wimpy and crappy. The album 'Smash' sounds 100 times better. It sounds like they turned the distortion on their amps down to 2 out of 10. The vocals sound like they are coming from somewhere in the distance. There are some pretty good songs on here though - I would like to hear them with a good guitar sound.

Just knowing that The Offspring are capable of so much more makes this album that much more horrible.

Smash is classic, Ixnay on the Hombre is great, and their self-titled album and Ignition (both released prior to Smash) are raw, gritty and in your face. Even Americana had its moments. Americana actually get a bad rep as it was very MTV friendly, but it featured some of the band's best songs ("Have You Ever", "Starring At the Sun", "The Kids Aren't Alright", "End of The Line" and "Americana").

I almost forgot about Conspiracy of One because it was so bland but Splinter is just awful! Only 4 or 5 songs on this album are any good. Those songs aren't even that great, but the rest is totally unlistenable.

I'll rank the songs from best to worst...

"The Noose" is by far the best track on the album. It sounds like a mix of Ixnay era and "Have You Ever" from Americana. Worth a download!

The two singles from the album "Hit That" and "(Can't get my) Head around You" are good, but become boring and disposable after a few listens.

"Race Against Myself" is pretty decent, but again nothing special.

"Long Way Home" is catchy

"Never Gonna Find me" and "Lightning Rod" are just painful to listen to. "Break AWAY (Pause) Run (pause) Down Inside (pause) I got to"...so lame

Oh but just when you think it can't get worst, we have "Da Hui" and "Spare me the detials." Two songs that define the word---Filler. D Hui curses over and over again just for the sake of try to sound cool, you know kind of like a 7 year old who just learned a dirty word. Both songs were clearly written in about 15 mins.

"The Worst Hangover Ever" is quite possibly the worst, most unnesicary song ever written. By any band. Ever!

If I neglected to mention one or two songs, its because they were that forgettable.

That being said, Rise & Fall, Rage & Grace, Offspring's newest album is 100 times better than Splinter. Rise & Fall isn't the best Offspring album by far, but its something original. They take alot of risks on that album and it truly sounds like nothing they ever made before. To me Splinter was just disposable, I'd call it pop-rock, but that would imply the songs were bubblegum and at least catchy.

This album really starts out strong and has a lot of high points along the way. However the bumps in the road are more like 12ft sinkholes and the album never seems to recover from it. There are at least four songs on here that should never have been released, and about three songs that just sound like a burned out bunch of guys trying to pinch-it-off and flush it before it starts to stink. Not their best work to date.

1. Neocon 6/10: Cool intro, wish it led into something more, seems like an unfinished thought.

2. The Noose 9/10: A return to their classic form, really great tune. Killer hook + verse, lyrics are on point, song has a great flow. Bang your head.

3. Long Way Home 7/10: Really a great track, I just wish the lyrics went somewhere. Fun to listen to. Dexter's voice sounds a bit strained in the verses and chorus.

4. Hit That 4/10: Did we really need another lame re-write of Pretty Fly for a White Guy? Just let it die already. I respect the lyrics I just wish it had something to back it up.

5.Race Against Myself 9/10: One of the better tracks on the album, a bit of a navel gazer but solid over-all. It really finds itself once it gets into the chorus.

6. Can't Get my Head Around You 10/10: Has a "Want You Bad" sort of vibe but with all the punch of the Americana production. Once again however I wish the lyrics were a bit more substantial.

7. Worst Hangover Ever 3/10: Worst song about a hangover ever. I want to have fun and listen but it's just awful.

8. Never Gonna Find Me 6/10: This track sounds just like tracks #5 & #6 mixed together. Once again the lyrics just drain the fun from the song. There is this genius breakdown at 1:33 that saves the song. If the whole song would have sounded like the 23 second breakdown it would have been a 10/10.

9. Lighting Rod 10/10: Finally another track on the album that is well written. Really fantastic track, I hear a lot of growth in it, one of the few tracks on the album that is able to bridge their classic sound along with their new direction.

10. Spare Me The Details 2/10: I guess this was meant to be the "Why Don't You Get a Job" track for this disc. The lyrics fall flat on their face as soon as Dexter opens his mouth. I would think someone who cares about them would have had the decency to never release this track.

11. Da Hui 8/10: It's fun, but completely mindless. Not the track I would want to end an album on, kind of weak.

12. When Your In Prison 0/10: WTF, this must be the kind of crap you put on your album if you no longer care about having a career. The Offspring for years have always had a killer last track that really ended their albums on a high note, clearly this album didn't have enough high notes to even warrent any kind of an ending.

From the intro to the first song you really get the impression that the band is back and ready to have a go at it, two middle fingers in the air and a blazing trail of guitar riffs to build on. But by the fourth track you start to wonder why they are still making music, it just seems like their inspiration has packed up and left the building. I think they really used a lot of elbow grease in the production but this is one turd they won't be able to polish.

i'll tell everyone about this album. im gonna sum it up in 1 word "it sucked" and why? because the offspring have been a band for 20 years, and in thoes 20 years, we have seen some of the best work, toching lyrics, and lyrics about everyday life. and each album (from self titled, to conspiracy of one) we have gotten about 13-15 songs on each and every album. but now we get this crap, 10 songs (neocon, and when your in prison dont count) and with only 4 good songs on it (the noose, never gonna find me, lightning rod, and da hui)

the other songs (long way home, hit that, race againset myself, spare me the details, the worst hang over ever, and when your in prison) were all songs that hurt the album. im not saying they were bad songs, but its not somthing thats not appropriate, and have no meaning to them at all.

I've been a fan of this band since I heard Smash. Everything they had done up to this point was at least good to great. With this release I just dont feel it as much as with the others. It has some pretty good tracks but I find myself getting sick of them a little too fast. The cd isn't horrible but it isn't great either. It's just an average release. This is the Offspring's first release that I had been slightly disappointed with. Not only do you get sick of the singles quickly but the songs don't have the best lyrics either. I also agree with what other people were saying about about the album. It does have somewhat of an annoying immaturity to it. "Da Hui" espeically is a track that I despise and "The Worst Hangover Ever" isn't a bad sounding track, the lyrics are just silly. Another problem I found with the album is that It just seems to short. The first track doesn't even feel like an actual track and the last two can barely even be considered songs. It's still okay though and probably worth checking out if you love the band as I do. My favorite tracks from the album are "Hit That", "Race Against Myself", "(Can't Get My) Head Around You", and "Lightning Rod". Here's all of my ratings...

1. Neocon - 8/10
2. The Noose - 8/10
3. Long Way Home - 8/10
4. Hit That - 9.5/10
5. Race Against Myself - 10/10
6. (Can't Get My) Head Around You - 10/10
7. The Worst Hangover Ever - 7/10
8. Never Gonna Find Me - 8/10
9. Lightning Rod - 9.5/10
10. Spare Me the Details - 8.5/10
11. Da Hui - 2/10
12. When You're in Prison - 6/10

Overall: 78% C+

If you're going to get this and have no prior experience with this band other than the few radio tracks from this album you heard you might end up being disappointed. If your a long time fan of the band you will probably be disappointed with this as well but not as bad as others.

I can't believe how many people are bummed with this CD! It shows that the group has matured and has learned from their mistakes. After listening to Ixnay and Americana in my home gym for 3 months straight, I got this CD, mostly for "Da Hui". (I saw the video on their website and liked it straight away.) Although I was initially disappointed in the length, I got over it and I like every song on this disc.

Things get off to a rollicking start with "Neocon". The musical imagery suggests the Zanarkand blitzball stadium, all lit up at night, with the cheering crowd, and the band at the center of it all. "The Noose" shows some older colour that Offspring is known for, while keeping up with the times (after all, they MUST adapt with the changing taste of the public or they will be gone). I found "Worst Hangover" to be amusing, but I can imagine being annoyed upon repitition of it. Perhaps they were making fun of ska music? "Lightning Rod" (very reminiscent of "Dammit I changed again" but better) is quite fast and entertaining, and definitely imaginative. "Spare Me the Details" is quite goofy but cute. Why does Dexter keep dating these loser girls that just mess with him??
I was disappointed to not hear the hula record preceding "Da Hui", but when I realized that it was just for the video, I managed to accept it as is. "When you're in prison" is quite funny. I own a lot of gramophone recordings, and this sounds just like one, but Dexter's Californian accent gives away that something isn't quite right with the age of the recording.
But that's all a matter of sheer interest! I just wonder what the heck Dexter was thinking when he authored this song.
In conclusion, it's a good disc, although a bit too short. But what I don't see people acknowledging in their reviews is this: Pop it into the disk drive of your computer and watch what happens. You get Offspring wallpaper, a tour of their studio for Splinter, and the "Da Hui" video. This explains the 30 minute disc. According to their website, Offspring are presently recording a new disc. I hope it's good, ya?

i dont care what others say, a greatest hits cd is the way to go; u can almost not go wrong with it. the offspring brings back my high school years.

The Dual Disc idea is awesome except the cd side doesn't conform to normal cd standards and there fore doesn't work in any of my cd players except 1. However the DVD side works just fine. What a waste. I can't even put this CD on my Mp3 player for snowboarding. Oh well I guess I will have to illegally download the songs that I payed for so that I can listen to them.

If you like the offspring buy this album. All of their best songs are on it and it comes in dual disk which has a dvd too

I think we can all agree that the only good Offspring songs are the one's they play on the radio. Finally you can have them all on one CD. The best part of this collection is that they skipped any filler, such as rare or new tracks.

im a verry big fan of the offspring and this albem gots a lot of great hits. but im very disapointed the music cd wont play in my cars cd player but plays fine in my home player, and the box says dual disk cd/dvd videos the dvd disk doesent have any videos on it it just plays their songs and shows a picture of the album that song was on. i was looking forward to seeing the video. if y like wasting your money on crap than by this album but y whould be better of buying some of their other great albums.