When I first got this album I thought it was throwaway pop-punk. I didn't really like The Offspring. I was 13 or 14 and I'd heard their first album and a couple of tracks off the second and wasn't impressed at all. A couple of my friends liked them but I clung on to my copy of "Never Mind The B*****ks Here's The Sex Pistols". A friend of mine taped it for me and I gave it a due listen - it became one of my favourite albums at the time, a fun punky album.
As mentioned before, this is The Offspring's third album after the eponymous debut (1989) and Ignition (1993). It was released in 1994 as the final release on independent record label Epitaph. It sold better than any other Epitaph record getting to number one on the Heatseekers album chart and number 4 in the Billboard album charts.
it was a good year for American punk music, with Green Day's 'Dookie' in february, Rancid's 'Let's Go' in june, NoFX's 'Punk In Drublic' in july and Bad Religion's 'Stranger Than Fiction' and this album in august. I was having a whale of a time.
Tracklist
1. Time to Relax (0.27) 2. Nitro (Youth Energy) (2.28) 3. Bad Habit (3.46) * 4. Gotta Get Away (3.54) 5. Genocide (3.33) 6. Something to Believe in (3.19) 7. Come Out and Play (3.19) * 8. Self Esteem (4.19) * 9.
It'll Be a Long Time (2.45) 10. Killboy Powerhead (2.04) 11. What Happened to You? (2.14) 12. So Alone (1.19) 13. Not the One (2.57) 14. Smash (10.39) *= outstanding tracks
The first track is an intro to the album with a guy saying that its time to relax so grab a glass of wine and your favourite easy chair and this compact disc playing on your home stereo. This statement is kind of ironic considering the next track (Nitro). It ends with the statement that "music soothes even the savage beast". Very true I think and shows that The Offspring understand the power of music.
The intro quickly goes into 'Nitro' with fast drum rolls. This track sets the pace for the album, it's fast, furious, fun and ultimately singalong-y. With chorus of "live like there's no tomorrow", it is as its subtitle states about youth energy.
The next track, 'Bad Habit', starts with a slow bass riff with slowly evolving feedback in the background. Dexter Holland starts singing, he sounds strained, I don't think that he is one of the best singers, but he is adequate for this style. The lyrics talk of being an okay guy but when he's in his car "don't give me no cr*p, cause the slightest thing and i just might snap" and with that the song explodes. The lyrics are sung and then the riff kicks in - punky, fast and exciting. When I first heard this track I thought it was about road rage (the guy gets cut up and starts shooting), but I realise now that it probably is about gun culture. "Drivers are rude, such attitude, when I show my piece, complaints cease, something's odd, feel like I'm God". This feeling of power is a problem with gun culture.
A bouncy drum beat followed by a good bass riff start the next track, 'Gotta Get Away', a song about paranoia and depression about being yourself. The overall statement is "gotta get away from me". The next track, 'Genocide', has some really fast riffing and the great punk tradition of 1-2-3-4 just before the chorus. A song, obviously, about genocide. This is followed by 'Something To Believe In' , quite an important song lyrically, about apathy and conformity. About how you should think for yourself despite the label of being different because if you believe in it you should be proud.
The next two tracks are, along with 'Bad Habit', the best on the album. First up you have 'Come Out and Play' a three chord punk tune with a stop start motif and a distinctly eastern riff. There is a serious message here about inner city gang warfare, even between minors, even in schools. "getting weapons with the greatest of ease" makes for a chilling listen when you consider events such as the Columbine shootings. A great track, fun and party-like but deadly serious.
The next track is 'Self Esteem' and you can't listen to the band 'la'-ing almost mockingly and not think that the intro sound like Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana. This is a song about someone with no self esteem being messed about by their girlfriend.
The next track has a great lyric:- "When will we ever listen to reason I have a feeling it’ll be a long time We will the truth be coming to season I have a feeling it’ll be a long time" Despite this, it isn't a great song, just a bog standard punky track.
'Killboy Powerhead' is a silly, mostly throwaway song followed by 'What Happened To You?', a ska tinted song against smoking too much weed and becoming a junkie:- "Man you're really losing it And you've really done a lot of junk now But you keep on abusing it What in the world happened to you" It's a good song but stands out because the rest of the album is punky and not ska-punk at all.
The next two tracks (So Alone and Not The One) aren't really that good, just more punk fair.
The last song, 'Smash', is a really good end to the album and sums up the feeling of the album about individuality and not caring what people think about you. "I'm not a trendy asshole, do what I want, do what I feel like...don't give a f**k if it's good enough for you.
After the final song there is a gap and the guy from the intro gives a little outro followed by a great riff a long gap and then an extended version of the eastern riff from 'Come Out And Play'.
The album gels pretty well and is overall a very good album- with only a couple of weak links. To anyone who has heard only 'Pretty Fly...' era Offspring may well be a little shocked at this album as it sounds quite removed from the later stuff. I don't really like The Offspring but this is definitely a great album.
I would recommend it to later Offspring fans and anybody else who likes 90's American punk music a la Green Day, NoFX, Rancid, Descendents, Bad Religion etc. Bad Religion fans will have heard the style a great deal because if not for Bad Religion, this sound wouldn't really exist.
You can get it for about a fiver on Amazon.co.uk, used or about seven pounds new.
Pictures of Smash - Offspring (The)
Smash
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Jan 3rd, 2005
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