Smash (album)

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Smash
Studio album by The Offspring
Released	April 8, 1994 June 17, 2008 (Remaster)
Recorded	October–December 1993 at Track Record in North Hollywood
Genre	Punk rock
Length	46:47
Label	Epitaph
Producer	Thom Wilson
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Rolling Stone link
The Offspring chronology
Ignition (1992) Smash (1994) Club Me (1997)
Singles from Smash
"Come Out and Play" Released: 1994 "Self Esteem" Released: 1994 "Gotta Get Away" Released: 1995 "Bad Habit" Released: 1995 (radio only)

Smash is the third album by American punk rock band The Offspring. Released on April 8, 1994, Smash became a worldwide commercial success, reaching #4 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and #1 on the Heatseeker's Chart. The album helped bring the 1990s punk scene into the mainstream,^[1] and became Epitaph Records' best-selling album since the release of Bad Religion's Suffer.

Smash produced four hit singles for the band: "Come Out and Play", "Self Esteem", "Gotta Get Away" and the radio-only single "Bad Habit". As of 2008, Smash is credited as the highest selling independent album of all time selling 11 million copies worldwide.^[2] Smash has also continued to sell consistently well in the fourteen years since its release. The album has also been certified 6x Platinum in the United States.

Smash was the The Offspring's last album released on Epitaph Records in North America. Although their next album, Ixnay on the Hombre, was released on that label in Europe.

On June 17, Epitaph re-released "Smash" along with "Ignition" in a remaster form.^[3]

Contents 1 Background 2 Writing and composition 3 Reception 4 Album art 5 Total sales 6 Track listing 6.1 Hidden tracks 7 Charts 7.1 Album 7.2 Singles 8 Accolades 9 Personnel 9.1 The Offspring 9.2 Additional Personnel 10 See also 11 References 11.1 General references 11.2 Notes

[edit] Background

In 1991, The Offspring released the Baghdad 7". This EP was the turning point for the band; due to its success the band signed with Epitaph Records. Thom Wilson, who produced The Offspring's first two albums, had been trying to get the Offspring to switch to Epitaph, a label run by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. Gurewitz felt that The Offspring was just not quite pronounced enough for his label, but Baghdad convinced him to give the band a shot. Wilson and The Offspring entered the studio again and recorded Ignition. Released in 1992, Ignition exceeded all of the label's and band's expectations.^[4] In 1993, The Offspring began recording their third album, entitled Smash. The sessions took place at Track Record in North Hollywood. Recording sessions lasted from October to December 1993.

[edit] Writing and composition

Although Smash has a dark, punk rock sound, the album is heavily influenced by the emerging pop punk scene. Bands like Green Day and Rancid were gaining popularity, and riding on this wave of popularity, Smash's singles became modern radio rock hits. A good example of this was the success of The Offspring's first major single release, "Come Out and Play", which reached #1 on Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and has become the band's signature song.

"Come Out and Play" (Alternately titled "Come Out and Play (Keep 'Em Separated)"), with a pop punk sound radically different from any of The Offsprings earlier work, soon became popular on radio and then on MTV. The song makes reference to the issue of gun and gang violence in the context of a school campus. The lyrics read, "Your never ending spree of death and violence and hate is going to tie your own rope."

The second single released from the album, "Self Esteem," became a radio hit, managing to peak at number 4 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The lyrics are about an abusive relationship in which the girl takes advantage of her boyfriend, as he has "no self-esteem" to stand up to her. Contrary to popular belief, the song is not autobiographical as many people believe. In an interview Dexter revealed that it is about one of his old friends.

The third single, "Gotta Get Away" was another rock radio hit, although not quite as popular as the previous two singles. The song hit number 6 Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The lyrics describe a point in Dexter's life when he was suffering from extreme pressure due to the upcoming deadline of the album.

Although, not technically released as a single, "Bad Habit" gained some minor popularity when it was erroneously published that it would be released as the bands new single following the success of "Self Esteem."

[edit] Reception

Smash album was released on April 8, 1994 and is the final Offspring album distributed via Epitaph Records. The album peaked at #4 on Billboard's pop albums charts and #1 on the Heatseeker's Chart,^[5] performing better than thought possible for an independently released album.

The album received positive reviews, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of All Music Guide described the album a "solid record, filled with enough heavy riffs to keep most teenagers happy". Erlewine praised the music "relentlessly heavy". For the album, he claims that The Offspring had "crossed over", because of the success of its single "Come Out and Play," which "stopped and started just like Nirvana." Smash received a rating of four out of five stars, while "Come Out and Play", "Self Esteem" and "Gotta Get Away" earned The Offspring its heaviest airplay on MTV and radio stations until, the release of Americana.^[6]

[edit] Album art

Smash, as well as the hit singles "Come Out and Play," "Self Esteem," and "Gotta Get Away" have a common artwork theme: an ominous (and highly distorted) skeleton on the cover, disc, and back of the CD case. This symbol is believed to represent the core themes of the album: death, suicide, violence, addiction, and abuse. The skeleton is used to represent that the continuation of these acts will inevitably lead to death (Or alternatively, the death of the human race). The art direction is credited to Fred Hidalgo and Kevin Head.^[7]

[edit] Total sales

Since its release in 1994, Smash has proved to be a seller over time, moving over 6,000,000 in the US alone and being certified six times platinum by the RIAA. By 2008, the same year the album was remastered, it had sold over 11,000,000 copies worldwide.^[8] Many consider this to be The Offspring's first most successful album to date. Despite its massive commercial success, it is not The Offspring's highest charting album on Billboard 200, peaking at #4; their fifth album Americana would hit #2 in 1998. Smash also sold well outside the US, particularly in Australia, where it debuted #1 on the ARIA Charts in 1995.

[edit] Track listing

All songs written by The Offspring except where noted:

1. "Time to Relax" – 0:25
2. "Nitro (Youth Energy)" – 2:27
3. "Bad Habit" – 3:43
4. "Gotta Get Away" – 3:52
5. "Genocide" – 3:33
6. "Something to Believe In" – 3:17
7. "Come Out and Play (Keep 'Em Separated)" – 3:17
8. "Self Esteem" – 4:17
9. "It'll Be a Long Time" – 2:43
10. "Killboy Powerhead" (The Didjits) – 2:02
11. "What Happened to You?" – 2:12
12. "So Alone" – 1:17
13. "Not the One" – 2:54
14. "Smash" – 10:42

[edit] Hidden tracks

Immediately following the end of "Smash", an instrumental that would later be used as the intro to "Change the World" is played. After five minutes of silence, there is then an instrumental Middle Eastern style reprise of "Come Out and Play" (The reprise's drum parts are very reminiscent of one of The Offsprings later songs, "Pay the Man").

[edit] Charts

[edit] Album

Album - Billboard (North America)

Year	Chart	Position
1994	Heatseekers	1
1994	The Billboard 200	4
1995	Australian Albums Chart	1

[edit] Singles

Singles - Billboard (North America)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1994	"Come Out and Play"	Modern Rock Tracks	1
1994	"Come Out and Play"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	10
1994	"Come Out and Play"	Top 40 Mainstream	39
1994	"Gotta Get Away"	Modern Rock Tracks	6
1995	"Gotta Get Away"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	15
1994	"Self Esteem"	Modern Rock Tracks	4
1994	"Self Esteem"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	7

[edit] Accolades

The information regarding accolades attributed to Smash is adapted from AcclaimedMusic.net.^[9]

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
Exposure	Canada	50 Greatest Albums not to make the Greatest Albums lists	2005	35
Robert Dimery	United States	1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die[10]	2005	*
Kerrang!	United Kingdom	The Kerrang! 100 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die[11]	1998	54
Mojo	United Kingdom	The Mojo Collection, Third Edition	2004	*
RAW	United Kingdom	90 Essential Albums of the 90s[12]	1995	*
Visions	Germany	The Best Albums 1991-96[13]	1996	*
Visions	Germany	The Most Important Albums of the 90s[14]	1999	100

* denotes an unordered list

[edit] Personnel

[edit] The Offspring

• Dexter Holland - Guitar, vocals
• Noodles - Guitar, backing vocals
• Greg K. - Bass guitar, backing vocals (uncredited for backing vocals)
• Ron Welty - Drums, backing vocals

[edit] Additional Personnel

• Lisa Johnson - Photography
• Ken Paulakovich - Engineer
• Eddy Schreyer - Mastering
• Thom Wilson - Producer, engineer
• Fred Hidalgo - Art direction
• Mike Ainsworth - Assistant engineer
• Ulysses Noriega - Assistant engineer
• Christopher C. Murphy - Runner

[edit] See also

• List of best-selling albums in the United States

[edit] References

[edit] General references

• (1994) Album notes for Smash by The Offspring [CD liner]. Epitaph Records.

[edit] Notes

Preceded by No Need to Argue by The Cranberries

Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album February 5 - February 25, 1995

Succeeded by Hi Fi Way by You Am I

v • d • e The Offspring Dexter Holland • Noodles • Greg K. • Pete Parada Ron Welty • Atom Willard • James Lilja • Josh Freese • Jim Benton • Doug Thompson Studio albums The Offspring • Ignition • Smash • Ixnay on the Hombre • Americana • Conspiracy of One • Splinter • Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace EPs Baghdad • Club Me • A Piece of Americana Compilations Greatest Hits Videos and DVDs Americana • Huck It • Complete Music Video Collection Singles "I'll Be Waiting/Blackball" • "Come Out and Play" • "Self Esteem" • "Gotta Get Away" • "Kick Him When He's Down" • "Smash It Up" • "All I Want" • "Gone Away" • "The Meaning of Life" • "I Choose" • "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" • "Why Don't You Get a Job?" • "The Kids Aren't Alright" • "She's Got Issues" • "Original Prankster" • "Want You Bad" • "Million Miles Away" • "Defy You" • "Hit That" • "(Can't Get My) Head Around You" • "Spare Me the Details" • "Can't Repeat" • "Hammerhead" • "Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?" Concert tours Smash Tour • Ixnay on the Hombre Tour • Warped Tour • Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace Tour Related articles Discography • Epitaph Records • Nitro Records • Columbia Records • California punk scene Related bands Angels & Airwaves • Face to Face • Saves the Day • Steady Ground