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audiwolf86 · 1 year

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Ranked The Offspring Studio Albums (EXPLAINED)

[🟥DISCLAIMER🟥: May contain swearing, critically extreme and harsh opnions and insults, beware!]

[Written Between February,12th and February,16th,2023]

Heyo everyone, it is i, Wolfgang, and today i'll be ranking and commenting on the studio albums made by one of my personal favorite punk rock bands, The Offspring.

The band was formed back in 1984 under the name Manic Subsidal and it had seen multiple lineup changes throughout the years leaving Bryan "Dexter" Holland and Greg K. as the only continuous members, though following Greg's firing in 2018, Holland is currently the only remaining original member from the band. They released about 2 (later, 6) demo tapes prior to the recording sessions of their self-titled debut album which was before they released their second demo tape. Prior to the release of that aforementioned demo and its debut single, "I'll Be Waiting", they changed their name to The Offspring after a B-Movie called The Offspring: They Were Born to Kill.

Since 1989, the band has released 10 studio albums, 5 EPs, 2 Compilation Albums and more than about 30-40 singles. Their well-known classic lineup (until 2003) consisted of Dexter Holland, Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, Greg K. and Ron Welty. The band has maintained a high profile and has been known for being one of those bands that were capable of reviving the popularity of the punk rock genre during the 1990's (other than being part of the Pop Punk scene during that time) and has made a couple successful songs such as "Self Esteem", "Gone Away", "The Kids Aren't Alright", "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)", etc. Althrough, beginning in the 2000's, the band began to gradually decline in popularity regarding the lack of effort of producing a couple more studio releases, to the point fillers began to appear, though this would become frequent after they changed their sound beginning with Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace. Despite that, The Offspring is still very popular in the hearts of 1980's, 1990's and 2000's kids and is considered to be one of the best bands from that era.

I've heard of this band around 2015 when my older cousin gave me his Purple Offspring hoodie (which no longer fits on me) but did not listen to any of their songs until last year, in 2022.

Just to let y'all know, this is not the first time i've done this kind of content. The first time i began ranking studio albums dates back to July,2022, when i rated all of the Korn studio albums.

Anyways, let's begin ranking all of them and so, let it roll!

10. Days Go By (2012)

This album is the greatest definition of lack of originality. Sure it has some great tunes but seriously, the sound of this album is something you would hear pretty much on either in a Foo Fighters album or in a Weezer album.

It should be noted that this is the second album under their new material and the first one with Pete Parada as their current drummer (considering he joined an year prior to the release of Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace back in 2007) as well as the last one featuring Greg K. before his firing in 2018.

Days Go By failed at givin' us a plenty amount of great songs and what we got in return is a lot of filler present in most of the album. Besides, i barely enjoyed listening to this shit at all like, seriously. The songs are pretty much generic with no charm from those heard in the previous albums, the intro of "All I Have Left Is You" reminds me of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean", "OC Guns" is a very bland punk song, "I Wanna Secret Family (With You)" reminds me something i would hear on any Weezer album with filler songs.

Of course, we do get some great songs such as the title track, "Turning Into You" and "Cruising California (Bumpin' In My Trunk)". The only other two songs i enjoyed listening in this album was "Slim Pickens Does the Right Thing And Rides The Bomb To Hell" and their rerecorded version of "Dirty Magic".

Overall, Days Go By is both my least favorite Offspring album and my least favorite album from their new material i had ever listened in my life and it's not that solid nor as decent in comparison to those Post-Grunge albums from the 2000's.

Favorite Songs: Days Go By, Turning Into You, Cruising California (Bumpin' In My Trunk), Dirty Magic, Slim Pickens Does The Right Thing And Rides The Bomb To Hell.

Personal Favorite: Dirty Magic.

9. Let The Bad Times Roll (2021)

We waited 9 motherfucking years and guess what we got in return? Yes, you guessed it, MORE FILLER!

Other than that, the title says it all and this is referring to its mixed reception. Let The Bad Times Roll legit missed the mark and wasted most of its potential tryin' to be decent and it just went wrong like, my fuckin' God.

This album would have been the last one to feature Pete Parada as their drummer as he would be fired on July of that same year for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

Like its previous album, it also contains a rerecorded version of a great song, this time, it's one of their well known hits and that is "Gone Away".

I believe the band tried to be a little cooler this time but that isn't sayin' much, i say. I appreciate the rerecorded version of "Gone Away" but i still prefer the original version, songs like "The Opioid Diaries" and "Hassan Chop" lacks some creativity with the lyrics and seems a little rushed, "We Never Have Sex Anymore" sorta feels off but still a great song.

Some few redeeming qualities is that the songs in this album are a little decent than those heard in their predecessor and its mixing are almost better. Its cover art is an okay one but anyways, nice try with this album, Holland.

Favorite Songs: This Is Not Utopia, Let The Bad Times Roll, Army Of One, Coming For You, We Never Have Sex Anymore.

Personal Favorite: Let The Bad Times Roll.

8. Splinter (2003)

Okay, i'm feelin' sorta divided here specially due to the fact that this was the last album recorded under their original material. What if i tell you that their longtime drummer, Ron Welty, was fired before the recording sessions of this album. Does this suck? That'll be a yes. For the case of this album, he was temporarily replaced with Josh Freese of Devo and The Vandals which would continue until it's follow-up.

Splinter is nowhere as successful than the previous releases but at least, we do get a few memorable songs to listen such as "Hit That", "Spare Me The Details" and "(Can't Get My) Head Around You". Outside of that, the band did in fact miss some effort while producing this, mainly when it comes to mixing other than its lack of quality.

The sound is pretty messed up with the other tracks in this album and it's absurdly disjointed. Other than that, Splinter failed to be good and in comparison to its predecessor, let's just say, they watered down by themselves.

Aside from that, it should be noted that aside from their Greatest Hits album, Splinter would become their last known release to feature their well known skull logo as it would be omitted from the later releases but would still occasionally appear on some christmas singles, however.

Aside from being one of my favorites, Splinter is also my current least favorite album under their original material. Even if this album turns 20 years, that doesn't mean it really aged well.

Favorite Songs: The Noose, Hit That, Race Against Myself, (Can't Get My) Head Around You, Spare Me The Details, Da Hui.

Personal Favorite: (Can't Get My) Head Around You.

7. The Offspring (1989)

Aah, their self-titled debut album, released during the early years of the band, albeit, after its rebranding as The Offspring. When the album was first released in 1989, it became controversial due to its grotesque cover and so, they didn't bother much to issue an alternate cover as shown above, in fact, you can still find some surviving units either under the original cover (which is very difficult to find nowadays) or under their alternate cover.

The Offspring used to be my least favorite album under their original material until i took another relistening on its tracks while adding on my personal playlist. I was able to learn that this album actually has some underrated tracks but for my surprise, the only song the band has ever performed live is anything other than "Beheaded", the very first song i had ever listened from them. If you're wondering about the other tracks, well, looks like they didn't approve much of this album and it has been their, specially Holland's, least favorite studio release.

At the same time, their early sound isn't strong enough to become solid but had a fine potential of becoming underrated, albeit, not as underrated than those heard in its follow-up, Ignition.

The older pressings had "Kill The President" and their cover of "Hey Joe" which are nowhere to be found in the later reissues of the album nor in music streaming platforms.

The Offspring is in fact a fun album to listen and i do enjoy the political context as shown in some of the tracks, as such, there are some other underrated tracks in that album aside from "Beheaded" such as "Jennifer Lost The War", "Blackball", "Tehran" and "A Thousand Days". Despite not being any sort of hits, they still leave us a smell of nostalgia even through it's not one of my favorite releases.

Favorite Songs: Jennifer Lost The War, Beheaded, Tehran, A Thousand Days, Blackball.

Personal Favorite: Blackball.

6. Ignition (1992)

The album that gave a plenty amount of notoriety for the band, it was at this moment their sound began to gradually improve as years began to pass.

Unfortunately is the fact that Ignition is easily outclassed by their most successful releases such as Smash, Americana and Ixnay On The Hombre. Other from that, we can consider Ignition a great album.

Besides, i've been rarely looping songs from this album but some of those i seem to enjoy the most are "Kick Him When He's Down", "Dirty Magic", "Session", "Hypodermic", a couple others to name a few.

I see Ignition quite superior than their The Offspring and Splinter albums but not stronger enough as the next album i'll be commenting next. Just don't hesitate much and go ahead listening to this great punk rock album.

Favorite Songs: Session, Kick Him When He's Down, Get It Right, Dirty Magic, Hypodermic, Burn It Up, Forever And A Day.

Personal Favorite: Kick Him When He's Down.

5. Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace (2008)

Hear me up, dawg, this has to be the most decent of them. It's the first album of their new material and it still the most decent of them after 15 years in comparison to its follow-ups but did it age well? Sort of.

Right here, we get some great songs such as "Hammerhead", "Half-Truism" and the well known "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid". What divided some longtime fans is specially due to its sound change like, even through they tried to redeem themselves from the mistakes they did with its predecessor, it just feels like this album is what resulted in the band beginning to gradually decline in quality.

The cover in general looks sorta cheap-looking, specially when you judge by its font. Of course, this album got a few filler songs which you might hear when you get to the second half of the album beginning with either "Nothingtown" or "Stuff Is Messed Up", two of the songs i actually like.

While not the strongest release, Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace is still considered to be the most decent studio release under their newly updated material after all. I might consider it the last great album the band would release, to a lesser extent.

Favorite Songs: Half-Truism, You're Gonna Go Far, Kid, Hammerhead, Takes Me Nowhere, Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?, Nothingtown, Stuff Is Messed Up, Let's Hear It For Rock Bottom.

Personal Favorite: Hammerhead.

4. Conspiracy of One (2000)

I'm pretty much goin' to be smashed harder when you hear this: I actually love this album.

Of course, as already mentioned before, when the 2000's came in, it was there the band began to gradually experience a decline in popularity, mainly when the well known classic lineup began to fall apart starting with the firing of Ron Welty before they began the recording sessions of its follow-up, Splinter, by 2003.

Though for the case of this album, it was brief but still had some great effort, i guess. What divided some, specially certain critics, is the fact that this album just felt like it tried to be both a skate punk and a rap metal-like kind of album.

Conspiracy Of One also contains certain songs that are a little similar by its intro or even certain parts of the song and the only possible example i can give is the comparison between the intro of "Vultures" and the intro of "Dirty Magic". They look a little similar, albeit, reworked.

Some redeeming qualities i can give is that they did a great job on this album generating some great songs such as "Original Prankster", "Million Miles Away" and "Want You Bad". The cover is neat looking and i appreciate its street styled font and the 3D-modeled skull logo. Depending on how you're listening, Conspiracy Of One can be considered as both a great album or even an average album by others. You either love or hate it.

Favorite Songs: Original Prankster, Want You Bad, Million Miles Away, Dammit, I Changed Again, Living In Chaos, Special Delivery, One Fine Day, Vultures, Conspiracy Of One.

Personal Favorite: Original Prankster.

3. Americana (1998)

If you're there, peacefully livin' in the 90's and skating around, you might be coming across this critically acclaimed release, right?

Americana is, with no doubt, one of the albums that defined the Skate Punk subgenre pretty well other than having become one damn of a commercial success followed by its distinctive cover art by Frank Kozik.

Of course, we get a lot of memorable songs here, notably "Why Don't You Get A Job?", "The Kids Aren't Alright" and my personal favorite of them, "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)".

Some might be wondering why i ranked this album in third instead of second, right? Welp, i've seen most critics rank this album as the second best and other than that, i see this album a little more overrated than the following albums i'll be commenting next.

"Walla Walla", "No Brakes" and its final track, "Pay The Man" are some of those songs i consider sorta boring to listen which is why i don't see this album a little more better than its predecessor, the former and the second of which failed to impress me much which is why i don't consider them much of a great song. "The End Of The Line" is just meh. Still, Americana will forever be considered to be one of the best punk rock albums ever released in the 1990's and one of the best-selling records ever made and, of course, a fan-favorite to the hearts of many Offspring and skating fans alike.

Kudos to Holland and Noodles for this great masterpiece.

Favorite Songs: Have You Ever, Staring At The Sun, Pretty Fly (For A White Guy), The Kids Aren't Alright, Feelings, She's Got Issues, Why Don't You Get A Job?, Americana.

Personal Favorite: Pretty Fly (For A White Guy).

2. Ixnay On The Hombre (1997)

This is the kind of album i would love to praise in peace, it may be not better than Americana as some suggests, in my opinion, i see it a little more better than that album.

In general, the cover reminds of something i would see in Gothic Rock or even on 70's Psychedelic Rock albums. Gotta love these guitar and drumming sounds, i mean, it's like the album went completely on steroids combined with some weed, it's basically as if Green Day's Insomniac and Nimrod felt like they didn't execute its punk sound pretty well like they did in the previous album but still earned some great success however.

Ixnay On The Hombre also gave us two great successes such as "All I Want" and "Gone Away". Some other underrated tracks i could find in this album are "Amazed", "Mota", "Don't Pick It Up", "Cool To Hate" and a couple others to name a few. The remainder range from being just below average to bad tracks like, they're just screaming to be a great song.

Of course, i am aware that Hard Rock didn't blend very well with Punk Rock and Skate Punk but still enjoyed it anyway.

Favorite Songs: The Meaning Of Life, Mota, Me & My Old Lady, Cool To Hate, Gone Away, I Choose, All I Want, Don't Pick It Up, Amazed.

Personal Favorite: Amazed.

1. Smash (1994)

Ha, ha, there is no such Offspring album capable of beating this criminally underrated release. It's the best thing you'll ever listen in yer life and will forever be stuck in yer fuckin' ears due to how catchy most of them are!

Smash is one damn of a banger and it aged pretty well after nearly 30 years. Too bad that this was the last thing they released on the well known Epitaph Records before they left probably before or during the production of its follow-up regarding a series of disagreements they did with their former label during that time.

This album has a lot of great songs but the most notable of them are "Self Esteem", "Come Out And Play" and "Gotta Go Away". There's also some other great songs such as their cover of The Didjits' "Killboy Powerhead" for example.

I don't have much other words to describe this album but seriously, Smash is a rocket and it will forever be, if not, the absolute most solid album the band has ever released. I also consider that album my personal favorite release as well.

Favorite Songs: Nitro (Youth Energy), Bad Habit, Gotta Get Away, Genocide, Come Out And Play, Self Esteem, It'll Be A Long Time, Killboy Powerhead, What Happened To You?, So Alone

Personal Favorite: Come Out And Play.

Outro

And i guess that's all for now, The Offspring has been considered to be one of my personal favorite Punk Rock and Skate Punk bands of all time, i've since completed its discography as of December of last year and i'm waitin' for its upcomin' later stuff about them. Too bad they can no longer revive that kind of grace they had back then but still, wish their best in their later work.

Thank you for reading all this and see you on the other side. If you have any other suggestions of bands or artists i could rank their studio albums on, you can comment down below anytime you want.

See ya on the other side and i'm gone away, for now.

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