Editing The Offspring (album)

{{Infobox album
| name         = The Offspring
| type         = studio
| artist       = [[the Offspring]]
| cover        = Offspring - ST 1989.jpg
| caption      = Original cover art
| border       = yes
| alt          = drawing of a chestburster holding an electric guitar exploding out of a man’s body
| released     = June 15, 1989
| recorded     = March 1989
| studio       = South Coast Recording in [[Santa Ana, California|Santa Ana]], [[California]] ([[United States|USA]]).
| genre        = * [[Punk rock]]
* [[hardcore punk]]<ref name="CRRSmash">{{cite web |title=''Smash'' by The Offspring |url=https://www.classicrockreview.com/2014/06/1994-the-offspring-smash/ |website=Classic Rock Review |date=17 June 2014 |access-date=March 4, 2023 |quote=Unlike the group’s first two releases, which were close to hardcore punk in genre, this third independent album leans more towards the emerging grunge rock and pop punk sound..}}</ref>
| length       = 31:25
| label        = {{hlist|[[Nemesis Records|Nemesis]]|[[Nitro Records|Nitro]]}}
| producer     = [[Thom Wilson]]
| prev_title   = 
| prev_year    = 
| next_title   = [[Baghdad (EP)|Baghdad]]
| next_year    = 1991
| misc         = {{Singles
 | name        = The Offspring
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[I'll Be Waiting (The Offspring song)|I'll Be Waiting]]
 | single1date = July 1986
}}
{{Extra album cover
 | header  = Alternative cover
 | type    = studio
 | cover   = The Offspring - The Offspring.jpg
 | border  =
 | alt     = An out-of-focus image of a man on a black background. The artist title appears above in yellow.
 | caption = Re-issue cover art
}}
}}
'''''The Offspring''''' is the debut studio album by American rock band [[the Offspring]], released on June 15, 1989, by [[Nemesis Records]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?Search_Arg=The+Offspring&Search_Code=TALL&PID=27687&SEQ=20071113125722&CNT=25&HIST=1|title=WebVoyage Titles|website=cocatalog.loc.gov|accessdate=May 31, 2020}}</ref> After being out of print for years, the album was re-released by [[Nitro Records|Nitro]] and [[Epitaph Records]] in 1995 with a different album cover. Both the re-releases on the two respective labels are nearly identical. The Offspring has rarely played any songs from this album live since the Ignition tour finished in 1994.

==Background and history==
After recording a demo tape in 1988, the Offspring began preparations for their first full-length album. They recorded it in March 1989 at South Coast Recording in [[Santa Ana, California]], with [[Thom Wilson]] producing. During the sessions, the band re-recorded their early songs "I'll Be Waiting" and "Blackball", which both originally appeared on the band's 1986 single "[[I'll Be Waiting (The Offspring song)|I'll Be Waiting]]".

The album was released on June 15, 1989, in limited numbers by [[Nemesis Records]], only in [[Gramophone record|12" vinyl]] and cassette format. When it was released, the album initially sold 5,000 copies and it took the band two and a half years to sell them all. The album's closing track "Kill the President" was met with a great deal of controversy and as a result, one of the copies was destroyed by [[Wally George]] at his show ''[[Hot Seat (talk show)|Hot Seat]]'' in 1992,<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/ToERzTM-FNU Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20140511184638/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToERzTM-FNU Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToERzTM-FNU| title = The Offspring @ Wally George Show 1989 | website=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> thus leaving only 4,999 copies left. This song was removed from the reissues after 2001. Some copies also have the [[Cargo Records (Canada)|Cargo Records]] logo next to the Nemesis logo on the back cover. To support the album, The Offspring embarked on a six-week national tour, but [[Noodles (musician)|Noodles]] was stabbed during a performance at the [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] anti-nuclear benefit.<ref name="NIPPbio">[http://www.nipp.com/artists/detail/the-offspring The Offspring] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029194213/http://www.nipp.com/artists/detail/the-offspring |date=2013-10-29 }} at NIPP</ref> Following the small success of ''The Offspring'', the band signed with [[Epitaph Records]] in 1991.

"Beheaded" is the only song of the album that is still played live on special occasions and has been played at least 46 times as of August 2023. The Offspring has rarely played any songs from the rest of the album.

For a long time, it had been incorrectly assumed that there were three distinct recordings of "Hey Joe" due to the song being erroneously credited as "previously unreleased" when it was re-released officially in 1996.

==Reception==
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|first=Stephen Thomas|last=Erlewine|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r75306|pure_url=yes}}|title=The Offspring - The Offspring|accessdate=2009-11-09|publisher=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev2Score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref>{{cite book |title=[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide|The New Rolling Stone Album Guide]] |year=2004 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |isbn=0-7432-0169-8}}</ref>
}}

''The Offspring'' received mixed reviews. [[AllMusic]] writer [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] stated that ''The Offspring'' "is a rawer, harder-edged collection than their breakthrough set, ''[[Smash (The Offspring album)|Smash]]'', but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a better record", and that it "lacks the metal guitar crunch that dominated ''Smash''.".<ref name="allmusic"/>

''The Offspring'' did not initially reach the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] chart or become a commercial success. However, when the album was reissued in 1995, it reached a peak position of number 85 on the [[Dutch Charts|Dutch Chart]] for three weeks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Offspring&titel=The+Offspring&cat=a |title=Discografie The Offspring |accessdate=May 30, 2014 |publisher=dutchcharts.nl |language=nl}}</ref>

==Reissues==
''The Offspring'' was reissued several times, with formats in different countries, and with different labels (see the table below). The album was reissued on [[Compact disc|CD]] (and again on vinyl and [[Compact cassette|cassette]]) in 1995, a year after the Offspring's commercial success with its third studio album ''[[Smash (The Offspring album)|Smash]]''. This version is nearly identical to the one released on Nemesis. It features a different artwork instead of the controversial "Guitar [[Xenomorph|Alien]]" front cover artwork, designed by Marc Rude. The album was reissued once again on Nitro in 2001, with "Kill the President" omitted; according to frontman [[Dexter Holland]], it was removed to prevent legal pressure falling upon the band and Nitro. Coinciding with [[Record Store Day]], ''The Offspring'' was reissued in 2017 on blue translucent vinyl; like the 2001 reissue, it does not include "Kill the President".

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Region
! Date
! Label
! Format
! Catalog #
! Notes
|-
| United States
| June 15, 1989
| [[Nemesis Records]]
| [[Gramophone record#Formats|12" vinyl]]<br>[[Compact Cassette|Cassette]]
| NEMESIS 6
| First pressing. Cassette release includes bonus track "[[Hey Joe]]".
|-
| Europe
| November 18, 1995
| [[Epitaph Records]]
|[[Compact disc|CD]]<br>[[Gramophone record#Formats|12" vinyl]]<br>[[Compact Cassette|Cassette]]
| 86460
| First CD pressing; features an alternative cover.
|-
| United States
| November 21, 1995
| [[Nitro Records]]
| [[Compact disc|CD]]<br>[[Gramophone record#Formats|12" vinyl]]<br>[[Compact Cassette|Cassette]]
| 86460
| First CD and cassette pressing; features an alternative cover.
|-
|  Poland
| 1996
| Audio Max
| [[Compact Cassette|Cassette]]
| 704
| Rare collector's item, released without The Offspring's consent; features an alternative cover.
|-
|  United States
| June 26, 2001
| [[Nitro Records]]
| [[Compact disc|CD]]
| 15803
| Does not feature the last song "Kill the President"; features the same cover as 1995 reissue.
|-
|  United Kingdom
| July 16, 2001
| [[Nitro Records]]
| [[Compact disc|CD]]
|
| Does not feature the last song "Kill the President"; features the same cover as 1995 reissue.
|-
|  United States
| April 22, 2017
| [[Nitro Records]]
| [[Gramophone record#Formats|Vinyl]]
| NTO00001
| Does not feature the last song "Kill the President"; features the same cover as 1995 reissue.
|}

==Album covers==
Two covers of this album exist. The original version features an image of a man's body exploding as the [[Alien (creature in Alien franchise)|xenomorph]] from the ''[[Alien (franchise)|Alien]]'' franchise holding a [[Fender Stratocaster]] emerges from his chest. There is a report, which remains unconfirmed, that the album was banned from retail stores due to the "grotesque" cover.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/photos/40-outrageous-banned-album-sleeves-1423495|title=40 outrageous banned album sleeves &#124; NME|website=[[NME]]|date=December 17, 2013|accessdate=May 31, 2020}}</ref>

The 1995 re-release shows a different image which features a blurry black-and-white picture of a person's face. The band later admitted that they along with their studio were not really fond of the original artwork and saw the reissue as an opportunity to replace it. The reissue art was done by Mackie Osbourne.

The shadows on the back cover of the 1995 reissue also appear on the cover of the "[[I'll Be Waiting (The Offspring song)|I'll Be Waiting]]" single.

==Track listing==
All tracks written by Dexter Holland, except where noted.

===Original pressing===
{{track listing
| headline = Side one
| title1 = Jennifer Lost the War
| length1 = 2:35
| title2 = Elders
| length2 = 2:11
| title3 = Out on Patrol
| length3 = 2:32
| title4 = Crossroads
| length4 = 2:48
| title5 = Demons (A Mexican Fiesta)
| length5 = 3:10
| title6 = Beheaded
| note6 = 
| length6 = 2:52
| writer6 = Holland, [[James Lilja]]
}}
{{track listing
| headline = Side two
| extra_column = Note
| total_length = 31:25
| title7 = Tehran
| extra7 = 
| length7 = 3:06
| title8 = A Thousand Days
| extra8 = 
| length8 = 2:11
| title9 = Blackball
| extra9 = 
| length9 = 3:24
| title10 = [[I'll Be Waiting (The Offspring song)|I'll Be Waiting]]
| extra10 = 
| length10 = 3:12
| title11 = Kill the President
| note11 = excluded on rerelease versions since 2001 
| length11 = 3:22
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = 1989 cassette-only track
| title12 = [[Hey Joe]]
| writer12 = William M. Roberts
| length12 = 2:37
}}

===CD===
{{track listing
| extra_column    = Note
| total_length    = 31:25
| title1          = Jennifer Lost the War
| extra1          =
| length1         = 2:35
| title2          = Elders
| extra2          =
| length2         = 2:11
| title3          = Out on Patrol
| extra3          =
| length3         = 2:32
| title4          = Crossroads
| extra4          =
| length4         = 2:48
| title5          = Demons (A Mexican Fiesta)
| extra5          =
| length5         = 3:10
| title6          = Beheaded
| writer6         = Holland, James Lilja
| length6         = 2:52
| title7          = Tehran
| extra7          =
| length7         = 3:06
| title8          = A Thousand Days
| extra8          =
| length8         = 2:11
| title9          = Blackball
| extra9          =
| length9         = 3:24
| title10         = [[I'll Be Waiting (The Offspring song)|I'll Be Waiting]]
| note10          = 
| extra10         =
| length10        = 3:12
| title11         = Kill the President
| note11          = excluded on rerelease versions since 2001 
| length11        = 3:22
}}

'''Notes'''
* Track 1, "Jennifer Lost the War", is featured on ''[[Punk-O-Rama]] [[Punk-O-Rama Vol. 1|Volume 1]]''.
* Track 6, "Beheaded", is featured on ''[[Go Ahead Punk... Make My Day]]'' and was later re-recorded as "Beheaded (1999)" for the movie ''[[Idle Hands]]''.
* Track 7, "Tehran", was later re-recorded as "Baghdad", which appears on their 1991 long-out of print EP ''[[Baghdad (album)|Baghdad]]''.
* Track 9, "Blackball", is featured on ''[[Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4]]''.
* Track 11, "Kill the President" is removed from rerelease versions since 2001 and is replaced by four seconds of silence. On the official website, the song is not mentioned in the track list. The song is also not featured on the [[iTunes]], [[Spotify]] or [[Amazon Music]] versions of the album.
* Track 12, "Hey Joe" (only released on the 1989 cassette), is featured on ''Go Ahead Punk... Make My Day'', the single for "[[Gone Away (song)|Gone Away]]," and ''[[Happy Hour!]]''. It was also re-recorded for the ''Baghdad'' EP.

==Personnel==

=== The Offspring ===
* [[Dexter Holland]] (credited as Keith Holland on 1989 version) – vocals, guitar (uncredited for guitar)
* [[Noodles (musician)|Noodles]] – guitar, backing vocals on "Blackball"
* [[Greg K.]] – bass, backing vocals on "Blackball"
* [[Ron Welty]] (credited as R. Welty) – drums, backing vocals on "Blackball"

=== Additional personnel ===
* Jason – backing vocals on "Blackball"
* Jeff 1 – backing vocals on "Blackball"
* Jeff 2 – backing vocals on "Blackball"
* Tyler – backing vocals on "Blackball"
* Rick – backing vocals on "Blackball"
* Michelle – backing vocals on "Blackball"
* Marvin – backing vocals on "Blackball"
* Cynthia – backing vocals on "Blackball"

=== Production ===
* [[Thom Wilson]] – [[Record producer|producer]]
* Jim Dotson (credited as Jim Oddo) – [[Audio engineering|engineer]]
* Mad Marc Rude – cover art (for 1989 version)
* Kirk Dominquez (credited as Kirk) – back cover picture (for 1989 version)
* [[Mackie Osborne]] (credited as Mackie) – art (for 1995 version)

==Charts==
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ Chart performance for ''The Offspring''
!scope="col"|Chart (1995)
!scope="col"|Peak<br />position
|-
!scope="row"|Australian Albums ([[ARIA Charts|ARIA]])<ref>{{cite Ryan|page=207}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|84
|-
{{album chart|Netherlands|85|artist=The Offspring|album=The Offspring|rowheader=true|access-date=September 4, 2022}}
|-
{{album chart|UKRock|20|date=19951118|rowheader=true|access-date=October 22, 2024}}
|-
|}

==See also==
* [[List of anti-war songs]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

'''Works cited'''
*{{cite AV media notes| title = The Offspring| title-link = The Offspring| others = The Offspring| year = 1989| type = CD liner| publisher = Nemesis/Epitaph/Nitro Records}}

==External links==
<!-- This is a licensed stream for the album, which is allowed under Wikipedia polices -->
*[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4umc8IE6eUOv4rlSlNOZzSZF_YPkYSSv ''The Offspring''] at [[YouTube]] (streamed copy where licensed)

{{TheOffspring}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Offspring, The}}
[[Category:The Offspring albums]]
[[Category:1989 debut albums]]
[[Category:Nitro Records albums]]
[[Category:Epitaph Records albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Thom Wilson]]