The Offspring (album)


The Offspring is the eponymous debut studio album by American punk rock band the Offspring, released on June 15, 1989, by Nemesis Records. After years of discontinued print, the album was re-released by 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 album was released on June 15, 1989, in limited numbers by Nemesis Records, only in 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 in 1992, thus leaving only 4,999 copies left. This song was removed from the reissues after 2001. Some copies also have the 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 was stabbed during a performance at the Hollywood anti-nuclear benefit. Following the small success of The Offspring, the band signed with Epitaph Records in 1991.
"Beheaded" was rarely ever played live, having been played at least 24 times as of July 2016. The Offspring has rarely played any songs from the rest of the album. "Crossroads" is the only song from the album that has never been played live.

Reception

The Offspring received mixed reviews. AllMusic writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine, who gave the album two-and-a-half stars out of five, stated that The Offspring "is a rawer, harder-edged collection than their breakthrough set, Smash, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a better record", and that it "lacks the metal guitar crunch that dominated Smash.".
The Offspring did not initially reach the 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 Netherlands Albums Chart for three weeks.

Reissues

The Offspring was reissued several times, with formats in different countries, and with different labels. The album was reissued on CD in 1995, a year after the Offspring's commercial success with its third studio album Smash. This version is nearly identical to the one released on Nemesis. It features a different artwork instead of the controversial "Guitar 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".
RegionDateLabelFormatCatalog #Notes
United StatesJune 15, 1989Nemesis Records12" vinyl
Cassette		NEMESIS 6First pressing. Cassette release includes bonus track "Hey Joe".
EuropeNovember 18, 1995Epitaph RecordsCD
12" vinyl
Cassette		86460First CD pressing; features an alternative cover.
United StatesNovember 21, 1995Nitro RecordsCD
12" vinyl
Cassette		86460First CD and cassette pressing; features an alternative cover.
Poland1996Audio MaxCassette704Rare collector's item, released without The Offspring's consent; features an alternative cover.
United StatesJune 26, 2001Nitro RecordsCD15803Does not feature the last song "Kill the President"; features the same cover as 1995 reissue.
United KingdomJuly 16, 2001Nitro RecordsCDDoes not feature the last song "Kill the President"; features the same cover as 1995 reissue.
United StatesApril 22, 2017Nitro RecordsVinylNTO00001Does 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 xenomorph from the 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.
The 1995 re-release shows a different image which features a blurry black-and-white picture of a person's face. It was later admitted that the band and their studio never really liked the original cover and the re-release gave them an opportunity to change it.
The shadows on the back cover of the 1995 reissue also appear on the cover of the "I'll Be Waiting" single.

Track listing

All tracks written by Dexter Holland, except where noted.

Original pressing

CD

Notes
Adapted from The Offspring liner notes.
The Offspring
Additional musicians
Production