Maps of Music

Smash (1994)

Where the lyrics of Smash take you, and where it was really made.

The album that brought The Offspring worldwide fame was recorded in only 20 days on a budget of $20,000.

Key places

Recording at Track Record in North Hollywood (1994)

Recording site Track Record Studios — Smash was recorded in 20 days between January and February 1994 at Track Record in North Hollywood. The studio is the place where the album was tracked. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Smash is the third studio album by the American rock band the Offspring
• Released April 8, 1994 through Epitaph Records
• Smash was the band's introduction into worldwide popularity
• Hit singles include Come Out and Play, Self Esteem, and Gotta Get Away
• It was the band's final studio album produced by Thom Wilson

Background

• Ignition (1992) exceeded the expectations of the band and the label, but it did not bring the Offspring a major commercial breakthrough
• The 1991 Baghdad 7-inch EP was the turning point that led to the band signing with Epitaph Records
• Thom Wilson had produced the band's first two albums and had been pushing them toward Epitaph
• Wilson had worked with the band since their 1989 debut album
• The rise of grunge, especially Nirvana's Nevermind (1991), paved the way for American punk rock to reach a wider audience

Recording

• Recorded in 20 days between January and February 1994 at Track Record in North Hollywood, California
• The budget was $20,000, which frequently restricted the band
• The last four songs recorded for the album were worked on through just two nights
• The album was put together on the spot in the studio, with no systematic work behind the recording

Cover

• A distorted skeleton appears on the cover, disc, and back of the CD case
• The same skeleton image runs through the singles Come Out and Play, Self Esteem, and Gotta Get Away
• The skeleton is believed to represent death, greed, suicide, violence, addiction, and abuse

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in Garden Grove, California in 1984 under the name Manic Subsidal; renamed The Offspring in 1986.
• Played a key role in reviving mainstream interest in punk rock during the 1990s.
• Have sold more than 45 million records and are among the best-selling punk bands.

Members

• Dexter Holland (lead vocals, guitar) and Noodles (lead guitar) are the founding core.
• Current lineup also includes Todd Morse (bass), Jonah Nimoy (multi-instrumentalist) and Brandon Pertzborn (drums).
• Greg K. Kriesel, a co-founder, was fired from the band in 2018.

Career

• Released Smash (1994) on Epitaph Records; it sold over 11 million copies and helped push punk into the mainstream.
• Signed with Columbia Records in 1996; Americana (1998) reached number two on the Billboard 200.
• Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace (2008) revived their career, with "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" topping the Billboard rock charts for eleven weeks.
• Released Let the Bad Times Roll (2021) and Supercharged (2024).

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critical reviews of Smash were mostly positive
• Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called it a solid record filled with enough heavy riffs to keep most teenagers happy
• Erlewine praised the music as relentlessly heavy and said the Offspring had crossed over through the success of Come Out and Play
• Sputnikmusic reviewer Mike Stagno called it a fun album to listen to
• Robert Christgau was less favorable and gave the album a neither rating

Reappraisal

• Guitar World ranked the album number two on its top ten guitar albums of 1994 list in November 2011
• Loudwire placed it at No. 4 on its 10 Best Hard Rock Albums of 1994 list
• Rock Sound included it at number 6 on its list of the 51 Most Essential Pop Punk Albums of All Time
• NME listed it among 20 Pop Punk Albums Which Will Make You Nostalgic

Records

• Peaked at number four on the US Billboard 200
• Shipped more than 50,000 units in its first week
• Sold over eleven million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling album released by an independent record label
• In the United States, sold over six million copies and certified six times platinum by the RIAA
• First Epitaph release to obtain gold and platinum status
• Come Out and Play topped the Modern Rock Tracks chart; Self Esteem reached number four and Gotta Get Away reached number six

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Trivia

• Smash had a small budget of $20,000, which frequently restricted the band, and guitarist Noodles said they called the studio to find when it was empty so they could sneak in at a discount price
• The only cover on the album is Killboy Powerhead by the Didjits
• After the title track ends, silence runs until about 9:00, when the hidden track Come Out and Play (Acoustic Reprise) begins
• Bad Habit was never released as a single and had no video, yet it became one of the album's most popular songs after KROQ added it to its playlist
• In 2014, for the album's 20th anniversary, the Offspring toured playing Smash in its entirety

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

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