The Offspring - 'The Offspring'

Critic's rating: 4 stars

Album: "The Offspring"

Label: Nitro Records

Type of music: Punk

First reaction: THIS RULES! I can't believe that people are returning this CD just because it isn't new, and without even listening to it!

Second time around: I just realized how much this sounds like one of my favorite bands, NOFX. In fact, my brother walked into my room and asked if I had bought a new NOFX CD.

I can't understand: Why people are returning this CD like crazy! So many people aren't giving it a chance just because it isn't new. This is an old album that is great. The only reason that it's never been put on major market is that The Offspring put this out on their own Nitro label and only made 3,000 copies. Since people couldn't find underground Offspring hits like "Blackball," "Beheaded," "Out On Patrol" and "Jennifer Lost The War," this album was re-released under the Nitro Records name, with Epitaph controlling distribution. It's awesome.

What would your parents say: Most parents don't like to listen to teen-agers' music blaring through the house. There is a positive side to this album though; its songs don't have the explicit meanings/lyrics found in "Smash" and "Ignition." These songs basically are about how the world is messed up.

Critic's notes: I first saw this CD at the house of one of my friends during a Christmas party. It was her dad's, and I asked him (one of the few adults I know who listens to cool music) if it was a new album. I thought that he was joking when he said it came out in the '80s. Then one night I picked this CD up at the mall and popped it into my Discman, thinking I could go to sleep listening to it. Wrong. I listened to the whole thing. Twice.

By Jonathan Pritchett, from Richmond Newspapers - March 15, 1996