Splinter (The Offspring album)
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| Splinter | ||
 |
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| Studio album by The Offspring | ||
| Released | December 9, 2003 | |
| Recorded | January 2003 to August 2003 | |
| Genre | Punk rock, Pop punk | |
| Length | 31:59 | |
| Label | Columbia Records | |
| Producer(s) | Brendan O'Brien and The Offspring | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| The Offspring chronology | ||
| Conspiracy of One (2000) |
Splinter (2003) |
Greatest Hits (2005) |
Splinter is an album released by The Offspring on December 9, 2003. The original title for Splinter was Chinese Democrazy (You Snooze, You Lose), which was announced as a threat to Axl Rose (singer of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses), after his long-awaited album, titled Chinese Democracy, was put on hold. To quote Holland, "Axl ripped off my braids, so I ripped off his album title."[1] However, many people may have noticed that the announcement was made on April Fool's Day, so was most likely a joke and a publicity stunt. It was the first album the band released without drummer Ron Welty. It is also the first album by The Offspring to have a Parental Advisory Label.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
All song written and produced by Dexter Holland and Noodles
- "Neocon" – 1:06
- "The Noose" – 3:18
- "Long Way Home" – 2:23
- "Hit That" – 2:49
- "Race Against Myself" – 3:32
- "(Can't Get My) Head Around You" – 2:15
- "The Worst Hangover Ever" – 2:58
- "Never Gonna Find Me" – 2:39
- "Lightning Rod" – 3:20
- "Spare Me The Details" – 3:24
- "Da Hui" – 1:42
- "When You're in Prison" – 2:33
The Enhanced CD portion of the CD contains a couple of hidden tracks: "The Kids Aren't Alright (Island Mix)" and an instrumental version of "When You're in Prison".
There was another song recorded for the album called "Pass Me By". The band felt that it was too heavy for the album, which is why it wasn't included on the disk. It is rumored that "Pass Me By" might be included on the next Offspring album, which will probably be released early 2007.
The crowd vocals in the opening track "Neocon" were recorded at Reading Festival in 2002 during the Offspring's set on Mainstage. Estimates based on the capacity of Reading Festival would suggest upwards of 50,000 people are at least in the crowd.
[edit] Reception
[edit] Critical Reception
Reviewers from sites such as Launch.com claimed Splinter was a welcome return to The Offspring's punk roots, citing songs such as The Noose and Da Hui. The more mainstream songs, Hit That and Spare Me The Details, were also praised.1
All Music Guide's Johnny Loftus also praised punk songs such as Long Way Home and Lightning Rod, and claimed second single Head Around You was the album's standout. Like many fans though, he criticized songs such as The Worst Hangover Ever and When You're In Prison, calling them 'throwaways'. 2 Pop Matters also praised Head Around You, Race Against Myself, and other heavier songs on the album. However, it also called Worst Hangover Ever 'idiotic' and again criticized When You're In Prison and Neocon.
The album's short length was also attacked, with the review concluding that the album was 'wasted potential', portraying it as merely average, in the same vein as many other critical reviews. 3
[edit] Fan Reception
Fan reception was mixed. Many criticized Splinter as being too short, and with the removal of the 'joke song', When You're In Prison, and the first song Neocon which is essentially a heavy chant, the album clocks in at under 30 minutes. Most fans were disappointed that three years of waiting had resulted in such a short album.4
Some fans also said Splinter did not have a unique sound, though others felt it was The Offspring's darkest album to date (The Noose, Head Around You, et al supporting this). Ska song The Worst Hangover Ever is often slated as breaking the album's rhythm and theme, being placed right in the middle between Head Around You and Never Gonna Find Me, two of the album's heavier, more punk songs.
Splinter was also heavily praised for its lyrical content, said to take a considerable step up from the band's previous material. Lightning Rod is often used as an example of this. However, the album's ending of Da Hui, which some were unhappy with, and joke song When You're In Prison, which does not fit with the general album, was criticized as not being a satisfying end to an already short album.5
Overall fan reaction though, seems to be more positive than negative.6
[edit] Singles
Three singles were chosen from the album, in this order: Hit That, (Can't Get My) Head Around You, and Spare Me The Details. The first single, Hit That, proved to be the most successful, and while the first two singles had videos (Hit That a largely computer-animated video and Head Around You a performance video with some extreme camera movements), Spare Me The Details did not. A video was also made for the song Da Hui, despite it not being a single.
[edit] Music Videos
- Hit That on YouTube
[edit] Personnel
- Dexter Holland - guitars, synthesizers, vocals
- Noodles - guitars, synthesizers
- Greg K. - basses
- Josh Freese - drums
