The Offspring "Smash" (RSD Essential)

The Offspring preserve the essential ingredients of their chosen genre--guitars grinding out three chords, shouted vocals, and plenty of vitriol--and layer them over a melodic base that packs considerable popular appeal. The singles from Smash, the Offspring's breakthrough album, still receive considerable radio airplay: "Gotta Get Away," "Come Out and Play," and "Self Esteem." With these and Smash's 11 other tracks, the band chronicles the adolescent experience with clarity and surprisingly incisive wit. That pretty much describes all of their albums, but this is the one to get. It's got more shape than their earlier material and isn't as disturbingly poppy as their more recent recordings; it's the perfect blend of riffs and rage. Smash is the best-selling independent album of all time with over 20 million sold worldwide. Alongside RancidÕs And Out Come the Wolves and Green DayÕs Dookie, Smash signaled the arrival of punk rock as a commercial force upon itÕs initial release in 1994.