Twenty Years Ago Today, The Offspring Released SMASH
Jeezus. Really? A quick check of Wikipedia (and Epitaph Records) confirms it. SMASH hit the stores on April 8, 1994.
Chances are you didn’t remember the day it was released. First, Offspring was an unknown indie punk band from Orange County. They hadn’t exactly set the world on fire. And on April 8, 1994, we were occupied by other news.
Then again, it was because of Kurt Cobain’s death that the Offspring had a chance. Grunge had started to get tired and a punk revival was afoot. With Kurt gone, music fans started in earnest to look for something new. They found it in bands from California like Rancid, Green Day and The Offspring. Dexter Holland and Brett Guerwitz had this reminiscence about the album in Rolling Stone.
SMASH was massive. It’s sold somewhere north of 20 million copies, making it the biggest-selling indie record of all time.
This was my favourite from the record.
The Offspring will perform the album in its entirety on tour this summer. Then this August, Epitaph will release a 20th anniversary edition of the record. I just got this email:
– CD version containing the original 14 album tracks from the most recent remastering
– Restyled album package artwork
– Large format 24 page booklet featuring never before seen archive photos by Lisa Johnson
– Firsthand recollections and quotes from the band and others telling the story of that historic timeIn addition to special 20th Anniversary merchandise, the band are also offering a “collector’s box” combo as a companion piece to the Smash 20th Anniversary Edition. The box will feature both the CD/Vinyl package and a curated collection of commemorative items including a custom wood box, art print, photo prints, pin, patch, replica pass and guitar pick. A pre-order for is available now via offspring.com – for the first 250 ordered, the art print will be on fine art linen canvas, numbered and signed by the artist and band. All orders placed in the first 24 hours will receive a special hand-stamped first day of release card as well.
