The Offspring

小简介 Offspring 带有金属乐色彩的朋克乐在1994年产生了最流行的轰动效应。仅在一家独立的唱片公司就创造了超出四百万张的销量。乐队继承了80年代 indie-rock 的传统，从声音的角度上看，他们更像一支劲力十足的重金属乐队，因为他们有准确且具有脉冲力的和声以及 Dexter Holland 的平滑的嗓音。除去 Holland 乐队的其他成员包括：吉他手 Kevin “Noodles”Wasserman，贝斯手 Greg Kriesel 和鼓手 Ron Welty。Offspring 在1993年发行了他们的首张专集 Ignition。专集仅仅引起了一部分人的注意，但它却为1994年他们的专集 Smash 所取得巨大成功奠定了基础。带有 Nirvana-soundalike 风格的专集的首支单曲 Come out and Play ,成为1994年夏季MTV的最大冲击者，同时也为他们在电台的成功铺平了道路。乐队同时在 Alternative 和 Album rock 台作节目，巩固了他们在排行榜的受欢迎程度。第二支单曲 Self Esteem 配以同样的舒缓响亮的合唱在排行榜停留的时间是单曲 Come out and Play 的两倍。乐队在此时得到多家大唱片公司的合作意向，但仍然选择了 Epitaph。当他们有机会到 U.S.登台表演时他们的名声还并未远播国外。但在1995年初,当他们的单曲 Gotta Get Away 再次成为电台和 MTV 的座上客时，乐队在美洲的知名度不断提高。在那一年的夏季，乐队为 Batman Forever 的音乐频道制作了 Damned 的歌曲 Smash It Up 的另一演唱版本，这一歌曲使乐队在忙于制作他们的第三张专集时仍有歌曲停留在排行榜上。 在经历了长时间的讨价还价大战之后，Offspring 决定在1996年离开 Epitaph 唱片公司而转向 Columbia 唱片公司。这一举动在朋克乐界引起了很大的争议，许多音乐人都站在 Epitaph 唱片公司一边，其中包括 Pennywise 和 Brett Gurewitz,他们对 Offspring 进行了批评。经过长时间的筹备，Offspring 终于在1997年2月推出了他们在 Columbia 唱片公司的首张专集，Ixnay on the Hombre 人们对专集寄予了太高的希望而且评论界的反响也太过积极，然而专集 Ixnay on the Hombre 并未像 Smash 一样产生巨大的冲击，而且还使乐队失去了一部分他们核心的朋克乐听众。下一张专集 Americana 在1998年推出，以单曲 Pretty Fly（又名For a White Guy）最引人注目。 The Offspring's metal-inflected punk became a popular sensation in 1994, selling over four million albums on an independent record label. While the group's credentials and approach follow the indie rock tradition of the '80s, sonically the Offspring sound more like an edgy, hard-driving heavy metal band, with their precise, pulsing power chords and Dexter Holland's flat vocals. Featuring Holland, guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg Kriesel, and drummer Ron Welty, the Offspring released their self-titled debut album in 1989. Four years later, their second album, Ignition, became an underground hit, setting the stage for the across-the-board success of 1994's Smash. The Nirvana sound-alike "Come Out and Play," the first single from the album, became an MTV hit in the summer of 1994, which paved the way to radio success. The Offspring were played on both alternative and album rock stations, confirming their broad-based appeal. "Self Esteem," the second single, followed the same soft verse/loud chorus formula and stayed on the charts nearly twice as long as "Come Out and Play." The group got offers from major labels, yet chose to stay with Epitaph. While they were able to play arenas in the U.S., their success didn't translate in foreign countries. Nevertheless, the band's popularity continued to grow in America, as "Gotta Get Away" became another radio/MTV hit in the beginning of 1995. The Offspring recorded a version of the Damned's "Smash It Up" for the Batman Forever soundtrack in the summer of that year; it kept the group on the charts as the bandmembers worked on their third album. Following a prolonged bidding war and much soul-searching, the Offspring decided to leave Epitaph Records in 1996 for Columbia Records. The move was particularly controversial within the punk community, and many artists on the Epitaph roster, including Pennywise and owner Brett Gurewitz, criticized the band. After much delay, the Offspring finally released their Columbia debut, Ixnay on the Hombre, in February of 1997. Expectations for the record were high and it did receive good reviews, but Ixnay on the Hombre failed to become a crossover hit on the level of Smash, and the group also lost a significant portion of its hardcore punk audience due to the album's major-label status. Americana followed in 1998, scoring the hit "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)." In mid-2000, the Offspring made controversial headlines with their decision to offer Conspiracy of One free of charge via the Internet prior to the initial November release date. Sony Music did not adhere to such a move and threatened a lawsuit; therefore, the band nixed plans to release the album in such a manner. Individual singles, however, were made available on the band's official website and other music-related sites such as MTV Online. The Offspring returned in 2003 with Splinter. The album was released through Columbia, proving the band's flouting of the record biz hadn't soured the major labels. It also featured the single "Hit That," which returned to the smarmy, pop-referential feel of "Pretty Fly." The Offspring toured the world in support of Splinter, and in the process they hit nearly every continent at least once. They returned in June 2005 with a greatest-hits set; in addition to their major hits, it included the new track "Can't Repeat." In 2008, after several delays, the band returned with its first studio release in four and a half years, releasing the highly anticipated Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace.