Splinter (The Offspring album)
Encyclopedia
Enhanced version
The Enhanced CDEnhanced CD
Enhanced CD, also known as CD Extra and CD Plus, is a certification mark of the Recording Industry Association of America for various technologies that combine audio and computer data for use in both Compact Disc and CD-ROM players....
portion of the CD contains the following:
- Da Hui Video
- Da Hui Video (with Audio Commentary)
- Demo Studio Tour
- 4 wallpapers
- 2 MP3MP3MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
tracks: - "The Kids Aren't AlrightThe Kids Aren't Alright-Alternative pressing:-Second alternative pressing:-Third alternative pressing:-Music video:It features a room with a background of abandonment or family activity at different times. In the center of the room, there are scenes of various persons, including an appearance by Bif Naked, doing...
" (Island Style) - "When You're in Prison" (Instrumental)
Excluded tracks
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 disc. It was for a time rumored to appear on The Offspring's next album Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace, but as of its release, the track has yet to surface.Track notes
The opening track "Neocon" (which is a heavy chant introduction song) was used as background music for the main menu for the Offspring's Complete Music Video CollectionComplete Music Video Collection
Complete Music Video Collection is an extensive DVD by The Offspring. It was created to accompany the "Greatest Hits" CD released a month earlier, and shows all of the band's videos between 1994 and 2005...
DVD.
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.Allmusic'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'. 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".
Another thing that was attacked was the album's short length, which was even shorter than Conspiracy of One
Conspiracy of One
-Bonus tracks:-Album length:-Notes:* First pressings in Australia and UK had the track "Huck It" listed as track 14, later reprints have it unlisted as well as the original Mature audiences rating reduced to a PG rating in Australia....
. The review concluded that the album was "wasted potential", portraying it as merely average, in the same vein as many other critical reviews.
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", "Never Gonna Find Me", and "Lightning Rod" supporting this). The ska song, "The Worst Hangover Ever", is often slated as breaking the album's rhythm and theme, being placed right in the middle of the album between "(Can't Get My) Head Around You" and "Never Gonna Find Me", two of the album's heavier, more punk-sounding 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, were criticized as "not being a satisfying end to an already short album."
Charts
| Chart (2003–2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
12 |
| Austrian Albums Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
10 |
| Japanese Albums Chart Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
8 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
27 |
| Swedish Albums Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
56 |
| Swiss Albums Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
13 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
27 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
30 |
Certifications
The band
- Dexter HollandDexter HollandBryan Keith "Dexter" Holland is the singer and rhythm guitarist for the California punk rock band The Offspring...
- lead vocals, rhythm guitar - NoodlesKevin 'Noodles' WassermanKevin John Wasserman , best known by his stage name Noodles, is the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for The Offspring.-Biography:...
- lead guitar, backing vocals - Greg K.Greg KrieselGregory David Kriesel , best known by his stage name Greg K., is an American bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the punk band, The Offspring.-Biography:...
- bass, backing vocals
Additional musicians
- Josh FreeseJosh FreeseJosh Freese is an American session drummer and songwriter. He is a permanent member of A Perfect Circle, The Vandals, and Devo, having formerly played drums for Nine Inch Nails from late 2005 until late 2008, and for Guns N' Roses from mid-1998 to 2001. Freese has appeared on close to 300 records....
- drums - Ronnie KingRonnie KingRonnie King is a musician, producer, and co-owner of Blue Label Records with Sean Couevas. He says of himself, "Sometimes I feel like this generation's Billy Preston."-Credits include:* 2Pac, keyboards on Still I Rise, Until the End of Time...
- keyboards on "Hit That" - Jim LindbergJim LindbergJames William Lindberg is an American singer and guitarist. Active since the 1980s, when he played in local bands in his early career, Lindberg is best known for being the frontman and songwriter of the influential punk rock band Pennywise, where he had remained as a member for 21 years...
- backing vocals - Jack GrishamJack GrishamJack Grisham is an American rock musician, raconteur and political activist. He is the vocalist for the punk band T.S.O.L. , which emerged from the 1980s Los Angeles punk rock scene, along with Black Flag, Circle Jerks and Social Distortion. Grisham has also fronted the bands The Joykiller, Tender...
- backing vocals - Chris "X-13" Higgins - backing vocals
- 2002 Reading Festival Crowd - crowd vocals on "Neocon"
- Mark Moreno - DJ scratching on "The Worst Hangover Ever"
- Phil Jordan - trumpet on "The Worst Hangover Ever"
- Jason Powell - saxophone on "The Worst Hangover Ever"
- Erich Marbach - trombone on "The Worst Hangover Ever"
- Brendan O'BrienBrendan O'Brien (music producer)Brendan O’Brien is a record producer, mixer, engineer, and musician.At age 14, O'Brien played guitar for the Atlanta-based cover band Pranks. In the late 1970s, he moved on to writing, performing and recording with the Samurai Catfish band...
- piano on "Spare Me the Details" - Lauren Kinkade - backing vocals on "When You're in Prison"
- Natalie Leggett, Mario De Leon, Eve Butler, Denyse Buffum, Matt Funes - violins on "When You're in Prison"
- Larry Corbett - cello on "When You're in Prison"
- Gayle Levant - harp on "When You're in Prison"