New Releases

(Rated on a Scale of 1-5)

Artist:"The OFFSPRING"
Title:"IXNAY On The HOMBRE"
Label:Columbia
Release Date:2/04/97
Available:Any Major Music Store
Reviewed By:Mary Ellen Gustafson
Rating:5


Let me tell you, this is one hell of a great follow up to this band's 1994 breakthrough hit "Smash." Dexter Holland - vocals/guitar, Noodles - guitar/vocals, Greg K. - bass, RonWelty - drums = "The OFFSPRING," and they've put together a humorous, irreverant, look at life in speed punk rock that just doesn't quit! From the "Disclaimer" that begins the album, through thirteen excellent tracks and a few surprises thrown in, there is nothing NOT to like about this record. On my scale of 1-5, I'm tempted to give this CD a 6!

For The OFFSPRING, it was the same old "overnight success" story, after over ten years together, three albums and tons of touring. Then came the "out of nowhere" success of they're #1 hit "Come Out and Play (You Gotta Keep 'em Separated)" from the "Smash" album. According to their bio, as that song was breaking, the band was on tour in a beat-up van whose engine had blown up in Bakersfield and transmission went out in Arizona. Then, while travleing through the mid-west in the dead of winter, the band members nearly froze to death because they were unable to fix the heater. "I'm just a sucker with no self-esteem" they sang, in what would be the next hit from "Smash" - "Self-Esteem." Hardly a band that seemed headed down the road of success, but "Smash" went on to sell eight and a half million copies around the world. After listening with delight to "Ixnay on the Hombre," I would venture a guess that this album will far surpass that figure, and zoom up the charts.

From the driving beat, snappy tune, excellent vocals and biting lyrics of the first track, "The Meaning of Life," to the militaristic opening of the speed rock "Mota," with it's great echo effect, and the pace changing, irreverant look at love "Me And My Old Lady," you barely get a chance to catch your breath. A "socially conscious" (and I use that term VERY loosely) song, "Cool To Hate," is followed by the tormented rock ballad "Gone Away," a very striking song in both lyrics and delivery. "Gone Away," the second single release from the album, began radio air play the first week of March.

A special little interlude in the middle of the album is backed by the first single released, "All I Want." It has already been in heavy rotation on radio stations across the nation, and the video continues to be seen on MTV and The Box. Another change of pace song, "Amazed," helps to showcase the talent of this band.

I've written something about almost every song - and ALL thirteen songs are great! Don't be put off by the word "punk" in the beginning of this review. It's more like a hard rockin' album, with some elements of punk in the speed and the lyrics, but this sounds a lot more like rock than a lot of "rock" bands out there. "Ixnay On The Hombre" is an excellent album, and any fan of rock, punk, metal or just good music, should run, not walk, to the nearest music store and add it to their collection.

The OFFSPRING Tour Schedule
3/22/97Helsinki, FinlandHouse of Culture4/06/97Zurich SwitzerlandVolkhaus
3/24/97Stockholm,SwedenSolnhallen4/08/97Barcelona, SpainPauello Vall d'Hebron
3/25/97Oslo, NorwaySentrum4/09/97Madrid, SpainPalellon Real Madrid
3/26/97Copenhagen, DenmarkVega4/11/97Lyon, FranceTransbordeur
3/27/97Hamburg, GermanyGrosse Feiheit4/12/97Paris, FranceElyse Montmarte
3/29/97Schijindel, HollandFestival4/13/97Brussels, BelgimAncienne Belgique
3/30/97Dusseldorf, GermanyPhillipshalle4/14/97Amsterdam, HollandParadiso
3/31/97Berlin, GermanyHuxley's Neue Wet4/16/97Wolverhampton, EnglandCivic Hall
4/01/97Prague, CzechoslovakiaSports Hall4/17/97Glasgow, ScotlandBarrowlands
4/03/97Vienna, AustriaLibro Halle4/18/97Manchester, EnglandApollo
4/04/97Munich, GermanyZenith4/19/97London, EnglandBrixton Academy
4/05/97Milan, ItalyPalalido



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