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Splinter (The Offspring album)

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Splinter is the seventh studio album by American punk rock band the Offspring, released on December 9, 2003, by Columbia Records. It was the first album the band released without long-time drummer Ron Welty, who was fired from the band three weeks before the recording sessions started.[4][5]

Splinter
Studio album by
the Offspring
ReleasedDecember 9, 2003[1]
RecordedJanuary–August 2003
Studio
Genre
Length32:00
LabelColumbia
Producer
The Offspring chronology
Conspiracy of One
(2000) 		Splinter
(2003) 		Greatest Hits
(2005)
Singles from Splinter
  1. "Hit That"
    Released: December 9, 2003
  2. "(Can't Get My) Head Around You"
    Released: April 13, 2004
  3. "Spare Me the Details"
    Released: 2004 (Australia and New Zealand)

Although not as successful as the Offspring's previous albums, Splinter received gold certification two months after its release.[6] The album received average reviews, but still sold reasonably well, debuting at number 30 on the US Billboard 200 with around 87,000 copies sold in its first week.[7] "Hit That" and "(Can't Get My) Head Around You" were the only two singles to accompany the album; "Spare Me the Details" was also released as a single, but charted only in New Zealand.

Production and marketing

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After spending nearly two years supporting the Conspiracy of One album, The Offspring began writing songs for Splinter in late 2002.

The recording sessions for the album lasted from January to August 2003, making it the first time The Offspring had recorded an album for that long (although their next album, 2008's Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace, took more than a year to record).

Three weeks prior to the recording sessions, longtime drummer Ron Welty, who had played on all six of the band's previous albums, was fired from the band three weeks before the recording session started and went on to form his own band Steady Ground.[8] Welty filed a lawsuit against the band on September 10, 2020 for unpaid royalties,[9] but it was dismissed on March 6, 2023.[10]

Due to the difficulty in finding, or auditioning, for an immediate replacement for Welty on such short notice, the band elected to have session musician Josh Freese play drums on the album: they had met Freese when his band The Vandals was signed by Dexter Holland's label Nitro Records, while Freese also happened to be in town for when they would start recording. Holland noted Freese "did all the drums in just a couple days, and he made it sound like the Offspring, not A Perfect Circle or anything else he does." After the album was finished, Atom Willard was hired to be their new drummer.[11]

Splinter offers a variety of lyrical and musical themes, combining their usual punk rock with experiments into ska and electronic sounds, and comedic songs with heavier themes about fear, paranoia, hopelessness and anxiety. Holland said that “Half this record is pretty much fast, melodic, whatever, punk stuff. But you kind of get bored just doing that after a while. I do.", and also that given most groups are "either a happy band or they're dark", he felt only one side did not fully represent him, "so I really wanted to do both in my music."[11][12] A case of the mixture was lead single "Hit That", with lyrics about promiscuity creating broken families, with funk-inspired keyboards played by Ronnie King.[13][12] The lyrics of "Spare Me the Details" were inspired by how a friend of Holland did not like being given a detailed account on how his girlfriend cheated on him.[11]

The crowd vocals in the opening track "Neocon" were recorded at Reading Festival in 2002 during the Offspring's set on the festival's main stage.

There was another song recorded for the album, called "Pass Me By". The band felt that it was too heavy for Splinter, which is why it was not included on the disc.[14]

Album title

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On April Fools' Day 2003, the album's title was jokingly announced as Chinese Democracy, the same name of a repeatedly delayed album by Guns N' Roses. Holland quipped, "You snooze, you lose. Axl ripped off my braids, so I ripped off his album title."[15][16] Holland detailed someone actually suggested Chinese Democracy as the band struggled to think of an album title and instead was saying comedic suggestions like Offspring Bloody Offspring, and that Guns N' Roses considered legal actions but were deterred by how album titles cannot be copyrighted before release.[17][18] Regarding the name Splinter, which appears in a lyric of "Long Way Home", Holland explained that it reflected how "this record is pretty diverse and splintered", exploring different genres, while also having lyrics "told in first person through these different voices that are slightly demented like a splintered personality."[13]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Dexter Holland[19]

CD
No.TitleLength
1."Neocon"1:06
2."The Noose"3:18
3."Long Way Home"2:23
4."Hit That"2:49
5."Race Against Myself"3:32
6."(Can't Get My) Head Around You"2:14
7."The Worst Hangover Ever"2:58
8."Never Gonna Find Me"2:39
9."Lightning Rod"3:20
10."Spare Me the Details"3:24
11."Da Hui"1:42
12."When You're in Prison"2:35
Total length:32:00

Enhanced version

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The Enhanced CD portion of the CD contains the following:

  • Da Hui Video
  • Da Hui Video (with Audio Commentary)
  • Demo Studio Tour
  • 4 wallpapers
  • 2 MP3 tracks:
MP3 tracks
No.TitleLength
13."The Kids Aren't Alright" (Island Style)5:08
14."When You're in Prison" (Instrumental)2:34
Total length:39:42

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic60/100[20]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic     [1]
Alternative Press     [21]
Blender     [22]
Drowned in Sound4/10[23]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[24]
PopMatters          [3]
Rolling Stone     [25]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [26]
Spin5/10[27]
USA Today    [28]

Similar to Conspiracy of One, has been given a score of 60 out of 100 from Metacritic based on "mixed or average reviews".[20]

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.[2]

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. However, he criticized songs such as "The Worst Hangover Ever" and "When You're in Prison", calling them 'throwaways'.[1] PopMatters 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". They also criticized the album’s short length, calling it “wasted potential".[3]

In 2017, Loudwire ranked Splinter as the weakest album in the entire Offspring catalogue.[29]

Personnel

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The Offspring

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Additional musicians

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  • Josh Freese – drums
  • Ronnie King – keyboards on "Hit That"
  • Chris "X-13" Higgins, Jim Lindberg and Jack Grisham – 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'Brien – 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"
  • Josefina Vergara – concert master on "When You're in Prison"
  • Suzie Katayama – orchestration on "When You're in Prison"
  • Larry Corbett – cello on "When You're in Prison"
  • Gayle Levant – harp on "When You're in Prison"

Production

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  • Brendan O'Brien – producer, mixing
  • Billy Bowers – engineer
  • Nick DiDia – assistant engineer
  • Brian Humphrey – assistant engineer
  • Phil Martin – assistant engineer
  • Kevil Mills – assistant engineer
  • Jamie Sickora – assistant engineer
  • Karl Egsieker – assistant engineer
  • Bryan Cook – assistant engineer
  • Steve Masi – guitar technician
  • Eddy Schreyer – mastering
  • Bernie Grundman – mastering

Artwork

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  • Sean Evans – art direction
  • Justin Beope – CD Art Adaption
  • Sarkis Kaloustian – CD Art Adaption
  • Rupert Truman – photography
  • Storm Thorgerson – design
  • Peter Curzon – design
  • Darrell Lance Abbott – design

Charts and certifications

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d Loftus, Johnny. "Splinter - The Offspring". AllMusic. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Splinter Review". Archived from the original on May 24, 2011. Retrieved May 24, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) by Craig Rosen of Yahoo! Music, posted December 12, 2003
  3. ^ a b c Williams, Adam (January 16, 2004). "The Offspring: Splinter". PopMatters. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  4. ^ https://twitter.com/gregkriesel/status/1179622520384679936 [bare URL]
  5. ^ "Ron Welty vs Offspring, Inc.,, et al.: Complaint".
  6. ^ RIAA Archived June 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine (type in "Offspring")
  7. ^ Joe D'Angelo (December 17, 2003). "Ruben Debuts At #1 But Can't Match Clay's First-Week Sales - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Archived from the original on March 25, 2004. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  8. ^ "Ron Welty No Longer a Member of The Offspring". Offspring.com. March 18, 2003. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  9. ^ "Ron Welty vs Offspring, Inc.,, et al.: None".
  10. ^ "Offspring defeat ex-drummer Ron Welty's royalties lawsuit". Billboard.
  11. ^ a b c Offspring Go Beyond Goofy On Splinter
  12. ^ a b The Offspring Continues Challenging Itself
  13. ^ a b Offspring Extend Splintered Olive Branch To Guns N' Roses
  14. ^ Journal Entry Archived April 29, 2009, at the Wayback Machine by Dexter Holland, posted 18th August, 2006
  15. ^ "The Offspring History (Official Website)". The Offspring. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  16. ^ Henry Yates (November 19, 2008). "33 insane facts about Chinese Democracy". MusicRadar. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
  17. ^ Offspring Reveal Attempt to Steal 'Chinese Democracy'
  18. ^ The Offspring, Beat.com.au
  19. ^ "BMI Entry". Repertoire.bmi.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  20. ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Splinter". Metacritic. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  21. ^ "The Offspring: Splinter". Alternative Press: 93. Jan 2004.
  22. ^ "Blender - All Things Blender, All In One Place". Blender. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  23. ^ Hocking, Mat (January 27, 2004). "The Offspring: Splinter". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on December 10, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  24. ^ Sinclair, Tom (December 12, 2003). "Splinter". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  25. ^ Hoard, Christian (December 10, 2003). "Splinter : The Offspring : Review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 18, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  26. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  27. ^ Beaujon, Andrew (December 8, 2003). "The Offspring, 'Splinter' (Columbia); blink-182, 'blink-182' (Geffen)". Spin. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  28. ^ Gundersen, Edna (December 8, 2003). "The Offspring, Splinter". USA Today. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  29. ^ Loudwire (4 April 2017). "The Offspring Albums Ranked". Loudwire. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  30. ^ "Australiancharts.com – The Offspring – Splinter". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  31. ^ "Austriancharts.at – The Offspring – Splinter" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  32. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Offspring – Splinter" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  33. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Offspring – Splinter" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  34. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Offspring – Splinter" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  35. ^ "The Offspring: Splinter" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  36. ^ "Lescharts.com – The Offspring – Splinter". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  37. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Offspring – Splinter" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  38. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography The Offspring". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  39. ^ "Italiancharts.com – The Offspring – Splinter". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  40. ^ "Charts.nz – The Offspring – Splinter". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  41. ^ "OLiS: sales for the period 1.12.2003 - 07.12.2003". OLiS.
  42. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  43. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – The Offspring – Splinter". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  44. ^ "Swisscharts.com – The Offspring – Splinter". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  45. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  46. ^ "The Offspring Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  47. ^ "Лучшая 10-ка НФПФ. Декабрь 2003г" (in Russian). National Federation of Phonogram Producers. Archived from the original on January 8, 2005. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  48. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2004". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  49. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2004". hitparade.ch. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  50. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  51. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2004 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  52. ^ "French album certifications – Offspring – Splinter" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  53. ^ "Japanese album certifications – Offspring – スプリンター" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2003年11月 on the drop-down menu
  54. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Splinter')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  55. ^ "British album certifications – Offspring – Splinter". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  56. ^ "American album certifications – Offspring – Splinter". Recording Industry Association of America.

Sources

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