OFFSPRING, (The) Greatest Hits (2005) Vinyl LP RSD Release (2022)

1994 was a strange year to be a Southern California punk band. The Offspring were playing backyard parties and then, almost overnight, they were on every radio in the country, and somehow neither side of that transition managed to hate them for it.

Greatest Hits collects the singles from across their run, from the bratty three-chord aggression of Come Out and Play through to the era when Noodles was being photographed for magazine covers and nobody seemed to mind. This is the alternative punk rock that introduced a generation to the idea that fast, loud, and hook-driven could coexist, and a lot of people in the Melbourne scene owe their record collection to this band whether they'll admit it or not. The 2022 Record Store Day release gives it the blue translucent vinyl treatment, which is the correct way to own it.

Artist: The Offspring. Format: Compilation LP. Blue translucent vinyl. RSD 2022 release. Country of origin: USA. Fans of: Bad Religion, NOFX, Green Day, Millencolin, Pennywise.