Ixnay on the Hombre | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | February 4, 1997 | |||
Recorded | June–October 1996 | |||
Studio | Eldorado Recording, Hollywood | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 42:17 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | Dave Jerden | |||
The Offspring chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Ixnay on the Hombre | ||||
|
Ixnay on the Hombre is the fourth studio album by American rock band the Offspring, released on February 4, 1997, by Columbia Records, as the band's first album on the label. After the massive commercial success of their previous album, Smash (1994), the band entered the studio in the middle of 1996 to record a new album. The title combines Pig Latin ("Ixnay" is the version of the word "nix", familiar in 1940s Hollywood movies) and Spanish ("hombre", "man") to convey the message "fuck The Man", as in "fuck authority". [4]
Ixnay on the Hombre was a moderate commercial success upon its release, debuting at number nine on the US Billboard 200, and was well received by both critics and fans. It was later certified platinum by the RIAA for shipments of over one million copies in the United States, and has sold over three million copies worldwide. [5] Four singles were released from the album: "All I Want", "Gone Away", "The Meaning of Life", and "I Choose".
By the time The Offspring began writing new material for their fourth studio album in 1995–1996, they were the biggest act of Epitaph's roster and had originally declined to leave the label before signing a recording contract with Columbia Records. Following the widespread commercial success of the band's previous album, Smash , frontman Dexter Holland wanted The Offspring to release more albums on Epitaph, or remain on the label for a long time. However, tensions were encountered when Epitaph founder and Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz decided to sell Smash to a major label in "return for a royalty override on it," [6] an action that the band did not like. Gurewitz had approached several major labels, such as Geffen, Capitol and Sony, in attempt to sign The Offspring. [6] The band eventually signed to Columbia, and Holland recalled that they "took less money" with the label and the signing "was not to try and make more money." [6] Holland also claimed that The Offspring signed to Columbia because they would not "record for someone who thinks [Gurewitz] can force [them] to" and would not "record for a guy who's worse than a major label." [6] Recording sessions for Ixnay on the Hombre took place from June to October 1996 at Eldorado Recording Studios with producer Dave Jerden (Alice in Chains, Anthrax, Jane's Addiction, Social Distortion).
On the recording process of the album, guitarist Noodles stated:
We recorded a few more songs than we needed, and if we had used some of the other ones that were left off, it would have ended up a little more risky. But we're not disappointed in what we kept. I think it's a great record and I love these songs. Maybe we'll save the limb-walking for the next one. [7]
Noodles also noted that with Columbia's financing, they had more time to work on the album, specially with the guaranteed studio space - "We did Smash on no budget at all and were constantly calling our studio to find out when it was empty just so we could sneak in at a discount price." - and Holland added that they had "the time to get better sounds." [8]
"Pay the Man" was one of the songs recorded during the "Ixnay on the Hombre" session but was only released on "Americana". "Change the World" is a further development of the unnamed hidden track that appeared at the end of the previous album Smash (in which the guitar riff follows the same melody as the lead guitar in "Genocide"). "Change the World" itself contains a hidden track, a brief spoken piece by Larry "Bud" Melman of the David Letterman Show.
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
The A.V. Club | favorable [9] |
Christgau's Consumer Guide | [10] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ [1] |
NME | 2/10 [11] |
Rolling Stone | [12] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [13] |
Select | [14] |
Spin | 7/10 [15] |
USA Today | [16] |
Ixnay on the Hombre was released on February 4, 1997, and is the first Offspring album distributed via Columbia Records. Their former label Epitaph Records released it in Europe because of disagreements between the band and the label's founder Brett Gurewitz. The band was able to release its album on Columbia for the US and other international releases but had to complete the album release in Europe through Epitaph. The Offspring would continue releasing albums on Columbia until it was announced in early 2013 that they had fulfilled their contract with the label. [17]
Ixnay on the Hombre peaked at number 9 on the Billboard 200 album chart. [18]
The AllMusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine awards the album 2.5 stars and states: "Ixnay on the Hombre sounds like a competent hard rock band trying to hitch themselves to the post-grunge bandwagon." [3]
The Offspring toured relentlessly for almost a year to promote Ixnay on the Hombre. Prior to its release, they headlined the Big Day Out tour in Australia in January–February 1997, along with Soundgarden and The Prodigy. [19] The Ixnay on the Hombre tour kickstarted on February 11, 1997, at Foothill in Long Beach, California, with One Hit Wonder, who had just been signed to Holland's label Nitro Records. A week later, they played five shows in the East Coast of the United States with The Joykiller, which was followed by a ten-date tour with AFI and Strung Out and a European tour with The Vandals and Lunachicks. The Offspring continued to tour over seven-month period from May to December 1997, which included U.S. tours with AFI/L7, Voodoo Glow Skulls/The Joykiller and Hagfish/One Hit Wonder/Good Riddance, as well as a Canadian tour with Doughboys, three Brazilian shows with Charlie Brown Jr., and four shows in Australia with The Living End. [19] Social Distortion also supported The Offspring on selected dates. [20] The Ixnay on the Hombre tour ended on December 18, 1997, in Osaka, Japan, with AFI supporting them. [19]
All tracks are written by Dexter Holland, [21] [22] except where noted
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Disclaimer" | 0:45 |
2. | "The Meaning of Life" | 2:56 |
3. | "Mota" | 2:57 |
4. | "Me & My Old Lady" | 4:33 |
5. | "Cool to Hate" | 2:47 |
6. | "Leave It Behind" | 1:58 |
7. | "Gone Away" | 4:28 |
8. | "I Choose" | 3:54 |
9. | "Intermission" (Irving Caesar, Dexter Holland, Vincent Youmans) | 0:48 |
10. | "All I Want" | 1:54 |
11. | "Way Down the Line" | 2:36 |
12. | "Don't Pick It Up" | 1:53 |
13. | "Amazed" | 4:25 |
14. | "Change the World" (The song ends at 4:45, followed by silence, then spoken word at 6:17.) | 6:23 |
Total length: | 42:17 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
12. | "Cocktail" | 0:48 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Singles
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [52] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada) [53] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
Finland (Musiikkituottajat) [54] | Gold | 26,511 [54] |
Japan (RIAJ) [55] | Platinum | 200,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [56] | Gold | 7,500^ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [57] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [58] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [59] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
Summaries | ||
Worldwide | — | 3,200,000 [5] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
The Offspring is an American rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bryan "Dexter" Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Todd Morse, multi-instrumentalist Jonah Nimoy and drummer Brandon Pertzborn. The Offspring is often credited for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the 1990s. During their 40-year career, the Offspring has eleven studio albums and sold more than 40 million records, making them one of the best-selling punk rock bands.
Conspiracy of One is the sixth studio album by American rock band the Offspring, released on November 14, 2000, by Columbia Records. By the time of its release, the band had come out in support of peer-to-peer file sharing, claiming it would not hurt sales. Conspiracy of One was originally planned to be released directly on their website before retail, until Columbia Records threatened to sue and the album ended up as a physical release. The album was the last to feature drummer Ron Welty, who was fired from the band in 2003 and went on to form his own band Steady Ground.
Ignition is the second studio album by American punk rock band the Offspring, released on October 16, 1992, by Epitaph Records. Issued during the alternative rock and grunge era, the album brought the band small success in Southern California as they started to gather a following. This success would continue to grow with their next album, Smash (1994).
Smash is the third studio album by American rock band the Offspring, released on April 8, 1994, through Epitaph Records. After touring in support of their previous album Ignition (1992), the band recorded their next album for nearly two months at Track Record in North Hollywood, California. Smash was the band's final studio album to be produced by Thom Wilson, who had worked with them since their 1989 debut album The Offspring. Smash was put together on the spot in the studio and there was no systematic work behind the recording of the album.
Kevin John Wasserman better known as Noodles, is an American musician who serves as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the Offspring. He earned the nickname "Noodles" for his frequent noodling (improvising) on the guitar.
...And Out Come the Wolves is the third studio album by American punk rock band Rancid. It was released on August 22, 1995, through Epitaph Records. Rancid's popularity and catchy songs made them the subject of a major label bidding war that ended with the band staying on Epitaph. With a sound heavily influenced by ska, which called to mind Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman's past in Operation Ivy, Rancid became one of the few bands of the mid-to-late 1990s punk rock boom to retain much of its original fan base. In terms of record sales and certifications, ...And Out Come the Wolves is a popular album in the United States. It produced three hit singles: "Roots Radicals", "Time Bomb" and "Ruby Soho", that earned Rancid its heaviest airplay on MTV and radio stations to date. All the singles charted on Modern Rock Tracks. ...And Out Come the Wolves was certified gold by the RIAA on January 22, 1996. It was certified platinum on September 23, 2004.
Gregory David Kriesel known by his stagename Greg K., is an American retired musician and the founding bassist of the rock band the Offspring. He is also the co-founder of the record label Nitro Records.
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.
Stranger Than Fiction is the eighth full-length studio album and major label debut by American punk rock band Bad Religion, released in 1994. It was a major breakthrough for Bad Religion, being certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America and becoming the band's first album to chart on the Billboard 200, peaking at 87.
The Gray Race is the ninth full-length album of the punk rock band Bad Religion, which was released in 1996. It was the follow-up to the band's highly successful 1994 album Stranger Than Fiction.
Americana is the fifth studio album by American rock band the Offspring, released on November 17, 1998, by Columbia Records. Following a worldwide tour in support of Ixnay on the Hombre (1997), the band commenced work on a new album in July 1998.
About Time is the third studio album by American punk rock band Pennywise, released on June 13, 1995.
Greatest Hits is a 2005 compilation album by the American punk rock band The Offspring, compiling hit singles from five of their first seven studio albums along with the previously unreleased songs "Can't Repeat" and "Next to You", the latter a cover version of The Police song included as a hidden track at the end of the album. Greatest Hits peaked at no. 8 on the Billboard 200, with 70,000 copies sold in its first week of release, and has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
"All I Want" is a song by American punk rock group the Offspring. It is the tenth track on their fourth studio album, Ixnay on the Hombre (1997), and was released as its lead single in January 1997. It reached No. 31 in the United Kingdom and No. 15 in Australia. In the US, it peaked at No. 13 on Modern Rock Tracks. The song also appears as the fifth track on their Greatest Hits (2005). The single was also the shortest single to be released by the band.
Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace is the eighth studio album by American punk rock band the Offspring, released on June 11, 2008, by Columbia Records. It was the band's first album of new material in five years, following 2003's Splinter, marking their longest gap between studio albums at the time. The Offspring had been working on new material since the fall of 2004, but showed no further signs of progress until November 2006, when they announced on their official website that they had begun recording with producer Bob Rock. The writing and recording process, spanning four years and three recording studios, was finally finished in April 2008.
The Offspring, a Southern California-based punk rock band, has released 11 studio albums, three extended plays (EP), four compilation albums, five demos, three video albums, and over 30 singles.
The Dissent of Man is the fifteenth studio album by American punk rock band Bad Religion, which was released on September 28, 2010. It was their first album in three years, following the release of New Maps of Hell in 2007. The band commenced writing new material in 2008, but would not begin studio work until May 2010. The writing and recording process spanned two years and was slowed down considerably by touring schedules. The album was finally finished in June 2010. Some of the material was originally performed live by Bad Religion on its 30th anniversary tour in early 2010. "The Devil in Stitches" was released as a single to accompany the release of this album, while "Cyanide" and "Wrong Way Kids" also received radio airplay. Clocking in at 43 minutes, The Dissent of Man is Bad Religion's longest album to date.
Days Go By is the ninth studio album by American rock band the Offspring, released on June 26, 2012, by Columbia Records as the band's final album on the label. Produced by Bob Rock, it was the band's first album to feature drummer Pete Parada, who played on four songs and joined a year prior to the release of their previous album Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace (2008), and their last album to feature bassist Greg K. before he was fired from the band in 2018. The band commenced work on Days Go By in 2009, with plans to release it in 2010. However, its release was pushed back several times while The Offspring continued touring and writing new material. The writing and recording process spanned three years and six recording studios and was finished in March 2012. The Offspring re-recorded "Dirty Magic", from their 1992 album, Ignition, where it serves as Days Go By's ninth track.
Let the Bad Times Roll is the tenth studio album by American rock band the Offspring, released on April 16, 2021. Produced by Bob Rock, it is the band's first release on Concord Records, and their first studio album in nine years since Days Go By (2012), marking the longest gap between two Offspring studio albums. Let the Bad Times Roll also marks the band's first album without bassist and co-founding member Greg K., who was fired from the Offspring in 2018. Even though new bassist Todd Morse had already joined the band and appeared in the video for the album’s title track and "This Is Not Utopia", bass guitar accompaniment was provided by guitarist and vocalist Dexter Holland. It is the second and last album to feature drummer Pete Parada, who was fired from the band in July 2021 for refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccination, due to suffering from Guillain–Barré syndrome.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link){{cite magazine}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Rolling Stone Jan 10, 1997