Off Schallplatten & CDs

Review: They may have taken their insanely catchy punk rock to the top of the charts, but The Offspring started out in the underground like any other band. This collection of demos takes us right back to the beginning, when they were some snot-nosed SoCal thrashers with everything to prove. That's why you get treated to the likes of a cover of Sweet cover 'Ballroom Blitz', but even in their rawest state the band were no joke. The track 'Tehran' from 1988 is an interesting precursor to their subsequent 1991 single 'Baghdad', where the political climate clearly shifted from one Middle Eastern crisis to another. Balancing hardcore energy with their sharp melodic sensibility, this is a fascinating insight into the roots of Dexter, Noodles et al.