Greatest Hits (The Offspring album)

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.^[5][6]

Greatest Hits
Greatest hits album by The Offspring
Released	June 20, 2005 (Europe, United Kingdom) June 21, 2005 (North America)
Recorded	1994–2005
Genre	Punk rock, pop punk
Length	49:42
Label	Columbia
Producer	Jerry Finn, Thom Wilson, Dave Jerden, Brendan O'Brien
The Offspring chronology
Splinter (2003) Greatest Hits (2005) Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace (2008)
Singles from Greatest Hits
"Can't Repeat" Released: June 20, 2005 "Next to You" Released: June 21, 2005

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Blender	[2]
PopMatters	[3]
Sputnikmusic	[4]

"Can't Repeat" was released as a single to promote the album, and peaked at no. 9 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart and no. 10 on its Mainstream Rock Tracks.^[7] "Next to You" was also released as a single to radio stations, peaking at no. 29 on Mainstream Rock Tracks.^[7] A DVD/UMD video entitled Complete Music Video Collection was released a month later to complement Greatest Hits. It included the music videos for all fourteen songs on Greatest Hits (excluding "Next to You", for which no video was filmed), as well as three additional songs which had been released as singles but were not included on Greatest Hits: "The Meaning of Life" and "I Choose" from Ixnay on the Hombre, and "She's Got Issues" from Americana. These songs, along with several others the band had released as singles during the course of their career, had not charted as highly as those selected for Greatest Hits.^[7]

Multiple drummers

The album's two new tracks, "Can't Repeat" and "Next to You", were recorded during the period in which Atom Willard was the band's official drummer. Original drummer Ron Welty had left the group in early 2003,^[8] and The Vandals drummer Josh Freese recorded the drum tracks for the band's 2003 album Splinter after his departure.^[9] Willard joined shortly after the album's release and appeared with them in the music video for the single "(Can't Get My) Head Around You". Willard appeared in the "Can't Repeat" music video and recorded the drum tracks for "Next to You". In July 2007 Willard officially announced that he was leaving The Offspring to focus on Angels & Airwaves.^[10] Freese again recorded drum tracks for the Offspring for their 2008 album Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace before it was announced that Willard's permanent replacement would be former Face to Face drummer Pete Parada who did not record on the album due contractual issues .^[11][12]

Track listing

No.	Title	From	Length
1.	"Can't Repeat"	previously unreleased	3:24
2.	"Come Out and Play (Keep 'Em Separated)"	Smash, 1994	3:17
3.	"Self Esteem"	Smash, 1994	4:17
4.	"Gotta Get Away"	Smash, 1994	3:51
5.	"All I Want"	Ixnay on the Hombre, 1997	1:54
6.	"Gone Away"	Ixnay on the Hombre, 1997	4:27
7.	"Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" (contains a sample of "Rock of Ages" by Def Leppard as written by Robert Lange, Joe Elliott, and Steve Clark)	Americana, 1998	3:08
8.	"Why Don't You Get a Job?"	Americana, 1998	2:49
9.	"The Kids Aren't Alright"	Americana, 1998	3:00
10.	"Original Prankster" (featuring Redman; contains portions of "Low Rider" by War)	Conspiracy of One, 2000	3:41
11.	"Want You Bad"	Conspiracy of One, 2000	3:22
12.	"Defy You"	Orange County soundtrack, 2001	3:48
13.	"Hit That"	Splinter, 2003	2:48
14.	"(Can't Get My) Head Around You" "Next to You" (hidden track, The Police cover)	Splinter, 2003 previously unreleased	5:57
Total length:			49:42

All music is composed by The Offspring except where noted

International bonus tracks

• On each edition, "Next to You" appears as a hidden track on track 15.

Australian edition

No.	Title	From	Length
15.	"Spare Me the Details"	Splinter, 2003	3:24

Japanese edition

No.	Title	From	Length
15.	"Da Hui"	Splinter, 2003	1:42

European and South American editions

No.	Title	From	Length
15.	"The Kids Aren't Alright" (The Wiseguys remix)	"She's Got Issues", 1999	4:56

DualDisc edition

The DualDisc edition of the album has the standard 14 track album on the CD side. The DVD side has the same 14 tracks in 5.1 surround sound, commentary by singer Dexter Holland and guitarist Noodles, and the two performing an acoustic rendition of the song "Dirty Magic" from the band's second album Ignition.

Vinyl edition

The vinyl edition of the album was released July 29, 2022. It came in three formats: a black LP with lyric insert, a limited-edition picture disc featuring the band’s flaming skull logo and a limited-edition version with a slipmat also featuring the flaming skull logo. Prior to that, on Record Store Day 2022, Greatest Hits was released on vinyl in a limited run of 7,000 copies on either translucent or solid blue. All vinyl versions feature the standard 14 track album.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2005) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[13] 2 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[14] 6 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[15] 17 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[16] 11 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[17] 6 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18] 38 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[19] 1 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] 23 Irish Albums (IRMA)[21] 8 Italian Albums (FIMI)[22] 22 Japanese Albums (Oricon)[23] 6 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[24] 1 Portuguese Albums (AFP)[25] 24 Scottish Albums (OCC)[26] 11 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[27] 24 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[28] 24 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] 5 UK Albums (OCC)[30] 14 US Billboard 200[31] 8

Year-end charts Chart (2005) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)[32] 32 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[33] 32 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[34] 65 US Billboard 200[35] 196

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[36]	3× Platinum	210,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[37]	Platinum	100,000^
France (SNEP)[38]	Gold	100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[39]	Gold	100,000‡
Ireland (IRMA)[40]	Gold	7,500^
Japan (RIAJ)[41]	Platinum	250,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[42]	Platinum	15,000^
Russia (NFPF)[43]	Gold	10,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[44]	Gold	20,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[45]	Gold	100,000^
United States (RIAA)[46]	Platinum	1,000,000^
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Personnel

The Offspring

• Dexter Holland – lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar (uncredited for rhythm guitar and backing vocals)
• Noodles – lead guitar, backing vocals (uncredited for backing vocals)
• Greg K. – bass, backing vocals (uncredited for backing vocals)
• Ron Welty – drums on tracks 2–12, and on track 15 of the European and South American editions.
• Atom Willard – drums on "Next to You"^[47] (uncredited)

Additional musicians

• Josh Freese – drums on tracks 1, 13, 14, as well as on track 15 of the Australian and Japanese editions.
• Ronnie King – keyboards on "Hit That"
• Gabe McNair and Phil Jordan – horns on "Why Don't You Get a Job?"
• Derrick Davis – flute on "Why Don't You Get a Job?"

Additional vocalists

• Jason "Blackball" McLean – additional vocals on "Come Out and Play (Keep 'Em Separated)"
• Chris "X-13" Higgins – backing vocals, additional vocals on "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)"
• Heidi Villagran and Nika Futterman Frost – additional vocals on "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)"
• Jack Grisham, Davey Havok, and Jim Lindberg – backing vocals on "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)"
• Redman – additional vocals on "Original Prankster"

Production

• Jerry Finn – producer and mixer of "Can't Repeat" and "Next To You"
• Joe McGrath – recording engineer of "Can't Repeat", assisted by Seth Waldman
• Thom Wilson – producer and engineer of tracks 2–4, with additional engineering by Ken Paulakovich
• Dave Jerden – producer and mix engineer of tracks 5–9
• Bryan Carlstrom – engineer of tracks 5–9
• Brendan O'Brien – producer and mix engineer of tracks 10–14
• Nick DiDia – engineer of tracks 10 and 11, recording of tracks 12 and 13
• Billy Bowers – additional engineering on tracks 10–14
• Chris Higgins – additional recording on tracks 10 and 12
• Karl Egsieker – recording (with DiDia) of "Hit That", recording of "(Can't Get My) Head Around You"
• Eddy Schreyer – mastering of all tracks except 1 and 13
• Brian Gardner – mastering of tracks 1 and 13

References

Notes

1. Greatest Hits at AllMusic
2. Archived January 4, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
3. Begrand, Adrien (July 27, 2005). "The Offspring: Greatest Hits". PopMatters. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
4. "The Offspring - Greatest Hits (staff review)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
5. "The Offspring: Artist Chart History - Albums". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on June 22, 2014. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
6. "RIAA Gold and Platinum awards searchable database". RIAA.com. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
7. "The Offspring: Artist Chart History - Singles". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
8. "Atom Willard Drumming for The Offspring". Punknews.org. October 1, 2003. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
9. The Offspring (2003). Splinter (CD liner notes). Columbia Records.
10. "Atom Willard leaves The Offspring". Punknews.org. January 15, 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
11. "Atom Willard leaves the Offspring, replaced by Pete Parada". Punknews.org. July 28, 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
12. "The Offspring talk about Atom Willard's departure". Punknews.org. August 4, 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
13. "Australiancharts.com – The Offspring – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
14. "Austriancharts.at – The Offspring – Greatest Hits" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
15. "Ultratop.be – The Offspring – Greatest Hits" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
16. "Ultratop.be – The Offspring – Greatest Hits" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
17. "The Offspring Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
18. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Offspring – Greatest Hits" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
19. "The Offspring: Greatest Hits" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
20. "Offiziellecharts.de – Offspring, The – Greatest Hits" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
21. "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 28, 2005". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
22. "Italiancharts.com – The Offspring – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
23. "オフスプリング グレイテスト・ヒッツ". oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Original Confidence. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
24. "Charts.nz – The Offspring – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
25. "Portuguesecharts.com – The Offspring – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
26. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
27. "Spanishcharts.com – The Offspring – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
28. "Swedishcharts.com – The Offspring – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
29. "Swisscharts.com – The Offspring – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
30. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
31. "The Offspring Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
32. "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2005". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
33. "Top Selling Albums of 2005". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
34. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2005". hitparade.ch. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
35. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2005". Billboard. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
36. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2015 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
37. "Canadian album certifications – Offspring – Greatest Hits". Music Canada. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
38. "French album certifications – The Offspring – Greatest Hits" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
39. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Offspring; 'Greatest Hits')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
40. "The Irish Charts - 2005 Certification Awards - Gold". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
41. "Japanese album certifications – The Offspring – グレイテスト・ヒッツ" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved April 11, 2013. Select 2006年8月 on the drop-down menu
42. "New Zealand album certifications – The Offspring – Greatest Hits". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
43. "Russian album certifications – The Offspring – Greatest Hits" (in Russian). National Federation of Phonogram Producers (NFPF). Retrieved April 11, 2013.
44. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Greatest Hits')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
45. "British album certifications – The Offspring – Greatest Hits". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
46. "American album certifications – Offspring – Greatest Hits". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
47. Atom Willard [@AtomWillard] (1 January 2014). "@mikehb681 that's me" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

External links

• Album description at the band's official Web site