Conspiracy of One

The Offspring

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 14, 2000)
• Original Release Date: November 14, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000051XVK
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (238 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #16,325 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Fellow Californian Mike Love of the Beach Boys is sampled to introduce this latest Offspring release and immediately it's down to business as usual. Which for the Offspring means the best-produced punk rock money can buy. Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam) turns the knobs in the producer's chair and he works pure sonic architecture. The guitars crunch with perfectly defined distortion, the drums come down the middle, and--most importantly--singer Dexter Holland is juiced to the max. Though his voice sits in the "whine" range, double tracking and other studio enhancements give the vocals an incredible presence beyond standard range, and Holland works them to convincing effect. "Come Out Swinging" does exactly that. "Want You Bad" recalls the southern California punk pop of the Descendents. "One Fine Day" double-times into both hardcore and a galloping country terrain. Essentially, it's full speed ahead with the pedal to the metal and no airbags in sight. --Rob O'Connor

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome back Offspring!, November 8, 2000

By	"fenixmxpx" (NJ) - See all my reviews

Wow. That's all I can say. This album is a piece of work that REALLY deserves to be an Offspring album. There is only one departure on this album, which is the spanish-sounding "Original Prankster", which is a very fun and super catchy song. Other than that, the album is straight-forward punk rock that made the Offspring famous. If I could relate this album to any other by the Offspring, I'd say it sounds like Ixnay On The Hombre. The musical style is alot alike, and the lyrics are very strong. The best cuts on Conspiracy of One are "Come Out Swinging", "Want You Bad", "Dammit I Changed Again", "Living In Chaos", "Denial Revisited", and "Conspiracy Of One." "Want You Bad" is a more poppier song with a great sound, and "Vultures" and "Denial Revisited" are both slower songs. I don't care for "Vultures" much but "Denial" is a piece of work. Reminds me a little of "Gone Away". The secret track, called "Huck It", is a funny song filled with expletives. The lyrics are another strong point on this album. "Conspiracy Of One" is a great example of this, about a "mass bomber kind of guy." "Come Out Swinging" is also good, about racial and religious subjects. All in all, this album is EXCELLENT, one of the best albums of 2000. Go buy it. I assure you that you will not regret it.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Offspring Album Yet, November 11, 2000

By	K-Ball (Ludlow, MA) - See all my reviews

Wow is all that needs to be said. The Offspring are back with their latest album, released yesterday November 14th, on Columbia Records. Some critics consider the Offspring as "just another punk rock band", playing fast music with no rhythm. Titled Conspiracy Of One, this album brought back many of the groups rhythms from earlier years. Listening to Conspiracy Of One brought back memories of older Offspring such as the songs "Kick Him When He's Down" from Ignition and "I Choose" from Ixnay On The Hombre. Both of these songs have a catchy rhythm weaved into the band's punk flow, which they have done once again in many songs on the new album. The first song released off the album was "Original Prankster". It is a little different from the band's punk style by forming a swing-type beat instead. The congas and cowbells give the song a southern flavor. Lead singer Dexter Holland and the rest of The Offspring had originally decided to put the new album up on their website in mp3 form so everyone could download the songs before the CD came out. This plan was changed, and the band eventually just kept "Original Prankster" on the site and encouraged everyone to download it. In showing their gratitude for their fans, The Offspring decided to give away one million dollars of their own money to one lucky fan who had downloaded the single. After picking 4 finalists last week, the band was a guest on MTV's Total Request Live yesterday to give away the money. Keep an eye out for the music video, which has already debuted on MTV. Many albums have one or two featured songs with fillers in between. Conspiracy Of One is not one of these albums. When listening to the album, it's almost surprising that each song is as good or better than the one before it, making this arguably the best Offspring album yet. There are quite a few upbeat signature Offspring songs such as "Want You Bad" and "Dammit, I Changed Again". Along with these two and "Original Prankster", the opening song, "Come Out Swinging", and "Million Miles Away" round out the first five tracks. It's one upbeat song after the other which gives a great start to the album. Hardcore Offspring fans, these are songs you have to hear. With Holland's trademark chord-changing chants to accompany the fast paced rhythms, it's hard not to get into the song. Then there are other songs such as "Living In Chaos" and "Denial Revisited" that slow it down a little, but capture you with great rhythm and lyrics, similar to "Gone Away" from Ixnay On The Hombre. If there had to be a weak song on the record, "Vultures" would be it. It doesn't grasp the listener as much as the other tracks do, although it is still a good song that can grow on you. On all albums, there is one song that seems to stand out from the rest. Sometimes it is the first single, but often it is not. With Conspiracy Of One having so many great songs, one might think it would be hard to choose the "best" song. However, the one that did emerge as arguably the best song on the album was "One Fine Day". With its fast guitar riffs, super-catchy rhythm and amazing chorus, it depicts The Offspring to a "T". In a way, it resembles "The Kids Aren't Alright" from Americana, yet is a better overall song. A key feature about this album is that it never gets boring. You'll find yourself wanting to listen to it again and again. But first, you'll have to go out and get it.

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Offspring are back and better than ever!, November 22, 2000

By	Mav (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

The Offspring are well known for putting out quality records, so naturally, this one Rocks. Americana was a change for the band from their usual type of punk rock, I enjoyed the CD a lot, but missed the old Offspring. Right when you pop the CD in you can tell its going to be great. The Cd starts off with the upbeat "Come out Swinging", following the first single, "Original Prankster". Both are excellent songs. The Offspring seem to go all punk when "want you bad" kicks in. "Million Miles away follows, another great track. "Dammit, I changed again", the next song, is possibly one of the best of The Offsprings songs ever. "Living in choas" and "special delivery" follow, they are good songs too, but shadowed by the excellence of "Dammit, I changed again", and the following "one fine day". "All along" is an allright, but short song. I found "Denial, Revisited" a great song as well. "Vultures" is obviously the album's weak point, I often skip it to go straight to "Conspiracy of One", the title track. The album starts and ends great, with support in the middle, a great value. Though it is only 37 minutes long, the album makes for excellent value, with the largest CD-EXTRA to date to my knowledge. Excellent punk, a ton of fun, the Offspring are back.