The roots of the band can be traced to Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman who had played before in several punk bands started Rancid in 1991. They recruited Brett Reid on drums to complete the line-up.

Rancid – Pun Core Revivalist

“Dealing with the press is a double edged knife. You know, if you believe their euphoria and you get a high, if it pushes you, then a couple of stupid rumors get you down. So the best thing is to ignore it all, because nobody can really take it for a long time.” – Lars Fredrickson

Early Years

The roots of the band can be traced to Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman who had played before in several punk bands started Rancid in 1991. They recruited Brett Reid on drums to complete the line-up.

By 1992 they had toured small clubs and recorded several demos. Their big break came when guitarist Bret Gurewitz of Bad Religion signed them for his Epitaph Records. Rancid released their self-titled debut album in 1993 which created a huge buzz for the artist. But their major breakthrough was the second album titled “Let’s Go” which was released in 1994 that peaked at No.97 on the US album charts. The album would go on to sell 500,000 copies in the US thus receiving Gold certification. This was quite a remarkable achievement as the band was still relatively unknown.

They went on a tour with The Offspring; the same year their breakthrough success meant that there were many major labels wanting to sign the band. However they decided to stay with Epitaph records and released their third album “And Out come the Wolves”. The album leapfrogged its predecessor by chart position and album sales. It reached No. 45 on the US charts and went on to sell a million copies.

Staying Relevant

In 1998 after a success international tour the band released their fourth album “Life Won’t Wait” which peaked at No. 35, their highest at that point. The album was experimental as it used various genres which includes hip hop. The album was not as successful and it did have a backlash among Rancid’s core fans.

The band then swiftly released the self titled Rancid was again given negative reviews and failed on the charts peaking outside the top 50.

Rancid enjoyed its world wide touring schedule with stops ob the Warped tour. The band released “Indestructible” in 2003 which faired better as compared to the previous two albums. The album was tightly produced removing some of the improvised styles previously. It peaked at No.15 which was their highest till that point in their career. The band went on a lengthy international tour which featured stops in Japan and Europe

Hiatus and Return

After the band took a break from recording and touring for years, they returned with “Let the Dominoes Fall” with a minor hit single “Last Man to Die”.

Rancid is one of those critical bands of the American punk rock whose place in history will always remain intact.

• Did You Know: Green Day’s lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong joined the band to write the song “Radio”

• Did You Know: Kelly Osbourne appeared in the video for the Rancid song “Fall Back Down”

• Did You Know: On June 10, 2009 they appeared on The Tonight show with Conan O’ Brien as musical guests to promote the album “Let the Dominoes Fall”

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