Blink-182: Dude Ranch [GEFFEN]

Why you'll love it

This remastered 180g edition comes in a glossy gatefold jacket. Dude Ranch went platinum in the US on the strength of "Dammit," the band's modern rock breakthrough.

This edition

• Remastered
• 180g vinyl
• Gatefold jacket
• Download card included

About the album

In 1997 the punk boom was pulling San Diego skate bands toward the big leagues, and Blink-182 found a neat halfway house: Dude Ranch came out on the indie Cargo, with MCA handling distribution. Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Scott Raynor had built their following the hard way, through homemade demos, small clubs and the Vans Warped Tour, and they wrote most of these songs on the road.

The band picked producer Mark Trombino for his work in the emerging emo scene, and he pushed them toward tighter playing and sweeter harmonies. "Dammit" is the big one, a bittersweet pop-punk anthem that still opens mosh pits, "Josie" is a goofy love letter, "Apple Shampoo" and "Pathetic" race along, and "Enthused" and "Boring" keep up the pace. The jokes are still there, but so are songs about growing up and getting older.

It set the stage for Enema of the State and the band's leap to the arenas. The cover leans hard into cowboy imagery, and to this day nobody on staff has been able to explain why.

Also at Kops: more Blink-182 on vinyl · browse Punk

Tracklist

Listen

On Cargo / MCA / Geffen (cat# B0025290-01), a reissue of the 1997 album.