​ Have you ever wanted To listen to a new band or musician and not sure where to start? Well, instead of listening to their commercial music, why not start with something off the record first! This week we talk about – Blink-182

Degenerate – Buddha Album

Since this was a demo album a lot of the songs on this album went on to appear  on the Chesire Cat album but there is one that didn’t instead it ended up on Dude Ranch and saying that you may want to pay attention to. Degenerate is a song that has comedic lyrics, a catchy drum beat and a fast and funny chorus. This is one song you shoulnt really miss of when you are educating yourself in Blink-182
Carousel – Chesire Cat Album

On the original album Buddha and on this album this was never a single so it can slide through the gaps as to what stands as an album track. If you want a real look at Blink-182 and want to hear the jingle that makes them the band that they are and that you will recognise that the intro melody is used a lot in different ways throughout their work This is one of the songs that really defines what Blink est out to be, its is fun, catchy and also has the punk rock element to it as well.

Does My Breath Smell? – Chesire Cat Album

If there was one thing that Blink-182 were when they originally came around, it was a jokester band. They loved having songs that were sillly and something that reflected being a teenage whilst also being a song that you wouldn’t listen to with parents. This song starts of pretty much in this immature state however it has their jokey theme with Tom singing and Mark and Scott (who was in the band before Travis) talking behind him. If you turn the first part up you can hear Mark and Scott taking the mickey out of Tom and not being sure what to talk about. The song is full of guitar rifts, fast beats and a fast pace. Again, another song that really defines early Blink.

Depends – Chesire Cat Album

This is another single that really does define the comedy factor of the band. its not one of the best songs off the album but it really highlights just how silly the guys where in their original albums. They change their voices to high pitched throughout, it has really rude lyrics and also they talk at the end.

Pathetic – Dude Ranch Album

This is one song that you need to check out if you want to hear the progress of Blink-182, it has both Mark and Tom singing and is a fantastic opening to an album. It has a catchy guitar riff (that has hints of the classis melody I was telling you about) and is a jolly little tune.

A New Hope – Dude Ranch Album

If you are a fan of Star Wars, particularly Princess Leia then you may want to listen to this song as it is an ode to the space princess. It has a catchy chorus and has a lot of Star Wars references in it.

Dumpweed – Enema of the State Album

This album was the first one that lead to huge international success and it is not hard to see why when you look at the album tracks that came off it as well as the singles. To me personally, this is one of the best Blink-182 albums EVERY song is very strong and flow so well that you will be at the end of the album before you know it.

Dumpweed is a fantastic, it has got a really great guitar riff, catchy lyrics and is what blows this album out of the water. The one thing that really shines through in this album is Travis  Barker – it is so obvious that the king of the drums has joined the group as the drums are on a completely different level and so much more sophisticated and definately a sure sign of things to come.

Aliens Exist – Enema of the State Album

Even though this song is very famous amongst Blinkers (no idea if people call themselves this, I don’t just said it the first time right now) it never was officially a single. If you are new to the Blink-182 party and want to know who Tom Delonge was and why there was so much about him in the news going into writing books and writing films about space, then you need to listen to the lyrics to this song and realise that is basically true of him.

Anthem – Enema Of the State Album

An album as strong as this one deserves a really powerful single to end and boy it has one this album. In true Blink-182 form it is full of jokey lyrics but has a fantastic guitar riff and really addictive to listen to.

Story of a Lonely Guy – Take Off Your Pants and Jacket Album

This is one of the best album tracks on the Take Off Your Pants and Jacket album because it has a different style to normal Blink songs – it has a catchy guitar melody with a big chorus. One not to be missed.

What Went Wrong – Take Off You Pants and Jacket Yellow “Pants” Version Bonus Track

This song has a great guitar melody and if a little bit of the acoustic feel. If you are a fan of Angels and Airwaves or Tom Delonge’s EP album, you can hear hints of the guitar basis that was used for Annomaly or Animals.

Stockholm Syndrome – Blink-182 Album

For the self titled album, the guys took a completely different turn in their music and this song really highlights the complete changes that were made. Its really heavy, has a great punk rock feel and is a mix of shouting and singing which really makes it a stand out track.   Whilst it did have a music video created for it, the song was never officially a single.

Go – Blink-182 Album

This song is short but sure as hell not sweet. It is heavy guitars and has a really addictive feel to it. It is mainly Mark singing but it is intertwined with Toms shouting in the background to make such a great punk rock track.

Ghost on the Dancefloor – Neighbourhoods Album

If there is any song off a Blink-182 album that reflects Tom being in Angels and Airwaves, then this is the song that defines this. It has a distinct melody format of his other band however, whilst it is not in true Blink-182 form it does actually work and create a really interesting introductory song for the album that was created after the band regrouped.

Hearts All Gone – Neighbourhoods Album

This song really has a classic Blink 182 feel to it and a lot of people have compare it to early music of Blink. It has really heavy drums, heavy guitars and an addictive rythym – it is definately not a song to miss.

Dog Eating Dogs – Dog Eating Dogs EP

It is important to note this EP as an album as it is the last lot of music that Tom and Mark created together and the music on this EP really does show strong potential of what could have been. This song has a heavy rock music vibe to it but it is addictive and a great song to listen to.

Sober – California Album

A new album and a new line up – whilst this has undercurrents of the old Blink-182, it has currents of Matt Skibas music style as well. It has a catchy drum and a nice chorus and was part written by Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy

6/8 – California Special Edition album

This song is catchy, has a great guitar rift and brings a fantastic shouting to it that really brings the song together. It is one of the best songs off the California track as it really does bring Matt into the Mix and doesn’t feel like the Mark show.