My ranking scheme: FAV / GREAT / GOOD / DECENT / MEH - I replace the
standard "S" tier with my own top level tier of Favorites. This way I
can highlight albums that have a bit more personal meaning to me while
still celebrating the truly GREAT albums that are deserving of a top tier ranking.
This ranking includes full length LPs only. No compilations, greatest hits, or live albums.
Check out our playlist of Blink 182 favorites on YouTube or Spotify.
1. Buddha (1994 /98) - MEH
Pro: Made in 1994 but not commercially available until 1998, so this album felt like the release of a prequel. Instrumentation is incredibly interesting and listenable, which would become a Blink 182 signature for years to come. Decent cover of Screeching Weasel's "The Girl Next Door." The bassist in me prefers this album's version of "Carousel."
Con: Rawness is part of the appeal, but a handful of these songs receive a more polished treatment on Cheshire Cat.
Album Art: Looks like a Photoshop hodgepodge.
2. Cheshire Cat (1995) - DECENT
Pro: Tom's guitar riffs are on full display. Recording quality is a step up from Buddha. The guitarist in me prefers this album's version of "Carousel" with the extended intro.
Con: If listening to Blink's discography in chronological order, this album has too many repeat songs from the previous album. Mark's bass sounds a bit muddy and often gets buried under the heavy distortion of Tom's guitar.
Album Art: Simple but recognizable.
Fav Songs: "Wasting Time" / "Cacophony" / "Just About Done"
3. Dude Ranch (1997) - FAV
Pro: "Dammit" is one of Blink's biggest hits. I was born too late to ever have a thing for Princess Leia, but the lyrics to "A New Hope" did come to mind when hearing of Carrie Fisher's passing in 2016.
I saw Blink live a handful of times during this era. One of those shows was at the Hollywood Palladium. Scott Raynor was still playing drums for Blink and Travis Barker was currently a member of The Aquabats who played as a supporting act. One of my favorite bands at the time was Home Grown who opened. Looking back on the memory, I am grateful for my buddy's Dad who drove three of us privileged teenage boys to Los Angeles and bought us all lunch at Fat Burger before the show.
Con: Never been a huge fan of the cover art.
Fav Songs: "Dick Lips" / "Untitled" / "Apple Shampoo" / "Lemmings"
Pro: Bryan Adams got his first real six-string in the "Summer of '69," but my generation had this album as the soundtrack of Summer in '99. First album with Travis Barker on drums.
Singles like "All The Small Things" take Blink 182's fame to another level. "Adam's Song" shows that the band have much more depth to their art than their humorous nature would lead us to believe. Memorable music video for "What's My Age Again?" which features the band members running naked through the streets of Los Angeles, at one point catching up with porn star Janine Lindemulder who is featured on the album cover.
Con: A buddy of mine once told a few of us that he thought the lyrics to "Anthem" were "I think I hear my Dad yelling at the pad." Another buddy laughed and corrected him saying it was "band" not "pad." Ok, I'm stretching for something to list as a con here. This is one of the defining albums from my youth, give a guy a break. 😆
Album cover: No complaints here! 😍👌
Fav Songs: "Aliens Exist" / "Going Away To College" / "Mutt" / "Wendy Clear"
5. Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001) - GREAT
Pro: A mostly immature bubblegum-pop punk album that also produced one of Blink's most mature songs in "Stay Together For The Kids." Some of the band's catchiest material.
Con: One of Blink's "poppier" sounding albums. Yeah, I know what this website is called...
Cover Art: Simple but colorful.
Fav Songs: "Anthem Part Two" / "Give Me One Good Reason" / "Shut Up"/ "Rock Show"
6. Blink 182 (2003) - GREAT
Pro: This is an album that has grown on me over the years. When it was initially released, I didn't really care for the singles "Down" and "Feeling This" which felt like a departure from their earlier sound. Over time, I've grown to appreciate this album's more mature and experimental approach. Like Weezer's Pinkerton, this album stands out as an emo classic among a stellar discography.
You would probably never hear anyone except the most
insufferable hipster shouting for tracks like "The Fallen Interlude" or
"Stockholm Syndrome Interlude" to be played at a live
show, but the inclusion of such tracks give the recorded album a conceptual feeling. A masterpiece when appreciated as a whole.
Con: "I Miss You" is an amazing song, but watching the video today reeks of "it's not a phase, Mom!"
Cover Art: Iconic smiley face logo has remained a fan favorite. I've seen countless Blink 182 tattoos with this logo.
Fav Songs: "Always" / "Easy Target" / "Here's Your Letter"
7. Neighborhoods (2011) - GREAT
Pro: The self titled album is indeed a masterpiece when appreciated as a whole, but Neighborhoods has so many more singles that I find myself appreciating individually.
A musician who goes by Essdoll on YouTube does an amazing piano rendition of "Even If She Falls."
Con: I think that this album was highly under-rated because it came following a hiatus when Blink was arguably at the peak of their career. Mark and Tom both created amazing side-projects in the meantime. When the band re-united I think that expectations for this album were way too high. This is a low key great album that probably wasn't given as much of a chance as it deserved.
Fav Songs: "Ghost On The Dance Floor" / "Natives" / "Up All Night" / "Wishing Well"
8. California (2016) - FAV
Pro: Music video for "She's Out Of Her Mind" recreates iconic scenes from "What's My Age Again?" using female models in place of the band members. Adam DeVine from Workaholics makes a cameo appearance in place of Enema Of The State cover girl Janine Lindemulder. Deluxe edition adds a handful of songs that probably should have been part of the album to begin with.
Con: The first album without Tom. The songs are still catchy and Matt Skiba does a decent job, but the album lacks the interesting guitar riffs that Tom brought to the equation.
Fav Songs: "Los Angeles" / "San Diego" / "California" / "Hey I'm Sorry"
9. Nine (2019) - GOOD
Pro: Some uplifting and light-hearted songs, as well as the band's trademark emo.
Con: What's with the video for "Darkside?"
Fav Songs: "Happy Days" / "No Heart To Speak Of" / "Remember To Forget Me"
10. Box Car Racer: Self Titled (2002) - GREAT
Pro: Tom Delonge side-project released during the initial Blink 182 break-up. Tim Armstrong from Rancid makes an appearance on "Cat Like Thief." Mature and semi-progressive. Precursor to Angels & Airwaves who have enough releases to qualify for a tier-list of their own.
Con: This album came at the expense of losing Blink 182.
Fav Songs: "I Feel So" / "And I" / "There Is"
11. +44: When Your Heart Stops Beating (2006) - FAV
Pro: Difficult for me not to list every song as a favorite. This is an album I can enjoy from start-to-finish. Emo album with a touch of hopefulness.
Con: This album also came at the expense of losing Blink 182.
Fav Songs: "When Your Heart Stops Beating" / "155" / "No It Isn't" / "Make You Smile" / "Chapter 13"