Enema of the State

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Untitled

Enema of the State is the third studio album by the American pop punk band Blink-182. It was the first Blink-182 album produced by Jerry Finn, whom the band would collaborate with for their next two albums,[2][3] and was released on June 1, 1999 through MCA Records. The album was the first to feature Travis Barker, who replaced former drummer Scott Raynor. Three singles were released from the album, each highly successful: "What's My Age Again?", "All the Small Things" and "Adam's Song".

The album received positive reviews from critics and was a major commercial success worldwide, bringing Blink-182 major mainstream success. Enema of the State is often seen as a landmark pop punk album, propelling the genre into the mainstream as well as elevating the band's stature to pop punk icons.[1] Since its release, Enema of the State has sold over 15 million copies worldwide making it Blink-182's highest selling album.[1][4]

Background and recording

Origins

After the success of their previous album, Dude Ranch, Blink-182 embarked on multiple worldwide tours during 1997 and 1998. Midway through a U.S. tour in 1998, original drummer Scott Raynor was asked to leave the band. Various conflicting reasons have circulated the Internet for years; a largely popular explanation is that Raynor had a serious drinking problem and was asked to leave. When he agreed to abstaining from alcohol, bassist Mark Hoppus and guitarist Tom DeLonge doubted his sincerity and he was fired from the band through a telephone call. In a 2004 interview, Hoppus described the touring for Dude Ranch as "rough", with DeLonge adding "That was the worst tour ever. At that time, our drummer had a drinking problem. One show he dropped his sticks 10 times. It was so disturbing to see someone ruining himself."[5] Raynor, in a 2004 interview with AbsolutePunk, stated the reason for his departure was his desire to stay in a small non-mainstream band against the increasing popularity Blink-182 was achieving.[6]

The first news report of the departure occurred on July 14, 1998, with the explanation being that Raynor had "reportedly returned to school."[7] Hoppus and DeLonge asked drummer Travis Barker of Blink-182's support band The Aquabats to fill in for Raynor for the remainder of the tour. He was later offered the position of a full-time drummer and consequently left The Aquabats. Barker learned the entire setlist of the tour (which consisted of 20 songs), reportedly in less than one day.[8]

Recording

Tracks for Enema of the State were demoed between 1998 and 1999 with the band's original drummer Scott Raynor. The band entered the studio officially in October 1998 with Raynor's replacement Travis Barker to begin work on the album.[7] While recording Enema of the State, Mark Hoppus predominantly used an off-the-shelf Fender Precision Bass he later named "Petey" [9] as well as the Ernie Ball Musicman Stingray basses he had used with the band prior to recording the album. The Stingray bass can be heard on both "Dumpweed" and "Mutt". Tom DeLonge used Gibson Les Paul guitars, a Custom Fender Telecaster Junior, and his signature Fender Stratocaster. The album was produced by Jerry Finn, who would also produce Blink-182’s later albums Take Off Your Pants and Jacket and Blink-182. Two tracks from the sessions were left off of the album: "Man Overboard", later re-released for The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back!), and "Life's So Boring", an instrumental.

Blink-182 recorded a cover of Jan and Dean's song "Dead Man's Curve" during the recording sessions for Enema of the State; the song was included for the soundtrack of the CBS television movie Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story.[10] The album was released October 26, 1999.[11] The band also recorded a studio version of their popular live joke song "Family Reunion" during the sessions of Enema of the State. The version can be found on the compilation album Short Music for Short People.

Release and promotion

"What's My Age Again?"
"What's My Age Again?", the first single from the record, helped increase stardom for the band, as did the following single, "All the Small Things".
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The album was released on June 1, 1999 through MCA Records. The was the band's first new release through the label; although the band’s sophomore effort, Dude Ranch, was distributed internationally through the company, its original release was through a smaller company (Cargo Music). The explicit version was released on CD and cassette on June 1, a "clean" version (or edited version) did not debut on both formats until October 5, 1999.[12] The original explicit version left off the standard Parental Advisory sticker, which was added shortly thereafter the mistake was noticed. A digital version of both the explicit and clean versions of the album was released for online music services (iTunes and Rhapsody) in 2004. An Australian Tour edition of the album, featuring extra tracks and a separate disc of live material, was released in 2000.

The album was released as an Enhanced CD featuring a bonus music video and web links.[13] The album was released on vinyl format for the album’s tenth anniversary on December 1, 2009 by independent record label Mightier Than Sword Records,[14] Since these releases, non-Mightier Than Sword releases have been found in Hot Topic stores across the United States.[15]

Before production of the album officially began, Blink-182 was approached by crew members of the coming-of-age comedy film titled East Great Falls High to appear in a cameo for the film. The band was picked because of their appeal to the target audience of the film. The film was later re-titled American Pie and was a huge commercial success the next year.[7][10] The song "Mutt" from Enema of the State is featured on the film's soundtrack, and plays in a scene in which they are interrupted rehearsing to see a webcast on a computer.[16] Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge, and Travis Barker all feature in the scene, along with a fake extra band member.[10] American Pie enjoyed critical success and has since been labeled a classic of the teen comedy genre.[17]

The band later appeared in the Two Guys and a Girl episode "Au Revoir, Pizza Place", aired September 29, 1999. They are seen performing "What's My Age Again?" in the nude during a party at the pizza place. Hoppus and DeLonge played the duo Jan and Dean in the CBS television movie Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story in November 1999.[10]

In addition to "Mutt" being released on the soundtrack for American Pie, "Dumpweed" can be heard on the soundtrack to Jailbait!, a 2000 television film broadcast on MTV. In addition to the singles being released for multiple music video games, the album track "Aliens Exist" was included as part of the setlist of Lego Rock Band.

Artwork

The album artwork for the album consists of three simple and bright colors: red, blue, and white. A hospital and medicine theme is sported throughout the album liner notes and artwork. The lyrics are present in the liner notes, keeping in line with all previous Blink-182 albums. A portion of the enclosed booklet with the album features a panorama of men posing in just underwear – Blink-182 members Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus, and Travis Barker included. The only person fully clothed is a midget, pointing at Hoppus. The images were replicated for the gatefold packaging of the vinyl release in 2009.

Porn star Janine Lindemulder is the nurse famously depicted on the cover of Enema of the State.[1] The cover shoot for the album was held March 12, 1999.[18] She is also featured in the music videos for "What's My Age Again?" and "Man Overboard". The original version of the album (without the Parental Advisory sticker, as mentioned in the previous section) featured Lindemulder in a nurse cap displaying the American Red Cross logo. The Red Cross was removed and digitally edited out of all further printings, and versions with the Red Cross are rare.

Singles

Three singles were released in support of the album, all of which charted on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart: "What's My Age Again?" was released in November 1999,[19] reaching number two; "All the Small Things" was released in January 2000,[20] becoming Blink-182’s first number one; lastly, "Adam's Song" was released in September 2000,[21] charting also at number two. A music video was made for each single released from the album. There have been rumors that there have been videos for "Going Away to College", "Aliens Exist" and "Mutt" among others. The "Going Away To College" music video is actually the introduction to The Urethra Chronicles and in a recent interview with Mark Hoppus, on the fansite 44Disasters, he stated that a video was never made for "Mutt" or "Aliens Exist".[22]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [23]
Robert ChristgauA- [24]
Rolling Stone (1999) [25]
Rolling Stone (2004) [26][27]
Sputnikmusic [28]

Commercial performance

Upon Enema of the State's release on June 1, 1999, Enema of the State debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200 album chart, selling 110,000 copies in its first week.[29][30] Early reports listed the album with a June 11 release date.[18] Enema of the State went platinum by August 1999; by summer 2000, the album had reached sales of 3.3 million.[31][32] It has since achieved sales of 15 million worldwide.[4]

Critical reception and legacy

It was ranked at #1 in Top40’s Top 10 Punk-Pop Albums of All Time list,[33] #66 on Guitar World magazine's reader's choice list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Albums of All Time,[34] #34 on VH1's Greatest Album Covers of All Time,[35] and included in Blender magazine's 500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die.[36]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Mark Hoppus/Tom DeLonge and arranged by Blink-182

Enema of the State
No.TitleMain vocalistLength
1."Dumpweed"DeLonge2:23
2."Don't Leave Me"Hoppus2:23
3."Aliens Exist"DeLonge3:13
4."Going Away to College"Hoppus2:59
5."What's My Age Again?"Hoppus2:28
6."Dysentery Gary"DeLonge2:45
7."Adam's Song"Hoppus4:09
8."All the Small Things"DeLonge2:48
9."The Party Song"Hoppus2:19
10."Mutt"DeLonge3:23
11."Wendy Clear"Hoppus2:50
12."Anthem"DeLonge3:37
Total length:35:23
Japanese version
No.TitleMain vocalistLength
13."Dumpweed" (Live in London)DeLonge2:24
14."All the Small Things" (Live in London)DeLonge/Hoppus2:48
15."Dammit" (Live in London)DeLonge/Hoppus2:45
16."Mutt" (Live in LA)DeLonge3:23
17."Aliens Exist" (Live in LA)DeLonge3:13
Korean version
No.TitleMain vocalistLength
13."Family Reunion"DeLonge/Hoppus0:35
Australian Tour Edition
No.TitleMain vocalistLength
13."Pathetic" (Live in LA)DeLonge/Hoppus2:28
14."Untitled" (Live in LA)DeLonge2:46
15."Josie" (Live in LA)DeLonge/Hoppus3:19
16."Aliens Exist" (Live in LA)DeLonge3:13
Australian Tour Edition Bonus Disc
No.TitleMain vocalistLength
1."All the Small Things" (Single Edit)DeLonge/Hoppus2:48
2."Dumpweed" (Live in London)DeLonge2:24
3."What's My Age Again?" (Live in London)DeLonge/Hoppus2:58
4."All the Small Things" (Live in London)DeLonge/Hoppus2:48
5."Dammit" (Live in London)DeLonge/Hoppus2:45

Personnel

[37]

Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1999 Billboard Top 200 9
Top Internet Albums 3
Top Canadian Albums 7

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1999 "What's My Age Again?" Billboard Hot 100 58
Modern Rock Tracks 2
Mainstream Rock Tracks 19
Top 40 Mainstream 28
Top 40 Tracks 40
Adult Top 40 36
"All the Small Things" Billboard Hot 100 6
Modern Rock Tracks 1
Top 40 Mainstream 8
2000 Top 40 Tracks 17
Adult Top 40 29
"Adam's Song" Modern Rock Tracks 2

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Montgomery, James. "How Did Blink-182 Become So Influential?". MTV. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  2. ^ Credits of Take off Your Pants and Jacket
  3. ^ Credits of Blink-182
  4. ^ a b "Review: Enema Of The State - Blink 182". Ciau!. Retrieved 2010-06-01.
  5. ^ Weiner, Jonah (2004-11-23). "The Greatest Songs Ever! All the Small Things – Blender". Blender. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  6. ^ Jason Tate (April 16, 2004). "Scott Raynor (ex-Blink182) - 04.16.04 – Interview". AbsolutePunk. Retrieved 2010-04-16.
  7. ^ a b c "Blink 182, Aquabats Play Musical Drummers". MTV (MTV.com). 1998-07-14. Retrieved 2010-06-01. Cite error: The named reference "americanpie" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  8. ^ Steve Barry. "Travis Barker". DRUM! Magazine. Retrieved 2010-04-16.
  9. ^ http://www.182online.com/2010/10/06/tuesday-studio-update-from-mark/#more-4273
  10. ^ a b c d "Blink-182 Duo to Play Jan & Dean in TV Mini-Series". MTV (MTV.com). 1999-07-20. Retrieved 2010-06-01.
  11. ^ Shake, Rattle & Roll [Compilation] [Import] [from US]
  12. ^ http://www.amazon.com/Enema-State-EDITED-VERSION-Blink/dp/B0000296SI
  13. ^ Blink 182 - Enema Of The State Secret Video
  14. ^ Enema Of the State Vinyl
  15. ^ Dude Ranch Vinyl 2009 NON-Mightier Than Sword release
  16. ^ "Blink-182 on 'American Pie' Soundtrack". VH1 (VH1.com). 1999-04-24. Retrieved 2010-06-01.
  17. ^ http://www.comedy-zone.net/tv/films/index.htm
  18. ^ a b "Blink-182 Gets Nursed By Porn Star for New Album Cover". MTV (MTV.com). 1999-03-11. Retrieved 2010-06-01.
  19. ^ Amazon.com: What’s My Age Again, Pt.1: blink-182: Music
  20. ^ Amazon.com: All The Small Things: blink-182: Music
  21. ^ Amazon.com: Adam’s Song: blink-182: Music
  22. ^ 44disasters.com v2 :: Death by Information
  23. ^ allmusic (((Enema of the State > Overview)))
  24. ^ Robert Christgau: CG: blink-182
  25. ^ Blink-182: Enema of the State : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone
  26. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artist/album/news/;kw=[artists,5007,16195,107285
  27. ^ Brackett, Nathan. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York: Fireside, 904 pp. First edition, 2004.
  28. ^ blink-182 – Enema of the State Review – sputnikmusic
  29. ^ "Backstreet Boys Hold Off Ja Rule, Jennifer Lopez On Chart". MTV (MTV.com). 1999-06-09. Retrieved 2010-06-01.
  30. ^ "Blink-182 Opens At No. 1, Sugar Ray Debuts High". Billboard. June 2001. Retrieved September 22, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  31. ^ "Blink-182 Spoofs Boy Bands with New Video". MTV (MTV.com). 1999-08-11. Retrieved 2010-06-01.
  32. ^ "Blink-182: Enema of the Stage". MTV (MTV.com). Retrieved 2010-06-01.
  33. ^ http://top40.about.com/od/top10lists/tp/punkpop.htm
  34. ^ http://chud.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93854
  35. ^ www.vh1.com
  36. ^ 500 CDs You Must Own: Alternative Rock Article on Blender :: The Ultimate Guide to Music and More
  37. ^ Enema of the State (Media notes). US: MCA. 1999. {{cite AV media notes}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |bandname= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |publisherid= ignored (help)
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