Awhile back, friend of the Tainted Glove @Chorizy started a blog series for @Fromthe108 where he asked his followers to review their favorite album, and he asked me to be a part of it. I was absolutely thrilled. To his surprise, I chose Deja Entendu by Brand New as my favorite album. That album is definitely my favorite album from beginning to end, but it’s not from my favorite band.
I was driving down County Farm Road going to the Taco Bell on Army Trail in my best friend’s dad’s blue Hyundai the first time I listened to Enema of the State all the way through, and I instantly loved it.
Enema of The State was the mainstream’s introduction to Blink-182, and for me it was all I needed. While Enema is not my favorite Blink-182 album, it created the love for a band that I still love and care about today. I can tell you exactly where I was in my life based on when Blink albums were released.
Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (TOYPAJ) came out in the summer of 2001. I was a 19 year old know-it-all who thought I had everything figured out. I picked up the album from the Target in Broadview along with a package of Rayovac batteries for my Phillips portable CD player for my bus ride home all the way back to Pilsen.
The album opens with “Anthem Pt:2” and Travis Barker’s snarling drums and DeLonge’s most perfect pop punk voice. While not a complete departure from Enema, this album was a sign of what was to come in 2003 with their untitled album, especially Mark’s breathing cadence in “Stay Together For the Kids.” This album is definitely one of those scenarios where it gets stronger and stronger as the album goes on. Blink released three different versions of this album, each with two different bonus songs, one serious unreleased song and one “joke” song. It was a pain in the ass trying to find all 3 different versions, but I got them all!
TOYPAJ produced 3 singles: “The Rock Show,” “First Date,” and “Stay Together For the Kids.” All three had heavy radio play. The album also had a song featured in American Pie 2 , “Everytime I Look for You.”
I spent that summer of 2001 doing dumb shit with my friends, hanging out and having fun. I didn’t know what was going to happen next, but I’ll always be grateful that this album provided the soundtrack to that summer.
Svo
P.S if you get a minute, check out Chorizy’s “Favorite Album” articles. They’re cool insights into some music I wouldn’t have necessarily checked out.