Buddha and Cheshire Cat

Blink-182's debut album was Cheshire Cat (1994). Buddha wasn't released until 1998. Now I know it's kind of weird to be talking about 2 different albums in one review, but trust me, by the end of it you'll know why I chose to do things this way. I'll begin by discussing Cheshire Cat. Let's imagine that it's 1994.......wait that's actually kind of difficult for me to do as I was just 3 years old at the time...hmm, alright, scratch that thought!

As Cheshire Cat was the debut cd of this band, you probably would not expect it to be awesome. Well, you'd be right. The sound is pretty old fashioned and the guitars at times can be very difficult to listen to since often times they sound like static. That probably can be attributed to the fact that it was 1994 and sound quality really wasn't as great as it is today (where you can hear some dude sneezing in the background of a damn song sometimes).

The album itself is very punk rock as in very quick guitars and vocals. The album though has that key thing that makes Blink-182 so awesome...amazing lyrics.  Most of the lyrics can be interpreted as having a coming of age theme.  I like to think that it has a lot to do with your last year of high school, how things just change so quickly and how life differs after that year is over. There are some amazing songs that I base my interpretation on. Peggy Sue, Carousel, M+M's, Touchdown Boy, Does My Breath Smell?, and (my personal favorite) Wasting Time. Of course, there is the Blink-182 tradition of toilet humor and vulgarity which is present in the songs Depends, Ben Wah Balls, and Just About Done.

If you are curious about Blink-182's roots then I recommend this album. However if you don't really possess a real interest then I urge you to (at the very least) listen to those songs I listed (the non-vulgar ones of course!).

Now fast forward to 1998 when Buddha was released. It is the third album Blink released though technically it's actually one of the first things they ever recorded. For those who don't know, Buddha is a remastered version of a demo they made way back in 1993, which predated Cheshire Cat by about a year. In fact a lot of the songs on Buddha are on Cheshire Cat. Now for the most part the songs sound a bit better on Cheshire Cat, however there is one song that I personally prefer on Buddha. That song is Carousel. I believe Carousel has a lot of significance to the band as they still perform it. When they do I'm sure it's a nostalgic trip for them and for the fans. It's as if they're saying that no matter what we'll never forget our roots. That says a lot since so many bands change and forget what made them so great in the first place.

Buddha has mostly the same material as Cheshire Cat, but there are a few original songs that are worth checking into. My recommendations would be Time, Carousel (if only to hear the differences between the two versions) and my personal favorite, 21 days.

Now I know I said that their sound at this point isn't all that good, but again these are their humble beginnings, their roots. Beginnings are always messy, but for me their beginnings still impress me and to this day I still go back to listen to them.