Cheshire Cat is the debut studio album of Blink-182, released on February 17, 1995, by Cargo Music. "M+M's" and "Wasting Time" were released as singles to promote the album, and received moderate popularity through local radio airplay. The album was produced by Steve Kravac at Westbeach Records in Los Angeles, California.
Originally, the album released under the band's original name as blink, until an Irish band of the same name threatened legal action, after which the band added "-182" to the end of their name.
Background[]
During blink-182's early years, the group initially gained recognition by producing low-quality demos and performing at local venues, such as SOMA. This led to their discovery by Cargo Music, an independent record label that was at the heart of San Diego's music scene, which mainly featured skate punk bands. Pat Secor, a former boss of Hoppus, provided the funding for the trio's demo Buddha and helped them connect with Cargo through a roommate who knew Cargo executives.
Blink-182's potential was recognized by Otis "O" Barthoulameu, a guitarist for another band signed to Cargo Music, who pushed for the label to sign them. Eric Goodis, the president of Cargo, was persuaded to attend one of Blink-182's live performances by Barthoulameu and Brahm Goodis, his son. Eric Goodis, who wanted to diversify the label by incorporating different musical styles, initially offered to release a 7-inch with the band, but they were more interested in pursuing a full-length release. However, when Goodis learned that the band was planning to record and release an album on their own, he signed them on a trial basis. Hoppus was the only member to sign the contract, as DeLonge was at work at the time and Raynor was still a minor.
During the summer of 1994, Blink-182 rehearsed in DeLonge's garage to prepare for the recording of their debut album. However, drummer Scott Raynor had to rehearse at his sister's home in Reno since his family had moved there. It was during these rehearsals that the band wrote their hit song "M+M's".
Track Listing[]
- "Carousel" - 3:15
- "M+M's" - 2:40
- "Fentoozler" - 2:05
- "Touchdown Boy" - 3:11
- "Strings" - 2:26
- "Peggy Sue" - 2:38
- "Sometimes" - 1:09
- "Does My Breath Smell?" - 2:38
- "Cacophony" - 3:06
- "TV" - 1:42
- "Toast and Bananas" - 2:43
- "Wasting Time" - 2:49
- "Romeo and Rebecca" - 2:34
- "Ben Wah Balls" - 3:56
- "Just About Done" - 2:16
- "Depends" - 2:51
Japanese Bonus Tracks[]
- "Zulu" - 2:06
- "Lemmings" - 2:45
Personnel[]
All tracks written by Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge.
- Mark Hoppus – vocals, bass guitar
- Tom DeLonge – vocals, guitar
- Scott Raynor – drums, percussion
Additional Musicians[]
- Matt Houts - additional vocals
Production[]
- O - producer
- Steve Kravac - mixing engineer, co-producer
- Jeff Forrest - mixing engineer