Dude Ranch (album) - Background

Background

After moderate sales of their debut album Cheshire Cat (1994), released on independent record label Cargo Music, Blink-182 enjoyed a small amount of success. Throughout 1994 and 1995, the trio vigorously toured nonstop and grew in popularity, mostly in Australia, where audiences embraced the band's irreverent sense of humor and stage shows. When the trio grew frustrated when fans lamented the inability to purchase Cheshire Cat at their respective local record stores, they began to turn toward other record labels to achieve wider distribution than Cargo. By the end of 1995, problems had become apparent between the trio and the label, who regarded the band as a joke not to be taken seriously.

The band had accumulated a genuine buzz, and a bidding war for the San Diego trio began in March 1996. Several labels courted the band, sending A&R reps to shows and inviting the band to stop by the office for lunch meetings. Through the several labels interested, Blink-182 took serious looks at Interscope, Epitaph, and MCA Records (the latter of which had just purchased Interscope and was in the process of buying Cargo). The band spent much time during the spring and summer of 1996 contemplating options. The three had no qualms signing to a major label, and were wary of purists attempting to define "punk". The band felt a great affinity for Epitaph, as many of their favorite acts (Pennywise, The Vandals, NOFX) were signed there. The band felt they were nothing but honest regarding their ambitions: "I try and tell kids, 'The Clash, Sex Pistols and the Ramones did it, so how come we can't?" guitarist Tom DeLonge reasoned. "If people are bummed, we don't care. It's normally critics. Older critics."

Despite coming out of a recent dead spell, MCA's persistence and sincerity won the band over, as well as their promise of complete artistic freedom. The trio signed a joint venture deal with MCA to distribute their sophomore album with Cargo. Drummer Scott Raynor was happy for the band's signing, but was uneasy with signing to a major label — he much preferred Epitaph, and when the band passed over the label, he began to feel only half-invested in the band. Raynor was not, however, difficult about the band's mainstream growth: "I didn't measure success in terms of oppositional credibility. I loved being on the radio and MTV. We were certified products of pop culture, born and bred in suburbia." Thanks to the band's established fan base and merchandising, MCA did not intervene much in the band's activities. Although the label had granted the band artistic freedom in their contract, MCA did step in and warn the band when they planned to feature a spoof of the "Macarena" on Dude Ranch, humorously titled "Hey Wipe Your Anus".

The trio released two 7-inch EP recordings with Cargo during the interim. By the summer of 1996, "Wasting Time" had been released as a single to keep matters moving along nattily. The track was the final single from the Cheshire Cat sessions, and the band would soon return to their native home state to record a follow-up. Before recording of the album began, the band booked time at DML Studios in Escondido, California, where they perfected the songs for Dude Ranch. Most of the lyrics for the album had been written over 1995 and 1996, while touring. The two young musicians were at a creative peak, which was later attributed to the excitement of recording a new album. "I remember writing most of those songs in my living room, sitting on a curb, whatever," recalled DeLonge in 2001. "Back then, each song was pretty much written with a specific girl or event in mind."