blink-182 - Greatest Hits

Eighteen songs, ten years, one of the most improbable career arcs in American rock. Greatest Hits gathers blink-182's run from the Cargo era through the untitled album, and hearing it sequenced back to back makes the case that this was never just a novelty band.

The early material sets the tone. "Carousel" and "M+M's" come from the Poway garage days with Scott Raynor behind the kit, "Dammit" and "Josie" catch the Mark Trombino produced Dude Ranch peak, and then Travis Barker arrives and everything gets faster and heavier. "What's My Age Again?", "All the Small Things," and "The Rock Show" are the songs that made them a household name, while "Adam's Song" and "Stay Together for the Kids" showed the darker current running underneath the dick jokes. The set closes with "Feeling This," "I Miss You," and "Always" from the untitled record, plus their Only Ones cover "Another Girl Another Planet" and the holiday staple "I Won't Be Home for Christmas."

Jerry Finn produced most of the run, Tom Lord-Alge mixed a good chunk of it, and Brian Gardner mastered. It is as close to a definitive single package as this band has.

This 2LP edition spreads all eighteen tracks across four sides in a gatefold jacket, pressed in Canada. The easiest possible entry point to the catalog.