I don’t think I need to vent once again on what I really think about re-issues and greatest hits packages. I’ve said my piece on a few occasions and my label money-grabbing stance hasn’t changed a jot. With Blink having recently announced their hiatus it seems apt that Geffen have rushed this record out – just in time for Christmas – complete with a couple of rare or bonus songs tagged on the end. As is normal with Greatest Hits records, fans will no doubt have their thoughts as to whether the tracklisting is a fair representation of the band and this is no different. This is pretty much a singles collection rather than a genuine greatest hits – there are plenty of songs which, in my opinion, are better yet are not here.
If there’s one thing that this CD does do, it’s by acting as a reminder that Blink were a hell of a lot of fun. They may not have been the most technically adept, or the greatest live band, but with songs like ‘Damnit’, ‘What’s My Age Again?’ and ‘The Rock Show’ they had a knack for writing songs that had you – and millions of others – singing along for weeks, months and years. Cheeky chappies with a keen apetite for toilet humour, they managed to ride the pop-punk waves to sell millions of records worldwide. If anything, this CD goes to show just why they did that.
Of course there are some glaring omissions from the tracklisting – and too much focus on latter day tracks. Four songs appear from the recent self-titled album, yet only two appear from ‘Dude Ranch’ and ‘Cheshire Cat’. Missing off ‘Pathetic’ or ‘Apple Shampoo’ is a genuine mistake; missing off ‘Dumpweed‘ and ‘Don’t Leave Me’ is a travesty. The four extra songs are nothing amazing – ‘I Won’t Be Home For Christmas’ is jolly festive, but ‘Not Now’ was left on the cutting room floor for a reason. If you’re lucky enough to bag a bonus DVD, you’ll find the footage a bit of a letdown – or you will have seen it all before.
If you’re a Blink fan there’s no purpose in buying this record because the likelihood is you will have every song and for the likes of ‘Another Girl, Another Planet’, it’s not worth spending a tenner for one new song. The score is simply the value-for-money rating of this CD, not an overall representation of the songs on it. I grew up listening to Blink; they’re part of my musical education and put me on the path for discovering other bands. I have fond memories of seeing them live and listening to their earlier albums with fellow @PT’s before Punktastic even started. It’s a shame this may end up being their legacy as it’s not a true representation of the band – but a fun reminder of the good times they gave us nevertheless.
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Geffen
Paul