Buddha (album)
Encyclopedia
Buddha is the third and final demo
by the American punk rock
band Blink-182
. It was self-produced by the band, and was released in 1993
through Filter Records. It contains songs from Blink-182’s earlier demos and from their debut album Cheshire Cat. The album was one of the few Blink-182 albums released with the band name as Blink. An album entitled Buddha Promo was also released, but it is believed to be unofficial and fan-made.
It is currently the only Blink-182 demo commercially available and sold. It was originally released on cassette
, and a remastered version was released through Kung-Fu Records on October 27, 1998
with a slightly different track listing. This version uses the corrected name Blink-182.
, future Blink-182 guitarist Tom DeLonge
attended Rancho Bernardo High School
where he became friends with Anne Hoppus. DeLonge often expressed wanting to be in a band, so in August 1992 Anne introduced him to her brother, bassist Mark Hoppus
, who also wanted to be in a band. Already having jam sessions with drummer Scott Raynor. The three played for hours in DeLonge's garage, showing each other songs they had previously written, and writing new songs together. One of these songs would eventually become what is now "Carousel". The three began playing together and called themselves Duck Tape, until DeLonge thought of the name Blink.
The band practiced constantly, which angered Hoppus's girlfriend. She told him he had to choose between the band and her, so he left the band just as it was starting. DeLonge then informed Hoppus that he borrowed a 4-track from a friend and he and Raynor were using it to make a demo tape. Upon hearing this, Hoppus decided he would leave his girlfriend and return to the band. The demo tape, titled Flyswatter, was released in 1992 in limited quantities. The demo was recorded in Raynor’s bedroom live; no mixing was used in the recording. It was released on the fictional Fags in the Wilderness Records – a joke label created by the band.
Soon after, a new recording, simply titled Demo #2 surfaced, and featured re-recordings of Flyswatter tracks. Many of the songs recorded on the first two demos can be found on Buddha. Buddha was eventually recorded over three rainy nights on a 24 track recording system at Double Time Studios in San Diego, California
, according to the remastered CD's liner notes.
with no title and a picture of Maitreya Buddha
on the front. According to Mark Hoppus, only about 1,000 copies of the cassette were made. One of the most mysterious aspects of Buddha is its release date. Although the liner notes on the later reissue say it was recorded in 1995, this information appears to be false. One reason why the release date could be 1993 is that Blink-182 recorded it just six months after the band was formed. For a while, Allmusic claimed it was recorded in 1995 while it was released in 1994 (The website now says it was recorded in 1994).
After a remix and remastering, Buddha was re-released on CD
, vinyl
, and cassette on October 27, 1998 through Kung Fu Records
. Different cover art and a different track listing were used for the re-release, omitting original tracks "Degenerate", "The Family Next Door", and "Transvestite". Two bonus tracks were added to the reissue that were not on the original pressing of the demo – a cover of the Screeching Weasel
song "The Girl Next Door". The cassette and the original vinyl version are now both out of print, but Kung Fu Records re-released a new version of the reissue of Buddha on vinyl on December 21, 2009. A picture disc version was commercially available at Hot Topic
s in the United States
. A digital version of the album was released for online music services (iTunes
and Rhapsody
) by Kung Fu Records in 2007. The major albums by the band were released previously onto the services in 2004.
Since the re-release of Buddha in 1998 by Kung-Fu Records, the label has placed several of the tracks on obscure compilation albums released by the label. "Don't" and "Carousel" can both be heard on No Stars, Just Talent
(1999), and "The Girl Next Door" on Mixed Martial Arts, Vol. 1 (2007).
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
by the American punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Blink-182
Blink-182
Blink-182 is an American rock band consisting of vocalist and bass guitarist Mark Hoppus, vocalist and guitarist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. They have sold over 27 million albums worldwide since forming in Poway, California in 1992...
. It was self-produced by the band, and was released in 1993
1993 in music
This is a summary of significant events in music in 1993.-January–February:*January 8 – The U.S. Postal Service issues an Elvis Presley stamp. The design was voted on in February 1992....
through Filter Records. It contains songs from Blink-182’s earlier demos and from their debut album Cheshire Cat. The album was one of the few Blink-182 albums released with the band name as Blink. An album entitled Buddha Promo was also released, but it is believed to be unofficial and fan-made.
It is currently the only Blink-182 demo commercially available and sold. It was originally released on cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
, and a remastered version was released through Kung-Fu Records on October 27, 1998
1998 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1998.-Events:*January 28 – "Weird Al" Yankovic gets LASIK surgery to cure his myopia...
with a slightly different track listing. This version uses the corrected name Blink-182.
Background and recording
After being expelled from Poway High SchoolPoway High School
Poway High School is a public, comprehensive high school located in the city of Poway, California. Established in 1961, it serves ninth through twelfth grade students from the communities of Poway and Rancho Bernardo. The school mascot is the Titan...
, future Blink-182 guitarist Tom DeLonge
Tom DeLonge
Thomas Matthew "Tom" DeLonge, Jr. is an American rock musician. He is the guitarist and one of the two lead vocalists for the American pop punk band Blink-182 as well as the guitarist and lead vocalist for the alternative band Angels & Airwaves...
attended Rancho Bernardo High School
Rancho Bernardo High School
Rancho Bernardo High School, or RBHS, is a public high school in the Poway Unified School District of San Diego County, California. Rancho Bernardo High School opened in September 1990 as the district's third high school. There are approximately 2,300 students in grades 9 through 12, and...
where he became friends with Anne Hoppus. DeLonge often expressed wanting to be in a band, so in August 1992 Anne introduced him to her brother, bassist Mark Hoppus
Mark Hoppus
Mark Allan Hoppus is an American musician, record producer, and television host. He is the bass guitarist and one of the two lead vocalists of the pop punk band Blink-182, as well as the bass guitarist and lead vocalist of the alternative rock band +44. He is a co-founder of both bands...
, who also wanted to be in a band. Already having jam sessions with drummer Scott Raynor. The three played for hours in DeLonge's garage, showing each other songs they had previously written, and writing new songs together. One of these songs would eventually become what is now "Carousel". The three began playing together and called themselves Duck Tape, until DeLonge thought of the name Blink.
The band practiced constantly, which angered Hoppus's girlfriend. She told him he had to choose between the band and her, so he left the band just as it was starting. DeLonge then informed Hoppus that he borrowed a 4-track from a friend and he and Raynor were using it to make a demo tape. Upon hearing this, Hoppus decided he would leave his girlfriend and return to the band. The demo tape, titled Flyswatter, was released in 1992 in limited quantities. The demo was recorded in Raynor’s bedroom live; no mixing was used in the recording. It was released on the fictional Fags in the Wilderness Records – a joke label created by the band.
Soon after, a new recording, simply titled Demo #2 surfaced, and featured re-recordings of Flyswatter tracks. Many of the songs recorded on the first two demos can be found on Buddha. Buddha was eventually recorded over three rainy nights on a 24 track recording system at Double Time Studios in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, according to the remastered CD's liner notes.
Release
Buddha was originally released in 1993 through Filter Records, a company headed by Hoppus' boss. It was released on cassetteCompact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
with no title and a picture of Maitreya Buddha
Maitreya
Maitreya , Metteyya , or Jampa , is foretold as a future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. In some Buddhist literature, such as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, he or she is referred to as Ajita Bodhisattva.Maitreya is a bodhisattva who in the Buddhist tradition is to appear on...
on the front. According to Mark Hoppus, only about 1,000 copies of the cassette were made. One of the most mysterious aspects of Buddha is its release date. Although the liner notes on the later reissue say it was recorded in 1995, this information appears to be false. One reason why the release date could be 1993 is that Blink-182 recorded it just six months after the band was formed. For a while, Allmusic claimed it was recorded in 1995 while it was released in 1994 (The website now says it was recorded in 1994).
After a remix and remastering, Buddha was re-released on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
, vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
, and cassette on October 27, 1998 through Kung Fu Records
Kung Fu Records
Kung Fu Records is an American independent record label founded in 1996 by Joe Escalante and Warren Fitzgerald of the punk rock band The Vandals. Founded in order to release a record by the Riverside, California band Assorted Jelly Beans, the label soon grew to include a roster of notable artists...
. Different cover art and a different track listing were used for the re-release, omitting original tracks "Degenerate", "The Family Next Door", and "Transvestite". Two bonus tracks were added to the reissue that were not on the original pressing of the demo – a cover of the Screeching Weasel
Screeching Weasel
Screeching Weasel is an American punk rock band originally from Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1986 by Ben Weasel and John Jughead.Since their formation, Screeching Weasel have broken up and reformed numerous times with numerous line-up changes. Ben Weasel has been the only constant...
song "The Girl Next Door". The cassette and the original vinyl version are now both out of print, but Kung Fu Records re-released a new version of the reissue of Buddha on vinyl on December 21, 2009. A picture disc version was commercially available at Hot Topic
Hot Topic
Hot Topic is an American retail chain specializing in music and pop culture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music on CD. The majority of the stores are located in regional shopping malls. The first Hot Topic store was opened in 1988 by Orv Madden, who retired as CEO in 2000...
s in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. A digital version of the album was released for online music services (iTunes
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
and Rhapsody
Rhapsody (online music service)
Rhapsody is an online music store subscription service, launched in December 2001, and available in the United States only. On April 6, 2010, Rhapsody officially declared its independence from RealNetworks. Downloaded files come with restrictions on their use, enforced by Helix, Rhapsody's version...
) by Kung Fu Records in 2007. The major albums by the band were released previously onto the services in 2004.
Since the re-release of Buddha in 1998 by Kung-Fu Records, the label has placed several of the tracks on obscure compilation albums released by the label. "Don't" and "Carousel" can both be heard on No Stars, Just Talent
No Stars, Just Talent
No Stars, Just Talent is a compilation album by the Seal Beach, California record label Kung Fu Records, released in 1999. It was the label's first sampler compilation and featured artists signed to the label at the time, as well as others such as blink-182 who were not signed to the label but had...
(1999), and "The Girl Next Door" on Mixed Martial Arts, Vol. 1 (2007).
Track listing
- Note: tracks 9, 14 and 15 do not appear on the remastered version.
- Note: tracks 13 and 14 do not appear on the original version
- "Time", "Point of View" and "Reebok Commercial" originally appeared on the self-released demo Flyswatter and later on Blink-182's Demo #2.
- "Carousel", "T.V.", "Strings", "Fentoozler", "Romeo & Rebecca", "Sometimes" and "Toast & Bananas" later appear on the band's debut album Cheshire Cat.
- "Degenerate" originally appeared on Blink-182's Demo #2 and would later appear on the band's Dude RanchDude Ranch (album)Dude Ranch is the second studio album by American punk band Blink-182. Recorded at Big Fish Studios in Encinitas, California with producer Mark Trombino, the album was first released on June 17, 1997 in the United States on independent label Cargo Music...
album. - The rest of the tracks are exclusive to Buddha and have never appeared on any of Blink-182's studio albums.
Personnel
- Mark HoppusMark HoppusMark Allan Hoppus is an American musician, record producer, and television host. He is the bass guitarist and one of the two lead vocalists of the pop punk band Blink-182, as well as the bass guitarist and lead vocalist of the alternative rock band +44. He is a co-founder of both bands...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals - Tom DeLongeTom DeLongeThomas Matthew "Tom" DeLonge, Jr. is an American rock musician. He is the guitarist and one of the two lead vocalists for the American pop punk band Blink-182 as well as the guitarist and lead vocalist for the alternative band Angels & Airwaves...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals - Scott RaynorScott RaynorScott William Raynor, Jr. is an American drummer best known for being a founding member of the band Blink-182.-Personal life:...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....