page_title: Dude Ranch (album)
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: Dude Ranch (album) / Background
caption_attribution_description: English: Blink-182 at the Whiskey in Los Angeles, 10-7-1996
context_page_description: Dude Ranch is the second studio album by American rock band Blink-182, released on June 17, 1997, by Cargo Music and MCA Records, making it their major record label debut. MCA signed the band in 1996 following moderate sales of their 1995 debut Cheshire Cat and their growing popularity in Australia. Dude Ranch was the band's final recording released on Cargo and the last to feature their full original lineup, as in 1998 drummer Scott Raynor was dismissed from the band.
  The band recorded the album from December 1996 to January 1997 at Big Fish Studios in Encinitas, California with producer Mark Trombino. With lyrical material written on their nonstop tours over the previous years, as well as completed songs, the band recorded with Trombino in sessions that lasted for five weeks. During production, the members of Blink-182 were plagued with difficulties only made worse by the rushed schedule: bassist Mark Hoppus and guitarist Tom DeLonge, co-vocalists for the band, were having vocal problems and Raynor had to record his drum tracks with a supposed injury to both feet.
  The album was released in the summer of 1997 and was a success.
context_section_description: The San Diego-based trio Blink-182 released their debut album, Cheshire Cat, in 1995. Released on local record label Cargo Music, the album sold well for an independent release; it had moved over 70,000 units by late 1996. Throughout 1995 and 1996, the trio vigorously toured nonstop and grew in popularity, most notably in Australia, where audiences embraced the band's irreverent sense of humor and stage shows. The trio grew frustrated when fans lamented the inability to purchase Cheshire Cat at their respective local record stores, and began searching for larger record labels with better distribution. Likewise, problems had become apparent between the trio and employees at Cargo, who largely considered the band a joke.  In contrast, the group had accumulated a genuine buzz among major labels, and a bidding war for the band began in March 1996. Several labels courted the group, sending A&R reps to shows and inviting the band to their offices for lunch meetings. Through the several labels interested, Blink-182 seriously considered Interscope, Epitaph, and MCA. The band spent contemplated their options: the three had no qualms signing to a major label, and were wary of purists attempting to define "punk". They felt a great affinity for Epitaph, as many of their favorite acts (Pennywise, Bad Religion, NOFX) were signed to the label. Overall, Blink 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."
  MCA at the time was riding out a dead spell, and was derisively referred to in the music industry as MCA — Musicians' Cemetery of America. Despite this, their executives' 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 their 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".
  To celebrate their signing, the group held a party at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego. At the event, Raynor became inebriated and jumped off a balcony. He broke both his heels and was forced to record Dude Ranch while in a wheelchair. Soon, the band booked time at DML Studios in Escondido, California, where they worked out arrangements for the songs on Dude Ranch. Most of the lyrics for the album had been written over 1995 and 1996, while touring. "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." Demos for the album were recorded with Warren Fitzgerald of the Vandals; early versions of "Enthused" and "Lemmings" were released on the "Wasting Time" single and the Lemmings / Going Nowhere split EP, respectively.
caption: Blink-182 performing in Los Angeles in October 1996
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