Geffen Records released the 25th anniversary edition of blink-182’s ‘Take Off Your Pants and Jacket’ – the first punk rock album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The landmark 2001 album, which contained the top 10 modern rock hits ‘The Rock Show’, ‘Stay Together for the Kids’ and ‘First Date’, has had an enduring impact.
In addition to the 13 songs that appeared on the original album, the 25th anniversary edition includes six tracks that, until now, have never been available on streaming platforms. Originally released on June 12, 2001, the first printings of ‘Take Off Your Pants and Jacket’ were split among three configurations, corresponding to the three emblems on the album cover – the red airplane, the yellow pants and the green jacket. Each edition contained its own pair of exclusive, hidden tracks. Prior to the 25th anniversary release, these six songs had never appeared together on one album.
Beginning today, fans can also pre-order the 25th anniversary edition as a 2-LP set, pressed on black vinyl. A plane, pants or jacket emblem will be individually etched onto Side D of each vinyl set at random, creating a surprise moment for fans as they open their vinyl and see which emblem they have received.
With ‘Take Off Your Pants and Jacket’, blink-182 mastered the balance between immaturity and emotional honesty. Balancing huge hooks, fast guitars and emotionally direct songwriting, its songs – all penned by bandmates Mark Hoppus (bass, vocals), Tom DeLonge (guitar, vocals), and Travis Barker (drums) – felt both immediate and timeless for a generation coming of age in the early internet era. The album was produced by Jerry Finn, who had also helmed 1999’s ‘Enema of the State’.
In addition to entering the Billboard 200 at Number 1, ‘Take Off Your Pants and Jacket’ topped the charts in Canada and Germany and ranked Number 1 on the UK’s Official Rock & Metal Albums chart. In a four-star album review, Rolling Stone praised blink-182 as “a significant band” and hailed lead single ‘The Rock Show’ as “a slice of suburban teen romance that Joey Ramone is probably pogoing to right this minute in rock & roll heaven.”
Retrospectives through the years have celebrated the album as “blink-182 at its finest” (The New Yorker), “the band’s best effort” (AbsolutePunk) and “a masterclass in pop punk writing” (Reverb). Billboard noted, “‘Take Off Your Pants and Jacket’ is a sonic bible for many millennials.”