Box Car Racer

First and foremost, this review is not in regards to the musical content of this album. Buying this vinyl reissue 15 years after it's first release, I obviously love the music of Box Car Racer. Upon visual inspection of the record, I noticed what appeared to impurities in the vinyl. It had a scuffed look, though I do not believe it to be damaged. The turntable hole cut out was a very tight fit as well. I fear breaking the record when removing. The audio mix or pressing is noticeably off. If this record wasn't brand new, it could pass as being pressed in the 1970's. For $20, I expected more. The label did bare minimum effort here. I'm happy to finally have the record, but was maybe too hopeful.

This is a go to for any Tom D/Blink fan.I was very disappointed that this had obviously been re-pressed just to make some quick cash. The listener/fan was not thought of. They made minimal effort with this print. With the vinyl being pushed as "15th Anniversary Edition" I was honestly expecting a booklet or a custom sleeve! Something to make it special.The actual vinyl had scuffs on it (Not affecting playing of the record)The back of the cover wasn't stuck down properly and was coming away from the frontEveryone has complained about the spindle hole being too tight and difficult to get on and off.I wanted this in my collection. So I would buy it again. Just know not to expect anything special.

Everything about this album is amazing. It's a shame that this album was what lit the fuse that ultimately caused the end of Tom DeLonge as part of blink-182. Very few pop punk albums hold up to their debut 15 years down the road, but Box Car Racer's only album (at the time of this review, anyway) has done just that. That said, my copy of this vinyl (and I've heard this from quite a few others who purchased it) is scuffed/scratched pretty bad, so proceed with caution when buying from Amazon.

You can tell the roots of AVA started to grow with this project. And that fact combined with the amazing structure, lyrics and overall vibe of the album makes this one of the best pieces Tom Delonge has created in his career. Travis Barker also comes along with his power, technical speed, and simplicity to create a high energy even in the more ballad-type songs. This album is too good to describe, just get it, you'll understand.

The first album on which Tom Delonge decided to break from the mold of Blink-182 and make music targeted at adults rather than teens. The themes of life, love, meaning, connection, and the importance of maintaining monogamy, which became the primary messages of Angels and Airwaves, had their genesis on this record. While it is more heavily-intertwined with Delonge's roots in skate punk and post-hardcore than the atmospheric and grandiose U2 influence of Angels & Airwaves, fans of that group will find a lot to like here and may well be able to consider this the genesis of that group.

Not nearly as sophomoric as a lot of the songs on any given Blink album (don't read that wrong, juvenile lyrics are one of the reasons I love Blink), Box Car Racer manages to combine darker lyrics and a serious vibe witout losing the completely catchy riffs and infectious tunes of the best pop-punk out there today.Listening to "Watch the World" reminds me of why I've enjoyed seeing Blink 182 throw a few more serious tunes on their albums, and why I sometimes wish they would stick with that vibe for a few more songs. Sometimes you wanna rock out to a less-mature punk album and other times you want something with a little more substance - this one combines the great melodic, hard-charging Blink sound with songs that feel a bit more sincere. If you've been a fan of Blink 182, purchasing this should be a no-brainer.

Really disappointed in the quality of the LP. The turntable cut out hole on the LP is way too small. I had a really hard time putting it on my turntable and taking it off felt like I was going to break the record. there is an impurity on the record that causes a crack/pop noise every 3 seconds on side A. Sound quality isn't as good as I hoped it would be. It's such a shame, because I really liked this album growing up.

As far as the music goes, this is a really good pop punk/emo album. Some of the best Travis Barker drum parts you'll find. As far as the physical quality, it sounds great. No skips from what I heard. The sleeve is also good quality. Nothing terribly special but also not poor quality. Comes with a semi glossy piece of paper with the artwork on it as well as lyrics.