Blink-182

In my History of Rock class today, we discussed Phil Spector and the Girl Group Era of the 60s. I learned that as the producer of many of these groups, Spector owned the rights to their names, meaning that he could (and would) often record performers on albums without giving them due credit as themselves.

For instance, there was a group called The Crystals, which had five original members. One time, while they were on tour abroad, he brought a different group, The Blossoms, into the recording studio to make an album. He then proceeded to pass this off as The Crystals' album. This was legal.

And is legal. Our professor mentioned that Guns n' Roses' only original member today is Axl Rose. And yet he still tours (and released an album... ick) under the group name. Why? Because he owns the rights to it.

My question was: What about Blink-182? When they went on "hiatus," Mark and Travis formed +44, while Tom formed Angels and Airwaves. Why didn't either of them tour as Blink? Was it because none owned the rights to the name, or rather was the decision sort of a mutual thing, because they knew that they would and could never really replicate the same mentality of the three of them together?

I didn't actually ask this question in class because... I don't know. Self-consciousness, I guess. I get nervous in classes like these, and my previous two questions were poorly worded, so the class probably thinks I'm annoying anyways.

BUT it's a moot point now, because Blink is back together!! Despite my enjoyment of poppy girl and boy bands in the 90s (which, by the way, I have no qualms admitting), I actually liked Blink a lot. Especially "The Rock Show." And now that I'm older I can appreciate some of their songs better, ironic (or not) that may be. I'm going to Warped -- hope they'll be there!!