Alternative Rock

311 311

You know All Mixed Up and Down, but do you know Hive? Hive is tremendous. T & P Combo, also dope. 311 took the rap-rock lead in 1995.

311's Self-Titled album, also known as The Blue Album, was common ground for Jocks, Skaters, Punks, & Stoners. They had just a little something for everyone.

They've changed a lot and then some-some, but they are still 311. And we love them. Well, 311 in the 90s.

Can you believe that the self-titled 311 album was released only 4 years after Van Halen's For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and less than a year after Pearl Jam's Vitalogy? The boys from Omaha sure know how to mix it up. The self-titled album is the best thing 311 ever put out, despite a strong contender in the form of their debut album, Music.

311 released it's self-titled album 7 years after the band's creation. A platinum selling effort, the blue album should be considered their all around best foot forward. However, the clowns over at Willamette Week place it second, right behind the absolute trash that is 1997's Transistor. Let's forget that ever happened, both their ranking and the album in general.

Album and Song notes

Down

Like a bottlerocket, Down gets the fireworks show of the self-titled album started with a (just under) 3 minute explosion.

All the requisite rap moves are there, chill, uhhs, come back in, and the fantastic reference to his holiness, Dolemite.

Random

The most impressive part of Random is the fantastic guitar riff by Mahoney. If the blue album was your first intro to 311, specifically from hearing Down on your radio station, then Random threw you for a loop, mostly because you were expecting a lot more rap-rock than this.

One question I've always asked myself is who the soundboy is that they reference. Random ends with an Ill Communication feel.

Jackolantern's Weather

Very underrated. Visceral lyrics that a mid-stage teenager could really relate to.

Jackolantern's Weather puts the Mahoney/P-Nut riff factory into an endless loop. How do these guys remember all of these parts? I mean, Sexton can just bang away and keep up with P-Nut, and Hexum doesn't really need to play, but those two, they are what makes this band incredible.

All Mixed Up

The radio hit. 311 follows the 4th track ballad formula with All Mixed Up. Sometimes the simplest things are successful. Down may have charted a bit higher, but if you polled the average music fan, I'd bet All Mixed Up was their 311 jam.

Hive

C-c-c-c-coming like a nightmare! Martinez and Hexum vocally slay Hive like the two-headed, fire-breathing 90s rap-rock dragon that they are.

Hive is the type of song that you want blasted over the gym speakers before your High School JV basketball game, especially if you are the away team and you took over that town's PA system.

Guns (Are For Pussies)

Guns (Are For Pussies) could be, but probably isn't, considered a call-and-response to The Offspring's Come Out and Play (Keep 'Em Separated). Released within a year of each other, they both addressed the prevalence of mid-90s gun violence.

Misdirected Hostility

Huge intro riff.

Purpose

Snoozefest. Repeatedly got skipped on the old Sony Discman. This is the type of song where my Alpine deck would just kick back to radio randomly, like it knew that 311 wasn't living up to it's own hype.

Loco

Trip The Shrooms Fantastic!

Hilarious chorus. I mean, it literally calls out the whole point of the song. Make an instrumental, add a little vocal, take it to the stage and make the people go loco.

Elbow pull and kick.

Brodels

Filed under solid groove ... but what the hell are they saying? I get the peppered sonic assault, but brodels and nazz? Is this a birds and bees story? Are they two strip clubs, like the ones in Girls Girls Girls?

I know they reference Barnum and Bailey, so that's something.

Don't Stay Home

Simple, yet succinct drum beat kicks off Don't Stay Home. The song aspires to more than it is, leaving you empty when you feel like you just heard a hit.

Many people think that Down was the first release off of the self-titled album, but I'm fairly certain it was Don't Stay Home.

DLMD

DLMD is good tune. Don't Let Me Down is the type of f you track that a bunch of 24-25 year olds start to close out an album with. No need to impress anyone, not going to release a single on Track 12, just a do as you feel and have at it type.

Sweet

Sweet is probably the best of reggae 311. I could drink a daiquiri or three on Jost Van Dyke to Sweet.

Somehow, Mahoney still manages to shred out a bitchin' solo on the track.

T&P Combo

Tim Mahoney and P-Nut share the spotlight on the album's exit track. The chorus has a bad ass riff rolling along under the vocals. Zooma-zooma-zoom, yeah, we got the boom!

At least the boys from 311 know how to leave everything on the album. T & P Combo and Feels So Good (Music) show they have album stamina.

The fat lady go sh-nah-nuh-nah!

More 311 Details

311 Info
Release Date July 11, 1995
Length 39:32
Producer Ron Saint Germain
Studio NRG Record Studios
Record Label Capricorn | N/A

Reviews of 311 Albums

311 self titled album cover
311

Alternative Rock