#p nut

311

Blue Album (1995)

It happened upon a summer night that my dad handed me the Blue Album. I opened it up and there they were: these alien guys next to a bright Venus disc. I placed the CD gently into my 6-disc carousel and put on my headphones.

The first song on the album is Down - a song I heard previously on the radio and was not really captured by. In its entirety, Down is a fun, high energy song...but then Random played next. Then Loco, All Mixed Up...by the end of the album I thought WTF did I just listen to?!

Like all of 311's albums, the Blue Album is a conflation of styles melded seamlessly together to create the unique 311 sound. It's crunchy funk, rap reggae, groovy alternative reggae, heavy-guitar-dancehall, and something else. The album was actually recorded in haste - they were just beginning to blow up and had an obligation to Capricorn to record this, so the Blue Album has a unique short-and-sweet vibe compared to their other albums. Some songs are mainstays in their concert setlists, while others are deep track gems.

My favorite songs:

Purpose

Dont Stay Home

Sweet

Guns (Are for Pussies)