I bought this CD not too long ago because I had a 311 craving and the CD store was all out of the 2 311 CDs that I really wanted (Transistor and Grassroots). I didn't have any real expectations buying it. I was familiar with and liked "Down" and "All Mixed Up". I had also bought From Chaos (Good Album) and Evolver (Not as good album) and I was familiar with their work on all of the other albums. Upon first listening I quickly got drawn into the songs. I give you a rundown of my opinion of each track.

1.Down (4.5/5) - Nice intro song, and of course the song that first got them national attention. It lost half a point because i had heard it a lot already.

2.Random (4/5) - Catchy drum hook in the beginning leads into some melodic singing and rapping by both SA and Nick. Catchy chorus too, and I love the uptempo ending to the song.

3.Jack'o'lantern's Weather (5.5/5) - Second best song on the CD. This song hooked me in from the opening edgy guitar line straight into the excellent rapping done by Nick and then SA. I found myself singing the chorus over and over again.

4.All Mixed Up (5/5) - Nice smooth, laid-back song. It's what mellow 311 should sound like. Its smooth and flowing with some good lyrics thrown in as well. Nice.

5.Hive (4/5) - This is the most "hardcore" track on the CD, aside from containing the most strong language, it has some furious hard thrown lyrics by both Nick and SA. It would get a 5/5 but it doesn't do much for me musically.

6.Guns (Are for *******) (5/5) - By looking at the song title I figured this one would be cheesy. I'm glad I was wrong. I love the rapping done by SA on this one. Nick does a great job on it too. The guitar part is catchy as hell and matches the lyrics excellently.

7.Misdirected Hostility (4/5)- Nice guitar intro on this one too. OK lyrics mixed with a good, fitting background musically. Not much to say about this one. Kinda reminds me of "Hostile Apostile" on From Chaos for whatever reason.

8.Purpose (4.5/5) - Finally another laid-back one! I love the smoothness and rhythm of the music and lyrics. Great drumming by Chad on this one. I love the reggae/funk guitar transition between the verses. Does a good job of blending smooth and edgy sound. The only downer on this track is the messed up distorted vocals after the guitar solos.

9.Loco (4/5) - Trippy uptempo song about magic mushrooms. Nifty little chorus. I like the vibe that this song gives off.

10.Brodels (2/5) - I'll be dead honest... I really do NOT like this one. I enjoy a little heavy 311 here and there, but this one has very few redeeming qualities to it. It's pretty bland when it comes to the guitar and drum work and the chorus is pretty bad. This one's a skipper...

11.Don't Stay Home (5/5) - Nice little ditty. Very reggae influenced. I really like this song, but I can't put my finger on why, though. It has a great drum beat to it, and Chad has a pretty good little drum solo in the middle of it. Nick also does a great job singing on this one.

12.DLMD (4/5) - Another good song. Takes meaningful lyrics and presents them without making them sound corny or cheesy. Mixes some tense singing in the beginning by Nick moving into some intense rapping by SA. Good chorus. I especially like the way this song ends.

13.Sweet (5.5/5)- A masterpiece. A literally sweet, slow, laid back song showcasing both Nick and SA's singing talents. Tim Mahoney gets an A+ for his guitar work on this one. Great reggae transition into a beautiful (and i really do mean beautiful) guitar solo. This song is just plain GOOD.

14.T&P Combo (6/5) - My favorite track on the CD. This is exactly how I wanted the CD to end. Excellent uptempo high-intensity lyrics and guitar work. SA is really in his prime when it comes to lyrics. The corus flat out ROCKS, and the edgy funk laiden guitar part sends chills down my spine.

I forgot to mention P-Nut in all of this and I want to say that he has not failed to impress on this album. In fact all of the band members did a great job of making this album come together.

I highly recommend getting this album to any one even remotely interested in 311's music, and not just because it has "Down" on it either!

Jazz, Rap, ROCK. These guys do it all. Very tight in concert too. This CD started it all for me and 311. Own this and you'll buy the rest.

I used to love 311's self-titled album (otherwise known as "The Blue Album"), and I mean, LOVE it. When 311 first came out, there was nothing like them out there. Aside from coming up with other reggae influenced acts such as No Doubt and Sublime, they also helped to build the rap-rock genre at the same time. On top of that, while most everyone was moping around, feeling sorry for themselves, 311 were re-inforcing a positive message. A truly multifaceted band if ever there was one. However, in 2006, I have to be honest with myself and say that "The Blue Album" just does not stand the test of time as well as one would think.

Now, don't get me wrong. This is still an excellent album, and believe me, it stands up to multiple listens. But 311 have gone onto better things (i.e. "Transistor" and "Soundsystem") and have really spread their wings since 1995. What the "Blue Album" accomplishes is taking the style of their first two releases, "Grassroots" and "Music" and makes it a little easier on the ears. I'm sure that must've aggravated a bunch of people back in the day (I didn't know of 311 until this album, so what did I care?) but it still makes for damn great music. Sure, "Down" is officially the most overplayed song ever, as I could go my whole life without hearing it ever again and still be happy, but the other singles "All Mixed Up" and "Don't Stay Home" sound just as good now as they ever did. "Hive" and "Jackolantern's Weather" are the wildcards of the album, songs that no other band could pull off. "T & P Combo" and "Random" are also worthy of mentioning, just because they are the best, straight-forward rock songs of the set.

"The Blue Album" did a great job of bringing 311 to the forefront of the alternative scene in the 90's, and it's good to see they've further evolved since. It's a great album but it just doesn't sound as good as it did in '95, not as fresh. That could be due to it's songs being beaten into the ground on the radio, or perhaps the immaturity of the group at the time. Regardless, it's a necessary step towards the truly special band 311 have become over the years. Not many artists can pull off the versatility that these guys do so effectively, and that makes them (and this album) a pure 90's classic.

This CD is essential for life. It, along with Incubus's S.C.I.E.N.C.E. combine to form a genre I like to call teen mosh funk metal. You have the youth undertow that these vibe oriented bands bring along combined with thrashy riffs fit for the mosh pit. The best songs here are Don't Stay Home, All Mixed Up, Down, Jack O'Lantern's Weather, and Guns (Are For Pussies). 311 are the genre blenders, mixing rap, metal, alternative, funk, reggae, and jazz into their music. If you get a chance to see 311 live, take it, it'll be worth it, because they're always awesome. They'll sweep you off your feet (both in the pit and mentally) and there is such an awesome groove to their music, it can't be explained very easily. An awesome disc. I'd suggest Incubus, Sugar Ray's Floored, and the more punky Sublime.

this is the blue album. this was 311's break if there was ever going to be a break, as nick hexum so wisely stated in ETSD. it got a lot of attention and you can't deny it got that attention for a good reason.

this is simply an amazingly solid 311 album. combining their sound from music/grassroots and melding it into one with new musical experimentation.

also, am I the only one that realizes that nick hexum mentions psychedelics frequently including being the entire focus of the song "Loco?"

this was a care-free, positive atmosphere and this is what the album reflects. They throw out props in "down," cuz they knew what was going to happen and they wanted to avoid losing their loyal fan base-which was clearly displayed as a concern to nick and the band. keeping it real...

"all mixed up" may have been the most over played song ever, but it is for a reason it is an amazing song filled with positive reinforcement.

"purpose" is hands down my personal favorite on the entire album, if not the entire catalog (shared with "you wouldn't believe"-FC).

from the beginning to the end this is an extremely enjoyable album worth more than a few spins.