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!


One Word: Great   May 20, 2000
Todd Ballard (Orange, California)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

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.


Another essential 311 album   September 28, 2005
K. Walter (los angeles)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

If you read through most of the reviews on here for this album, you will see that most of the more negative reviews are by people that don't like 311 period, not just THIS album. I don't really see the point writing a review for an album that is by a band you know you don't like. I'll suggest that you don't listen to those types of people.

If you are interested in hearing 311, this is an essential to get. The rap/rock style shines through in this CD. However, this is not necessarily their style that they use for every CD. I don't get how some people can say that 311 always sounds the same. 311 has always been one to create something new, try something different, take a chance. I think they did on this CD and I think they do on almost everything they do.

If you like rock, then you'll like this CD. Yes, there is rapping by both Nick and S.A., but its not ALL rap. Songs like Purpose, Sweet and All Mixed Up are melodic gems.

Overall, as a 311 fan, I am giving the Blue Album 5 stars because I think it is an important piece to the 311 puzzle. It is a must have for any 311 fan, old or new.