''311'' (commonly known as the ''Blue Album'') is the third

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

311 311 may refer to: * 311 (number), a natural number * AD 311, a year of the Julian calendar, in the fourth century AD * 311 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar * 311 (band), an American band ** ''311'' (album), band 311's self-titled album ...

, released on July 11, 1995 by

Capricorn Records Capricorn Records was an independent record label founded by Phil Walden and Frank Fenter in 1969 in Macon, Georgia. Capricorn Records is often credited by music historians as creating the southern rock genre. History Label and studio foun ...

. The album contains the successful singles "

Don't Stay Home "Don't Stay Home" is the first single released by 311 from their self-titled An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word ...

", " All Mixed Up", and " Down", and was certified triple platinum with sales of over three million copies.

Reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's Peter Stepek was positive towards the album, saying "These riff-heavy and radio-ready songs are underscored by a tight drum sound (often with a piccolo snare), the scratching of turntables, and the crunch of heavy guitars: a formidable backdrop for this surprisingly melodic effort. The rhythms of reggae and ska percolate through this mix, and the harmonies of Nick Hexum and S.A. Martinez lend the band an edge not found in the majority of bands that feature rapping over rock beats."

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

says the album has "ear candy with good beats" and "remarkably adept at genre juggling". They also describe the album as " Beasties-cum-

Chili Peppers Chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl '' chīlli'' (), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for ...

traits has a potent reggae undertow".

Track listing

"Misdirected Hostility" was written in reference to the violence between the

Phunk Junkeez The Phunk Junkeez are an American rap rock band from Phoenix, Arizona that formed in 1991. The group's original lineup consisted of vocalists Joe Valiente (Soulman) and Kirk Reznik (K-Tel Disco) and rotated through various other members over the ...

and their back-up vocalist K-Tel Disco. The initial pressing of the album was distributed by "RED" and later re-pressed and distributed by

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...

in 1996 (note the tray card and disk updated with Mercury contact information and slightly washed out color on the disk front).

Outtakes

* "Tribute", "Let the Cards Fall", "Gap" and "Firewater (Slo-mo)" (available on the " Enlarged to Show Detail" EP) * "Who's Got the Herb?" (studio version available on the " Hempilation: Freedom Is NORML" compilation, live version available on the "Live" album) * "Outside" (available on the "National Lampoon's Senior Trip" soundtrack) * "Juan Bond", "Next (Instrumental)", "Sweet (Demo)" without SA's vocal and "Firewater" at its normal speed (leaked on the internet around '96). "Juan Bond", "Next", and "Firewater (Normal Speed)" were later officially released in 2015 on the 311 ARCHIVE box set.

Personnel

Nick Hexum Nicholas Lofton Hexum (born April 12, 1970) is an American singer, songwriter and rapper, currently the vocalist and guitarist for the multi-platinum alternative rock band 311 and The Nick Hexum Quintet. Early life Born in Madison, Wisconsin, to ...

– vocals, guitar * Chad Sexton – drums, percussion * Tim Mahoney – guitar * P-Nut – bass * S. A. Martinez – vocals, scratches (Credited as Count S.A.)

Production

Ron Saint Germain Ron Saint Germain (alternate spellings Ron St. Germain, Ron Saint-Germaine and similar) is an American record producer, audio engineer, and mixer born in post-war Frankfurt, Germany, into a career Air Force family. Prior to his career in music ...

– producer, recording, mixing *311 – producers *Scott Ralston – recording, mixing *John Ewing Jr. – assistant engineer *

Joe Gastwirt Joe Gastwirt is an American audio engineer, known for digitally remastering hundreds of CDs and LPs for famous artists, including the Grateful Dead, Tom Petty, Helen Reddy, Electric Light Orchestra, Jimi Hendrix, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, The B ...

– mastering * Mastered at Oceanview Studios * Diane Painter – art direction *Terry Robertson – design *Catherine Wessel – photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Singles

Certifications

References

External links

* http://www.311.com {{DEFAULTSORT:311 (Album) 311 (band) albums 1995 albums Capricorn Records albums Albums produced by Ron Saint Germain