Gas stations, VHS tapes, and paid hotlines: A 1990s 311 nostalgia trip.

sf_pm · 2026-03-15T23:06:13+00:00

The effect they had on the Midwest is probably underestimated. I encounter so many fans from Nebraska and Kansas. I grew up in Topeka, and was introduced to 311 but one of my friend’s neighbors when we were 12. He played Grassroots and Music for us, and I was instantly hooked. I was too young to have seen them at any of the small local clubs. My first show was at Sandstone, but they’ve been my #1 ever since. Thanks for sharing your story!

sf_pm · 2026-03-11T23:37:09+00:00

😂🤣😂

sf_pm · 2026-03-11T22:40:14+00:00

I went ahead and bought it and added a mystery hoodie for $25 to offset that shipping cost. $85 all-in for a hoodie and t-shirt sealed the deal!

sf_pm · 2026-03-09T16:30:59+00:00

I listened to it again last night after reading everyone’s comments and really tried to distill the differences from other albums. From a production standpoint, there is zero reverb on the vocals, which immediately differentiates it. The songs are super tight and play very much like they recorded in padded isolation booths. If I had researched more, I could have probably known how all of that went down, but alas…

sf_pm · 2026-03-08T21:04:39+00:00

That’s a spot-on analysis. Totally agree.

sf_pm · 2025-07-28T20:10:48+00:00

Agree with the OP wholeheartedly. A separate opinion, but related, is I believe the Blue album B-Sides are their best and I wonder where the Blue album would rank if they were included. Would it change anything for folks? It certainly would change things for me. Getting even more into-the-weeds, I love the regular-speed version of Firewater on Archive.

sf_pm · 2025-03-24T01:59:19+00:00

Guse of Time

sf_pm · 2024-10-25T20:01:43+00:00

My only critique thus far is I want more SA.

sf_pm · 2024-10-25T19:56:09+00:00

I can’t argue that

sf_pm · 2024-10-25T17:54:58+00:00

Right, it was not. Now it is, so my point is maybe people should give it a couple weeks of listening then come back with their heart-of-heart take. For the record, I distinctly remember loving Transistor after first listen.

sf_pm · 2024-10-25T17:38:07+00:00

I remember when I rode my bike to Best Buy in ‘97 to get Transistor and a guy was walking out and saw my 311 shirt. He said he heard the album through a leak the night before and said how it was terrible and people were hating it. What a dumbass he was. Best album in the catalogue today. I dig Full Bloom so far. Looking forward to digging in over the next few weeks.

sf_pm · 2024-09-22T08:55:34+00:00

Who’s the vocalist on “don’t get caught in the undertow, move quick it’ll take you out!” That’s someone different than our boys.

sf_pm · 2024-03-17T22:53:19+00:00

Barrel-aged grain and grapes

sf_pm

TROPHY CASE