Music is the debut studio album by American rock band 311. It was released on February 9, 1993, by Capricorn Records. The album was certified gold in 1999 by the RIAA.
There are only five tracks that were not included on 311's previous independent releases: "Visit", "Paradise", "Hydroponic", "My Stoney Baby", and "Fat Chance". However, all of the songs that had been previously released were altered, most notably "Do You Right", where nearly all of the lyrics were changed. Doug "SA" Martinez also changed his main verses in "Freak Out", "Feels So Good" and "Fuck the Bullshit". The breakdown in "Plain" was completely changed musically, and the lyrics were re-arranged. The first pressing was originally manufactured and distributed by Warner Bros. Records Inc. and thus bears the "WB" logo in the bottom right corner. Later issues were manufactured and distributed by RED in 1994, Mercury Records in 1996 and most recently Volcano.
Rap Metal before it was cool, or more realistically, when it was new. 311 is so underrated it's criminal. I played 311 (the album) more than this one in my youth, but still loved this one. Tim's iconic guitar sound, Chad's heavy non-snare snare drum, the back and forth singing of Nick and S.A., and the solid foundation of Aaron's bass. Perfect for the burgeoning teen in the 90s I was.
I’ve heard a bit from 311 over the years. Some of it I liked. I started off so-so with this album but several songs jumped out and got my attention. I liked it.
Music by 311 is one of the albums of the crossover genre of the 1990's. It's a decent album mixing rock with metal, rap, reggae and funk. Considering this album is from 1993 it's a late album in this style. It reminds me of "Mother's Milk" by Red Hot Chili Peppers and "Mental Floss for the Globe" by Urban Dance Squad, but these albums are from 1989. And the songwriting on these albums is also far superior. The main distinction is that this album even incorporates a larger diversity of styles. Too bad that these additional styles (f.e. reggae) provides the weaker material.
Immediate impression was not my vibe, just not getting into the lyric flow and the music solid but unremarkable. It brought me around considerably in the latter half, with the smoother ska adjacent styling and vocals working much better from me. Didn't love it exactly but a solid listen for the evening workout.
On our trip to New Orleans we went out to eat the first night and were seated by a large party of people who were traveling the Gulf Coast following 311 and that taught me everything I needed to know about 311
I've enjoyed more than a few 311 tracks here and there, but didn't find myself jiving with this LP really. There's no dynamic contrast (something the band used quite well on previous releases), meaning the listener is beaten over the head for 46 minutes with mid-range guitar without any breaks. Couple in the fact that there's not much to distinguish one track from another and it all starts to blend into one reggae-fusion marathon with no breaks.
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