This is 311's greatest hits album of songs from 1993-2003. I must say, every song on this album deserves to be there. I was a bit dissapointed to see that they didn't include more songs like large in the margin or prisoner, but this is good enough for me. I hope 311 stays around long enough to do a greatest hits 2004-2014 album.
1. Down- I don't think they could have chosen a better song to open the album with. Down is a rock/rap song like a lot of other 311 songs with a really catchy guitar part right after the chorus. This song is about thanking all of the 311 fans who have supported them since the early days. This song is a classic; the song that made them famous. 5/5
2. Flowing- This song is amazing too. It opens with a really relaxing guitar part that has some added effects from a computer and leads into one of 311's best songs to date. The whole song is just pure 311 rock. S.A. doesn't have his own verse in this song, he just does back-up vocals while Nick sings. This song has always been one of my favorites and it will probably stay that way. 5/5
3. All Mixed Up- This song is another great song from the blue album just like Down. It opens with a funk guitar part and Nick singing and leads into a really cool rock/rap song. The lyrics are all about positivity, I love it. This song, along with Down, is one of their most well-known singles so far. 5/5
4. Amber- The first song off of From Chaos on this album and a great choice. If they didn't include this song, it just wouldn't be a greatest hits album. The whole song is just a really relaxing reggae song. S.A. doesn't have his own verse in this song either, just Nick. The whole song is filled with amazing guitar parts by Tim and the amazing combination of Chad on drums and P-Nut on bass. They couldn't go wrong with this song. 5/5
5. Come Original- The second of two amazing songs from Soundsystem. Come Original opens with an amazing guitar part and an even more amazing drum part, then later in the song, P-Nut does some slap bass that's amazing. This whole song could just be an instrumental and it would still be amazing, but when you add in the verses from S.A. and Nick, it's even better. 5/5
6. Beautiful Disaster- This is another one of the most famous 311 songs out there. This is a kick-ass track from Transistor that, like most songs from Transistor, has some pretty wierd effects and stuff like that, but it's still amazing. It's got a guitar duet by Nick/Tim at the beginning and the end and those duets are my favorite part of the song when played live. The song has a reggae feel during some of it and a mellow rock feel during some with a dancehall instrumental during the chorus. This isn't my favorite song on the album, but it's definitely up there. 4.5/5
7. Creatures (For A While)- Here is the first song from Evolver on the album. This song is one of the most hard core rock songs that they do. I had the privilege of hearing this song live at the SLC concert on 8-6-05. It was my first mosh pit experience and that song definitely made it more interesting. This is one of my favorite 311 songs of all time. The guitar parts are awesome, probably because Tim wrote them, the stuff he writes is always awesome. 5/5
8. Do You Right- THE HAPPY SLAM DANCE SONG...YAY! This is the first and only song from Music. This is an awesome song. The song is pretty mellow, it's about just relaxing and having a good time. Great song. 5/5
9. I'll Be Here Awhile- The second of three songs off of From Chaos. I don't think that this song gets enough recognition. They hardly ever play it live and it's been a pretty long while since I've heard it on the radio. It's a reggae song that has a little bit faster beat than Amber. This sounds like something that you might find on Don't Tread On Me. It has that laid back, relaxed feel to it. This is one of my favorite 311 songs. 5/5
10. You Wouldn't Believe- This is the final song from From Chaos on this album. The guitar part during the intro/verse is amazing. It's not any normal guitar part. It's really fast and I think Tim's even messed up on it a couple of times when they've played it live. This, like Creatures, is a really hard rock song especially during the chorus. S.A.'s verses are amazing as usual and P-Nut's bass part is another highlight of this song. This song is amazing. 5/5
11. Transistor- This is the second and final track from Transistor on the album. This song is opened with a hard rock instrumental followed by some wierd lyrics by Nick and S.A. It stays like this through most of the song until near the end when it all of the sudden switches to some reggae beat. I love it. 311 is probably the only band that can just switch styles randomly and get away with it. 4/5
12. Don't Stay Home- This is the last song from the blue album on here. It opens with a cool little drum beat followed by Nick's amazing lyrics. This is 311 rock at its finest. I'd say that the highlight of this song is the drum part. It's awesome. 4.5/5
13. Homebrew- I was a little disappointed to find that this is the only song from Grassroots on this album, but if they were to only put one song from Grassroots on here, this would probably be the best choice. It opens with a cool guitar part and leads into a rock/hip hop song with verses from both singers and amazing guitar, drum, and bass parts from everyone else. I love this song so much. 5/5
14. Beyond The Gray Sky- This is the last song from Evlolver on here. It's mostly a reggae song the entire time until the chorus when it picks up and near the end when Tim has his solo which, by the way, is awesome. It's probably one of the best solos that Tim does. This song is about Nick's friend who commited suicide and how Nick wishes he could have done something to prevent it. I heard somewhere that Nick can't make it through this song without crying. Great song. 5/5
15. Love Song- This song is the only overrated 311 song out there. Don't get me wrong, I love it, but it's definitely overrated. This is a cover of The Cure's version of the song. I personally think that 311's version is better. It's a reggae song that is really easy to relax to. It has a really simple yet, cool-sounding, guitar solo near the end. This is a good song. 4.5/5
16. How Do You Feel?- When I first heard this song I was like, "There's no way this is 311." It was different than anything they had done up to that point in my opinion. It's a rock/hip hop song like a lot of 311 songs, but there's something about S.A.'s voice or the drum part or the guitar part, or something that makes it different. I love this song. 5/5
17. First Straw- This was 311's most recent single when this album hit the shelves. It's a relaxed, laid back song that just talks about how people all too often miss oportunities and don't even realize it until they've already come and gone, which is so true. I love this song. It's in this song where I think they start to change from what they did in Evolver and what they did in Don't Tread On Me. This song is awesome. 5/5
This album is truely what it says it is, greatest hits. These songs are definitely some of the greatest hits that 311 has. This album is awesome. If you want to get a feel for how they've kind of changed over every album, just pick this up and find out. It's a really good album. If you buy it, you won't regret it. Peace.
