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311 ~ Transistor
Amazon.com
With Sublime and Sugar Ray having made whitewashed reggae a hot commodity on the pop charts, it makes sense that the prime movers of the genre are making a headlong comeback into the fray. With Transistor, 311 goes for the jugular, cramming the disc with over 20 songs, and just as many angles on its melange of rock, hip-hop and Caribbean musical styles. There are hyper rap-metal rehashes of the hit "Down" ("Tune In," "Starshines," and "Borders"), chunky guitar tracks ("Beautiful Disaster"), and lots of frivolous reggae-lite songs ("Light Years," "Stealing Happy Hours"). --Aidin Vaziri
Ryan Derry
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2018
This is arguably the highest point in 311's discography.
Hannah A.
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2017
It's 311, so it's awesome. My old copy was scratched. This cheap used copy is great.
Cubby Kovu
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 7, 2015
This album is 311's most expansive album being their longest and most experimental it has lots of styles that their other albums have but in a more expansive environment lots of reggae and rap comes through on this one and is a turning point perhaps to a more sort of acousticy, experimental sound than before which was basically just rap metal with a bit of reggae thrown in now and then pretty good possibly a bit too long but it is pretty good
Nowhere Man
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2015
I, like most of the world, discovered these guys in the wake of their self-titled smash, so this was the first new album to come along when the fandom was red hot. I distinctly remember the first time I heard "Transistor" the lead single on the radio, excitably recognizing it as 311 along with the thought, 'And they sound GOOD.' Nostalgic digressions aside, this is 311's finest artistic hour. The debut Music contains their strongest collection of songs, Grassroots is a band fully and confidently coming into its own, the self-titled a perfect coalescing of their sound, but Transistor deserves special recognition for a number of reasons. 1)They didn't cash in on the success of Blue by trying to duplicate its sound. For an album that would end up going triple platinum, this is truly remarkable and impressive. 2)There's an incredibly cohesive flow on display here. 21 tracks, and not one I feel the urge to skip. 3)They were peaking as musicians. The fusion of styles are all expertly played, and nothing sounds forced. 4)It's by far their most immersive listening experience, due no doubt to tasteful production that's aged gracefully. I could go on to note how SA never sounded better than he does here (Galaxy! The Continuous Life!), the killer riffage of the OPENING hidden track, the ambient spacey sound effects laced throughout which add just the right touch, etc. Transistor is gold, the anomaly of an aesthetically rich and varied discography. It isn't the first I'd recommend to a curious newbie, but it's the favorite of many of their biggest fans for a reason!
Padd Liverpool
Reviewed in Germany on January 11, 2008
Diese Platte ist echt ein Meisterwerk des Crossover.Los geht es beim Titeltrack mit harten Gitarrenrhythmen, wozu dann die beiden Sänger/Rapper im Duett losträllern, dass einem die Tränen kommen.Weiter geht es mit "Prisoner", einem äusserst melodischen Reggae-Rock-Song, so schön, dass ich nur noch vor Freude grinsen und nicht mehr stillsitzen kann.Dann kommt mit "Galaxy" ein ziemliches Hardcore-Brett mit Rap-Gesang,gefolgt von "Beautiful Disaster", welches harten Rock mit tollen Melodien, Reggae und Pop verbindet, daran schliesst sich mit "Inner Light Spectrum" ein langsames Soul-Reggae-Stück an, was etwas Kiffer-Romantik ausstrahlt.Dann geht es bei "Electricity" , "What Was I Thinking" und "The Continuous Life" wieder etwas rockiger weiter, mit schönen melodischen Vocals, aber auch Rap-Parts, und dann mit "Use Of Time" ist wieder relaxte gechillte Atmosphäre angesagt.Und etwa so abwechselungsreich geht es auf dem Rest des Albums auch weiter.Mal kommen sie eher fröhlich-rockig daher, dann bringen sie aber wieder relaxte Reggae-Funk-Soul-Songs, manchmal sogar leicht angejazzt, doch immer reizvoll und mit Überraschungs-Momenten.Man hört den Jungs an, dass sie Spass an ihrer Musik haben.Da wirkt nichts gekünstelt, poliert oder gezwungen.Und sie können was auf ihren Instrumenten.Fünf Sterne De Luxe !!
Monty5
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2006
First of all, to the guy who recited the chorus of "beautiful disaster" and submitted it as a review-pretty chill, man, u should write it down in your journal. The link says "write an online review." Stick to that.Okay to the review. This album would get 5 stars, no question, just like the self-titled and "from chaos." I really would. It's just that there are a total of 21 songs on just one disc, clocking at 67:59. And that's not including the bonus tracks (there's actually a bonus track before the first track, pretty chill!) I really haven't found a bad song on this cd, but I just haven't gotten a chance to focus on everything here. I just don't have that time. I love the fact that they are doing something different. I love "Beautiful Disaster," as well as "Use Of Time," "Electricity," and many others but I can't think of what they are because the cd is so damn long! Maybe as I listen to it more, I can honestly move it up to a 5-star album. Actually, I'm kinda rootin' for that. It's okay though, because I would still recomend this to someone who likes other works by 311, but don't start out with this one. Save it as an afterthought. In school, you can't take Algebra II before you have taken Algebra I. Same rule applies here.
syd barret
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2004
This is 311's most ambitious work ever done. Transistor was released in 1997 and found the band riding a wave of success from the blue album. This album managed to seel abput 4 million copies on the strength of the wave of popularity from the blue album and ths single Beautiful Disaster. Transistor is best taken as an entire album although there are tons of standout tracks on the album. This album is 311's best attempt to write an album in the Floydian vein of making an album a choesive unit from start to finish and not as a collection of singles pasted together. The songs on Transistor range from head bobbing songs to mellowed out stoner jams. Transistor also marks 311's heaviest use of their dub influence (which for some reason they continue to ignore and have not yet made an album completely of dub influence). Songs such as Use Of Time, Starshines, Stealing Happy Hours, and Prisoner show what a talent 311 was back at this time. The breakdown in the middle of Starshines is sick as is the opening bass lines of What Was I thinking? This is an album which if you havent listened to in a couple of years is worthy to be pulled out. Definitly meant to be listened to while relaxing and smoking a little reefer, 311 do an excellent job of touching upon the majority of their influences. My only complaint is that a few of the songs seemed to be a bit unfinished in some areas. Unlike others who believe 311 could have benefitted from trimming a few of the songs i believe it would have been a better idead to actually expand a little bit on some of the unfinished tracks instead of contracting the idea. But what can you do when the record company wants your album before iron grows cold? In the end, this album marked the end of the old 311 for me. They were going in a direction and when this album came out the fans cried for a return to grassroots which 311 have been trying to do for the last six years with minimal success. IMO, You cant ask a band to go back musically in their sound and hope to recapture a sound from five to six years ago. Hopefully the boys in 311 are cooking up that long awaited dub album that will knock everyones socks off. Transistor shows they have the tools and thier more recent material is sprinkled with a little dub here and there. But in the meantime, pop in Transistor, turn down the lights and get a little high and enjoy a true musical tour de force
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