Band Information

To date, Sugar Ray has released three albums: Lemonade and Brownies, 1995; Floored, 1997; and 14:59, 1999. Lemonade and Brownies was supposedly named for the diverse and unexpected mix of music on the album. Floored, like Lemonade and Brownies, contains a mix of music that doesn't follow a single musical genre. It contains songs calssified as metal, punk, and ska. (Anyone who bought this album because of the mega-hit "Fly", was most likely surprised by a lack of other tunes like it.) 14:59, their newest cd, was named after a twist on an Andy Warhol quote "everyone has their 15 minutes of fame". Sugar Ray is making the statement that they are going to enjoy their fifteen minutes, even if they're almost over. 14:59 wanders away from the hardcore punk and metal of Floored, but doesn't have a lack of good tunes. The music on this cd tends toward a more quiet side, and it flows more easily than the other cds.

In my humble opinion, Sugar Ray is a great band. Their cds are full of great songs and their newest shows that they aren't near being tapped for good material. I hope they continue doing as well as they are now, and continue to churn out the good albums.

Oasis has released three albums: Definitely Maybe; 1994; What's the Story Morning Glory, 1995; and Be Here Now, 1997. When Definitely Maybe was made, Oasis had already gathered a large fanbase in their native England by constantly playing the club circuit. There was some trouble while the album was being made. Songwriter Noel Gallagher was having a hard time enjoying the over-manufactured way the songs were sounding. He hired a new producer and the album was recorded over again with a more raw, rock and roll sound to it. What's the Story Morning Glory brought Oasis into tedious touring of the U.S. This album sold millions of copies and won Oasis major recognition in the states. Be Here Now, their latest album, shows the bands' exploration of new sounds. Several of the songs move in new directions without losing the essence of the others.

Oasis will always be one of my favourite bands. They've produced hundreds and hundreds of songs and every one of them is great. I've found that most people in the U.S. base their opinions of Oasis on the few songs that they've released as videos. (In my opinion) Those people are missing out on a lot. You really can't form an opinion on Oasis until you've heard their albums, singles, and b-sides. Noel Gallagher's vast songwriting skills have produced hundreds of songs and I hope he will continue releasing such songs on a regular basis.

Picture: Liam Gallagher(lead singer)

311 has released four albums (on a record label). They had also released (I think) two other albums, back when they were only of local Omaha fame. Their four (label) albums are: Grassroots; Music; 311, 1995; and Transistor, 1997. (I am missing the release dates for Music and Grassroots because they were released onto another label and then copyrighted on Capricorn.) Grassroots os an exellent first record. It consists of the blend of hip-hop/reggae/metal/rock that 311 has made their own. There are several songs that would have made highly successful singles, but to my knowladge they were unreleased. Music surpassed Grassroots in the number of potential singles, though. Almost every song on Music is a great one. Music also shows the contrasting softer/harder sides of 311 very well. 311 (self-titled) is the album people are the most familiar with. It is the album that held the first majorly successful singles for the band. By all means, it is a very good album. It also has about a half anf half division of harder and softer songs. 311 holds a lot more of the hip-hop influenced songs than the earlier albums. Transistor, their newest cd, is a great album. The band decided to try to use every possible second of time on the cd for this album, which contains 21 full-length songs. This album explores the different directions that 311 was willing to take with their music. In an interview before the release of Transistor, singer Nick Hexum said that the band was willing to try out new types of songs because they were confident that their fans could handle it. He also said that he didn't think the critics would like Transistor as much as 311, but the critics didn't put them at the top, so they couldn't take them down. Beautifully stated by the band who has been touring the country since before they were famous.

311 is a great band. Anyone who owns and enjoys their newest albums should buy their first two. All four cds contain great songs. Though it's been awhile since 311 has released a new album, I'm hoping that they will be making a trip to the studios soon.

Picture: 311,P-Nut, Nick, Chad, Tim, SA.