Product Description

Ladies and gentlemen, please hold your calls, we have a winner. Modesto, California's Grandaddy smacks you upside the head with the melodic one-two punch of the opening tracks andseldom lets up after that. Broken-down synthesizers wheeze and squeak out melodies that pass "the old gray whistle test" with a vengeance (i.e. you'll be whistling them for weeks). UNDER THE WESTERN FREEWAY is an auspicious debut. With a couple of big, burly guys that adhere to the TAD school of haute couture and an undeniable vocal similarity to Neil Young, this group is a wonderful, left field surprise.

Track Listing

1. Nonphenomenal lineage
2. A.M 180
3. Collective dreamwish of upperclass elegance
4. Summer here kids
5. Laughing stock
6. Under the Western Freeway
7. Everything beutiful is far away
8. Poisoned at Hartsy Thai Food
9. Go progress chrome
10. Why took your advice
11. Lawn and so on

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #25672 in Music
• Released on: 2000-09-01
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
They claim that their favourite band is ELO, but you wouldn't know it to hear Grandaddy's first full-length album. Indeed, it's only the Californian quintet's beards that suggest any kinship with 1970's pomp-rock. On the evidence of Under The Western Freeway, there's very little worth doing in music that Sebadoh, Pavement and Pixies haven't already done between them. Some people may remember surprise radio hit "AM180", a jaunty clattering exercise in raucous fuzz pop. In its way, it's a typical Grandaddy song: lyrics whose downcast nature you wouldn't notice thanks to his colleagues' freewheeling clatter; and the unmistakeable sound of a band who can't see the point of a studio when you've, like, got a house. And because tracks like "Laughing Stock" and "Collective Dreamwish Of Upperclass Elegance" are stuffed with hooks so big you could pull down the Eiffel Tower with them, you'll forgive them anything. Which is just as well, because those really are terrible beards. --Peter Paphides

Customer Reviews

ah the memories
goodness,is this album really ten years old,i bought it not that long after it was released and recently spun it a few more times to relive the feelings that i had when i first heard it and for the most part those feelings remain.
Grandaddy were band,(they have now split) who wanted to remain on the small time side of life,they refused large record label deals and toured very independently hence fans probably didnt even know that the band were in town so what they wanted they did but in the end it killed them,this debut album is hard to pin down in stles,there are elements of grunge,indie,country and folky moments as well,even poppy segments can be found here.
When you listen to this you are reminded of artists like neil young,mudhonet,weezer,rem and even bands like new order.This album is famous for the song that i have never forgotten in all the years thereafter and thats 'am 180',who doesnt love that song,with its quirky dippy opening to grungey riff and back again.'summer here kids' is also a classic as are 'laughing stock' and a few others to boot,alas the band at times played outside the zone and let a song drag on a minute or two too long and thats annoying but they werent in the industry to do what you expected,a good album but not a masterpiece although masterpiece songs exist within.

Stunningly good!
I'm finding it difficult to describe this - it's just so good. I came across it by reading about Grandaddy on some website or other. My head has become so befuddled by listening to this that I've completely forgotten which website, even though it was only last week! This is stunning. Just absolutely wonderful. I really wish I'd heard this long ago - I've missed some serious enjoyment over the 9 years or so since this was released. One of my favourite albums of all is Neutral Milk Hotel's "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea" - I rate this as highly - yes it's that good!

The music itself manages to be low key and in your face at the same time. I don't understand that either! The whole album is incredibly good right from the opening chords of "Non-phenomenal Lineage" onwards. If you haven't heard this band before then the music can best be described as indie-type music with a fair amount of electronic input (especially "A.M. 180" which you WILL be familiar with if you've seen a current advert for Radio 1 on BBC TV). Folky influences can be heard though they never overpower what is just a great rock album. The vocals of Jason Lytle are similar to Neil Young's though less harsh. The lyrics of the songs are always intelligent. This is grown up music of the best kind.

Standout tracks are "A.M 180", "Collective Dreamwish of Upperclass Elegance", "Summer Here Kids" and best of all the sublime "Everything Beautiful is Far Away". I'd agree with someone who wrote in an earlier review that this track has become one of their favourites already - it's excellent. The whole album's catchy though without any hint of commercialism. I keep finding myself humming bits of "Summer Here Kids" over and over.

Looking into Grandaddy since I first heard this I gather they split last year. What a shame! However at least I can be reconciled with the fact that I haven't heard their other efforts yet, so I have something to look forward to! I also read that their second album is even more highly regarded. It must be pretty impressive if it beats this! I'm waiting for it to be delivered and got home to find the postbox empty. Nuts! Have to wait till I get home from work tomorrow.

Trust me if you don't know Grandaddy, just go out and buy this. Absolutely fabulous!

Could it be ... my favourite of all ?
Five stars is not enough, I award a special crown, and a trumpet & some turkish delight.
I'm so glad I missed my trip into town.
Big Mountains, Big Love