Under the Western Freeway

Under the Western Freeway is the debut studio album by American indie rock band Grandaddy. It was released on October 21, 1997, by record label Will.

Under the Western Freeway
Studio album by
Grandaddy
ReleasedOctober 21, 1997
RecordedFloater, Modesto & Headcorders, Coulterville, California
Genre
Length46:47
LabelWill
ProducerJason Lytle
Grandaddy chronology
A Pretty Mess by This One Band
(1996)		 Under the Western Freeway
(1997)		 Signal to Snow Ratio
(1999)
Singles from Under the Western Freeway
  1. "Everything Beautiful Is Far Away"
    Released: February 1998
  2. "Laughing Stock"
    Released: March 1998
  3. "Summer Here Kids"
    Released: May 1998
  4. "A.M. 180"
    Released: October 1998

The album, while not commercially successful, was well received by music critics.

Release

Under the Western Freeway was released on October 21, 1997. It was later reissued in the U.S. by V2 Records.[2] It was also reissued in 2017 by Friendship Fever for its 20th anniversary.[3]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
The Guardian[5]
NME8/10[6]
Pitchfork9.6/10[7]
Q[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[9]
Uncut9/10[10]
The Village VoiceA−[11]

The album was well received by music critics.

CMJ New Music Monthly described it as "an eccentric psych-pop collection".[12] Andy Gill of The Independent called it "one of the most beguiling debuts of the year [...] a fortuitous collision of Brian Wilson, Neil Young and the Pixies which throws out a stream of understated pop gems".[13] AllMusic noted similarities to the bands Pavement and Weezer, and described it as "a fairly brilliant album, combining a warm, earnest and rustic feel with sometimes goofy experimentation".[4] Frontman Jason Lytle's vocal performance was also praised; Jason Josephes of Pitchfork wrote: "If the lonely vocals of 'Lineage' and 'Collective Dreamwish of Upperclass Elegance' don't strike you there, you have no soul".[7] Steve Taylor wrote in his book The A to X of Alternative Music that "Laughing Stock" is the album's standout track.[14]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jason Lytle

No.TitleLength
1."Nonphenomenal Lineage"3:11
2."A.M. 180"3:20
3."Collective Dreamwish of Upperclass Elegance"5:26
4."Summer Here Kids"3:35
5."Laughing Stock"6:00
6."Under the Western Freeway"3:01
7."Everything Beautiful Is Far Away"5:13
8."Poisoned at Hartsy Thai Food"1:13
9."Go Progress Chrome"2:31
10."Why Took Your Advice"4:07
11."Lawn & So On" (The song "Lawn & So On" ends at 2:20. After 1 minute and 45 seconds of silence, at minute 4:05 begins an untitled hidden track: it's the singing of crickets.)9:05
Japanese version bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
1."Levitz (Birdless)"4:22
2."My Small Love"1:21
3."G.P.C."1:43
4."12-Pak-599"3:56

References
  1. Ankeny, Jason. "Grandaddy– Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  2. Strong, Martin C. (2003). The Great Indie Discography. Canongate. p. 773. ISBN 1-84195-335-0.
  3. "Grandaddy • Friendship Fever". Friendship Fever. Retrieved 2021-08-03.
  4. Abebe, Nitsuh. "Under the Western Freeway – Grandaddy". AllMusic. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  5. Cox, Tom (November 7, 1997). "Grandaddy: Under the Western Freeway (Big Cat)". The Guardian.
  6. Mulvey, John (November 1, 1997). "Grandaddy – Under The Western Freeway". NME. Archived from the original on October 7, 2000. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  7. Josephes, Jason. "Grandaddy: Under the Western Freeway". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 24, 2001. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  8. Doherty, Niall (November 2017). "Grandaddy: Under the Western Freeway". Q (378): 117.
  9. Harris, Keith (2004). "Grandaddy". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 340. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  10. Wallace, Wyndham (January 2018). "Grandaddy: Under the Western Freeway (20th Anniversary Edition)". Uncut (248): 39.
  11. Christgau, Robert (December 15, 1998). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  12. Martin, Richard A. (February 2001). "Hidden Agenda: Grandaddy's Fake Plastic Trees Can't Obscure How Good They Are". CMJ New Music Monthly: 37–39. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  13. Gill, Andy (November 7, 1997). "Pop Albums: Grandaddy Under the Western Freeway (Big Cat ABB152CD)". The Independent. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  14. Taylor, Steve (2004). The A to X of Alternative Music. Continuum. p. 119. ISBN 0-8264-7396-2.


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