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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk
Grandaddy, for the uninitiated, are best thought of as belonging to a loose association of American bands who have risen to a modest prominence in the lean post-grunge years. Their confederates would include such determined mavericks as Mercury Rev, Flaming Lips, Eels, Beck and New Radicals: acts who share a certain willingness to accommodate as influences not only the music they love but the music they--and the general public--have had no choice but to deal with. Hence, all these bands can evoke the Eagles as much as the Velvet Underground and ELO as easily as Nirvana. Grandaddy's The Sophtware Slump is a fine collection of songs, mostly paced at a melancholic mid-tempo and decorated by queasy low-budget keyboards and songwriter Jason Lytle's eloquently fragile voice. At his most graceful, as on the sparse piano ballad "Underneath The Weeping Willow", Grandaddy sound like the Blue Nile might have if raised in Californian sunshine rather than Glaswegian drizzle--and that's a lovely thing. --Andrew Mueller
Product Description
GRANDADDY The Sophtware Slump (2000 UK 11-track CD album including the singles The Crystal Lake Hewletts Daughter and Hes Simple Hes Dumb Hes The Pilot complete with lyric booklet VVR1012252)
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By Beautiful Freak
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD
Are you feeling open-minded? Then I'll begin. The Sophtware Slump is one of the oddest albums you will ever buy, but what the hell: it's genius. This is an album of contrasts and innovation: lo-fi tunes, pondering lyrics, angsty vocals and great instumentation.
The Crystal Lake and Hewlett's Daughter are both lovely tunes that you may just surprise yourself by singing along to. Next to them nestles the bizarre, sardonic and totally deadpan Jed the Humanoid: with lyrics and delivery ("Jeddy 3 is what we first called him/Then it was Jed/But Jed's system's dead/Therefore so's Jed") that are understated, quirky and yet somehow powerful. There are Meanings in there, folks, and all sorts of emotions lurking: love, loss, bewilderment, but at the same time there's dry humour and an endearing simplicity that makes this unforgetable.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By thomopete3
Format:Audio CD
Read all the other reviews and I concur wholeheartedly with most of them.Don't think I can add a great deal,I just felt compelled to contribute as the album is such a beautiful experience. Personally I preferred this to their debut which,although excellent,doesn't hang together quite as fully as this one. Anyhow,don't want to pick out fave tracks particularly as they change the more I play the album,but I must say that "...Dial a View" takes me away to some place wondrous..
Emotive.Immersive.Melodic.Life-enhancing.Choose your own adjectives,but don't live your live without this profoundly beautiful work of Art !!!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Andy Scully
Format:Audio CD
Except for these words of course. Grandaddy must be one of the most underrated bands of all time but then it's sort of nice that they're a reasonably undiscovered gem. Anyway there are very few albums around that can be classed as a work of art. The Sophtware Slump can. It's a fascinating and charming album. With all the derived formulaic stuff around in the 'indie' world, bands like Grandaddy are a breath of fresh air and discovering albums like this isn't just like discovering a new collection of songs, it's like discovering a new best friend.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By N. Martin
Format:Audio CD
...and I'm wrong. In my earlier review(posted just a few short days ago)I blasted the album for being slow and pondering. However, I decided to give it a second chance and after repeated listenings it has most ceratinly grown on me.
I first realised this when I found myself singing 'He's simple, he's dumb, he's the pilot' to myself at work. At home, 'The Sophtware Slump' has found a home for itself in my stereo. I bounce merrily along to 'Chartsengrafs' and nod sagely along to the wisdom of 'Underneath the Weeping Willow'. I've grown to tolerate 'Jed The Humanoid', and 'Jeds Other Poem' is beautifully written ("You said I'd wake up dead drunk on the side of the road / I called you a liar - but how right you were") - and hearin lies the strength of Grandaddy. The song hooks aren't that obvious at first, but they sow seeds in your brain and subconciously infect you until you submit. The lyrics are also superbly off-kilter ("Tyre scraps on the federal rows look like crash-landed crows" - 'Miner At The Dial-a-View') and make a delicious alternative to the usual 'fell in love with a boy/girl/sheep and then lost them, oh my heart etc' dross that most bands come up with these days.
I still hold to my beliefs that 'Broken Household Appliance National Forest' should never have been created, but all-in-all I now consider this album to be sheer poetry. What are you still reading this for??? Go buy the album now you fools!!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Petay
Format:Audio CD
The Sophtware Slump succeeds on many levels. One, it has one of the most wonderful examples of cover art in Rock History; two, it is a viable and beautiful concept album, and with what a concept; three, It contains some of the most beautiful pop-rock songs ever created by the hand of man.
The concept is a simple one - the conflict of computers and nature, and Grandaddy exploit this to its full. There are paeans to a strange Tulgey Wood-esque landscape littered with "vacuum bags" and "Oily Rags" and populated with deer ('Broken Household Appliance National Forest'), odes to the futility and sadness of science ('Chartsengrafs') and, at the album's core, the story of Jed the Humanoid, a robot created to do good who becomes depressed and dies of alcoholism. The twin songs of 'Jed the Humanoid' and 'Jed's Other Poem' are complex studies of the issue of artificial intelligence, and are far more beautiful and deep than Spielberg's A.I could ever have been.
The cover art reflects these concerns, with broken keyboard keys forming the title and band name over a stunning cold backdrop of mountains and meadows. Wonderful.
In all, a perfect piece of art, one that should adorn any self-respecting music fan's shelf. Unmissable.
The concept is a simple one - the conflict of computers and nature, and Grandaddy exploit this to its full. There are paeans to a strange Tulgey Wood-esque landscape littered with "vacuum bags" and "Oily Rags" and populated with deer ('Broken Household Appliance National Forest'), odes to the futility and sadness of science ('Chartsengrafs') and, at the album's core, the story of Jed the Humanoid, a robot created to do good who becomes depressed and dies of alcoholism. The twin songs of 'Jed the Humanoid' and 'Jed's Other Poem' are complex studies of the issue of artificial intelligence, and are far more beautiful and deep than Spielberg's A.I could ever have been.
The cover art reflects these concerns, with broken keyboard keys forming the title and band name over a stunning cold backdrop of mountains and meadows. Wonderful.
In all, a perfect piece of art, one that should adorn any self-respecting music fan's shelf. Unmissable.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Gigs
Format:Audio CD
I was first captured by the beauty and simplicity of Grandaddy when i heard "he's simple, He's dumb,He's the Pilot" on a Q magazine freeby. Since then i have been drawn willingly into the faintly hallucinagenic world of the band, and Jason Lyttle.
This album is a wonderful mix of the Quirky (Jed The Humanoid),the epic (He's simple,he's dumb,he's the pilot),and the downright gorgeous (Miner at the dial-a-view).The tunes wash over you, leaving the feeling that the world isnt such a bad place afterall. It is the kind of disc which makes you want to take the long route home in the evening, just so you can cram more listening time in. Problem is you will feel so laid back that you'll be driving at approximately 25 mph.
I am now a devoted Grandaddy fan,and have raided Amazon for all other recordings by the band. Each one is an absolute joy. You can try and dissect the meanings, or just lay back and enjoy. Dont just take my word for it, try it! You'll never look back...
This album is a wonderful mix of the Quirky (Jed The Humanoid),the epic (He's simple,he's dumb,he's the pilot),and the downright gorgeous (Miner at the dial-a-view).The tunes wash over you, leaving the feeling that the world isnt such a bad place afterall. It is the kind of disc which makes you want to take the long route home in the evening, just so you can cram more listening time in. Problem is you will feel so laid back that you'll be driving at approximately 25 mph.
I am now a devoted Grandaddy fan,and have raided Amazon for all other recordings by the band. Each one is an absolute joy. You can try and dissect the meanings, or just lay back and enjoy. Dont just take my word for it, try it! You'll never look back...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
My starting point to the legacy of Grandaddy.
This is their 2nd LP, to some it may seem to be a concept album. On the other hand, their genre can be described as Space Rock; Worth a listen just for that!
Published 3 months ago by I write reviews on the toilet
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unique song writing
Excellent songs infused with lyrics of technology and its influence / interaction with man, the Phillip K Dick of musical lyrics. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mr T P Lanetos
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very, very special.
I bought this album jut when I was first getting into music with a new walkmen recently bought. I whacked it on and as this was one of the only albums I had bought at the start, I... Read more
Published 14 months ago by mE
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing band ,amazing album
Grandaddy are , sorry were such an amazing band ,and this album is truly one of their best ,from start to finish it is a wonderful journey of harmonies and cleverly beautiful ,and... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Amy C
5.0 out of 5 stars
Whose the (Grand) Daddy??!!
This album is immense, from start to finish, even the one track on the album im still not entirely sure about after 9 years of near daily listening (Broken household appliance) has... Read more
Published on 19 Sep 2010 by Bertymax
5.0 out of 5 stars
Grandfather of inventive music
I bought this album at the recommendation of a friend who's musical taste I was dubious about. Having listened to this, I have been forced to reconsider! Read more
Published on 6 Aug 2010 by boz
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bring Back Mark & Lard - I want to hear more!
I have just finished listening to this album for about the 100th time & thought it about time to write a review saying how excellent this album is & how it's such a pity that such... Read more
Published on 30 Jan 2010 by Magic Lemur
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very enjoyable
My first taste of Grandaddy and very pleasant it as been too. I came to them via Midlake, which is probably contrary to most other people as I think it was Grandaddy that... Read more
Published on 31 Mar 2008 by alextorres
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Beautiful Concept Album of the Highest Order
Could be a great themed soundtrack from a sci fi movie,could be an early warning of an ecological disaster. Read more
Published on 16 Mar 2007 by There'd be plenty of stars And not too many
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