Customer Rating: 
Summary: The album that made me a fan
Comment: I work with a youth group doing running the multimedia equipment so I have been aware of Switchfoot long before this album. But this album, the first on the Columbia label, really defined who this band is. The production quality, the playing, and the song writing are all top notch. The songs really get me to think and there really isn't too much else like this out there. Songs like "This Is Your Life" and "Dare You To More" make me stop and think and I really take the time to take in the words.
Of all the Switchfoot albums that came before and after this is the most consistent and there are no fillers here. If you were going to buy just one Switchfoot album this would be the one to get.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A beautiful letdown indeed... without the letdown part
Comment: Switchfoot is my favorite band. 'The Beautiful Letdown' is my favorite album of theirs. Why? Well, I would say it's because every single song is absolutely incredible. Whether it just sounds awesome, has a really important, relevant, and occasionally convicting message, or all of the above, each and every song is very important to me. The styles of the songs is pretty varied too, as you have a quicker, more guitar-heavy "Meant to Live" contrasting with a slower, acoustic centered "Twenty-Four" and also a song like "This Is Your Life" which is a little slow but has a really cool bass part. Aside from just sounding amazing, each song has a really cool and worthwhile message. It's hard for me to do detailed reviews on music so I'll keep this one quick. My last words for you, reader of this review, is that this is one of the best albums ever made and now that it's so cheap, you have nothing to lose in buying it even if you don't end up loving it as much as I do.
Customer Rating:
Summary: THE BEAUTIFUL LETDOWN (COLUMBIA RECORDS/2003)
Comment: REVIEW: For their first major label debut, San Diego's own Switchfoot went all-out in crafting a truly majestic album of hard-core alternative rock. Lyrically, the tracks "Meant To Live", "This Is Your Life", "More Than Fine", "Dare You To Move", "Gone", and "The Beautiful Letdown" are trenchant commentaries that should strike the heart of every listener in need of a "reality check" when it comes to the strain and temptations of modern life and how it pulls the soul further and further away from God. But apart from the (somewhat) somber tone of those tracks: Switchfoot never forgets to add a good dollop of humor to their potent blend of Christianity and hard rock. "Gone" and "Adding To The Noise" are comedic in tone even though the words are just as cautionary as the more overt statements made by "The Beautiful Letdown" or the heart-on-the-sleeve spiritualism of "On Fire" and "Twenty-Four". Ah, if only more artists were willing to craft songs like these: songs that actually MEAN something instead of the typical "I-love-my-girlfriend/I-love-my-boyfriend/So-let's-get-it-on", etc. lyrics that may get your booty shaking, yet leaves your soul out in the cold when it comes to anything spiritually worthwhile. ANOTHER BIG PLUS: the cover photo shot is awesome!!! HARSH LANGUAGE: None. VIOLENCE: None. SEXUAL REFERENCES: None.
THE MORAL COMPASS: These guys are really, really good at what they do; and "THE BEAUTIFUL LETDOWN" will certainly go down in musical history as one of the highlights of the modern rock era. Lead singer/songwriter Jonathan Foreman has an incredible knack for dispensing Christian theology into a workable, understandable, and rational plea for internal, Spirit-filled change. By coming on so subtle yet so forceful: the band's love of Christ is shown even more strongly than if they were to say His name every other word or so. And it is this approach that really helps to draw neophyte Christians and non-Christians alike into a simple, down-to-earth understanding of what it means to be filled with the Spirit of God. The fact that millions upon millions of kids have listened to (or are currently listening to) Switchfoot's music only goes to show that Christianity (if presented in truth and in love) is a universally binding force that encourages all of us to seek that higher way of life as exemplified by Christ Jesus who died for us, and who rose from the dead so that we too can have a new and better existence than this "world has to offer". As such "THE BEAUTIFUL LETDOWN" is a great album; and one that deserves a strong, strong ACCEPTABLE rating (and then some) for its content.
HIGHEST BILLBOARD ALBUM CHART POSITION: Number 16.
HIGHEST CHRISTIAN ALBUM CHART POSITION: Number 1
HIGHEST INTERNET ALBUM CHART POSITION: Number 16
HIT SINGLES:
"Dare You To Move" (BILLBOARD: Number 17, MODERN ROCK TRACKS: Number 9, ADULT CONTEMPORARY: Number 38)
"Meant To Live" (BILLBOARD: Number 18, MODERN ROCK TRACKS: Number 5)
"This Is Your Life" (MODERN ROCK TRACKS: Number 30)
Customer Rating:
Summary: New to Switchfoot but it is great so far
Comment: Every song on this is wonderful. So much so that my wife and daughter are going to use "This is Your Life" as a lyrical dance number for their dance troupe they currently take at a dance company. The Christian radio station I listen to still plays "Dare You To Move" so I guess recordings since that CD haven't been up to par with The Beautiful Letdown. My only criticism is that the lyrics could be more specific to Jesus as they are a Christian band but they are appealing to a wider audience.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Another amazing album
Comment: I've always been a fan of Switchfoot from their very first album, and this is no different. Wonderful!
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