Switchfoot The Beautiful Letdown: Special Edition w/ bonus DVD
Artist Info:Discography Album length: 11 tracks: 37 minutes, 36 seconds Street Date: June 22, 2004
In Summer 2002, San Diego rock band Switchfoot recorded their fourth, and arguably their best
album on Sparrow Records. Due to some pending mainstream exposure, the record was delayed from a Fall 2002 release
to a February 2003 release. From there, the 12-song record was trimmed to 11 solid cuts and released to the public who
embraced it with open arms. As one of the best releases of 2003, The Beautiful Letdown is still making an impact
on radio with the hit "Meant To Live." And as what can only be assumed is an attempt to encourage repeat sales of the record,
Columbia Records has re-released the album in June 2004 with a bonus DVD. This review rates the album with the addition
of the DVD, but covers mainly the bonus features. For our full review of the record, written by Blake Garris last February,
please click here.
The special edition re-release of The Beautiful Letdown features a brand new cover, which isn't nearly
as cool as the original, but doubles as a peel-off sticker so if you'd like it better on your locker than in the case, you're
in luck. The CD is exactly the same amazing record fans bought last year, but the bonus DVD adds some fun content for
those who want a little more.
The DVD begins with a making-of featurette of the "Dare You To Move" music video. There're brief interviews with extras
from the video who are all fans and express their love for the band, as well as a few behind-the-scene cut-ups between
the Switchfoot band members. The making-of isn't especially memorable, but it's fun to get an inside look on the filming.
The actual video follows, featuring a slightly more electric intro to the song followed by the same mix heard on the CD.
The story woven throughout the video isn't exactly awe-inspiring, however it does present a good message that encourages
us to go against the flow of the world. When we're not watching the video's main character running through a crowd,
we're shown shots of the band playing on a rooftop in the rain. The music video isn't nearly as intriguing to watch
as the one for "Meant To Live" (which is sorely missing here), but it's definitely worth a viewing.
From there, we're treated to a brief look at Jerome harassing Tim before Jon steps outside a concert venue to
play "On Fire" on his acoustic by himself for a crowd of fans who couldn't get into a sold-out show. The video portion
of the DVD concludes with some excerpts from their independently released Switchfootage DVD that features
the guys surfing, skating, and in the studio set to rough or alternate mixes of some of the songs from The Beautiful Letdown.
The audio-only portion of the DVD features the song "Monday Comes Around" which had appeared on early prereleases
for The Beautiful Letdown but not the final release as well as a live version of "Meant To Live" (which is probably
the same from the Live In San Diego DVD, just minus the video footage. What makes little sense is the audio-only
portion is only playable in a DVD player and just shows a bland screen with the song title. You cannot play this audio
in any regular CD player or without bringing up the menu on a DVD player. Why they couldn't either tack these songs on to the end
of the The Beautiful Letdown CD as bonus tracks is beyond me. Not many will want to pop this DVD into their computer
or DVD player everytime they want to hear these two songs.
Overall, the DVD is a great, although somewhat brief, addition to an already great record. Fans who already have
The Beautiful Letdown CD may want to wait to find this package really cheap or save the money and pick up
the full-length Live In San Diego DVD. One cannot help but wonder why the CD had to be re-released with bonus
content at all besides for commercial purposes. Perhaps a new EP featuring the bonus cut and maybe some live songs
with a bonus DVD would be more fan-friendly, but I suppose it would defeat the purpose of encouraging more sales of
The Beautiful Letdown.
If you don't have The Beautiful Letdown yet, make sure you pick up the new special edition, otherwise,
you may just want to save your hard-earned money for an album you don't already own.
- Review date: 7/5/04, written by John DiBiase
Artist Info:Discography Record Label: Columbia Records
Album length: 11 tracks, 37 minutes and 36 seconds
Street Date: June 22, 2004
Meant To Live
This Is Your Life
More Than Fine
Ammunition
Dare You To Move
Redemption
Beautiful Letdown
Gone
On Fire
Adding To The Noise
Twenty-Four
Bonus DVD:
Making Of "Dare You To Move" video
"Dare You To Move" video
"On Fire" acoustic performance
Some Switchfootage
"Monday Comes Around" (never-before-released track) AUDIO ONLY
Artist Info: 
