Grand Slam (Spiderbait album)

Infobox Album | Name = Grand Slam
Type = Album
Artist = Spiderbait


Released = 1999
Recorded = 1998
Genre = Pop/Rock
Length = 45:23
Label = Polydor Records
Producer = Phil McKellar
Reviews =
Last album = "Ivy and the Big Apples" (1996)
This album = "Grand Slam" (1999)
Next album = "The Flight of Wally Funk" (2001)

"Grand Slam" is Australian band Spiderbait's fourth album. The album marked a significant change for the band sonically, with many of the songs being heavily produced pop sung by bassist Janet English. The remainder of the album was a mix of Alternative rock (sung, as in previous albums, by drummer Kram) and mild Electronica.

Track listing

# "Cracker"
# "Glokenpop"
# "Shazam!"
# "Dinnertime"
# "Plastic"
# "Bessy's Last Journey"
# "Daisy May"
# "White Trash Superstar"
# "Buster"
# "By the Time I Get to Howlong"
# "Stevie"
# "Jellybean Drifter"
# "King of the Northern"
# "Tallygaroopna"
# "Ultralite"
# "Lickety Split"
# "Lost in Adelaide"

The fact Grand Slam was heavily produced was a result of 2 factors - one that Ivy And The Big Apples was a success and a follow up had to be as successful (while remaining artistically satisfying), and two, the changes in the global indie scene where pop was morphing into a version of XTC's Skylarking.

From local bands such as Gaslight Radio, Pollen, Regurgitator (who had proven success with Unit in 1997, a post grunge mid 90's back to pop, and in their case the very popular move then, back to 80's pop). Overseas, it was no different and in 1999, a host of gorgeous pop records were released, from Regurgitator's ...Art (with Quan Yoemans following on from where he and Janet English left off with Happyland), Something For Kate's Beautiful Sharks, Suede's Head Music, Kula Shaker's Peasants, Pigs And Astronauts, Built Tp Spill's Keep It Like A Secret, Liz Phair's whitechocolatespaceegg, Hole's Celebrity Skin, described by Courtney Love as the revenge of power pop on Triple J on air with Sarah MacDonald (add Blur's significant 13 to the mix). Other albums that preceded it were just as significant in turning the tide - Super Furry Animals' Radiator from 1997 and Sparklehorse's Good Morning Spider, among other releases in this era that led to a change in the indie scene to a more fuller evergreen pop firma, all well polished records that found very decent airplay at Triple J and all this, in perspective explains why Spiderbait moved to make Grand Slam.

Commercially, the album ranks only after Ivy And The Big Apple in terms of both sales and airplay, and is artistically, pop or whatever, their most consistent and richly textured album yet. Try listening to Regurgitaor's The Lonely Guy on the back of Jellybean Drifter.