Search - Rex Daisy :: Guys & Dolls

The band that might have band (or "the little band that coul

R. Sobkoviak | Chicagoland, USA | 12/26/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I was one of the few that got to see these guys perform as The Crawdaddies when they first started out playing frat parties around Drake University in Des Moines. Later when they became Rex Daisy and started playing bars, I played their songs on the radio at 103.3 KFMG. "Stuck on AM" was on one of the KFMG "Local Licks" compilation CDs or a benefit CD or something...it's a pretty decent tune, and we gave it a lot of airplay. "Welcome Back" is from one of the Pravda "Super Smash Explosions" compilations and was always a crowd pleaser. The best songs on this album are "Brand New Friend" and my favorite, the old Crawdaddies standard, "Bottom O' The World". These guys left Des Moines for Minneapolis and became the next Trip Shakespeare, but their big time recording contract never panned out--otherwise we'd be hearing them on the radio still today. A fun group of guys that made music that people really liked a lot...that was Rex Daisy."

Unpolished, in a Good Way

JT | Chicago, IL | 03/30/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Rex Daisy isn't your basic overproduced pop combo. You won't hear these songs on the radio, but that's generally a good thing. These guys are the grownup version of the best garage band you went to see in high school.



Highlights include: the album's opener, "Stooge," gets going with an hard-edged guitar. "OK, Casey" channels Marshall Crenshaw. In fact, you can hear a lot of the band's influences throughout the album, from The Who to Alex Chilton to even (dare I say) The Monkees in their pop-friendlier moments. As noted by another reviewer, the live version of "Welcome Back" (the theme from "Welcome Back Kotter") is a delight.



Fans of 90s'-era Minneapolis rock should not be without this album. And Rex Daisy fans should also seek out the soundtrack to the movie Dummy -- RD guitar/vocalist Mike Ruekberg wrote most of that film's terrific songs."