Reo Speedealer

Speedealer

Royalty Records, 1996

http://speedealerband.com

REVIEW BY: Sean McCarthy

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 05/25/1999

Voted Dallas' best new act of 1995 by the Dallas Observer, REO Speedealer (the band changed their name to Speedealer) is a blasting jolt of punk and trash rock. From the reviews of their live shows, this is one of those bands where you either immerse yourself in the pits and get worked by a bunch of rabid fans or you utilize your remaining brain cells and find a place to see the carnage all while nursing gin and tonics.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

But that's live. And I can't fight this feeling any more... this album sucks. Sure they're loud, and sure, I did get a chuckle out of seeing some of the song titles. "Wow! They actually had one song clearly marked on this album, 'Double Clutchin' Finger Fuckin'," I exclaimed to my roommate. But that novelty usually runs its course after a few minutes. Songs like "Crank Bait" and "Cocaine Dave" basically speak for themselves.

True to the punk form, most of the songs on their self-titled album run under three minutes. The songs are also fairly indistinguishable. The songs may be high energy and may be a blast to hear at one of the shows when you're too trashed to care what they're plaing as long as you can mosh into a couple of unsuspecting victims. But an at home listening experience is another issue.

When you're listening to this at home, all you're reminded of is how there're so many other bands out there that do the same damn thing as REO Speedealer. Most of the bands may be playing at your local tavern right about now. So do yourself a favor, save the cash and show some love to your local music scene.

As for Speedealer, changing the name of the band may mean the first stab at trying to establish yourself as a fairly legitimate musical talent. Maybe they're taking the route to success as the Replacements did (release a couple of unlistenable albums then get a rhythm going and write decent songs). But right now, REO Speedealer can be left on the shelves.

Rating: D

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


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© 1999 Sean McCarthy and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Royalty Records, and is used for informational purposes only.