Tripping Daisy
Tripping Daisy
(2000) Good Records

This disc was scheduled to be released in November, 1999. Plans changed after Daisy guitarist Wes Berggren died just before Halloween. Obviously this tragic event took the wind right out of Daisy's sails and stunned their fans. In December, Tim Delaughter announced that Berggren was too big an element of the spirit that made the band to replace... so the surviving members decided to close the door on Daisy and move on. Band members will continue to run Good Records and produce new releases from their own future projects and from bands they like.

Thus, Tripping Daisy the album is an unintended posthumous release. Originally planned to be a 12 song release, Daisy added 2 additional tracks shortly after Berggren's death: 'Community Mantra' (the last tune they recorded with Berggren) and 'Soothing Jubilee' (a previously unfinished track completed with the help of Don Berggren - Wes' Dad - playing a Fender Rhodes). The extra tracks plus a "secret" track tacked on to the end of track 14, makes Tripping Daisy 60 minutes long; an hour of pure joy despite the sadness surrounding it.

One thing that has always struck me about Daisy, though you never see it mentioned in reviews, is how optomistic their music is. These guys felt good about life and let this feeling flow through the music they created. Somehow they pulled this off without lame Bobby McFerrin-style 'Don't Worry Be Happy' mundanity. They somehow managed to avoid angst and trendy self-loathing. I can think of only two Daisy songs that were even close to the brooding cynical subject matter of their '90s industry peers: 'Triangle' on Bill and 'Prick' on i am an Elastic Firecracker.

Daisy were a happy-go-lucky bunch to be sure but they always managed to rock with intensity. I've always enjoyed this about them. It's nice not to have to reach back ten years or more to find upbeat psychedelic guitar rock with generally positive lyrics. Tripping Daisy the album is no exception. From the opening tracks 'Community Mantra' and 'Kids are Calling' midway thru to 'Stella is a Planet' and the remake of Bill's 'One Through Four' clear thru to the closer 'The Sudden Shift Worried Him'... each and every track is a celebration of the vital playful energy in us all. This isn't to say Daisy never wrote a melancholy song... they most certainly did, even here. Tracks like 'Drama Day Weekend' and 'Tragiverse' contain hints of sadness within them as do several earlier Daisy tunes. But where frustration is the back drop of, say, a Nirvana song... hope is what's woven into a Daisy song. This is a beautiful thing! It makes you smile and, let's face it, smiling's fun.

From 'I Am Good': "I'm okay, you're okay, we're okay / I am good, you are good, we are good". Say no more! So now you know this is happy music, but don't forget to trip out on these well crafted tunes. They are as swirly, mesmerizing and psychedelic as anything Daisy has done. It's hard to accept there will be no new Daisy music or live shows from now on. Wes, you are missed indeed...

As for the demise of the great Tripping Daisy, all I can say is I am hopeful (as always) a collection of their rarities will surface someday. Until then... thanks Daisy, for all the great music!!

–Mattro

2000 © Raptorial Media