Daisies of the Galaxy

Daisies of the Galaxy is the third studio album by American rock band Eels. It was released on February 28, 2000, in the United Kingdom, and March 14 in the United States, by record label DreamWorks.

Daisies of the Galaxy
Studio album by Eels
Released	February 28, 2000 (2000-02-28)
Recorded	March–October 1999
Studio	Onehitsville, Conway Studios Hollywood
Genre	Indie rock indie pop
Length	44:18
Label	DreamWorks
Producer	E
Eels chronology
Electro-Shock Blues (1998) Daisies of the Galaxy (2000) Souljacker (2001)
Singles from Daisies of the Galaxy
"Mr. E's Beautiful Blues" Released: February 14, 2000 "Flyswatter" Released: June 5, 2000 "Jeannie's Diary" Released: 2000 (promo)

Production

When the band's label requested that a clean version of "It's a Motherfucker" be recorded, the song was re-written as "It's a Monster Trucker", with modified lyrics and sound clips of lead singer Mark Oliver "E" Everett speaking "trucker lingo" on a CB radio.^[1]

Release

Daisies of the Galaxy reached number eight in the UK Albums Chart.^[2] The single "Mr. E's Beautiful Blues" peaked at number 11 in the UK Singles Chart;^[3] the second single to be released from the album, "Flyswatter", charted at number 55.^[2]

The single "Flyswatter" reached number 55 on the UK Singles Chart.^[4] It was later covered by the indie pop trio Smoosh.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
Entertainment Weekly	A−[6]
The Guardian	[7]
Los Angeles Times	[8]
Melody Maker	[9]
NME	9/10[10]
Q	[11]
Rolling Stone	[12]
Spin	6/10[13]
Uncut	[14]

Daisies of the Galaxy received a generally favorable response from critics.

Fred Kovey of PopMatters called it "a fine pop record in an era that seems uninterested in pop unless it’s marketed with dance steps and a quicky [sic] bio. Though not the equal of the best work of Stephen Merritt [sic] or Elliot Smith [sic], Daisies of the Galaxy is worthy of attention by alterna-pop fans and anyone else desperate for catchy music for grown-ups."^[15]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote: "Unlike its predecessor, the album doesn't play like [E's] private diary; instead, it feels as if one is rummaging through his sketchbook. And, like many sketchbooks, some moments have blossomed, and others remain just intriguing, unformed ideas. For the dedicated, it's worth sifting through the album to find the keepers, since there are enough moments of quirky genius. But not all longtime fans will find this rewarding, since [E] has spent more time in creating mood than crafting songs. There are very few melodies that resonate like his best work, and the stripped-down, yet eccentric production – sounding much like a cross between Jon Brion and Beck – never feels realized."^[5]

In a retrospective review for Stylus Magazine, Ben Woolhead described Daisies of the Galaxy as "a very special collection of songs indeed".^[16]

Track listing

All songs written by E, except as indicated.

1. "Grace Kelly Blues" – 3:38
2. "Packing Blankets" – 2:07
3. "The Sound of Fear" – 3:33
4. "I Like Birds" – 2:35
5. "Daisies of the Galaxy" – 3:27
6. "Flyswatter" – 3:20
7. "It's a Motherfucker"^[17] – 2:14
8. "Estate Sale" (E and Peter Buck) – 1:36
9. "Tiger in My Tank" – 3:07
10. "A Daisy Through Concrete" – 2:26
11. "Jeannie's Diary" – 3:37
12. "Wooden Nickels" – 2:55
13. "Something Is Sacred" – 2:52
14. "Selective Memory" – 2:44
15. "Mr. E's Beautiful Blues" (E and Michael Simpson) – 3:58 (hidden track)

Japanese bonus track

16. "Birdgirl on a Cell Phone" – 3:09

Personnel

Eels Butch – drums, backing vocals E – vocals, guitar, electric bass, Wurlitzer organ, production, sleeve art direction, mixing Additional musicians David Alvarez – drums Peter Buck – guitar Wayne Bergeron – horn Chris Bleth – horn Andy Martin – horn Grant-Lee Phillips – guitar

Technical Wally Gagel – engineering, mixing Jim Lang – engineering, horn and string arrangements, mixing Bob Ludwig – mastering Mickey Petralia – programming, engineering Francesca Restrepo – sleeve design and art direction Jeffrey Shannon – engineering Michael Simpson – production, engineering, mixing James Stone – engineering Adrian Tomine – sleeve illustrations

Charts

Sales chart performance for Daises of the Galaxy

Chart (2000)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[18]	38
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[19]	8
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[20]	34
French Albums (SNEP)[21]	40
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[22]	49
Irish Albums (IRMA)[23]	24
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[24]	21
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[25]	69
UK Albums (OCC)[26]	8

Certifications

Sales certifications for Daisies of the Galaxy

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[27]	Gold	35,000‡
Belgium (BRMA)[28]	Gold	25,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[29]	Gold	100,000^
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.