The Crawdaddys - Crawdaddy Express ( Voxx 1979)

Wild and Primitive Rhythm n Blues In The Manner Of Early Rolling Stones Sound. Excellent Raw Garage n Blues Explosion!!!

In a time of trendy discotheques, bombastic arena rock, and sonic punk barbarisms, the Crawdaddys were truly a peculiarity of the late '70s. The Southern California four-piece rhythm & blues combo, led by two gifted songwriter/guitarists, Steve Potterfand, Ron Silva, who began in the similar garage band the Hitmakers, shrugged off all present scenes and regressed to the past, to a Mersey-era Beatles style. Influenced by '50s R&B masters like Chuck Berry and Little Richard, the Crawdaddys jump-started their own California garage rock scene, which spread widely in the early '80s as more illustrious groups like New York's Chesterfield Kings and London's Barracudas also hiked their guitars up to chest level. Other influences, like the Yardbirds and the Velvet Underground, can be heard in the Crawdaddys' surprising yet sincere sound. (Additional Text: Matt Carlson, All Music Guide)


The Crawdaddys were one of the first bands to emerge out of San Diego's burgeoning '60s revival scene. They predated a lot of other bands, since they began in 1978, and with a constant change in membership revolving around group leader Ron Silva, they gave members to many bands that followed in their wake like the Tell-Tale Hearts. They only released one actual full-length LP back in 1980 called Crawdaddy Express
Probably the most influential band out of San Diego (even R.E.M. said their version of "There She Goes Again" was patterned after The Crawdaddys') this band pretty much started the "garage" revival single-handedly. Crawdaddy Express (1979) contains all the band's recordings released during their lifetime (the first one) including their 4x5 EP and 45 ("Why Don't You Smile Now"). Their sound puts new meaning to the term "purist." I don't think it would be possible to get a more authentic 1963 beat sound. If you like music along the lines of the Pretty Things and early Stones, this is an absolute must. Recorded straight to 4-track, songs like "I Can Never Tell" and "I'm Movin' On" smoke with Ron Silva's harp playing adding fuel to the fire.(Additional Text: San Diego Weekly)