Year : 1989
Style : Sleaze Glam Hard Rock
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans + Videos
Size : 134 mb
Bio:
Dangerous Toys is an Austin, Texas-based rock band with often humorous lyrics.Founded in 1987, Dangerous Toys released four full-length albums and one live album before unofficially disbanding at the turn of the millennium.Their major label debut, Dangerous Toys, was released in May 1989, and featured the singles "Teas'n, Pleas'n" and "Scared". The album was certified as a Gold Record by RIAA in 1994.In 2006, "Teas'n, Pleas'n" was covered by Shadows Fall on their compilation album Fallout from the War, featuring guest vocals from Toys' vocalist Jason McMaster. Although Dangerous Toys continue to perform live to this day, the band has not released any new material since 1995.Dangerous Toys was formed in October 1987. Jason McMaster, singer for Watchtower, was invited by Tim Trembley to join his band, Onyxx, as singer. Onyxx included Scott Dalhover (guitar), Mark Geary (drums) and Mike Watson (bass).In 1988, now calling themselves Dangerous Toys, the band was signed to Columbia Records after a publishing representative had signed them to a deal in March at South-By-Southwest.Soon afterwards Tim Trembley left the band, and they were without a second guitarist. On their eponymous debut album, produced by Max Norman (Megadeth, Ozzy Osbourne) Scott Dalhover played all the guitar tracks. Shortly before its release, guitarist Danny Aaron joined. Though he did not play on the album, he appears on the back cover.The track "Demon Bell (The Ballad Of Horace Pinker)" appeared on the soundtrack for the 1989 Wes Craven movie Shocker.In 1991, their second album, Hellacious Acres, was released. It was produced by Roy Thomas Baker, who had produced albums for several major rock artists (The Cars, Queen, Journey). Acres featured the singles "Sticks And Stones" and "Line 'Em Up." Unfortunately, neither song charted as a hit, the album sold poorly, and the 1991 summer tour with Judas Priest, Alice Cooper, Motörhead and Metal Church folded after 10 weeks as the summer's biggest flop. Soon after, the band was dropped from CBS.In 1992, Danny Aaron left the band, and was replaced by Kevin Fowler. Fowler never played on a Dangerous Toys album, but he did tour with the band - performing in over 200 live shows during 1993. In January 1994, Paul Lidel of Dirty Looks, a hard rock band from Erie, Pennsylvania, replaced Fowler.The third Dangerous Toys album, Pissed (DMZ/Dos/Antones [USA], Bullet Proof [Europe]. 1994), was full of pent up anger, bile, and venom. The band's lyrics and attitude became harsher, and the music had a darker tone, with song titles like "Loser" and "Hard Luck Champion."In 1994, just after they finished recording the Pissed album, bassist Mike Watson was replaced by Michael Hannon from Salty Dog (Geffen). Hannon toured with the band, performing in over 200 shows during 1994 and 1995.After touring, Hannon left, so Jason McMaster played bass in addition to doing lead vocals. The band considered changing their name, but stuck with Dangerous Toys, even poking fun at their name on the title of their fourth (and final) studio album to date; The R-tist 4-merly Known as Dangerous Toys (DMZ/Dos/Antones. 1995). The humor backfired: fan reaction was not favorable, and the album barely sold.In 1999 Dangerous Toys released a live album, Vitamins and Crash Helmets Tour-Live Greatest Hits (Deadline/Cleopatra). After that, band activity slowed.Singer Jason McMaster performs in various Austin-based rock-bands, including Sad Wings, Capricorn USA, and Broken Teeth a band formed in 1999, with Dangerous Toys guitarist Paul Lidel. Lidel left Broken Teeth in 2006, and now writes and performs with Adrenaline Factor, Jokerville, and 99 Crimes. Lidel is also a music instructor who trains future would-be guitar rockstars. Drummer Mark Geary and bassist Mike Watson record and perform in an Austin-based heavy metal band called Proof Of Life.In 2001, they played a few shows in their hometown of Austin, Texas and in Tokyo, Japan, rejoined by their original bassist, Mike Watson. They reunited for another set of live shows in Austin and Tokyo during February 2003, Austin in May 2005, and at Bat Fest (an annual Austin event) with Rhino Bucket in September 2006. Portions of the 2006 show were recorded, and initially intended for release as XX, a 20-year career retrospective CD/DVD. The XX project was postponed indefinitely in mid-2007. The band was also rumored to be working on a new album during this period,but nothing has come out of it.In 2007, Dangerous Toys recorded a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's hit song Simple Man for An All Star Tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd, (Deadline/Cleopatra). Also in 2007, they performed an unannounced short set at the end of a show featuring the members current bands (Adrenaline Factor, Proof of Life and Broken Teeth).In 2008 they performed a handful of shows. Most notable was a 20th Anniversary show in Austin, TX, on November 8, with all original band members.In March 2012, McMaster married photographer Kate Patten in a private ceremony in West Hollywood, CA.Though not a full-time ongoing band, Dangerous Toys still regroup and perform at least one live show every year. The band is still active as of 2017.Despite the fact that they have not released an album since 1995's The R*tist 4*merly Known as Dangerous Toys, frontman Jason McMaster has stated in interviews that the band has no plans to release any new material.In 2017, it was announced that Dangerous Toys had signed a deal with EMP Label Group, the label of Megadeth bassist David Ellefson to reissue remastered versions of several of the band's catalog releases including Pissed, The R*tist 4*merly Known as Dangerous Toys, and XX: Live, the release PISSED, will be released September 8 on Vinyl LP, Picture Disc, and CD.
Album:
Dangerous Toys is the debut album by Texas hard rock band Dangerous Toys, released in 1989. It includes the singles "Teas'n Pleas'n" and "Scared," the former covered by Shadows Fall on Fallout from the War, the latter a tribute to Alice Cooper. "Sportin' a Woody" was also released as a single to promote the album.Although second guitarist Danny Aaron is pictured on the album's back cover and credited for playing, he does not play on the album. Tim Trembley left Dangerous Toys before the recording sessions began, leaving Scott Dalhover their only guitarist, who played all guitar parts on the album.Dangerous Toys remains the band's best-selling album, having been certified gold by the RIAA in 1994, and receiving their highest chart position in the United States at number 65.When I think back to the time that I discovered Dangerous Toys’ self titled debut album, I can specifically remember my local music store having a Columbia / CBS Records cardboard display promoting those companies’ recent musical releases. From memory, those albums were of course Dangerous Toys’ debut, Love/Hate’s Blackout In The Red Room, Ozzy Osbourne’s Just Say Ozzy and I think an album by a band called The Front. I do remember the album had a yellow and blue cover. Anyway, this would indicate that the year was at least 1990, some time after the Dangerous Toys release.I had ventured into the music store to purchase Love/Hate’s Blackout In The Red Room after hearing the title track and “Why Do You Think They Call It Dope?”. However, another album also caught my eye purely because of a crazy looking clown / jack-in-the-box type thing adorning the cover artwork. I perused the song titles and thought it sounded fun. So I took a chance and purchased the album. If you are like me, and occasionally go out on a whim by purchasing an album without ever hearing the band before, or even knowing who they are, then you would understand the rush and anticipation it gives you — a musical lucky dip if you will. Over the years, I have had varying degrees of success using this method and Dangerous Toys’ self titled album is definitely one of those success stories.“Teas’n, Pleas’n” starts the album off in fine fashion with a simple riff bringing the groove, before the drums hit and Jason McMaster’s banshee howl sends a chill up your spine. The ascending verse guitar chords are also really cool and lyrically, “Teas’n, Pleas’n” gives us the first sample of the tongue-in-cheek humor that will be prevalent on the rest of the album. The next song “Scared” is dedicated to Alice Cooper and continues with the simple straight up rock riffs. McMaster’s vocals are more subdued this time around showing us that he has the ability to transition between styles to suit the song, or even apply multiple styles into the one song, which will occur later on the album. Of note, Mike Watson’s bass playing on the song, as well as on the whole album is great. If you listen really closely, you will hear little nuances that compliment the guitars. It’s not often that bass players get more credit than guitarists, but on “Scared”, Watson is playing and doing so much more than the guitars that it is worth a special mention.One of my favorites — “Bones In The Gutter” — another great rocker, is next and tells the story of someone being engaged to perform a hit on a ‘fatted calf — a rich fat lady with diamonds and rocks’. Here in Australia, we use a lot of slang to describe things and I would probably credit Dangerous Toys’ lyrics with introducing me to American slang and euphemisms. The lyrics are so clever that you cannot determine whether to take them seriously with a bit of menace or whether they are supposed to be comedy gold. Either way, I love them. “Take Me Drunk” starts with an ascending and descending riff before a wailing guitar lead break takes us to the verse. Sleazy lyrics about the ability of alcohol to change a girls mind provide more humorous anecdotes possibly based on real life band experiences.Next is “Feels Like A Hammer” which would be classified as the album’s ballad. Simple guitar chords and mid-tempo drums play second fiddle to McMaster’s vocals which this time around, are presented in a style somewhere between his normal singing voice and his high pitched shrieking. As much as I hate to say it, “Feels Like A Hammer” is my least favorite track on the album and ultimately lacks any real energy, making it quite boring. Thankfully, “Sport’n A Woody” takes us back to energetic, straight up rocking with fun lyrics. A pounding drum intro and another great riff with lead break, takes us on an enjoyable romp with a lyrical topic matter that has definitely influenced the likes of Steel Panther. Six songs down on the album and I can state that as a lyricist, Jason McMaster is a dirty little bastard who has his mind firmly in the gutter and a vocabulary entrenched in innuendo. I love it.For me, the highlight of the album and possibly my most favorite song overall by Dangerous Toysis track seven, “Queen Of The Nile”. All humor aside, “Queen Of The Nile” should have been released as a single and I am bewildered why it never got that opportunity. The lyrics are commercially accessible and the main riff is just phenomenal with its mixture of chords and arpeggio. The guitar solos are great, the lyrical topic matter is a welcome change of pace and the song ending has McMaster channeling a bit of Axl Rose. The next song is “Outlaw” which bursts out of the gates and contains more lyrical genius. The guitars during the verses have always impressed me on this song. One guitar plays a chugging power chord structure while the second guitar squeals its own riff underlining the vocals. Everything just fits so perfectly. Backing vocals are also used well on the song, brought forward in the mix when necessary but mainly providing more depth to McMaster’s vocals in the background on the choruses.“Here Comes Trouble” starts off with a nice guitar arpeggio giving us the impression that we might be in for another ballad, but the song quickly morphs into another straight up rocker. A short return to a variation arpeggio prior to the guitar solo provides a welcome deviation from the typical song structure. The album is rounded off by “Ten Boots (Stompin’)” and “That Dog.” “Ten Boots (Stompin’)” is another one of my favorites. How can you go wrong when writing an ode to your favorite pair of shoes? The guys from Dangerous Toys are from Texas so most likely they were born with cowboy boots on, completely justifying their usage unlike the glam rock fraternity. “That Dog” closes out the album with another rollicking rock song full of cool riffs and great lead breaks.If I had to describe Dangerous Toys’ sound in one word, it would probably be ‘gritty’. The debut album isn’t overly produced and even though there were several songs that had video clips played regularly on MTV, the band didn’t really fit in with the commercialized glam bands that were big at the time. That appealed to be because my tastes started to head towards heavier music and Dangerous Toys provided a somewhat midpoint transition to that. Vocalist Jason McMaster’s voice is an acquired taste, landing somewhere between a style similar to Axl Rose, Tom Keifer and Dizzy Dean Davidson. But when he is not screeching, his straight up singing voice is actually pretty good, with the layering of the vocals on the album providing a real fullness and warmth to the sound. Guitar wise, Scott Dalhover, who plays all the guitars on the album, absolutely kills it. From groovy riffs to frenetic solos and melodic nuances, he was definitely laying claim to becoming one of the next big names in guitar playing.Unfortunately for Dangerous Toys, they appeared at the tail end of the ’80s when musical tastes were beginning to change, and a whole new genre of music was taking over the airwaves and MTV. By the ’90s, I was into bands like Megadeth and Slayer, but despite my defection from hard rock and glam, I remained a fan of Dangerous Toys and continued to pick up all of their subsequent releases.
Line Up:
Jason McMaster - vocals - See also: Cassius King, Evil United, Howling Sycamore, Ignitor, Broken Teeth, Spastic Ink, Dirty Looks, Kids in Satan’s Service, Killa Maul, Sad Wings, ex-Watchtower, ex-Accept (live), ex-Armored Saint (live), ex-Assalant, ex-Big Balls, ex-Capricorn USA, ex-Cygnus and the Sea Monsters, ex-DeNiroSmith, ex-Fallen Angel, ex-Gähdzilla Motor Company, ex-Godzilla Motor Company, ex-Killin' Time, ex-Rampage, ex-SSIK, ex-Terminal 46, ex-The Union Underground
Scott Dalhover - guitar
Mike Watson - bass, backing vocals
Danny Aaron - guitar, backing vocals (credited, but did not play)
Mark Geary - drums
Additional musicians:
Paula Salvatore - backing vocals on "Feels Like a Hammer"
and Simms Ellison
Production:
Max Norman - producer, engineer, mixing at Record Plant, Los Angeles
Aaron Isaacs, Bruce Barris - assistant engineers
Bob Ludwig - mastering at Masterdisk, New York
Tracklist:
01. Teas’n, Pleas’n
02. Scared
03. Bones In The Gutter
04. Take Me Drunk
05. Feels Like A Hammer
06. Sport’n A Woody
07. Queen Of The Nile
08. Outlaw
09. Here Comes Trouble
10. Ten Boots (Stompin’)
11. That Dog
+ Video "Teas’n, Pleas’n" (Official Video)
+ Video "Scared" (Official Video)
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
