Dangerous Toys
Encyclopedia
Dangerous Toys is an Austin, Texas
-based hard rock band with often humorous lyrics. Founded in 1987, Dangerous Toys put out four full-length albums and one live album before unofficially disbanding at the turn of the millennium.
Their major label debut, the Gold-certified
Dangerous Toys featured the singles "Teas N' Pleas N' " and "Scared". In 2006 "Teas N' Pleas N' " was covered by Shadows Fall
(Atlantic Records) on their B-Sides LP Fallout From The War, featuring guest vocals from Toys' vocalist Jason McMaster.
, 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 were signed to Columbia Records
. 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 Balled 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
, and Motörhead folded after 10 weeks as the summer's biggest flop. Soon after, the band was dropped from CBS
.
. 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 San Francisco, 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.
Singer Jason McMaster performs in various Austin-based rock-bands, including Sad Wings, Capricorn USA, and Broken Teeth a band formed in 1999, with Toys guitarist Paul Lidel. Lidel left Broken Teeth in 2006, and now writes and performs with [ Adrenaline Factor]. Lidel is also a music instructor who trains future would be guitar-rock stars. Drummer Mark Geary and bassist Mike Watson record and perform in an Austin-based heavy metal band called Proof Of Life.
Though not a full-time ongoing band, Dangerous Toys still regroup and perform at least one live show every year.
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.
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.
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
-based hard rock band with often humorous lyrics. Founded in 1987, Dangerous Toys put out four full-length albums and one live album before unofficially disbanding at the turn of the millennium.
Their major label debut, the Gold-certified
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
Dangerous Toys featured the singles "Teas N' Pleas N' " and "Scared". In 2006 "Teas N' Pleas N' " was covered by Shadows Fall
Shadows Fall
Shadows Fall is an American heavy metal band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. They are one of the few contemporary metal bands who take their lyrical influence from Eastern philosophy and some references to the Rastafari culture...
(Atlantic Records) on their B-Sides LP Fallout From The War, featuring guest vocals from Toys' vocalist Jason McMaster.
Early days
Dangerous Toys was formed in October 1987. Jason McMaster, singer for WatchtowerWatchtower (band)
WatchTower is an American progressive metal band based in Austin, Texas. The band were influenced by late 1970s progressive rock and acts such as Rush and UK as well as the burgeoning New Wave of British Heavy Metal...
, 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 were signed to Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. Soon afterwards Tim Trembley left the band, and they were without a second guitarist. On their eponymous debut album, produced by Max Norman
Max Norman
Max Norman is a retired record producer and recording engineer in the 1980s and 1990s. He produced many acclaimed heavy metal releases, and was renowned for his top notch production. Max got his "big break" while he was the resident engineer at Ridge Farm Studios in London, England...
(Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
, Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
) 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 Balled Of Horace Pinker) appeared on the soundtrack for the 1989 Wes Craven movie Shocker
Shocker (film)
Shocker is a 1989 horror film written and directed by Wes Craven. The relatively low-budget film has since become a cult classic...
.
In 1991, their second album, Hellacious Acres, was released. It was produced by Roy Thomas Baker
Roy Thomas Baker
Roy Thomas Baker is a multiple award-winning Anglo-American music producer, songwriter, arranger and Recording Academy Governor, who has produced Platinum and Gold certified pop and rock records from the 1970s to the present.- Career :Baker began his career at Decca Records in England at the age...
, who had produced albums for several major rock artists (The Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
, Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, Journey
Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
). 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
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
, Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, and Motörhead folded after 10 weeks as the summer's biggest flop. Soon after, the band was dropped from CBS
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
.
Changing With The Times
In 1992, Danny Aaron left the band, and was replaced by Kevin FowlerKevin Fowler
Kevin Fowler is an American Texas Country artist. He has released five studio albums, and has charted three singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including the top 40 hit "Pound Sign "...
. 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
Dirty Looks (band)
Dirty Looks was a American hard rock band from San Francisco, California.-History:Originally from the Erie, Pennsylvania cover-band Crossfire, the Danish born vocalist/guitarist Henrik Ostergaard and fellow Crossfire band-mate and bassist Jimmy Chartley traveled to San Francisco to form Dirty Looks...
., a hard rock band from San Francisco, replaced Fowler.
The third Dangerous Toys album, Pissed
Pissed (album)
Pissed is the third studio album by the Texas Sleaze/Metal band Dangerous Toys. It was released on March 22nd, 1994.-Track listing:#Pissed 4:10#Pain Train 4:30#The Law is Mine 3:20#Promise the Moon 3:43#Strange 4:17#Loser 3:59...
(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
Salty Dog (Band)
Salty Dog was a hard-rock band formed in late 1986 in Los Angeles by Jimmi Bleacher, Scott Lane, Michael Hannon and Khurt Maier. The band released its first and only major-label record in 1990, titled "Every Dog Has Its Day," composed of all original songs except for a cover of Willie Dixon's...
(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.
Semi-Disbanded
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 Toys guitarist Paul Lidel. Lidel left Broken Teeth in 2006, and now writes and performs with [ Adrenaline Factor]. Lidel is also a music instructor who trains future would be guitar-rock stars. Drummer Mark Geary and bassist Mike Watson record and perform in an Austin-based heavy metal band called Proof Of Life.
Though not a full-time ongoing band, Dangerous Toys still regroup and perform at least one live show every year.
In 2001, they played a few shows in their hometown of Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
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
Rhino Bucket
Rhino Bucket is a hard rock band from Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California.The band was formed in 1988 by Georg Dolivo , Greg Fields , Reeve Downes , and Rick Kubach . This lineup played the Los Angeles rock scene for a year with contemporaries such as Junkyard, The Four Horsemen, Rage Against the...
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.
In 2007, Dangerous Toys recorded a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
'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.
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Label | Billboard Album Chart Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... Peak Position |
Weeks On Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Dangerous Toys Dangerous Toys (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.... |
Columbia | 65 | 36 |
| 1991 | Hellacious Acres Hellacious Acres Hellacious Acres is the second album by heavy metal band Dangerous Toys. It was released in 1991 and produced by Roy Thomas Baker. It includes a cover of Bad Company's "Feel Like Makin' Love."- Track listing :#"Gunfighter"#"Gimme No Lip"... |
67 | 9 | |
| 1994 | Pissed Pissed (album) Pissed is the third studio album by the Texas Sleaze/Metal band Dangerous Toys. It was released on March 22nd, 1994.-Track listing:#Pissed 4:10#Pain Train 4:30#The Law is Mine 3:20#Promise the Moon 3:43#Strange 4:17#Loser 3:59... |
DOS Records (1994) Deadline (2006) |
none | none |
| 1995 | The R*tist 4*merly Known as Dangerous Toys | DMZ Records | none | none |
Live albums
- Vitamins and Crash Helmets Tour - Greatest Hits LiveVitamins and Crash Helmets Tour - Greatest Hits LiveVitamins & Crash Helmets Tour - Greatest Hits Live is the first live album by heavy metal band Dangerous Toys. It was released in 1999.- Track listing :#"Outlaw"#"Take Me Drunk"#"Queen of the Nile"#"Bones in the Gutter"#"Sport'n A Woody"#"Scared"...
(1999 CleopatraCleopatra RecordsCleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label.- History :Founded in 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in gothic rock, hard rock, heavy metal and reissues of out-of-print music...
)
Hits & Compilations
- The Ultimate Dangerous Toys - Sleaze Metal Kings from Texas (2004 Deadline)