D.A.D. (DISNEYLAND AFTER DARK) "No Fuel Left For The Pilgrims" (1989)
by Freelance Writer Mick Stingley

Okay, now these guys are not Swedish, but they are Danish. I like Denmark. I dated a girl from Denmark for a short time and still think of her. She liked these guys. Probably slept with all of them, but she was "rad", a word I used a lot in the 80's.

Cover: 10 Marmadukes Out Of 10.
This is cool. Simple, slick. There are the four band members looking somewhat dejected, and the singer is holding an empty(?) can of gasoline that says, "No Fuel Left For The Pilgrims", which I can tell you is a reference to the ongoing problems in The Middle East. Though they have long hair and look like Hollywood prettyboys, they are seriously concerned about something. This is almost a precursor to the grunge thing. So that tells me these guys were ahead of their time. Also, the cover is shot in a sort of sepia-tone. Very cool.

Booklet: 8 Marmadukes Out Of 10.
Lyrics, pix, info and even little cartoon caricatures of the band members. No naked Danish girls, or even half-naked Danish girls. Minus two points...

Songs: 9 Marmadukes Out Of 10.
Great little rockers, interesting lyrics. It's not "Appetite For Destruction", but they have something to offer. The singer sounds like he smokes a pack of cigs for breakfast...not the run-of-the-mill 80's castrati (look it up). As I was saying, fine catchy songs, better than average lyrical content. "Jihad" is about, well, Holy War in The Middle East. "Sleeping My Day Away" is pretty self-explanatory. There's other cool stuff here, like "Girl Nation". Plus - one of the coolest songs I've ever heard in my life-"Rim Of Hell". The chorus is "They throw the best damn parties/At the Rim of Hell". What more do you want? War, sleep, chicks and a touch of Devil-rock. Something for everyone. Lots of twangy guitar, as opposed to squealing high notes and hammer-ons. This band wasn't all that metal-ly, to my mind. They were more straightforward rock - this is the CD you use to make an example of the diversity of 80's rock while defending your taste in music to your girlfriend, or your best friend's little brother who thinks rock was invented by Fred Durst. They weren't all songs about getting laid and whatever...

Comments: D.A.D were signed amidst a bidding war, and it cost Warner an arm and a leg to get them, as I recall. Still, this was a tight little record. It just didn't go anywhere. D.A.D stands for "Disneyland After Dark", by the way. However, the only place you'll hear them called that is in their homeland, Denmark. The Walt Disney Company sued the band for copyright infringement over the use of the name, so they became "D.A.D". They're still doing their thing, only without US representation. Check 'em out at: www.d-a-d.com