D-A-D “Best of D-A-D 30 Years 30 Hits 1984-2014

The name D-A-D will have many a rock fan reminiscing, most will probably remember they created a huge press scramble when they first hit the UK. This was mainly due to the rumours over their signing on fee and all the fuss made over their original name, Disneyland After Dark, which Walt and Co weren’t too happy about. Unfortunately, despite releasing some great albums, which were given prominent pushing in the UK, they struggled to fit in to the scene at that time. This is probably because everyone was jumping on to the glam metal scene and their classic sound, which owed more to The Cult and AC/DC, wasn’t the ‘in thing’ then. Thankfully, this album gives any of those early fans a great chance to rediscover this brilliant band. Despite making you feel damn old, this compilation consists of 30 great tracks to represent their 30 years in the business. They have also made the interesting decision to put all the songs in chronological order. This is a great way to see if the early songs have stood the test of time and also if they have maintained the quality throughout the years.
Early on with the likes of “Call Of The Wild” they show what the band was to always excel at, a classic rock sound but with a real ear for a melody. “Riding With Sue” and “Isn’t That Wild” also showed that they had a cow punk feel to them at the outset. It’s no wonder they were so different to the “fluffy” glam bands around at the time.

The next few tracks probably come from what was their highest profile time here in the UK. “I Won’t cut My Hair” is an absolutely classic anthem which must have been played, and shouted, at a really high volume by many a young male rocker. “Sleeping my Day Away” was one of their big songs and it is no surprise why. Again, it’s the way they are able to deliver a fine tune, with a catchy melody and chorus. This is a similar story with “Point Of View”, whilst “Grow Or Pay” has a more restrained feel but still sounds as good now as it did then. Even during this period, they didn’t leave their punk ethos behind, as shown by “Girl Nation” and “Jihad” which still have that anger and vibrancy.
The other great thing about D-A-D is that they were always a band which seemed to have a sense of humour and this is seen by “Bad Craziness”, which starts off with a ‘Day Tripper’ rip off guitar line. It is, therefore, no wonder that they also have a great acoustic number with the title “Laugh and a ½”. Going by the tracks “Reconstructdead” and “Naked (But Still Strippin)”, it appears the band may have gone through a harder and darker phase. Both these songs have an almost industrial sound and maybe they were influenced by the Grunge scene.

Thankfully, they never abandoned their sense of melody, “Home Alone 4” has a semi acoustic feel and is a mature pop rock song. Then tracks such as “Hate To Say I Told You So”, “nineteenhundredandyesterday” and “Soft Dogs” are just huge arena rock songs. They have a sound which could have been delivered by Aerosmith, when that band was at their commercial, but still credible, peak.
We are, however, frequently reminded that behind all the pleasant melodies, D-A-D have always remained a proper rock band. This is shown on “Evil Twin” which is a cool punk rock track with a great swaggering feel. Songs such as “Scary Yourself” and “Monster Philosophy” are rock songs, but not just old fashioned classic rock tunes but ones that still retain a very contemporary feel.
We are brought more up to date with songs like “I Want What She’s Got” and “We All Fall Down” and again, they are equally brilliant songs as those that they produced at the very start of their career.

The incredible thing about this album is the sheer quality of the songs that appear throughout. Interestingly, you could easily mix the whole album up and it wouldn’t suffer. That’s not to say the band haven’t progressed throughout the years, instead they benefit from always having their own sense of identity and a variation in their sound right from the outset. If you haven’t stuck with D-A-D during their career, then you definitely need this album. It is quite clear that the band has been tragically underrated here in the UK and you would be hard pressed to find a better best of album.
The band are touring in April so make sure you get to a gig,because with their live experience and the quality of their songs, you can guarantee an awesome show.