Customer Reviews

Shaved & Dangerous

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Following on the heels of their brilliant self-titled debut CD in 1991, Australia's Baby Animals, with producing help from Ed Stasium (Living Colour, The Pursuit of Happiness), deliver a quite satisfying follow-up with "Shaved and Dangerous". The Baby Animals were perhaps the biggest band in Australia for a few years (they even had tribute bands - not bad for an act that only put out two records). This record isn't as consistently rock-n-roll as their first CD, but very close. "Buputa", the second track on the U.S. pressings, is great "drivin' with the top down" music. "Backbone" and "Nervous at Night" are also standouts. All the songs are originals, save "Be My Friend" a Paul Rodgers-penned song from his days in Free. Former Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, a fan of the band from their first record (more than just a fan, actually - he married Suze DeMarchi, the band's singer) offers a bit of co-writing and producing help as well. This is a great record, and after seeing the band live twice I am convinced they could have achieved global fame and fortune had not their record label folded and entangled them in years of legal hassle. Still don't believe me? The band was hand-picked by Van Halen to open for them on a leg of their 1991 For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge Tour. So there. DeMarchi went on to release a brilliant, though very un-Baby Animals-like, solo CD called "Telelove" (see review) in 1999. Australia has produced countless great rock and roll bands over the years, and Baby Animals sat at the top of that heap for some time. Buy this CD while it is still available in the U.S.! It was released on Imago Records, Aimee Mann's old label. So at least the Baby Animals are in good company.

I'm a boomer, and most of the music I like is classic rock. Like its predecessor,"Shaved and Dangerous" is one of a precious few of my very favorite albums from later periods, and I still listen to it often today. If you like good, clean hard rock, go for it while these CD's are still available.

Baby Animals are/were a strange proposition. The band plays hard rock with a variety of influences. There is no hair metal or pop metal here but you sense the band could go in that direction, or they could go totally into a sort of power pop sphere or given the strength and power of the voice of Suze De Marchi they could of just dwelt in the pub rock world. But intriguingly they steer a path that is of their own design that is in between all of the above. The songs are based on song, not a desire to put louder guitars or vocal gymnastics into the mix `just because' and that makes them so much stronger because this album works as a collection of songs. There are not the peaks and valleys that are prevalent on many albums but luckily for the Baby Animals this album doesn't suffer from listener fatigue like some albums that are more consistent can.

I guess if pressed to divulge my personal favourites I'd have to point out Don't Tell Me What To Do and Lovin' Lies as good examples of what this album is about and are probably two tunes I'd recommend prospective buyers to sample or download.

Sound quality overall on this album is good, there was obviously a half decent budget and the producer was Ed Stasium with a couple of tunes produced by Suze De Marchis later husband Nuno Bettencourt not that there is any discernable difference in my ears. And the band repaid this budget by producing a hit for the record company that presumably paid for it.

The bands pallette isn't half bad, a number of issues are discussed and with the well written music and the dare I say it `tom-boy' styled vocals this is a good album to throw on in mixed company as it isn't metal by a long stretch but is lively and full bodied enough to satisfy fans of louder music.

I loved Baby Animals first CD, so I was very excited when this CD came out. Sadly, "Shaved and Dangerous" is unremarkable. I don't know enough about the Australian music scene to know why this album was there last, but listening to it is a pretty good clue. While most of the songs are okay, there is not a single one as good as the worst song on their first CD. I haven't been this disappointed in a follow-up CD besides "Wig" or maybe "Gravity Kills". If you Don't already own it (and you probably don't), buy their self-titled debut instead. It ROCKS.

Baby Animals created a bit of a stir in the early 90's with their self-titled debut CD which sold very well and helped get them support gigs with both Bryan Adams and Van Halen. That album was very good and filled with a lot of catchy heavy rock tunes. They followed that up with this more diverse collection of songs and a more polished overall production. Led by the sexy female lead singer Suzi Demarchi, Baby Animals established themselves as the leading live band in Australia and tore up every stage they played on no matter how large or small. They were at the peak of their career following their first album but this is still a worthy recording for all fans of good Aussie rock!

In short if you want a CD that you can listen to from start to finish without grabbing the remote then this is the album for you. With a great blend of beutiful ballads and good aussie rock it is truly nothing short of brilliant. It's just a real shame that the band was forced to break up due to a pigheaded record company. Otherwise we would have had many a great album from the Baby Animals.

What a disappointment I loved there first album. They defiantly fall into the second album let down category. Gone was the hard edge they had to their songs in the first album. Skip this one.