DaDa as a Concept Album?

[Mr. Misdemeanor]

Has anyone tried to find a coherent storyline that runs through the album? Multiple personalities seems to be the common theme on some of the tracks.

[zzz]

I don't think there's a fully coherent storyline, but there's definitely some weird family dynamics, between the opening spoken word bits in the track Dada and at least tge next two songs. Presumably the brother that tge dad in Enough's Enough hid is Former Lee Warmer. And seems probable that the narrator of Fresh Blood is selecting victims for Former Lee. Other than that, no idea, but what a great album

[pitkin88]

It's not the best recording out there due to the noisy surroundings but there's an Interview out there with Dick Wagner talking about Da Da. I don't believe Alice, Ezrin or Shep have ever mentioned much about it and they are the ones that know. Very sad. It was the last hurrah for me. Alice could really just let his mind go and there would be no tour and Zero expectations. Former Lee Warmer has to be one of the greatest songs he's ever written and it's locked away just like the character.

[Agrophile in Texas]

There was a theory posted ages ago about the "concept", about the father and cannibalism, etc. I don't know that I bought all his ideas on that, I think he was reaching in spots. But I believe that's what the interviewers were referencing in that piece with Wagner, that pitkin88 is (likely) speaking of. You can listen to it here...

https://youtu.be/btMzT2MyifA

[revinkevin]

always a difficult album for me. Lyrically it borders on brilliant but musically it falls short. Synthesizers definitely doesn’t help. If he wrote something like that now and with the band he has now, they could have nailed it.

[Mr. Misdemeanor]

There was a theory posted ages ago about the "concept", about the father and cannibalism, etc. I don't know that I bought all his ideas on that, I think he was reaching in spots. But I believe that's what the interviewers were referencing in that piece with Wagner, that pitkin88 is (likely) speaking of. You can listen to it here...

https://youtu.be/btMzT2MyifA

Cool. I'll check it out.

[pitkin88]

always a difficult album for me. Lyrically it borders on brilliant but musically it falls short. Synthesizers definitely doesn’t help. If he wrote something like that now and with the band he has now, they could have nailed it.

Please god no! That would be like putting a bull in a china shop.

I love the synths especially on Dyslexia which puts the whole thing off kilter. In a perfect world " I Love America " would have been a staple in the live shows to this day.

[Mr. Misdemeanor]

I think you could probably arrange "Scarlet and Sheba" in a way that would sound really good with the current band.

In a perfect world " I Love America " would have been a staple in the live shows to this day.

Hmmm...it might sound good played with Elected.

[lordcatfish]

I think Fresh Blood could sound good with the three guitar line up

[revinkevin]

always a difficult album for me. Lyrically it borders on brilliant but musically it falls short. Synthesizers definitely doesn’t help. If he wrote something like that now and with the band he has now, they could have nailed it.

Please god no! That would be like putting a bull in a china shop.

I love the synths especially on Dyslexia which puts the whole thing off kilter. In a perfect world " I Love America " would have been a staple in the live shows to this day.

I sort of like my rock bands to sound like a bull in a China shop. If I’m in a mood for synth I’ll seek out a Gary Neumann album or something along those lines.

[pitkin88]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5EnoM7pfzA

Some good insights here as one of the presenters interviewed the studio owner and one of the musicians.

[Mr. Misdemeanor]

Thanks for the video links, guys.

If I was to try to come up with a story, I would probably say that it's about a guy named "Sonny" who has developed multiple personalities due to being sexually abused by his father. Some of his personalities may be a little bloodthirsty.



1) The title track DaDa. An art movement and a childish term for "father." The patient seems uncertain as to whether he has a son or a daughter or both.

2) Enough's Enough. A song about a boy who was molested by his father. The father may have killed his wife. There's also an odd line about "hiding his brother." Was it a real brother or a second personality?

3) Former Lee Warmer. Is it a Gothic horror song? Or an allegory for Alice leaving Warner Brothers? Or both? Maybe it's about someone trying to keep a second personality contained:

"Former Lee Warmer peeks out the window when he feels really brave
Former Lee Warmer waves at his father out in the family grave

He's flesh and blood to me
I, I love him brotherly
But, but I don't want to be Former Lee"

4)No Man's Land. A fun and very catchy track that takes a dark turn lyrically near the end. The theme of multiple personalities is explicitly mentioned here. First mention of "Sonny."

"She didn't know that there was more of me
She'd have to learn to love all four of me"

"Sometimes I gotta play me
It's really hard to stay me
Oh, I'm in no man's land
I'm looking for the real me
If only I could feel me"


5) Dyslexia. I got nothing for this one.

6) Scarlet and Sheba. On the surface it's a song about S & M. It's a (big) stretch, but what if Scarlet and Sheba are two more personalities contending for control?

"I just want your body, Sheba
I don't want your brain
Scarlet gets what's left of my remains
I just want your body, Sheba
You lock me up in chains"

7) I Love America. Maybe one of his personalities is from Tennessee? I got nothin'.

8) Fresh Blood. Multiple personalities again. Begins with the singer blaming a vampiric "him" for hunting for victims, but by the end it's evolved into "a sanguinary feast is all I'm living for."

9) Pass the Gun Around. A song about alcoholism and maybe suicide. But is there something more going on? The main character share's the name "Sonny" with the Mall Santa with multiple personalities from No Man's Land.

But is Sonny the only character?

"Sonny wakes up in the morning feeling kinda sick"
"I wake up watching cartoons...the television's on"

See the difference? Sometimes it's "Sonny" & sometimes it's "I."

On the surface it sounds like a song about a suicidal alcoholic, but what if it's actually a sequel to Fresh Blood? What if this song is about the morning after Sonny and one of his other personalities has been on one of their "hunts"?


"She was just a reason to unwind
And actually the last thing I could find"

"Sonny wakes up in the morning, there's a stranger in his bed
Someone's pounding on the hotel door, he wishes he was dead
I've had so many blackout nights before
I don't think I can take this anymore"




I admit that I'm probably (definitely) reading way too much into this, but it's kinda fun to think about.

[VinceRaven]

I don't think there'll ever be any real clarity on a concept to the album.

In Graham Shaw's interview on this site, his answer to that question is as vague as other sources. The fact that he also says that Dyslexia was written entirely as a play on words and nothing else, implies that there wasn't much, if anything there to begin with.

Q: Speculation has been rife for years as to what the concept of the album is. Was there an overlying theme there at the beginning or did it develop as time went on?
A: A very loose concept…pretty hard to call a dedicated concept. As I understood it, there was a certain irony attached to this particular zeitgeist as it was a final, contractually owed album for Warner Bros, which explains small ironies like Formerly Warner [Former Lee Warmer]. Hence there was no real hard set sequencing done in terms of tone or theme until the songs had actually evolved to the point of revealing themselves.

Maybe someone should try and read a Warner Bros. reference into all the songs? Would be as plausible as anything else.

[Vlad the Impala]

Sod all the baffling concept theories; just enjoy it for what it is - a bloody good album!

[Dragontown]

Mr. Misdemeanor, I really liked your interpretation of a possible concept...I think is plausible, well done!
About Dyslexia, is often a genetic condition, or the result of cerebral trauma. How could you add this in?

[Mr. Misdemeanor]

Thanks. Really no clue about Dyslexia. I feel like I'm trying to hammer a puzzle piece into the wrong spot with some of these "interpretations."

Dyslexia: what if it's from the point of view of the submerged personality? "But since I bumped into you, I bump into walls" might mean that the narrating personality has been locked away in his head since the other personality emerged. He still has some awareness of what's going on in the outside world but it's all garbled.

If you try to tie it into Fresh Blood you might interpret the line "Is dis love?" as being the non-vampiric personality being confused by his other personality's nightly hunting.

Yeah, it's a massive stretch.

[Keith1980]

I can somewhat see a concept album here, but the song pass the gun around to me really seems like an authentic autobiography type song. Knowing what we know now and looking back to me that song seems like a Vincent song not an Alice song. i could be wrong who knows for sure but it really seems that way to me.