The Canadian group Crash Test Dummies was created in the late 1980s of the last century in the city of Winnipeg. Initially, the creators of the team, Curtis Riddell and Brad Roberts, decided to organize a small band for performances in clubs.
The group did not even have a name, it was called by the names and surnames of the founders. The guys played music only as a hobby, not thinking about the career of rock stars.
The beginning of the career of the group Crash Test Dummies
For the first few years, Riddell and Roberts rehearsed and performed in small clubs and pubs without leaving their main jobs. Music is a hobby, they thought, but they were wrong.
In 1991, the team became something more than a group for playing in small clubs. It was decided to change the name to Crash Test Dummies and invite serious musicians.
The debut album The Ghosts that Haunt Me was recorded on BMG Records. In addition to the two founders, Ellen Reed, Benjamin Darvill, Mitch Dorge and Dan Roberts took part in the recording of music.
Renowned music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album 3,5 stars out of 5 and called it "A fine debut album by folk-pop comedians".
The release of the record can be called a successful start to a career. The main style of the songs on the disc was country folk.
True, the public liked more not incendiary music, but intelligent and humorous texts. The disc was released with a circulation of 4 million copies.
The most popular composition of the disc was Superman's Song, which was recorded in a ballad style and became the hallmark of the band's early work.
It can even be called a drinking one, because in Canadian bars it often sounded from the lips of a tipsy public. Crash Test Dummies received a Juno Award for this song. But everything was just beginning.
The band's second record
The second LP God Shuffled His Feet came out two years after the release of their debut album, which helped the guys make a real "breakthrough". From a group in the Canadian province of Manitoba, they have turned into real world rock stars.
The album cover was stylized as a picture of Titian's "Bacchus and Ariadne" with the faces of the band members. This disc included the composition "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm", which made the band famous outside of Canada.
Jerry Harrison took part in the recording of the second album. Previously, he performed in the band Talking Heads. Harrison showed his talent as a melodist and created real hits, thanks to which the group gained real popularity.
The commercial success was made possible by the fact that the development was aimed at the mainstream. All compositions turned out to be radio format, which allowed the group to become a frequent guest of musical broadcasts.
The composition Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm reached the top ten international charts. Critics noted the beautiful baritone vocalist Brad Roberts.
The second longplay was sold in the amount of several million copies. The album received several Grammy nominations.
Album A Worm's Life
The "fans" of the group had to wait three years for the next disc. The band's frontman spent this time traveling around the world. He visited London, the Benelux countries and other interesting places in Europe.
For a long time, no one even knew where Brad Roberts had gone. According to the musician himself: "At that time, there were only German and Italian tourists around me."
During this journey, Roberts made several sketches that helped create material for the new album.
The disc A Worm's Life, produced by the musicians themselves, did not have rave reviews. It didn't have hits like the old Superman's Song and Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm.
But thanks to the band's popularity, the disc quickly went triple platinum in Canada.
Later work of the group
And again, between the releases of albums, the “fans” of the group had to wait for a long three years. The album Give Yourself A Hand, released in 1999, received a more modern performance.
The musicians moved away from the guitar sound, paying tribute to electronics. Most of the compositions were recorded in the trip-hop genre, and Brad Roberts changed his baritone to falsetto. Keyboardist Ellen Reed provided vocals on several songs.
Not all members of the band appreciated the transition to a new style in music, so they began to work on their own “things”.
Almost all the musicians of the Crash Test Dummies group after the release of the fourth album were marked by solo records.
In 2000, Brad Roberts was in a car accident but survived. He went to rehab in Argyll. There he met young musicians who helped him record the solo LP I Don't Care That You Don't Mind.
Roberts also called Ellen Reed and Mitch Dorge to record it. It was decided to release the album Crash Test Dummies.
The disc turned out to be very interesting, it was a return to folk roots and the sound of the band's debut album. The disc was released on Roberts' own label but was not a significant success, although the change in style was well received by critics and the band's "fans".
The next album in the band's discography was the Christmas disc Jingle All The Way. The musicians decided to release it in a limited edition.
But due to popularity, they rewrote the songs and added them to the track list of the next Puss 'N' Boots album. The disc was re-recorded in an acoustic-folk style.
Group today
Brad Roberts is now teaching, but periodically gives concerts with his old friends. Although there is no such project as Crash Test Dummies since 2010.
