Record Reviews

Broken Teeth

(Perris)

In December, 1995, Dangerous Toys mastermind Jason McMaster reported he was finished singing about his dick. Broken Teeth, McMaster's raunchy new side project, proves no promise is forever. Right off the bat, three of the album's tracks, "She's Gonna Blow," "Trippin' Over a Bone," and "Stick it In," leave little question that Broken Teeth is a collection of dirty deeds done dirt cheap. By design, this is a low-budget, no-frills, You-Want-AC/DC-You-Got-It set, McMaster and former Dirty Looks guitarist Paul Lidel picking up where Rhino Bucket and dozens of Aussie wannabes left us in 1989 -- shamelessly copping Bon Scott and Angus Young's every move. The result is not only meaty, beaty, big, and bouncy, it's also far more fun than you'd think. Clearly, the key is McMaster's respect for AC/DC's blueprint; unlike the latest wave of FM cock rock that's three or four times removed from the original source, McMaster is a high-quality second generation copy. While he occasionally slips into a perfect Scott impression, more often it's like he's channeling the long deceased singer, getting further on spirit and phrasing than exact vocal mimicry or all-out impersonation. Better yet, McMaster's thematic replication of AC/CD is just as faithful, covering the devil ("El 'Diablo"), women ("Two Time Lover"), and straightforward sex ("She's Gonna Blow," "Trippin' Over A Bone," and "Stick It In"). Add a spirited retelling of "Let There Be Rock" ("Hooray") and the perhaps the first double-entendre tune to morph wrestling and mortuary science ("The Undertaker"), and you've got the rare case where cheap thrills equate to something more than a guilty pleasure.