With the help of their hit single Sleeping My Day Away and their high
energy live performances, Disneyland After Dark stood on the threshold
of a major breakthrough in the spring of 1989. The international
attention meant that talent scouts and other delegates from
international record companies began flying in to see the band during
their spring tour.
In May, Medley executive Michael Ritto and manager John Rosing flew to
America to negotiate with the handful of companies, who made serious
offers. Before too long it became apparent that the big international
record company Warner Brothers wanted to sign the band to an
international deal – and that they did not mind paying generously for
it: one million dollars for two albums with an option for more.
Although the money made it the deal of a lifetime, money was, however,
not everything and Warner was chosen just as much because they seemed
genuinely interested in the band's music. Ritto and Rosing returned
home with a deal memo, outlining the agreements that would make up the
contract.
When the band played the Roskilde Festival in June, a group of Warner
delegates and international music journalists were amazed as they all
got to witness first hand the band's grip on a live audience of 50,000
who all sang along.
Following a US promotion tour, the signing with Warner officially took
place on September 14, 1989, at Warner headquarters in Burbank,
California.
In connection with the international contract, though, it had become
clear that Warner's neighbor, the Walt Disney Company, could cause
serious trouble. It, of course, had to do with the band name, which was
unpopular with Disney. Disney threatened to sue and since they had a
habit of making good of their threats with anyone who used their name
without permission, no record company dared sign a group called
Disneyland After Dark. There was nothing to do for the band but change
their name to D.A.D. The name dispute with Disney, therefore, never
ended with an actual lawsuit.
Changing their name also meant that the cover of the No Fuel Left For
The Pilgrims album had to be changed before an international release.
Graphic designer Søren A. consequently flew to L.A. where he moved the
band members around in the photo, which included giving Cobber Stig's
arm, making room for the new logo (see the cover before and after).
Meanwhile, the band kept touring the world with concerts in Europe in
October before returning to America in November, playing 30 US shows in
just 35 days heavily promoted by Warner. As 1989 turned into 1990, the
group kept touring. The new year took them to new parts of the world
when they went on a presentation tour of Japan and Australia in
January.
A few months later, the group was back to do a tour of Japan,
Singapore, and Australia in April. It was during this tour that the
live recordings for the EP Osaka After Dark were made. Osaka After Dark later became a hard to get collectible for fans.
In May, D.A.D. was back in Europe, touring Germany and playing at
Scandinavian festivals. When they finished the tour at the Roskilde
Festival in June with Cobber flying out over the crowd suspended in a
wire, D.A.D. had been riding high on an unbelievable wave of success
for little over a year. It was time to begin thinking about a follow-up.
The Band
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