It was one of the early acts to emerge from the vibrant Queen Street West music scene that developed in downtown Toronto beginning in the mid 1980s.

[5] The group's first performance was at The Cameron House in Toronto,[6] and it played many opening shows for Blue Rodeo over the course of the following year, including at the Horseshoe Tavern and The Rivoli, and entered an extensive writing and rehearsal period.

[7] Keelor recommended that Crash Vegas sign with Risque Disque, an imprint of Warner Music Canada, and the band recorded its first album, which was produced by Malcolm Burn in the "Kingsway" studio of Daniel Lanois (brother of Jocelyne) in Hamilton and New Orleans.

[7] Darren Watson replaced Lanois for the band's second album, Stone,[14] which also included contributions from John Porter and Butch Vig.

Recorded in Los Angeles, the album was more energetic than Red Earth, though it also had a "bleakness" resulting from the dissolution of McAdorey's romantic relationship with Keelor.

[18] Crash Vegas was one of the bands signed to rejuvenate that label with "cutting-edge, more street-oriented" performers, which also included Junkhouse, Our Lady Peace, The Philosopher Kings, and Melanie Doane.

The band, now down to Cripps and McAdorey, completed the album with session musicians John Borra and Mike Sloski as their rhythm section.