Ross Wilson

10-13-08 Ross Wilson

We recently were supposed to see Ross Wilson from Daddy Cool and Mondo Rock perform live in Eagle Rock, California – with the song from Daddy Cool’s debut LP titled “Eagle Rock” being sort of a theme song for a mini-music-festival that took place there. About a week before, Ross announced that he would not be able to make the event. Maybe one day…

DADDY COOL

LP DADDY WHO? REPRISE US RS 6471

1971 12 TRKS

MONRO ROCK

CD5 ALIENS POLYDOR AUS 887230.2

1987 4 TRK CD Single CD5

CD BOOM BABY BOOM POLYDOR AUS 829829.2

1986 10 TRKS

LP BOOM BABY BOOM COLUMBIA US BFC 40470

1987 10 TRKS insert

LP CHEMISTRY WEA NZ Z 20014

1981 10 TRKS

CDx2 ESSENTIAL EPIC AUS 513986.2

2003 29 TRK Collection

LP NUOVO MONDO WEA NZ 600124

1982 10 TRKS

LP UP TO THE MOMENT POLYDOR AUS 825597.1

1985 12 TRK Collection

CD WHY FIGHT IT RCA AUS VPCD 0831

1990 10 TRKS

CD5 WHY FIGHT IT RCA AUS CCD 019

1990 2 TRK CD Single CD5

ROSS WILSON

CD DARK SIDE OF THE MAN WEA AUS 256405.2

1989 11 TRKS

I was certainly aware of Daddy Cool when they were a new band, but – apart from having heard them on assorted Warner / reprise sampler LP’s – I never got their debut LP (of two) until somewhat recently. And I remember hearing about Mondo Rock, but I never actually heard them until approx. 1986 – with their superlative release “Boom Baby Boom”. I definitely “Johnny Appleseeded” “Boom Baby Boom” – everybody I knew got to hear it via me – some of ‘em, you just had to say it was current Australian music, some folks you had to tell ‘em that it was Ross Wilson from Daddy Cool.

But nearly everybody loved it. It was “pop music”, but it also had an interesting edge – some great subject matter, for instance (“Roman Holiday”). And the videos for “Rule of Threes” and “Primitive Love Rites” are rather good. And as I first (really) visited Australia in ’87 – one could see them easily on TV, and one could find the Mondo Rock LP’s & 45’s around Melbourne with no problem.

Being a ‘recent convert’, I was excited when their “Aliens” EP came out – but it was super difficult to get. And – dang – no full-length LP / CD was forthcoming. 1989 saw the release of the first (?) Ross Wilson solo album (was it also his last?) A few years later, we got the “Why Fight It” LP / CD – a proper Mondo Rock album, which is quite good – and the (as far as I know) swan-song of Mondo Rock.

So, Mr. Wilson – come on back and play L.A. sometime!