If it wasn't released on Vinyl or as a bootleg / soundboard recording - then you won't find it here.
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Before things get too serious here at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song / album at the end of each month, that could be categorized as being either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.
Although Daddy Cool were only around in their original incarnation for less than two years – from 1970 to 1972 – they packed a lot of music into that time. They released two brilliant studio albums, the first of which does for west coast R&B what the Stones were at the time doing for delta blues, the second of which adds a punkoid Mothers Of Invention-like freakishness to it. They farewelled their fans with a live album that shows how their delicious lightness of touch, perfect groove and inspired musical lunacy put them well ahead of anyone else treading the same ‘50s-inspired path.
In January 1971, when both The Sons of the Vegetal Mother and Daddy Cool played at one of Australia’s first outdoor rock festivals at Myponga in South Australia in January 1971, the rapturous crowd response to DC signalled time for the Vegetals. In March, just a couple of months later, Daddy Cool signed to the fledgling Melbourne label Sparmac. By June, “Eagle Rock” had begun a remarkable 17 week stretch atop the Melbourne charts. It was soon No.1 nationally, where it stayed for ten weeks. By July, the group’s amazing first album Daddy Who? Daddy Cool was No.1. and on its way to earning an unprecedented ten gold albums. By the end of August, Daddy Cool were on a plane to The Promised Land.
Daddy Cool 1971 L-R: Ross Wilson, Gary Young, Jerry Noone, Ross Hannford, Wayne Duncan
After returning from the States, they decided to release an EP titled D.C.E.P – which was more of the same, with each member taking the lead on a track. Wilson’s great teen lament “Long After The School Days Are Through” is maybe the pick of a riotous bunch that also included “Flip” and the most widely played track "Lollipop" with vocals by Hannaford, as well as Wayne Duncan taking his only ever lead vocal on The Kalin Twins’ “Three O’Clock Thrill”, and a hard-driven instrumental “Jerry’s Jump”, in honour of their new sax and keyboard player Jerry Noone, who’d previously played in The Vegetals and had made a name for himself in Company Caine. (Ross: “’Jerry’s Jump’ was for Jerry Noone on sax and we play the riff in unison – sax and harp – and there are solos. His name was actually Jeremy Kellock but he called himself Noone for ‘no one’ as it was conscription/call up Vietnam-era and he was dodging that at the time.”).
The EP reached #12 in the Australian charts. One unique feature of the EP's cover was it's four flap foldout design, as shown above - something that had never been done before by a record company and has made this EP highly sort after by record collectors.
So this month's WOCK post features a rather rare release from an Australian iconic band, and so it ticks the Obscure box in my opinion. I have only seen one other copy in my 50 years of record collecting, and am very proud of my near mint copy. The EP was ripped to FLAC and includes full Hi-Res Artwork and label scans.
Track Listing
01 - Flip [Vocals: Gary Young]
02 - Lollipop [Vocals: Ross Hannaford]
03 - Jerry's Jump [Sax: Jerry Noone]
04 - Long After Schools Days Are Through [Ross Wilson]
The 70's was a period in Australian
Rock Music when the industry showcased its very best at the annual
Sunbury music festival. On each Australia day weekend from
1972-1975, 35,000 plus people would travel to a picturesque site 30
minutes from Melbourne, in anticipation of witnessing some of the
greatest performance of our own rock bands. For those who attended
it was an event not to be missed and still considered today to be
the most successful rock music festival of its kind held in
Australia. The Sunbury Music Festivals were organised by a
group named Odessa Promotions, said to be members of the Melbourne TV
Industry. The principal of the company was John Fowler, and it’s said
that the company included people who had previously worked on shows such
as Uptight, a pop TV show of the late ‘60s. The
company went into liquidation after the final concert of ‘75, which was a
financial disaster compared to the previous festivals.
There’s just as much mythology about the
spirit of the Sunbury Music Festival, with some regarding it as
Australia’s Woodstock, a keypoint in more innocent times that embraced
peace and a laid back life, while others saw the Sunbury festivals as an
event that mirrored the decline of that flowery period with some
suggesting that the festivals steadily became a beer-soaked yob fest. While the Sunbury Music Festivals did much for
the Aussie music scene, featuring an all-Australian line-up in ‘72’s
first festival, it also attracted well-known acts from overseas in the
later festivals with British bands Queen appearing in ‘74 and Deep
Purple taking the stage in the festival of ‘75. John Fowler's Odessa Promotions flexed their muscles for Sunbury '74. But getting Daddy Cool to reform wasn't enough. They decided to impose their first 'international' act on the festival. So far, Sunbury had been a celebration of Australian music. Their international guests were unproven and no one had heard of Queen. They were just two albums old and yet to make any significant name for themselves. Where Queen were treated like. . kings...down to being chauffeured to the site, the Australians of course made their own way. (Nothing's changed of course. Ask the Australians who were forced to appear for free at Rumba recently). The rest of the Sunbury '74 performers resented Queen being there, resented everything their presence represented. The audience also resented the English band being there. For them, the Australian music was more than enough. Making things just a little worse, there was a mix-up over daylight savings. Queen had been booked to appear an hour before they expected. They made everyone wait until the sun went down. Queen didn't do themselves any favours, but they were SO unknown, and SO insignificant no-one held it against them later. Only for Queen was it a day they would never forget.
When Queen took to the stage, the band was largely
unknown at that time on Australian shores and they were unfortunately
heckled from the stage following their performance, allegedly after the
announcer of that year’s festival asked the audience, “D'you want anymore from these pommie bastards or do ya want an Aussie rock band?”
Before leaving the stage to jeers that labelled them “pooftahs” who
should go back to Pommyland, Freddy Mercury, Queen’s iconic front man
(who was nonetheless fond of bottoms) boldly and bravely fired a parting
shot back at the audience. He declared that when his band Queen would
next visit Australia, they would be the biggest band in the world. And
true to his word when they returned to our shores in ‘76, QUEEN were
indeed one of the most globally acclaimed bands. [extracts from onlymelbourne.com.au] The following is an account of the Sunbury '74 concert through the eyes of one of the festival's compares (and a well known celebrity from the Countdown era) - none other than Ian 'Molly' Meldrum. Reporting in his regular weekly column 'Ian Meldrums Keyhole News' (GoSet magazine, Feb 9,1974. p10), Molly gives us a wonderful run down of each band who played over the three days, and helps capture some of the excitement that occurred at what some people consider to be the best Sunbury of all. For more information about the Sunbury festival, see Milesago.com.
SUNBURY BLOODY SUNBURY …POP ORGY…well, that was the headline in one of Melbourne’s better known Sunday papers…their editorial went on to describe how Sunbury became Sin City…of how sex, violence, drugs, and beer-swilling teenagers turned the festival into an orgy. Wow, SUNBURY ’74 must have been sensational…I wish I’d been there…the funny thing is that I was there for the whole 3½ days and apart from a few isolated incidents involving some yahoo’s, no way known could you describe Sunbury as a violent festival…and as for the open use of drugs, well the drug squad who were there in full force must have been blind-folded because they only made a couple of arrests…thousands of contraceptives sold??...strange that the Chemists report that they only sold about a dozen. In other words, WHAT A LOAD OF BULL!...in fact, I would go as far as to say that Sunbury’74 was one of the most peaceful and most organised festivals you could ever hope for…Nude Bathing?...Well, why not?...I mean, who cares?...we have, thank you, grown up at least that much…and let’s face it, it’s papers like this Sunday rag that have made us immune to it all…they thrive on the Tits and teeth bit…unfortunately the thing they forgot to mention was the great line up of talent that kept us entertained over the three days…unfortunately this column is too short to give mention to everyone…but believe me, in one way or another, all deserve a pat on the back…my fear that this year’s Sunbury would be dreary and boring like Sunbury ’73, was completely unfounded…
Friday Night and Sherbet Slayed ‘em Friday Night…a beautiful clear sky and the satellite city is already in full swing…and wouldn’t you know once again I opened my big trap once too often RE: SHERBET…I did say a couple of weeks back in the column that I couldn’t understand why the group was performing on the first night when most of the audience would be still hitching up their tents etc etc…Wrong…the audience hill was packed and I must say that Sherbet were magnificent…but the guys should give thanks to PIRANA, ROSS RYAN and BAND OF LIGHT who were on before them because they really put the audience in a great mood…PIRANA played a beautiful set and it’s hard to believe that they are not a bigger name in this country because they deserve to be…ROSS RYAN was good but Ross’s outstanding performance was to come on Sunday…BAND OF LIGHT were, I thought, tremendous… surely they are destined to do big things on the Australian music scene this year…and then there was SHERBET… what a performance!...it was their first ever Sunbury and let me tell you right here and now that they made up for the previous two years when they were unable to appear…For months I’ve been raving about their stage act and musical talents but every time I see them they just never cease to amaze me…I’ll go as far as to say that they have probably one of the finest stage acts in the world…and I’m sure the likes of Bowie, Rod Stewart and Elton John, if they were ever given the chance to see them, would agree with me…need I say that Sunbury loved them…it should, in SHERBET’S book, go down as one of the highlights in their already dazzling career…because Sunbury is a fest and in my book, and they may disagree because I believe they weren’t happy with their performance, they get 10 out of 10 To finish off Friday night, HOME, one of Australia’s up and coming groups put the final seal to the night’s superb display of entertainment.
Hot Saturday Saturday was HOT, really, really HOT…and the drink and watermelon stores were doing great business…sure, people drank booze and happily I report that gone from the festival were the dozens and dozens of kids that were there last year staggering around till the early hours of the morning…by mid-afternoon temperatures had soared to 35 but this didn’t put a downer on UPP’s energy…here is another group that’s full of visual excitement…sure, they’ve got a long way to go but I have every confidence that over the next six or seven months they will build up the following they need and they’ll be up there with the best of them…next on were the 69’ers and as usual they provided the laughs for the day…they really are an incredibly funny group and I hope that they never lose their sense of humour…like last year, they more than wowed the crowd…and to finish off their set they had an all-out cream cake fight…as compare, they were the first act that I had to bring off stage and I’m sure you will agree that it was rather fitting that I ended up with a complete sponge-cake and cream all over my face. SKYHOOKS were the next on and unfortunately I feel that this group needed a night-time spot when they could make full use of the lights…because they are as much into theatre as they are into music….but one thing’s for sure, watch out for the name SKYHOOKS…they’ve arrived
and they’ll be here for quite a while…SID RUMPO proved to all and sundry what fine musicians they are and after their performance I eagerly await their forthcoming album…MATT TAYLOR was on next doing his solo bit…and what can I say about MATT?... he defies all convention of a ’74 pop star… I mean, name one other pop star who gets out on stage, sits down, and says to 30,000 people, Gidday…but you can’t help but love his music…and as usual, in his own peculiar way, he got the audience going… MATT was rewarded with a fine ovation and an encore…but Matt had a surprise in store for them the following day…DINGOES were next on and boy, can they rock and roll…I absolutely love this group and obviously with the response they got, so did the Sunbury crowd…but the one thing that I feel is missing is visual projection from lead singer, BRODERICK SMITH…he possesses an incredible voice…he looks good, but for some reason he fails to project….there’s an old say Brod, If Ya Got It, Flaunt It, so Start Flaunting! Next on were CHAIN…and has this group got themselves together up in Brisbane…all the reports and fears that the group would break up were dispelled five minutes after they started playing on stage…we all know what a fine group of musicians there are but now with the added confidence that the Australian public really do appreciate them, this group has really come alive…fortunately or unfortunately for Barry Harvey, they don’t miss him as a drummer at all…the group is tight as I’ve ever seen them…why even Phil’s developed a personality…it was a brilliant musical set and it put the crowd into a great mood for what was to come. And what was to come was four hours of sheer musical entertainment…the BALLS hit the stage with LOBBY not far behind…and did that audience develop balls!..Wow!...sure, the skinheads and the tattoo freaks love them, but so did everyone else…and I think it would be fair enough to say that the group put on their best performance ever…and LOBBY, me boy, there’s no denying it, you’re every bit a Pop Star…and what a great sight it is to see 30,000 people cheering and yelling and rocking their hearts out…ooooh, it sends shivers up me spine…and thumbs up (in the rude sense) to all those self-appointed critics who have written in to the paper over the past few months criticising this group and labelling them boring…cause when 30,000 get their rocks off on Ballpower, they must have something…next on was a surprise…it was the LA DE DAS and I thought they were bloody fantastic…it would be hard for any group to follow LOBBY successfully but the LA DE DAS did it and did it in fine style…it’s amazing the sound that can be created by just three musicians…and watch out girls because lead singer KEVIN BORICH is about to become a sex symbol…a job well done LA DE’s…
Go Set Magazine Article
Billy’s Not Over The Hill – A Rainbow Fixed That Next was one of the two Sunbury miracles…I must admit I felt like an ant walking out on stage with all these towers of equipment surrounding me…it looked as if we were about to restage the Commonwealth Games…but Aztec energy was about to be let loose…just before I made the announcemen I asked BILLY if the group would be wanting to do an encore…and he replied, Don’t Ask Me Man, You’ll Know From The Reaction Of The Audience…and I must confess that I thought, God, I hope last year’s no indication of audience reaction…’cause in ’73 an encore they did not want…Sunbury ’74 was possibly the greatest test this group had to go through, and I mean the Greatest…and BILLY knew it…gone is the denim and replacing it it are the superb tailor-made velvet and leather jackets etc…the next hour was one of the most amazing sights I’ve ever witnessed since I’ve been connected with pop scene…the AZTECS didn’t Wow the audience…they destroyed them!...BILLY had them literally eating out of his hands…you know, words can’t describe what happened…they did new songs, they did old songs…and ten minutes into their set BILLY was wearing the biggest smile you could imagine…he knew he had them back…one song, what was it?...you can’t go round saying What on stage??....F*CK I think…front of stage in the press and group arena it was packed…the COLOURED BALLS were down there, the DINGOES…you name them, they were there, all clapping and cheering…and the audience of 30,000 up on the hill with their arms above their heads, the bare-breasted ladies up on guy’s shoulders weaving and rocking, the Excitement…it was really Too Much…and what about when part of the audience started chanting the AZTEC “Suck More P…” slogan…a saying that derived from their days at the Whitehorse Hotel…it spread through the audience like wildfire and BILLY said “Keep it up, Keep it up”…and then he and the group wrote a song, there on stage about suck more p… I firmly believe that audience was ready to do anything for BILLY at that stage…after a couple more numbers like Oop Poo Pah Doo, BILLY announced that he was going to do a number that we’d either hate or love…”Here’s One For The Knockers”, he said…and, my God, he did a song that he made a hit eight years ago, ‘Over The Rainbow’…we all looked at each other in disbelief, but it was sounding great!...and on his alone THORPIE can take the title of Australia’s Top Superstar, because that he is…well, the audience just went beserk after that and they just continued to scream and yell, clap and shout and rock and roll…they finally walked off stage and I passed BILLY and I almost felt tempted to say, well it doesn’t look as if you’re going to do an encore…but I didn’t exactly want to wear a guitar at that stage…and the crowd was just screaming for more, and I do mean screaming…in the middle of my Do Ya Wanna Hear More, my voice suddenly cracked in the excitement and like, for the next two days they had to put up with a rather croaky demented Meldrum…there was no doubt that AZTEC energy was back! What a hard job for ARIEL to follow this…but like the LA DE DAS with LOBBY, ARIEL did a grand job…all the work and effort that’s been put into their visual stage act is really starting to pay off though I must admit that the big explosion on stage that they created fair frightened the daylights out of me…they performed A Strange Fantastic Dream and is it any wonder that the album is selling so well?...what a shame the group, due to an energy crisis in England, are unable to go there in March because at this stage they are very together…obviously the gigs that they have done supporting overseas bands have helped instill a lot of confidence performance-wise into the group…musically you cannot fault them…visually they are progressing in leaps and bounds…MISSISSIPPI were the next on and this group possesses a brilliant range of harmonies…they lack the visual side but they make up for it with their voices and playing…I’m sure everyone out there agreed that they’re really nice to listen to.
Sunday – Madder Seals Crown Sunday was just as hot and the St.Johns ambulance brigade were working overtime treating people for cut feet, heat exhaustion and other minor injuries…what would a festival like this be without them?...I shudder to think…GLENN CARDIER played a beautiful set that afternoon and it’s easy to see why he was given a Commonwealth Grant…he may not be everyone’s cup of tea but with that selected audience he really does entertain…RICHARD CLAPTON is another who performed that day and although he was very nervous, he proved what a talent he has, both as a singer and as a songwriter…CAPTAIN MATCHBOX were very entertaining…like SKYHOOKS, they are more a theatrical group and it’s good to see that the Australian music scene has now found a place for this type of group…one highlight of that afternoon had to be KUSH and LINDA GEORGE…KUSH are a brilliant brass-orientated group and with JEFF up front camping his way through song after song, ’74 should see this group emerge as a top seller on the record market…LINDA GEORGE was superb…she’s undoubtedly one of Australia’s finest female singers and you can see her confidence growing day by day (an unintentional pun!)…It’s also good to see that Sunbury has come of age and is able to present artists of her caliber on such a festival…there were some fine vocal backings also by the COOKIES…
Matt Taylor
Next on were the DINGOES who gave another fine rock and roll performance…another appearance by MISSISSIPPI and then MATT TAYLOR hit the stage with a rock group backing him…and what emerged was the MATT of old, the MATT TAYLOR that we once knew as lead singer of CHAIN…he really got that audience jumping and in so many ways I strongly feel that MATT should perform with a rock group more often…and what a gas to hear him sing once again “Grab A Snatch And Hold It”…it was yet another great performance by MATT and the audience fully appreciated it…and then came the big wait…for the appearance of QUEEN…apparently there were a lot of hassles with setting up the equipment etc. and I am not going to attempt to go into who was right and who was wrong…but one thing I will say…I don’t think any group should be subjected to the insulting remarks that were made on stage prior to them going on…after all, they were asked to come here and they wanted to give the best performance they could give…the remarks made by this certain person who, I might add, was not one of the comperes, were unfair and totally unjustified… and worse still, it put a downer on the whole audience…QUEEN finally hit the stage, with all the odds stacked against them…no, they didn’t receive the greatest applause in the world but with a very tight set, they did swing the audience back and at the end the audience gave them a polite but genuine applause…unfortunately the next day they could not appear because their lead singer was legitimately ill…perhaps a few people will have to eat their words over the next year if QUEEN make the top ranks on the international scene.
Queen at Sunbury
The saving grace of the night was the next act that was on…it was MADDER LAKE and they were really fantastic…first they had the hard task of pulling the audience out of their downer…once they achieved that they worked on the audience to bring them to what had to be the all-time high of the day…like the night before with THORPIE, the audience started to dance and wave their hands in the air etc…MADDER LAKE for the first part of their set, performed their new album, ‘Butterfly Farm’ and if you go by the audience reaction they should have no worry about it being a top seller…for the latter part of their show they performed numbers from their ‘Stillpoint’ album as well as their hit singles…and the audience ..well, need I say, just went ape…my only regret was that every programmer from interstate weren’t there to see MADDER LAKE perform…they are without a doubt one of Australia’s unique sounding bands…they are full of originality and are full of entertainment…just ask any one of the 30,000that were at Sunbury.
Queen's Setlist
After MADDER LAKE came JOHN GRAHAM and BLACKSPUR…Now there’s an under rated artist for you…but keep at it JOHN because they’re going to wake up soon…AYERS ROCK then hit the stage and what fine group of musicians they are…and full credit to them for getting the audience rocking and rolling again at 2.30 in the morning…they lack nothing in musicianship whatsoever and perhaps need a front man to give them some visual effect…once this is achieved I would imagine the sky’s the limit…both their performance this night and the following day proved that we have some really top-line Australian musicians…I thought they were great…to finish off the night, well as a matter of fact it was the very early hours of the morning, MACKENZIE THEORY played an amazing set…they really are an unbelievable group…there can be no other group like them I the world…and if they stick together then I’m sure someone from overseas is going to grab them…the worth of this group speaks for itself, but might I add that there were around about 4000 people who stayed up until 4 o’clock in the morning just to listen to this group…the group also played on the second stage and packed it out…
Daddy Who? Daddy Cool (Getting ready to go on stage at Sunbury 74)
Monday – 35C Cool Entertainment Monday was a very tiring day…it was hot and muggy…once again PIRANA, AYERS ROCK, SID RUMPO and CHAIN entertained the crowd…ROSS RYAN made his second appearance that day and I would imagine it was one of the best performances he’s ever given…ROSS has always been full of confidence and unlike so many artists, he really knows how to work his audience…he has, over the last 12 months, emerged as one of Australia’s top singer –songwriters and his performance that day proved why he has become just that… One group that emerged on that Monday who were virtually completely unknown before was BUSTER BROWN…they really got the crowd rocking so Watch Out For Them…that’s a definite name to put in your little black book…but Monday really belonged to DADDY COOL…they played as though they’d never ever broken up…and they somehow re-created the excitement of ’71…the crowd just went mad…Absolutely Deliriously Mad…just prior to the group coming on, they adored the stage with three giant Australian flags and during their performance they issued to the audience hundreds of toy flags…the scene was quite unbelievable…the did all their old hits…look, what more can you say…DADDY COOL HAD RETURNED…and so had the excitement…I really believe that they could have played all day and all night and the crowd still would have called for more…it was a great ending to a really successful festival… I thank all and sundry who organised the festival, especially Odessa Promotions...and Mr. John Fowler…Sunbury ‘74 proved that the Australian music scene id very much alive…but more than that, it proved that Australian artists and musicians are amongst the finest in the world… Sunbury Pop Orgy???...No!...Sunbury was full of Fun, Music and Entertainment…yes, this year at Sunbury a man died but also for the first time at Sunbury a baby was born… MOLLY xxxxxx .
Now, firstly it should be noted that there are some discrepancies in Molly's account which should be noted. It has been reported (by Milesago.com) that Skyhooks were booed off stage at Sunbury 74 (apparently the audience wasn't really ready for all of the glam and glitter that they brought to the table) and it is because of this that their first lead singer 'Steve Hill' left the band and was replaced by Graham "Shirley" Strahan, and of course the rest was history. So, I guess Molly forgot to mention this in his report.
Another discrepancy lies with Milesago documenting that Blackfeather performed at Sunbury '74, yet Molly makes no mention of them playing in his extensive account. Likewise, another Sunbury review in GoSet by columnist Mitch entitled 'Front Row Reviews' (Feb 16, 1974) makes no reference to Blackfeather in amongst his listing of bands. So, unless someone can provide direct proof, I think Milesago has got it wrong. .
One real mystery associated with the recordings released by Mushroom on their Anti RipOff label (see below) is the inclusion of a recording made by an unknown group called 'Full Moon'. There has been much speculation about who they were yet 'Full Moon is absent from any reviews or articles in the GoSet Magazine at that time. There was a UK group with the same name (but are certainly not the same band) based on their style of music.
One hint that might help, is when Molly refers to a 'second stage' when discussing MacKenzie Theory's performance. It is possible that Full Moon may have performed "Freedom Jazz Dance" on this second stage to a smaller crowd, and the recording used to diversify (or fill) the Mushroom release - Part 2.
Apparently, the new concept of a 'second performing stage' was added to the Sunbury festival in 1974 to include
"alternative performances such as jazz recitals, theatre, dance, mime,
poetry and acoustic music." which seems to fit in with this explanation.
As to the identity of the band Full Moon,ChickaMunro provides us with the only info at hand, on the Midoztouch forum when he reports: 'From the front cover of a promo booklet from Open Sky Productions, who were putting on a gig at the Dallas Brooks Hall, Nov 1975'. Ayers Rock, Silver Sun, Phil Manning, in concert at The Dallas Brooks Hall
Conceived in our illustrious Gardenvale, Silver Sun makes it's first public appearance tonight.
After months of solid slogging in that fine suburb, the band features
John Pugh, a former member of Healing Force and FULL MOON, on lead
guitar and vocals. Barry Sullivan,...bass,...Sunil De Silva from
Skylight and the Dingoes on drums...Sam McNally...Mal Logan...jazz, soul
and blues...funky...Herbie Hancock...Marvin Gaye..."
This has something to do with the whole Healing Force thing - who also
had their biggest gig at Sunbury 73, didn't they? Also the Company Caine
precursors had Pugh - and so the trail leads all over the place in Melbourne. Any further information about this mysterious group would be gratefully received !
One final note, before I close this 'rather long post'. Apparently, Sherbet was supposed to have "Hound Dog" included on one of the featured albums but pulled the plug at the last moment for some reason and Thorpie's XXX rated track "You Can't Go Around Saying F*ck On Stage" was pulled by Mushroom in fear of legal repercussions. In addition, EMI would not allow its acts to appear on these albums, hence the absence of tracks by Ariel, Coloured Balls, Mississippi, Ross Ryan etc.. .
This post consists of FLAC rips taken from vinyl, both in excellent condition. Full album artwork is also included for both vinyl (mine) and CD (thanks to Bondie), a multitude of newspaper articles (from Go Set magazine thanks to RAM) and photos (sourced from The Age archives and anddum.com with gratitude).
Artwork and associated Sunbury literature are also included as a separate download for those you who already have the music, and only want this support material.
IMPROVED RIP . Track listing: (Sunbury '74 - Part 1) 01 - Lizards (Madder Lake) 02 - I'm a Dingo (The Dingoes) 03 - Gonna miss you babe (Chain) 04 - Big Shake and Hi Honey Ho (Daddy Cool)
05 - New Orleans (Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs) 06 - Hey What's the Matter (Skyhooks) 07 - Roll over Beethoven (Buster Brown) 08 - Buster Brown (Buster Brown) (Sunbury '74 - Part 2) 01 - Payday Again (The Dingoes) 02 - Morning Magic (Ayers Rock) 03 - Supreme Love (Mackenzie Theory) 04 - Love On The Radio (Skyhooks) 05 - We'll Never Do The Same Again (Matt Taylor) 06 - Wang Dang Doodle (Sid Rumpo) 07 - Sweet Home Chicago (Sid Rumpo) 08 - Freedom Jazz Dance (Full Moon) . Sunbury '74 - Part 1&2 FLAC Link (476Mb) New Link 20/10/21 . Sunbury '74 Artwork and Photos (36Mb)
Before things get too serious at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song or album at the end of each month, that could be considered to be either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.
Almost by accident, Daddy Cool became one of the most successful Aussie groups of the '70s and one of the icons of Australian rock. The group originated as an occasional, informal offshoot of Melbourne progressive-rock outfit Sons of The Vegetal Mother, but within twelve months it had completely eclipsed its parent band to become the most successful and popular act in the country, and the Daddy Cool story became one of the pivotal chapters in Australian rock history. Their debut single and LP were the biggest selling Australian records ever released up to that time, and they ushered in a whole new era of Australian rock. The records are perennial favourites, their signature tune, "Eagle Rock", has become one of the anthems of Australian popular music, and their recordings have been anthologised many times in many forms, with at least twenty compilations of their songs to date. One of these compilations was 'Daddy's Coolest: Greatest Hits', released in 1982 and was probably one of the best value compilations released, sporting over 60mins of music.Daddy Cool may have appeared to be an overnight success, but of course the background to Daddy Cool's breakthrough was years of hard slog. Founders Ross "The Boss" Wilson and Ross Hannaford had played together around Melbourne since they were teenagers, first in the Pink Finks, then Party Machine. The rhythm section, drummer Gary Young and bassist Wayne Duncan, had been working consistently since the early 60s, mostly in instrumental bands backing solo singers -- notably as member of The Rondells, the backing band for pioneering beat duo Bobby & Laurie. [extract from Milesago]
L-R Ross Wilson, Wayne Duncan, Gary Young, Ross Hannaford
When Daddy Cool uncoiled their first album it sold 60,000 copies - five times what a 'hit record' normally did in Australia. Led by the black blues man voice of Ross Wilson & buoyed by classic & cool material, Daddy Cool became one of the nation's most loved bands. This collection is packed with their classics, "Eagle Rock", "Come Back Again", "Hi Honey Ho", "Sixty Minute Man", "Teen Love", "Rock 'n' Roll Lady", "Bom Bom" & many more.
This month's WOCK on Vinyl post features a Radio Special recorded for their Daddy's Coolest' compilation, featuring several original members of Daddy Cool being interviewed by Paul Holmes from the 25M Radio Station in amongst the original songs The interview was released as a double album by the Wizard label in the same year and has quickly become a collectors item. I was fortunate enough to come across a copy and as far as I can tell, it has never been made available in digital format before.
The interview was conducted with Ross Hannaford, Gary Young and Wayne Duncan, and provides some interesting insights into how these tracks came about and their American tours back in 1971-1972
Due to the rarity of this Radio Special, I can confidently tick the Obscure option for this month's WOCK post and perhaps reclassify the W & C for Daddy Who? Daddy Cool !
I found this double album at the flee market some time ago (no cover, just the vinyl in plain cardboard covers) and nearly missed them, if it wasn't for the distinct Wizard Record Label that caught my attention. Ripped to FLAC this recording has been de-clicked in places, but overall is in great condition. Full label scans are included and home made artwork included.
Also included are 2 radio commercials used at the time to advertise Daddy's Coolest compilation
Wayne Duncan, Ross Hannaford, Ross Wilson and Gary Young formed Daddy Cool in 1970. All shared a love of 1950s music and initially played covers of songs from their record collections. One of these was "Daddy Cool" (written by Bob Crewe and Frank Slay) performed in 1957 by US Doo-wop band The Rays as the B side to their single "Silhouettes". Daddy Cool became a popular live fixture in Melbourne.
Their early 1971 appearance at the Myponga Festival in South Australia upstaged their parent group, Sons of the Vegetal Mother, which subsequently dissolved.
Daddy Cool may have been a colourful bunch of characters but their cartoon-like façade belied their collective musical experience and acumen. It was the combination of the group’s feel good vibe and their songwriting and musicianship that really made them click. Although group leader Ross Wilson may have sometimes chafed at Daddy Cool’s sillier aspects, more ‘serious’ projects like Sons Of The Vegetal Mother fared comparatively worse – despite having a similar or better group of musicians – because they lacked a lighter touch. Daddy Cool rediscovered the joy and innocence of the earliest days of rock ‘n’ roll and imparted those qualities to their best recordings. Daddy Cool ‘were highly theatrical and animated [and] shook up the Australian concert scene.’ ‘On stage they provided a dance-able sound that was accessible and fun.’
Daddy Cool plays rock ‘n’ roll in its purest form. They all ‘share a love of 1950s music.’ Vocalist Ross Wilson says, “We were revelling in the joy of that early doo-wop music, and revisiting some of the things we’d heard when we were kids.” (In the 1950s, ‘doo-wop’ was a kind of early rock reliant on multi-part harmonies – mainly because they couldn’t afford a large backing group. Accordingly, it was common for a deep-voiced ‘Mr Bass Man’ to repeat nonsense syllables – like ‘doo-wop’ – in place of a bass player while his compatriots’ vocals substituted for guitars or other instrumental colours.) Daddy Cool ‘combine great musical strength, honed by years of experience playing around the traps, with an irreverent and ebullient stage presence.’ Daddy Cool is not the only 1950s revivalists. Nostalgia for the early days of rock ‘n’ roll seems to be in the air. At the same time in the United States there is the comical Sha-Na-Na and the more serious Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Vocalist and guitarist Ross Wilson becomes the leader of Daddy Cool. He is nicknamed Ross ‘the Boss’ Wilson. “It’s Ross’ baby,” acknowledges guitarist Ross Hannaford, bowing to Wilson’s leadership. Ross Wilson states, “I see myself as sort of like the flagship, my voice is out front. I’m powering it, you know.”
The 1972 DC line-up with Ian Winter (back left)
Guitarist Ross Hannaford’s ‘distinctive baritone voice’ provides contrast to Ross Wilson’s higher vocals. Hannaford is also an accomplished guitarist turning in consistently engaging work. There is a ‘Zen quality’ in his guitar playing. Bassist Wayne Duncan says of Hannaford, “He was the Salvador Dali of Australian rock.
[Salvador Dali is a notable surrealist artist.] Everything he did, he did his way. Every guitar he had, he would adapt and change – he’d paint over it and make it a Ross Hannaford, an art object.” Daddy Cool comes along in Hannaford’s last year of teacher’s training at RMIT art school. For all his skills, Ross Hannaford says, “I enjoy myself most as the second man, giving support to the main guy.” Hanna is ‘gangly and rather goofy looking.’
The rhythm section is the true foundation of Daddy Cool’s sound. The pre-existing partnership between bassist Wayne Duncan and drummer Gary Young gives them an almost telepathic rapport. Young’s dexterous and flexible drum patterns find easy sympathy and support from Duncan’s bass.
“We’re all unique individuals, that’s for sure,” concludes group leader Ross Wilson.
Over the years 1975 to 1993, the musical legacy of Daddy Cool is kept alive by compilation albums and re-releases. The first of these is the 1975 EP ‘The D.C. Hits EP’ put out by Wizard. (All recordings mentioned in this paragraph are on Wizard unless otherwise indicated.) This is followed by ‘Greatest Hits’ (1976) (AUS no. 52). ‘The Missing Masters’ (1980) assembles the three tracks recorded in 1974 – ‘All I Wanna Do Is Rock’, ‘The Boogie Man’ and ‘You Never Can Tell’ – for Daddy Cool’s aborted third studio album, adds some previously unreleased studio material, rare B sides for singles (e.g. ‘Don’t Ever Leave Me’, the flipside of ‘Hi Honey Ho’) and rounds out the package with a selection of live recordings.
In January 1981 ‘Eagle Rock’ (AUS no. 7) is released again as a single – and charts for the second time. This probably helps the 'featured' compilation disc ‘Daddy’s Coolest’ (1982) (AUS no. 5) on its journey up the album chart. A twelve-inch single edition of ‘Eagle Rock’ in June 1982, a re-released single of ‘Come Back Again’ in September 1982 and a twelve-inch edition of ‘Hi Honey Ho’ in November 1982 all follow – but none of them make it to the singles chart. ‘Daddy’s Coolest Vol. 2’ (1984) and ‘The Daddy Cool Collection’ (1984) – the latter on the Axis label – continue to revisit the band’s past. ‘Eagle Rock’ is reissued for the fourth time as a single in 1989. ‘Totally Cool’ (1992) (AUS no. 67) is a three CD box set from Mega Records.
In 1994, Daddy Cool – Ross Wilson, Ross Hannaford, Wayne Duncan and Gary Young – reform for a tour with Skyhooks. Like Daddy Cool, by this time Skyhooks has been inactive for many years and – again like Daddy Cool – their most celebrated line-up comes together again for this tour. The two acts unite for a CD single containing four songs, two songs by Daddy Cool and two songs by Skyhooks. Daddy Cool is represented by ‘Ballad Of Oz’ (AUS no. 36) and ‘$64,000 Question’ while Skyhooks offer ‘Happy Hippy Hut’ and revisit their 1974 song ‘You Just Like Me Cos I’m Good In Bed’. This is the final Daddy Cool single to show up on the Australian popular singles chart. The ‘reformation collapses when the single does not chart well and the tour is downgraded to the pub circuit.’ Daddy Cool disbands again. [extracts from rockportraits.wordpress.com] .
This post consists of FLACs ripped from my CD release. Even though I have this on vinyl and it's in great condition, the CD sounds much better so this is what is on offer here. As a bonus, I am also including two tracks taken from their 1994 single "The Ballad Of Oz" (see cover above). Of course, full album artwork is included for both media types along with label scans and select photos of the band. This compilation is one of their best and contains ALL of their most popular tracks. Very Cool indeed ! . Track Listing
01 - Eagle Rock 4:09 02 - Daddy Cool 2:32 03 - Come Back Again 3:33 04 - Lollypop 1:40 05 - Hi Honey Ho 3:41 06 - Sixty Minute Man 2:25 07 - Bom Bom 2:33 08 - At The Rockhouse 3:45 09 - Rock'N'Roll Lady 2:53 10 - I'll Never Smile Again 4:16 11 - Good Golly Miss Molly 2:19 12 - You Never Can Tell 2:29 13 - One Night 2:42 14 - Teenage Blues 3:38 15 - Boogie Man 3:18 16 - Cherry Pie 3:20
17 - Just As Long As We're Together 2:35 18 - Please, Please America (Hear My Plea) 3:12 19 - Baby Let Me Bang Your Box 3:24 20 - Daddy Rocks Off 4:34 [Bonus Tracks] 21 - The Ballad Of Oz 3:04 22 - 64,000 Dollar Question 2:10
Daddy Cool were: Ross Wilson - Vocals, Guitar Ross Hannaford - Guitar, Vocals Wayne Duncan - Bass, Vocals Gary Young - Drums, Vocals (also with Jerry Noone on Sax / Keyboards and Ian 'Willy' Winter on Guitar) . Daddy Cool FLAC Link (433Mb) New Link 14/12/23 .
Concert Details
Concert For Bangladesh, organised by Freedom From Hunger
Sunday 20th April 1975: Sidney Myer Music Bowl - Melbourne.
Bill: La De Das, Jim Keays, AC/DC, Ayers Rock, Phil Manning, Daddy Cool, Hush, Toulouse & Too Tight, The Dingoes, Moir Sisters
Tickets: $2.50 / $3.50
Capacity: 10,000
Australia’s Daddy Cool scored a big home hit in 1971 with sub-Stones strut "Eagle Rock", which soon became a wedding party staple. Four years later when they headlined The Australian Concert For Bangladesh at Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Daddy Cool were about to be consigned to the oldies bin by the band which was sixth on the bill that day, AC/DC.
Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne
AC/DC had been propelled locally by teenage Sharpie fans, a group of whom are seen here stepping out with a mickey-taking version of the Eagle Rock boogie which mutates into their dance, The Melbourne Shuffle. Bon arrived again dressed as a schoolgirl, seemingly unconcerned that his makeup would run in the rain that tumbled down that day. Though the attendance was affected by the poor weather, most waited until after AC/DC played before leaving. AC/DC played a 45 minute set while on their 1975 "High Voltage" Australian Tour. Several tracks later aired on ABC's 'GTK.' but have yet to appear on YouTube. [As far as I know, there are no official or Bootleg recordings of their performance either].
Sharpies were the Australian mod-skinhead-casual hybrid from Melbourne’s working class suburbs with a tough and stylish look and an outsider stance. Check out the moves, the knits, the Connys (cardigans), the feather-cuts and the cinch-backed Oxford bags in the video clip above, during Daddy Cool's "Eagle Rock".
Australian Sharpies pre-dated American S.H.A.R.P.S. (probably by 10-15 years), but in the USA, a "S.H.A.R.P." is an acronym for "Skin Heads Against Racial Prejudice" (opposite of "neo-NAZI" skinhead). The Sharpies were working class and dedicated to their appearances and wild lifestyles. They also danced their own version of the Australian Stomp, a dance that originated in Australia in the surf clubs of the 60s and was developed into a more intensive form by the Sharpies.
[extract from paulgormanis.com]
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Daddy Cool
Original line-up: Ross Wilson (vocals, guitar); Ross Hannaford (lead guitar); Gary Young (drums); Wayne Duncan (bass guitar).
The two Ross's started out in the Pink Finks in 1965. They formed a partnership that lasted until they formed Daddy Cool with Wayne and Gary, who had worked together in the Rondells.
Their first appearance was at the T.F Much Ballroom (aka Too Fucking Much Ballroom) in Melbourne in November 1970. From there they took the dance and disco circuit by storm with their vintage rock'n'roll, outrageous acts and ostentatious outfits (which included a towel and bathing cap, Mickey Mouse ears and an Archie-style cap complete with a propeller).
In May 1971, they released their first single, 'Eagle Rock' (written by Ross Wilson), backed by 'Bom Bom' (written by Wilson & Hannaford). The record entered the Melbourne charts at number twenty after only ten days in the shops. It went on to become the best selling Australian single of the year. On conquering Melbourne, the band set off on a hectic tour of all the capital cities. In July their debut album, Daddy Who? . .. Daddy Cool, was released.
The band was also voted Australia's best group of 1971 in the national Go-Set Pop Poll. This was quite an achievement when you consider they had only been on the scene for six months and had had to contend with competition like Chain, Zoot and Masters' Apprentices.
Meanwhile, their album was selling like wildfire, with radio stations programming all or most tracks. By August it had gone gold and, of course, the single had already achieved gold status within eleven weeks of its release. Also in August, the band took its first step toward international recognition when they set off for the US to play at the Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood. The gig was a success. As a result they were offered more concert dates later in the year. At the same time, 'Eagle Rock' was released in the US on Warner Brothers.
Disbanding in 1972, the band eventually reformed in 1974/75 to play at the Sunbury Festival, this Benefit Concert for Freedom from Hunger and finally at the Prahran Reefer Cabaret, before calling it quits again in September, 1975.
Phil Manning
Apart from Erol Flynn, Phil just may be the only truly notable export of Tasmania. He emerged from the Apple Isle as a gangly, youthful guitarist hopeful around 1966 and made his way to 'discotheque city' - Melbourne. There he became gainfully employed as a member of The Blue Jays and The Laurie Allen Revenue before being taken on as lead guitarist by ex-Brisbane blues outfit The Bay City Union.
After one single, Manning linked up with Perth blues band The Beaten Track, late in 1968. This outfit evolved into Chain early in 1969, with the addition of ex-James Taylor Move vocalist Wendy Saddington.
Phil Manning remained the mainstay of Chain from 1969 to 1973, as some of Australia's finest rock/blues musicians passed through its ranks. Chain's January 1971 single, "Black and Blue" reached the top 20 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. Manning co-wrote the song with fellow members Harvey, Sullivan and Taylor. They had a second top 40 hit with "Judgement" issued in July. Also in July, teen newspaper, Go-Set published its annual popularity poll and Manning was voted at No. 3 for 'Best Guitarist'. The related Chain album, 'Toward the Blues' followed in September and peaked in the top 10 on the Albums Chart. Manning has returned to Chain periodically for performances and further recordings, while contemporaneously maintaining his solo career.
His name became synonymous with BLUES, of the finest integrity and quality. A lucid, flowing style of blues guitar endeared him to serious rock fans and enabled him to win countless guitar polls throughout the late 60's and early 70's. When Muddy Waters Blues Band visited
After Chain finally breathed its last, Manning passed through a variety of relatively unsatisfying formations, such as Pilgrimage, Friends, Might Mouse and Band Of Talabone. Signed to Mushroom Records as the Phil Manning Band in 1975, he began to re orientate his direction to a more straight forward rock vein and released his debut solo album, 'I Wish There Was a Way', on Mushroom Records and Festival Records. Australian music historian, Ian McFarlane, described the album as in a "mellow, reflective singer/songwriter mode". The album spawned two singles, "Love Is the Mender" in December and "I Wish There Was a Way" in March 1975.
In May, he formed the Phil Manning Band with Greg Cook on guitar and synthesiser (ex-Cam-Pact, Mándu Band), Bruce Devenish on drums and Eddie McDonald on bass guitar (ex-Bakery). They recorded the pop single "Train to Ride" which was issued in October. However, in September the line-up had changed to Steve Cooney on guitar, Tony Doyle on drums and Paul Wheeler on bass guitar (ex-Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, MacKenzie Theory). The group disbanded in March 1977 and Manning joined John Paul Young's backing band the Allstars for three months.
Ayers Rock
Ayers Rock was the leading Australian 'jazz-rock' group of the 70s, fusing rock with influences from soul, R&B, jazz and Latin music.
The band was built on world-class standards of playing and complex arrangements, and inspired by overseas groups such as Traffic, Santana and Weather Report. The original members were all seasoned players, widely regarded as among the best musos in the country, and their musical connections were woven through a series of major bands of the 60s and early 70s.
Ayers Rock were one of the first groups signed to Michael Gudinski's newly established Mushroom label, and their debut single, "Rock'n'Roll Fight", was issued at the end of 1973. Ayers Rock's debut album Big Red Rock was taped live before an invited audience at Armstrong's Studios in Melbourne over two nights in September 1974. The live-in-the-studio approach worked extremely well for Ayers Rock, and the album clearly demonstrated why their awesome live 'chops' had made them such a popular concert attraction. But it also was something of a necessity for the cash-strapped label -- they took the same approach with another early signing, Mackenzie Theory. The Ayers Rock debut LP reportedly cost Mushroom a mere $5,000 to record.
In January 1975, the group performed at the fourth Sunbury Pop Festival, and Big Red Rock and "Lady Montego" were released in the US on 28 February. On 20 April, they performed at a benefit Concert for Bangladesh at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl with the La De Das, Jim Keays, AC/DC, Phil Manning, Daddy Cool, Toulouse & Too Tight, the Dingoes, and the Moir Sisters.
L to R: Chris Brown, Duncan McGuire, Mark Kennedy, Jimmy Doyle, & Col Loughnan.
(Concert for Bangladesh 1975)
This post consists of MP'3 (320kps) ripped from DVD (thanks to Pete Power Pop at Midoztouch) and full album artwork (reworked from the DVD cover by WoodyNet with thanks). I've also taken the liberty of including the above video clip featuring Daddy Cool's rendition of Eagle Rock in MP4 format.
It was a little disappointing to discover while researching for this post, that there is precious little information regarding this epic concert on the web or in print (I couldn't even find how much money was raised for the Freedom From Hunger Campaign), and no other video/ audio releases exist for the remaining artists on the Bill, in particular ACDC.
Interesting to note that Jon English was chosen to MC the concert, rather than perform but I guess someone had to do the job and who better than ol' Dark Eyes.
Note: If you plan to burn this to CD, you'll need to spread it over 2 CD's
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Track Listing
01 - Daddy Cool - Boogie Man
02 - Daddy Cool - Hi Honey Ho
03 - Daddy Cool - Duke Of Earl
04 - Daddy Cool - [Introduction to Daddy Cool]
05 - Daddy Cool - Daddy Cool
06 - Daddy Cool - Eagle Rock
07 - Daddy Cool - Good Golly Miss Molly
08 - Jon English - [Introduction to Phil Manning]
09 - Phil Manning - [Introduction]
10 - Phil Manning - I Love You Babe
11 - Phil Manning - Big Yellow Taxi
12 - Phil Manning - [Introduction to Aborigine Song]
13 - Phil Manning - Aborigine Song
14 - Phil Manning - [Introduction to Walking Blues]
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So this month's WOCK post features a rather rare release from an Australian iconic band, and so it ticks the Obscure box in my opinion. I have only seen one other copy in my 50 years of record collecting, and am very proud of my near mint copy. The EP was ripped to FLAC and includes full Hi-Res Artwork and label scans.
