Alison Gros - Singles Collection (1971)

(Australian 1970-1971)

Alison Gros 1970
(Performing on Adelaide TV show 'In Time')

Alison Gros formed in Adelaide in 1970. Their name was presumably taken from the famous English folk song of the same name (which was memorably covered by Steeleye Span, among others). The group's main claim to fame is of course its founding member, Graeham Goble.

Band members were: Graeham Goble - Guitar, Lead Vocals, Russell Johnson - Guitar, vocals, John Darcy - Guitar, Vocals, John Mower - Guitar, Lead Vocals, Roger Linden - Bass, Rob Leedham - Bass, Shane Simon – Drums.

Their first single, released in 1970, was the first recording issued on on the shortlived Adelaide label Gamba, which issued about a dozen singles during 1970-71. The band relocated to Melbourne in 1971 and signed with Ron Tudor's Fable Records. They released two Singles on Fable during the year, both of which scraped into the bottom of the National Top 100. Their first Fable single (written by Goble) "If I Ask You" managed to reach #15 in the Adelaide charts.

Alison Gros performing "If I Ask You" on 'Hit Scene' ABC Channel 2, Melbourne, July 22nd, 1971
 
The groups's main claim to fame (if that's the right word) is the novelty pop recordings they made for Fable in the early '70s under the pseudonym Drummond. The first Drummond single was a version of George Harrison's "For You Blue" which came out in early 1971 but barely dented the charts, only reaching #94.

Alison Gros performing "I Think About" on 'Move', NWS Channel 9 Adelaide, South Australia 1971
 
However the next Drummond record ranks as one of the most bizarre Australian one-hit wonders of the decade. In mid-1971 Fable released Drummond's novelty version of the song "Daddy Cool". It was a blatant cash-in on the current popularity of Ross Wilson's Daddy Cool, who had taken their name from the song. At the time Drummond's version came out, Daddy Cool were dominating the singles charts with "Eagle Rock" and they had included a version of the old rock'n'roll standard (in a much more 'authentic' reading) on their hit debut LP.

Alison Gros performing "Love Song" on 'Move', NWS Channel 9 Adelaide, South Australia 1971

Proving the old adage that no-one ever lost money by over-estimating the taste of the general public, Drummond's novelty 'chipmunk' rendition of "Daddy Cool" rocketed up the charts, toppling "Eagle Rock" from the #1 spot in August. In all it spent a staggering 34 weeks on the national chart in the second half of 1971 and became one of the biggest selling Australian singles of the year.

Fable issued three subsequent singles under the Drummond moniker, but the members of Alison Gros were not involved -- these were recorded by anonymous session players, (presumably members of the Bootleg Family Band). By the end of 1971 Alison Gros had 'morphed' into Mississippi and recorded an excellent self-titled debut LP with the addition of session players Peter Jones (piano), Geoff Cox (drums), Barry Sullivan (bass, ex-Chain) and Graham Lyall (flute). It was released on Fable's new Bootleg imprint, a subsidiary label recently set by Tudor and musician Brian Cadd.

Founding member Russell Johnson died on 15 September 2007 after suffering a stroke. [Extract from Milesago Website]

This post consists of FLACs (thanks to Stacky at Ausrock) and single label scans but alas no artwork. Also included are bonus tracks in MP3 (320) format, sourced from the mp3.pm website

Track Listing:

01 Naturally

02 Would You Really Have To Go

03 If I Ask You

04 So Good

05 All The Days

06 Weaver of Life

07 In The Morning

08 It Must Be You

09 Changing

10 Don't Go

11 Sweet World

12 Three And A Half

13 We Are Together

14 I Think About

15 If I Ask You [Version 2]

16 Daddy Cool (Drummond)

Bonus Tracks:

17 California Dreaming

18 Everybody's Talkin

19 Love Song [Live on Move 1971]

20 Teach Your Children

21 You Ain't Goin Nowhere

Alison Gros Link (306Mb)