Daddy Who? Daddy Cool

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Daddy Who?... Daddy Cool
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 2, 1971
Recorded1970−71
StudioArmstrong Studios, Melbourne
GenreAustralian rock, blues rock, doo-wop
LabelSparmac, Warner/Reprise, Wizard
ProducerRobie Porter
Daddy Cool chronology
Daddy Who?... Daddy Cool
(1971)
Sex, Dope, Rock'n'Roll: Teenage Heaven
(1971)
Singles from Daddy Who?... Daddy Cool
  1. "Eagle Rock"
    Released: May 1971
  2. "Come Back Again"
    Released: September 1971

Daddy Who?... Daddy Cool is the 1971 debut album by Australian rock band Daddy Cool.

Release and promotion[edit]

Released in July, 1971 it was the first on Robie Porter's Sparmac label. It was also the first Australian-recorded album to make No. 1 nationally[1] and it stayed at #1 for seven weeks. Smashing all previous sales records, it achieved gold status within a month, and an unprecedented 60,000 copies sold in its initial release. It went on to become the first Australian LP to sell more than 100,000 copies.[2][3]

The album was originally issued in a textured cover and featured a cartoon rendering of band members by Melbourne artist Ian McCausland which became the group's logo. While Daddy Cool's guitarist, Ross Hannaford, was responsible for overall album cover design, McCausland created the band's graphics and much of their visual image.[4] The original songs on the album were written by guitarist and vocalist Ross Wilson except "Bom Bom", which was co-written with Hannaford.[5] The rest of the album contained 1950s R&B covers - The Rivals' "Guided Missiles", Etta James' "Good Rockin' Daddy", Marvin & Johnny's "Cherry Pie", The Rays' "Daddy Cool" and Chuck Berry's "School Days".[4]

Daddy Who?... Daddy Cool was also released in the US on the Warner/Reprise label and the band toured in support of its release. Two singles were lifted from the album: "Eagle Rock" No. 1 on the Australian national singles chart and "Come Back Again" which reached No. 3.[6]

The album was re-issued in 1975 (with different sleeve under the title Daddy Who? Daddy Gold!) on Wizard Records (also owned by Porter) and in 1982, with the original artwork but non-gatefold sleeve.

The Australian release on Sparmac Records contains different tracks to the US version on Reprise which was released five months later. The Australian album includes the tracks "Good Rockin' Daddy" and "Cherry Pie" not found on the Reprise edition which features "Flip", "Lollipop" and "Just As Long As We're Together" instead.

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[7]
The Village VoiceC−[8]

Village Voice critic Robert Christgau reacted negatively to the band's take on 1950s rock and roll, writing in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981) that "imitating it isn't re-creating it—it's killing it."[9]

In October 2010, Daddy Who? Daddy Cool was listed at No. 14 in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums.[10]

Track listing[edit]

All songs written by Ross Wilson unless otherwise indicated.[5]

Australian release
Side one
  1. "Daddy Cool" (Frank Slay, Bob Crewe) - 2:31
  2. "School Days" (Chuck Berry) - 3:03
  3. "Come Back Again" - 4:51
  4. "At The Rockhouse" - 3:42
  5. "Guided Missile" (Alfred Gaitwood) - 3:02
  6. "Good Rockin' Daddy" (Richard Berry, Joseph Bihari as "Joe Josea") - 2:21
Side two
  1. "Eagle Rock" - 4:07
  2. "Zoop Bop Gold Cadillac" - 3:56
  3. "Blind Date" - 4:12
  4. "Bom Bom" (Ross Wilson, Ross Hannaford) - 2:34
  5. "Cherry Pie" (Joseph Bihari as "Joe Josea", Marvin Phillips) - 3:40
US release
Side one
  1. "Daddy Cool" (Frank Slay, Bob Crewe) - 2:31
  2. "School Days (Ring Goes The Bell)" (Chuck Berry) - 3:03
  3. "Come Back Again" - 4:51
  4. "At The Rockhouse" - 3:42
  5. "Guided Missile" (Alfred Gaitwood) - 3:02
  6. "Flip" (Carl Green) - 2:26
Side two
  1. "Eagle Rock" - 4:07
  2. "Zoop Bop Gold Cadillac" - 3:55
  3. "Blind Date" - 4:12
  4. "Bom Bom" (Ross Wilson/Ross Hannaford) - 2:34
  5. "Lollipop" (Beverly Ross, Julius Dixon) - 1:36
  6. "Just As Long As We're Together" - 2:32

Charts[edit]

Weekly charts[edit]

Chart (1971/72) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[11] 1

Year-end charts[edit]

Chart (1971) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[12] 7

Personnel[edit]

Daddy Cool members

Additional personnel

  • Robie Porter – piano, steel guitar
  • Jeremy Noone – saxophone
  • Dave Brown – tenor saxophone, flute

Additional credits

  • Robie Porter – producer
  • Roger Savage – engineer
  • Ross Hannaford – cover design
  • Ian McCausland – cover graphics

Release history[edit]

Format Country Label Catalogue No. Date
LP AUS Sparmac SPL 001 July 1971
LP US Warner/Reprise RS 6471 November 1971
LP AUS Wizard ZL 214 1975
LP AUS Wizard MID-160005 1982

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Daddy Cool". Howlspace. Archived from the original on 5 August 2008. Retrieved 15 May 2008.
  2. ^ Blackman, Guy (27 February 2007). "Who's your daddy?". The Age. Retrieved 15 May 2008.
  3. ^ "ARIA presents the 2006 ARIA Hall of Fame". ARIA. Retrieved 15 May 2008.
  4. ^ a b "Daddy Cool". Milesago. Retrieved 15 May 2008.
  5. ^ a b "Australasian Performing Right Association". APRA. Archived from the original on 24 January 2008. Retrieved 16 May 2008.
  6. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988.
  7. ^ Larkin, Colin (2000). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 692. ISBN 0195313739.
  8. ^ Christgau, Robert (20 January 1972). "Consumer Guide (23)". The Village Voice. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  9. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Daddy Cool: Daddy Who? Daddy Cool?". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the '70s. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  10. ^ O'Donnell, John; Creswell, Toby; Mathieson, Craig (October 2010). 100 Best Australian Albums. Prahran, Vic: Hardie Grant Books. ISBN 978-1-74066-955-9.
  11. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 81. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  12. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 423. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.