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The Best
of Ross Wilson
This essential double CD collection, which was two years in the making spans 35 years of Ross "the Boss" Wilson, Australia's most inventive and imaginative musician, not forgetting his record productions and songwriting. It includes hits from Daddy Cool, Mondo Rock, solo hits, rarities and unreleased tracks. The excellent liner notes from renowned rock historian, Ian McFarlane, includes plenty of photos, comments from Wilson as the project had his complete co-operation. Disc one, titled Now Listen, is the hits CD and incorporates five memorable Daddy Cool moments, Wilson's solo hit Living in the Land of Oz, seven Mondo Rock selections and four other Wilson solo tracks including the 1989 hit Bed of Nails, some new recordings including a re-working of Mondo Rock's A Touch of Paradise (co-written with Gulliver Smith in 1977 that was a hit for John Farnham in 1987). Disc two, Crackle and Pop, starts with Wilson (and Ross Hannaford) 1965 school boy garage outfit The Pink Finks. They are allocated two tracks including Louie Louie which 15 year old Wilson manages to sound like a blues veteran. Then follows the complete recordings of The Party Machine (in which Wilson was joined by Ross Hannaford again and Mike Rudd). The Party Machine, whose total output comprises two songs from a single and two previously unreleased tracks, was influenced by Zappa and Jefferson Airplane, as was Wilson's next band in 1970, Sons of the Vegetal Mother. This CD features two tracks from their rare three track ep. The 1973 progressive Mighty Kong have one track from their album. The final three tracks are rare Mondo Rock recordings which would have been better replaced by the missing Sons of Vegetal Mother song, or another Pink Finks track. Some more Mighty Kong songs would have been appreciated too. These are minor criticisms of a well packaged release of timeless Oz rock from Cool Daddy Ross Wilson. Paul McHenry Previous
columns Chris Spencer is author of the "Who's Who of Australian Rock'. He can be contacted through Moonlight Publishing. |
A
recent CD that has compiled songs from the career of Ross Wilson
contains some of his rarest and hardest to obtain material. As well
as two tracks of the Pink Finks, there are 4 songs of the Party
Machine and two of the Sons of the Vegetal Mother. Both of these
later bands recorded, but itıs almost impossible to obtain the originals.
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