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Product Link: Cool Songs for Cool Kids
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F – U – N. Major fun. This is the word that immediately comes to mind when listening to Daddy a Go-Go’s “Cool Songs for Cool Kids”.

Plug this disk in and prepare for major ear candy. Opening up with moderately fast and real rock & roll guitar riffs on the song “A Dog Named Boomer”, this song sets the pass for the rest of the album. With fun lines like “my dog named Boomer used to like to chase cats until they started chasing back” we are instantly aware that this is not quite the R&R we played as teenagers. Then again, it may still fit right in with the rest of your collection.

From one dog cut to the next, “Boomer” slides right into the next song – the theme to “Scooby Do”. Oddly, it is not actually produced as a separate track, instead it shares the first track spot despite not having the slightest stylistic similarity to Boomer. Whatever, it’s fun, and that is what this is all about.

Track two (what should have been track three) goes right into a (dare we over use the word) FUN rockabilly song that teaches the alphabet a bit. The next is a derivative song on “Speed Racer” which I sort of grew up with and is now making a major comeback in new movies.

As the tracks play on the experienced ear will hear “odes” to many a rock classic (okay, they are out and out riff rips-offs at times, but it’s all in the name of – once again – fun). We hear swinging beach style music, then a new wavy song teaching kids to brush their teeth that sounds a lot like an old Knack or Pat Benatar cut. Then comes a twangy rock/country crossover classic and…you get the idea.

While there is always a slight nod to the tongue in cheek, especially in the lyrics, the music is taken seriously and produced as one would approach any aiming at the top 40 market. The musicality is top-notch, and the musicianship thoroughly enjoyable. This is especially evident as we hear five instrumental-only cuts where creator John Boydston decided to hold back on some of his kid centric banter.

But when the banter comes back we get lines like “I’ve changed so many diapers that I guess I better change my clothes” alongside a Tod Rundgren-like riff with harmonica solos. Great stuff. And while it is all real rock and roll, none of it is too hard core for the kiddies to listen to.

Whether done intentionally to sound more like music of years gone by or not, the quality of the recordings were not quite as crisp and “right in the room” sounding as we have begun to get used to over the last decade. Rather it sounds more like work done in the 80’s, with a little more intentional and accidental distortion in the mix. This is fine and only adds to the overall effect.

“Daddy’s driving the car pool – all right!” “I had some grape juice it went to my head”, “When I woke up I went into a dream, there were Daddys everywhere I could see”, “Daddy’s in the Sky”.

Okay, Beatles it’s not. But it is a great primer for them and hey, did we mention this disk as …FUN?

The packaging is basic- a jewel case with a list of songs and some black and white pictures and credits. Non-inspired but perfectly functional and who really buys a CD for the packaging anyway?

This CD’s great fun (ok, are you sick of that word yet), and its liberal mention of “daddy” makes it a fun gift for father’s day. It’s better than an old tie, and hey- most father’s day gifts end up going right back to the kids anyway, eh?