Big Rock Rooster

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Dad may spend too much time surfing the Web, swipe the remote, and snore, but when he straps on the Stratocaster, jump back--if he's Daddy a Go Go's John Boydston, that is. Together with Walt Brewer, a dad who drums, Boydston tears it up a third time on Big Rock Rooster, an album of '60s-esque jangly pop-rock that recalls everybody from Brian Wilson to John Fogerty to the Revolver-era Beatles. The paternal pair has matured a bit this go round--Rooster aims to rouse the 5- to 10-year-old crowd with tunes like "I Caught My Daddy Watching Cartoons" and the camp classic "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah." Consider it a graduation gift for kids who wore out their copies of Monkey in the Middle. Tucked into the originals, with their loopy, lifted-from-the-living-room lyrics, are parent-pleasers like the Partridge Family theme and the '50s bopper "Rag Mop." The straight-up sound is the thing, though. With surf licks, rockabilly riffs, and New Orleans grooves mixed into their musical stew, the Daddys continue to cook up some of the most energetic, accessible kids' music around. --Tammy La Gorce

Los Angeles Daily News, July 20th, 2002
"This near-perfect family CD celebrates the important stuff for kids set to 60's era music that parents can appreciate."

Album Description
Daddy a Go Go's "Big Rock Rooster" isn't for toddlers. It's not bad for them or anything, but if your child is 14.5 months old, like the child of the writer below, by all means check out The Wiggles and Barney or even Daddy a Go Go's first CD "Cool Songs for Cool Kids" which was named one of Amazon.com's Top 10 Best Kids CD of 1999.

"Big Rock Rooster" is for older kids, from 3 or 4 on up to 10, who are getting older and hip to rock and roll riffs you might hear on commercials or even classic rock radio stations. They like that stuff cause its fun, but maybe you don't want your kids listening to mainstream radio or watching TV all day just yet. "Big Rock Rooster" is a fun rock record with 12 original songs straight out of real life, like "I Can't Find My Shoes" or fun word-play songs like "Guitars on Mars" or "I Wanna Be an Action Figure."

Martin Keller wrote a great little review of this CD in the Minneapolis Star Tribune: "You gotta love the brains and instruments behind Daddy a Go Go -- John Boydston, a former CNN producer and current stay-at-home dad who came of age in rock's golden era and is now trying to re-create it for kids. He does it with his original songs, groaner pop culture puns, smart covers and ripping guitar lines. Playing everything but drums, Boydston shows he's as much in touch with his and your kids as he is with patented '60s guitar hooks. This CD is a righteous follow-up to his first two discs. Daddy a Go Go proves again that he's one of kids-music's rockin'-est rulers."

And Tower Records' PULSE gave "Big Rock Rooster" a 4 star review: "Big Rock Rooster rips! Daddy A Go Go a.k.a. John Boydston, isn't afraid to rock out (and I mean really rock out in a grungy, garage band sort of way) and he does so with such spirit and good graces that he offends the sedate sensitibilies of neither parent nor child. (Think nuances of the Beatles and the Who toned down to meet the needs of today's busy nuclear family.) Daddy A Go Go's brand of rock 'n' roll is simple and nostalgic with smart retakes (unlike the original, Daddy A Go Go's version of the Partridge Family's "Come On, Get Happy" manages to avoid sounding sappy) mingled with originals."

Big Rock Rooster

Big Rock Rooster, Music, Daddy a Go-Go, Childrens, Pop, Rock & Roll, This is Daddy A Go Go's 3rd CD of happy, upbeat, orginal, and electried rock and roll for kids & parents; its our rockinest record to date -- we figured if we were going to put a big chicken on the cover we should probably step it up a notch.

Big Rock Rooster
Average customer rating:

A disappointment: falls short of previous two efforts

A MUST HAVE FOR FUN DADDY-KID TIME

Rockin Kids Music

Disappointed -- mediocre vocals and (too) jangly guitar

Happy Music

Big Rock Rooster
Daddy a Go-Go
Manufacturer: Boyd's Tone
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music
General | Children's Music | Styles | Music
General | Children's Music | Indie Music | Stores | Music
General | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Mojo A Go Go - Real Rock For Kids

Cool Songs For Cool Kids

Monkey In The Middle

Eat Every Bean and Pea On Your Plate

For The Kids

ASIN: B000063BR4
Release Date: 2002-03-05

Tracks:

I Wanna Be An Action Figure
Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah
I Caught My Daddy Watching Cartoons
I Can't Find My Shoes
Come On, Get Happy (Theme From the Partridge Family TV Show)
Guitars on Mars
Nice Mare on Elm Street
I Think I Might Be A Dog
Big Rock Rooster
Rag Mop
Radio Wah Wah (instrumental)
The Sports Song
Get Off The Computer
Out In The Garage

Amazon.com

Dad may spend too much time surfing the Web, swipe the remote, and snore, but when he straps on the Stratocaster, jump back--if he's Daddy a Go Go's John Boydston, that is. Together with Walt Brewer, a dad who drums, Boydston tears it up a third time on Big Rock Rooster, an album of '60s-esque jangly pop-rock that recalls everybody from Brian Wilson to John Fogerty to the Revolver-era Beatles. The paternal pair has matured a bit this go round--Rooster aims to rouse the 5- to 10-year-old crowd with tunes like "I Caught My Daddy Watching Cartoons" and the camp classic "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah." Consider it a graduation gift for kids who wore out their copies of Monkey in the Middle. Tucked into the originals, with their loopy, lifted-from-the-living-room lyrics, are parent-pleasers like the Partridge Family theme and the '50s bopper "Rag Mop." The straight-up sound is the thing, though. With surf licks, rockabilly riffs, and New Orleans grooves mixed into their musical stew, the Daddys continue to cook up some of the most energetic, accessible kids' music around. --Tammy La Gorce

Album Description

Daddy a Go Go's "Big Rock Rooster" isn't for toddlers. It's not bad for them or anything, but if your child is 14.5 months old, like the child of the writer below, by all means check out The Wiggles and Barney or even Daddy a Go Go's first CD "Cool Songs for Cool Kids" which was named one of Amazon.com's Top 10 Best Kids CD of 1999.

Customer Reviews:

A disappointment: falls short of previous two efforts.......2004-11-30

If you are looking for guitar-driven, garage band style children's music then, then Daddy a Go Go just might fit the bill. Parents who are fans of the Beatles, surf guitar, the Byrds; or, even REM, Camper van Beethoven, Flaming Lips, the Misfits, etc., will likely find Daddy a Go Go a refreshing change from Barney, the Wiggles, Raffi, and other commercially popular children's artists. However, if you're new to Daddy a Go Go, I'd recommend buying either of their first two albums, *Cool Songs For Cool Kids* or *Monkey In The Middle*, instead of *Big Rock Rooster*.

*Big Rock Rooster* was somewhat of a disappointment. After listening to the song samples, I decided to borrow the CD from the library before buying it. We listened to the album at least once a day for about 3-4 weeks, in rotation with the previous two Daddy a Go Go CDs. I really tried to like the album, and--although we love Ralph's World--initially took with a grain of salt any negative comparisons to Ralph's World.

My now 14.5 month-old son, husband, and I enjoy the first two albums very much, especially the instrumentals and cover tunes. The only exception is the Pokemon themed song, "The Fever," which already seems dated after 4 years--and therein lies the weakness of this third Daddy a Go Go album.

To mangle David St. Hubbins' quote in *This is Spinal Tap*: "It's a fine line between clever and corny." Original and creative songs like "Monkey in the Middle" and "You're Not the Bossa Nova Me" (from the second album) are noticeably absent on *Big Rock Rooster*. Instead, you have songs like "I Caught My Daddy Watching Cartoons" and "Nice Mare on Elm Street," which are loaded with youth pop culture references.

Granted, as indicated on the back cover, this album is geared towards an older age group (ages 5-10) than the previous two Daddy a Go Go CDs. However, I think it's possible to write songs for children without resorting to gimmickry. Herewith lies Ralph's World and Brady Rymer's advantage (better studio production and musicianship aside): their songs are witty, performed in various musical styles, and near-timeless. Although Daddy a Go Go does cover some themes or topics in their songs that are universal to children (e.g., "It's Hard to Be a Kid," "Brush Your Teeth," I Can't Find My Shoes"), the surf/garage guitar twang and limited vocal range can seem tedious after repeated listenings; and, the more gimmicky lyrics will unlikely hold up to the passage of time.

Nonetheless, Daddy a Go Go's home studio recorded albums can still have a place in your family's music collection; you just may eventually find yourself reaching for them less often, compared to other, more accomlished children's artists.

A MUST HAVE FOR FUN DADDY-KID TIME.......2004-04-24

This CD is a must have. The lyrics are funny and enjoyable and the music is fun for grown ups to groove too. It is recommended for 5-10 year olds but my 8 month old loves to dance around to it and of course fly around to "I want to be an action figure."

Don't miss this CD. It is a fresh sound to keep the kids having fun and the parents sane with some good old rock.

I can't wait for the new one.

Rockin Kids Music.......2004-04-23

What a great cd for kids! The entire collection is a must have. My 3 year old loves them all! He was recently interviewed and when asked what his favorite song was he responded with an excited "Superheroes" - his name for "I Wanna Be An Action Figure". He also insisted on ordering all the cds for a friend's birthday gift and wow what a hit!

Disappointed -- mediocre vocals and (too) jangly guitar.......2004-04-20

I really wanted to love this CD, especially after all the positive reviews for Daddy a Go Go, including comparisons to the Beatles Revolver era.

Yikes. Not so.

If you can tolerate mediocre singing, a non-stop jangly guitar, C-level back-up musicians, and not-so-clever lyrics, you might be OK with this CD. It does have a bit of a country sound to it -- maybe country music fans will like it more than I do.

I was especially looking forward to "Come on Get Happy" (cover of Partidge Family), but Daddy a Go Go's version is almost unrecognizable as the same song.

I'm just really disappointed with it. I'm taking it to work with me today and offering it to anyone who wants it for free.

I'm going to stick with Ralph's World.

Happy Music.......2002-04-09

This CD is wonderful! The Big Rock Rooster piece is so fun it should go on forever. Rag Mop is better than the original. Don't miss this CD, if you have children or not.

Average customer rating:

psychedelic dinner
Seventy-four minutes, and still wanting more

Big Metal Rooster
Big Metal Rooster
Manufacturer: Cow Town Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0001DMVT4
Release Date: 2004-01-20

Tracks:

Sunlit Mirror
Sweet Surroundings
Riverdog
Trapeze
Adventures of Herman the Frog
Stella

Customer Reviews:

psychedelic dinner.......2005-11-27

how do they do it? how can a band be so good? this cd was recorded in one take, from what i understand. 75 straight minutes of psychedelic fun! this cd only has 6 tracks, and by the time they wrote it, they had a good number of songs written, and i think they could have replaced a couple songs on here with other songs they only play live; like Cant Beat it With a Stick, or Greusome Gridly would have made this album perfect. i suggest tracking down their live album, it's even better.

Seventy-four minutes, and still wanting more.......2004-02-19

The debut album of the most talented band to come out of Kansas since Kerry Livgren's friends certainly does not disappoint. If forced to put a genre on this album, I'd call it 'jam,' but it's more than that. It starts on jazz, and meets classic rock and bluegrass on an album that plays like a winding road.

One of the biggest strengths this album has is that it's versatile. It works either blasted from a car stereo or as ambient music.

The first thing you'll notice when you put this CD in (other than the intro--just an example of the band not taking itself too seriously) is the upbeat tone of the music. With rock music imploding on itself using teenage angst as its primary source of inspiration, BMR's catchy guitar riffs and pleasingly different spin will have you hooked.

The second thing is the length of the songs. The disc is over seventy-three minutes, with only six tracks. The first three (Sunlit Mirror, Sweet Surroundings, and River Dog) are played as one thirty-four minute song. It's really the second half of the CD that shines, though. Trapeze, a twenty minute epic song, features some of the best bass lines you're likely to see, and the guitar work on it is second to none. That's followed by The Adventures of Herman the Frog, a bluegrassy homage to children's stories. Stella wraps up the whole package with drummer Matt Miner on vocals.

It's a live studio album, which basically means it was recorded in one take--given that that only 74 minutes fit on a studio-recorded CD, the length of this was like pumping $20 of gas with your eyes closed. Listening to this, you get a good feel for how the live show sounds, and anyone who doesn't pick it up is missing out on what we can hope is the future of rock music.

Music:

Music

Music