Gilla: I Like Some Cool Rock’n Roll [Full Album + Bonus] (1980)

1979 saw Gilla release a cover version of The Animals’ We Gotta Get Out Of This Place in the spring. It became a moderate hit in Holland where it peaked at #40. It did slightly better in Belgium where it reached #24. It was produced by Gilla’s husband, Helmut Rulofs, who himself was known as a pop singer in Germany under the name Chris Denning (Jamaica Farewell). The couple spent the rest of 1979 preparing Gilla’s 4th album which was released in the winter of 1980, coinciding with her 30th birthday, and it was lead by the single Cool Rock’n Roll, written by Rulofs and a certain Brad Howell, who would become the secret lead singer of Milli Vanilli 8 years later on. It was debatable whether or not Cool Rock’n Roll could be considered rock, and the single flopped. Go Down Mainstreet, a song that Austrian group Black Jack had released the previous year, was released as the second single and landed Gilla a Top 20-hit in Sweden. Gilla & Rulofs would find even bigger success with the track I See A Boat On The River which Rulofs had planned for himself before Frank Farian reworked it into a Boney M. track and landed them a European Top 10-hit. The album also contained remakes of a Carole King track Disco Tech, and a remake of an obscure Jason Lee-track, The Heat Is On. Tom Cat was released towards the end of the year, and whilst it did not chart anywhere, it became a favourite for Gilla’s fans behind the iron curtain in the former USSR.  The new decade saw musical tastes changing, and there would be no new album for Gilla, only a single release towards the end of the year, the song Cigarillo, written by Gilla & Rulofs, backed with a cover of Friday On My Mind. Gilla briefly featured with Rulofs in the duo Sweet Mix who released one single on Hansa in 1982, Susan, Don’t Cry For Me, but her voice could only be heard on the backing vocals. The same year she and Rulofs contributed the song Video to Precious Wilson. In 1983 she backed Harry Baierl on his album Kamikaze, and after that she’d co-write with Rulofs for his dance projects Vanilla and Casablanca. The late 90s saw Gilla attempt some Eurodance recordings with Rulofs although none of them were released. The year 2000 saw a Best Of-compilation released with two remixes of Tu es! She has made regular performances in Russia where her popularity has endured. Thank you for some Cool Rock’n Roll, Gilla, I hope you and all the followers of my Youtube-channel have enjoyed revisiting the albums. 00:00 Go Down Mainstreet 04:10 Discothek 07:54 The Heat Is On 11:34 We Gotta Get Out Of This Place (Long Version)16:56 Take The Best Of Me (B-Side) 20:42 Queen Of The Night 23:57 Cool Rock’n Roll 27:37 Take Your Time31:15 Heartbreaker 34:54 Tom Cat38:52 The Summerwind Bonus Tracks: 42:42 Go Down Mainstreet (Long Version) 49:07 Discothek (Long Version) 55:25 Cigarillo (1981 Single) 59:27 Friday On My Mind (B-Side) 1:03:27 Black Jack: Go Down Mainstreet (1979) 1:07:26 Carole King: Disco Tech (1977) 1:12:13 Jason Lee: The Heat Is On (1977) 1:16:45 Gilla: We Gotta Get Out Of This Place (Top Pop 1979)